Meade Autostar Image Processing

For Windows

Version 3.January 2004
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Images have been provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Meade Instruments Corporation, Santa Barbara Instrument Group, Astrolink, Inc., SSC Observatories and other private sources.
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Selecting Close will close the current file and remove its display window and any support windows, such as the Histogram.

Save As Fits Image

Displays the Save As dialog box and allows saving the current image data in a floating point FITS formatted file. This method of saving insures that all of the information in the image is maintained. This is the format recommended for keeping archival copies of your image data. To save a file: - Select the directory and filename from the list boxes OR - Enter the desired filename in the Edit box. If the filename is specified without an extension, a default extension will be automatically added to the filename to reflect the current format. If the extension is provided, it will over-ride the current selection

Export Display As

Saves the currently display image to a file. This function is only available if the current format type is TIFF, FITS or BMP. This command will save the image as displayed on your computer as an 8 bit or 24 bit data in the format you request. Saving images this way will allow you to save images ready for use in documents, but will discard part of the original image data To save a file: - Select the desired format. - Select the directory and filename from the list boxes OR - Enter the desired filename in the Edit box. If the filename is specified without an extension, a default extension will be automatically added to the filename to reflect the current format. If the extension is provided, it will over-ride the current selection NOTE: All images are saved in the 8 bit versions of their respective format type, Some original information may be lost.

Revert

The Revert command allows you to revert the image to the last saved version.
Selecting the Print command or pressing the Print button from the Tool Bar prints the current image on the systems default printer. The image is scaled so that it completely fills the printing area of the paper in the horizontal direction. The vertical scale is then chosen to preserve the original aspect ratio of the image. Additional information pertaining to the image is also printed at the bottom of the page, below the image.

Printer Setup

Displays the Printer Setup dialog box which allows the selection of any of the currently installed printers.

To alter the print setting on a printer, highlight the printer in the Installed Printers window and select the Setup button. The printers control dialog will open an allow you to modify its settings. Finally, if the desired printer is not the systems Default Printer, user the Set Default Printer button to assign it as the system default. Remember this change will also affect any other program started after the change has been made. The most common use of Printer Setup is to allow change between B&W or Color, or portrait and landscape printing formats.

Page Setup

Selecting Page Setup allows you to customize the page to include headers, footers and set margins. You can also select a border.
Shuts down Meade Autostar IP in an orderly fashion and returns to the Windows Manager. If there are any modified files opened, you will be prompted to save those files.

4.View

The View formatting section allows you to modify how the image data is presented on the display in a number of ways. You can lighten or darken an image, change its contrast, or run a number of sophisticated image processing functions to bring out or suppress subtle details contained in the image. You can change the size of the image, tint its display palette or annotate it. All of the functions in the View menu affect only the image display, not the actual image data. To access the commands you can either click on View on the Menu Bar with the mouse, use the Alt key and the appropriate underlined letter from the keyboard, or, when available, click on the appropriate button from the Tool Bar. Descriptions of the Image file commands from the Menu Bar appear below. The icon from the appropriate button from the Tool Bar also appears next to the description for your reference.

Zoom Image Size

This command allows you to change the displayed size of the image. The image can be made larger or smaller depending on your needs. This is generally used to allow an entire image to be displayed even if the original image size exceeds the screen size. The Fit Window button automatically scales the image so that all of the image can be displayed in the current window regardless of the aspect ratio of the window. This means that one axis of the image may not completely fill a portion of the window. You will notice that the Photometry cursor is constrained from using the area outside the actual image area.
The Scale dialog allows you to modify the contrast and brightness of the image in a variety of ways. Scaling is a two step process. The first step is to Prescale the image. This selects the range of data to be mapped to the 256 available levels. The second step is final Scaling of the image. Final scaling gives you a broad range of control. You change can be as simple as a straight linear scaling or as complex as Histogram Equalization. When a new image is loaded, the values in this dialog box are reset to their defaults. This allows you to initially view the image in its un-altered state. The graph displays the transformation that will be applied to the image values when the OK button is depressed. The horizontal axis represents the input values to the transformation, while the vertical axis represents the resulting values. Each axis is drawn to reflect the values of the current palette. With the normal Linear transformation each input pixel corresponds to exactly the same output value, but only when Contrast = 1.0 and Brightness = 0. You can think of the Contrast and Brightness controls as the variables M and B in the equation of a straight line,

Autostar IP useful for delineating areas of similar brightness to enhance the overall shape of an object such as a comet or nebula. Before committing to the scaling function that you have selected, you can Preview the image by pressing the Preview button, you then have the option to select OK , Cancel , or try another scaling function.

Palettes

The Palettes dialog box allows you to modify the original palette of the image or to change the palette to completely different sets of colors
The pushbuttons at the top of the dialog box loads a new palette and resets the positions of the Start Color and Width scroll bars. The Original button resets the palette to the values that were contained in the original image The 16 Color button loads the standard 16 colors into the palette. This is useful on VGA systems that are running in 16 color mode. The normal hardware palette values in VGA only support 3 shades of gray, but, by using the 16 Color palette and selecting the Grayscale Palette from the Options menu, a full grayscale of 16 colors can be used. This option changes ALL colors on the display (including all other windows) while in a standard VGA 16 color mode! The 16 Spectrum button builds a set of 16 colors that smoothly transition from Black, Blue, Green, Red and ending with White. The appearance of this palette varies depending on the current video driver. The 256 Gray button constructs a unique grayscale palette that emulates a full 256 color grayscale. The standard Extended or Super VGA 256 color modes only support 64 different shades of gray. Using this new palette results in a smoother image compared to the 64 shades palette. This is accomplished by using color values that vary slightly from the pure gray colors. These off-color values are used to fill-in the steps between the 64 pure gray values. If the Night Vision feature is active the 256 Gray button becomes 256 Red which allows the image to be displayed in red to preserve your night vision. The 256 Spectrum button constructs a 256 color palette that smoothly transitions from Black, Blue, Green, Red and ends with White. This palette is especially useful for bringing out subtle detail in the image. NOTE: The 256 color palettes, when used in a 16 color mode, will display dithered colors that approximate the actual values. Their appearance in the image may differ greatly depending on the 16 color driver that is currently in use. Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow buttons construct single color pallet that terminate in white. -17-

Correct Column Defect

Perfect solid state image sensors are difficult to make. Often units are produced that have one or more columns that do not work correctly. These engineering grade sensors are often used in commercial CCD cameras. The processing command allows you to replace a defective imager column with the average of the two adjacent columns. When the command is selected a dialog box will prompt you to enter the number of the defective column. Once this is done and confirmed, the column is replaced.

Flip Image

The currently displayed image may be flipped either vertically or horizontally. This allows the image to be shown in its actual orientation if the telescope or camera system causes the image to appear inverted. The Vertical and Horizontal flipping function may also be used in combination.

Rotate Image

The currently displayed image can be rotated in steps of either +90 degrees (counter-clockwise) or -90 degrees (clockwise) using the Rotate Image command. Rotate Image must physically move the image data from one axis to the other. This changes the orientation of the image in memory, therefore, subsequent buffer functions, such as merging, may not -21-
Autostar IP function properly. To preclude these problems, the contents of the buffers are destroyed before the rotation takes place. You should then copy the rotated image into the desired buffer(s). After the command is complete, the newly rotated image is automatically copied into Buffer A.

Resample

The Resample command changes the actual size of the image. This allows you to make an image larger or smaller. Unlike Resizing which only affects the display, this command actually manipulates the image data make it a new size. When you select this command, the following dialog appears:
To change the size of the image, just enter the new dimensions desired. If the Preserve Aspect Ratio switch is set, Any time you enter either the width or height, the other number will be adjusted to perserve the aspect of the image. With the switch off, you can maker changes that will alter the aspect ratio of the final image. When you click on OK, the image will be modified. Remember, when you reduce the size of the image, information will be lost.

Convolution Filters

The Convolution Filter dialog box displays the kernel values of the current convolution filter and allows you to select from a list of pre-defined kernels or to enter your own values. See the Appendix for a description of image convolution.
The Normal button constructs a filter that does not alter the original image when the convolution process is started. This allows you to reset the kernel to a normal starting point when you are constructing your own kernels. The Smooth button builds a kernel that subtly blurs the image, reducing the effect of any noise that may be present in the image. Lowering the value of the center number in the kernel increases the smoothing effect. While increasing the value reduces the effect. The Sharpen button is useful in bringing out the details in images that originally appear somewhat blurred. This effect is different than Unsharp Masking, but can appear similar in some images. The Edge Enhance and Edge Only kernels are quite similar except for the value at the center of the kernel. Their effect is to enhance the appearance of any edges (transitions) from light to dark. The Edge Enhance maintains the overall appearance of the image, but modifies the edges, while the Edge Only filter displays only the edge modifications. The Average button merely sets all of the kernel values to 1.0 resulting in a 5x5 pixel average (blurring) of the image. The Clear button sets all the values to 0.0. This can be used to set the starting values in your own custom filter. To Preview the effect of your filter on the image, click the preview button. Adjust the parameter until you achieve the desired effect, then click OK.

Unsharp masking

This powerful command allows you to bring out the subtle detail that is normally not visible in the unprocessed image. When this command is selected, the Unsharp Masking dialog box is displayed. This allows you to set the region size used to produce the blurred unsharp mask. The larger the region size, the more unsharp (blurrier) the resulting mask becomes. This allows details smaller than the region to be enhanced after the mask and the image are merged. You can try other values for the Scale Factors to increase or decrease the effect of the unsharp masking technique. The only requirement is that the value for the image must be 1 greater than the value for the mask. Try values such as: 5,4 or 6,5 to increase the effect, or 2,1 to decrease the effect. NOTE: The original values of the Scale Factors are left untouched.

Median Filter

Median filtering modifies an image by replacing each pixel with the median (middle value) of it and all of its neighboring pixels. It is useful for removing random noise, and some column defects. Works on single pixel artifacts and smoothing out a generally noisy image.

Fix Hot Pixels

Even after calibration, images often have individual pixels that are too bright. These can be a result of read noise from your camera, cosmic rays that hit your imager during the exposures, slight errors in your calibration images. Regardless of the cause, this filter will look for these single pixel anomalies and remove them. When you select this command, a dialog box will appear. This dialog allows you to set how aggressively the program hunts for bad pixels. The smaller the threshold number you supply, the more aggressively, the filter will act.

Fix Cold Pixels

Even after calibration, images often have individual pixels that are too dark. These can be a result of read noise from your camera, cosmic rays that hit contaminated your dark frams, slight errors in your calibration images. Regardless of the cause, this filter will look for these single pixel anomalies and -23-
Autostar IP remove them. When you select this command, a dialog box will appear. This dialog allows you to set how aggressively the program hunts for bad pixels. The smaller the threshold number you supply, the more aggressively, the filter will act.

Add Noise

This command can be used to make cosmetic improvement to an images appearance. Adding a small amount of noise can cover up minor defects. It can also disguse the problem of areas with gradual changes in brightness; the human eye is very effective at detecting the shift from one color level to the next, resulting in a banded or contoured appearance (Mach bands). This problem can sometimes be seen on planetary limbs, or in solar limb darkening. This visual effect can be eliminated by adding a small amount of random noise. When you select this command the following dialog appears:
Use this dialog to select the mean amplitude of the noise you wish to add to the image. Additionally, you can select the distribution of the noise added. The noise can be wither uniformly distribute (white) noise, or gausian noise. When you click on OK, these random values will be added to each pixel in your image.

Stretch Image

Stretching a image is the process of applying an algebraic function to each pixel in an image. This process can be used to emphasis or de-emphasize highlights, or simply clip and scale image values. Autostar IP offers several different scalings: Log Scaling replaces each pixel with the log of its value. This has the effect of stretching the contrast to favor details in the image highlights and increases the dynamic range of the image that can be displayed. Exponential Scaling replace each pixel with the e (the base of the natural logs) raised to the power of the pixel value. This stretch flattens detail in highlights. It is also helpful in reducing limb darkening effects. Gamma Scaling replaces each pixel with its square root. This stretch is similar in its effect to log scaling, but is not as aggressive. It helps increase the dynamic range of an image. Linear Scaling, when selected brings up the following dialog box:
Autostar IP Linear scaling performs the following transformation: Final Pixel = (Pixel Min.Value) * Scale Factor If the Final Pixel is greater than Max. Value, the Final Pixel is assigned the Max. Value.

RGB Merge

The RGB Merge command produces a full color image by combining three separate grayscale images, one exposed through a red filter, another exposed through a green filter, and the last exposed through a blue filter If your system has 16 or 24 bit color modes, these images can be directly combined, otherwise this is accomplished by analyzing all of the possible colors in the image, then using a proprietary algorithm to choose the best colors to take full advantage of the 256 color system palette.
The RGB Merge command also allows you to modify the color balance of the final color image. Increasing the scale factor for an individual color, increases the intensity of that color in the resulting image, decreasing the scale factor decreases the overall intensity of that color in the image. Each of the scale factors can be used separately or together to achieve any desired color balance. For example, if the resulting image is too magenta, you might try lowering BOTH the red and blue scale factors, or you may try increasing the green scale factor to achieve the same effect. The scale factors may also be automatically determined by using the RGB Gray Balance function from the Image Utilities dialog box. To automatically balance the colors in the image, first locate an area in the image that should be white, or any neutral gray value such as a medium brightness star. Then draw a box around the object by depressing the left mouse button and dragging the box to the desired size. When the button is released, the Image Utilities dialog box will be displayed. If all three RGB buffers contain valid images, the RGB Gray Balance item will be enabled. Upon selecting the RGB Gray Balance function, the scale factors for each color will be determined and will automatically merge the buffers to produce a new image. The resulting image will show your selected object as a shade of gray. On 256 (8 bit) color systems, the Quantum Level field allows you to influence the behavior of the color selection algorithm. If the resulting image contains a very large number of colors, lowering the Quantum Level decreases the number of resulting colors. Similarly, raising the value increases the number of colors, up to the maximum number of colors contained in the image. When the number of colors found in the resulting image closely matches the number of colors used in the image, you will notice a marked increase in the speed of the merging process. -25-

When the command is complete, the number of colors that were found and the number of colors used in the resulting image are displayed. You should modify the number of Quantum Levels (in the RGB Merge dialog box) so that the two values are fairly close together. Generally, finding 300 to 400 colors results in the best image. Using a large number of colors results in an image that has a very small change in colors, using fewer colors increases the color differences seen in the image The resulting color image has its own unique palette, subsequent image processing, such as scaling, generally gives poor results. You should first scale the individual red, green, or blue grayscale images, then combine them using the RGB Merge command. To preserve the color palette, the color image must be saved in the BMP format. Frequently, many composite RGB images are not perfectly registered, the telescope may have moved between the exposures. This results in one or more of the images being offset from the other images. The Offsets {XE Image:Offsets} the X (horizontal) direction or the Y (vertical) direction one pixel at a time for each of the Red, Green, and Blue image files. After the image is first merged, you should examine some prominent part of the image using the Magnifier. If color fringes are noticed over the entire image, one or more of the separate images needs to be aligned with the others. Count the number of pixels that the images appear to be offset, then set the value in the appropriate red, green or blue X or Y offset fields. When the images are re-merged, the new offset values will be used. If the images were taken from a telescope that was not properly Polar aligned, the resulting images may also show some rotation from one image to the next, The RGB alignment may help reduce the effect slightly, but cannot correct for the rotation. The individual offsets may also be automatically determined by using the RGB Alignment function from the Image Utilities dialog box. To automatically align the images, first locate an area in the image that contains a well defined single object, such as a star. Then draw a box around the object by depressing the left mouse button and dragging the box to the desired size. When the button is released, the Image Utilities dialog box will be displayed. If all three RGB buffers contain valid images, the RGB Alignment item will be enabled. Upon selecting the auto alignment function, the X and Y offsets for each image will be determined and will automatically merge the buffers to produce a new image.

7. Image Utilities

The Image Utilities dialog box can be displayed by moving the cursor over the desired area of the current image and either clicking the left mouse button or by depressing the left mouse button, drawing a rectangle, then releasing the button. Clicking on a point in the image will enable the Set Distance Ref. function, drawing a rectangle enables the Rescale Size and Crop Image functions. If the three RGB buffers are loaded, the RGB Auto Alignment and RGB Gray Balance functions will also be available after the rectangle is drawn.
The Set Distance Ref. function allows you to measure distances, in pixels, from one point in the image to another. The image Coordinates display must be active to use this function. Choosing this command, removes the dialog box, then draws a line from the distance reference point to the current cursor position. As the cursor is moved, the current coordinates and the distance values will be continuously updated. Clicking the left mouse button, turns-off the distance measuring feature. The Rescale Size command scales the image to approximately fill the current image window with the data contained within the previously drawn rectangle. This command affects only the display of the image, not the actual data. The Crop Image command removes the data outside of the rectangle, preserving only the data on the inside. This command allows you to remove extraneous data from around the important part of your image. Since this command physically changes the size of the image, any existing data contained in the buffers is destroyed. See the RGB Merge command for a description of the RGB Auto Alignment and the RGB Gray Balance functions. The Set Log File command allows you to name a text file where information about the image can be written. Several operations including, List Pixel Values, Draw Profiles, Image Statitics, Determine Magnitude, and Group Photometry can write information to the Log file. This information can then be used in spread sheets or by other analysis tools. When you click on this button the following dialog appears:
Here you can specify where to write the log file. If the file already exists, you will be prompted to indicate whether you wish to append data to the existing file, or to erase it and start again. -27-

The Calibrate command will bring up the Calbirate Dialog box, just as described in the Process section of this manual. After the calibration files have been designated, the files will be applied to every image in the current group.
The Align command allows you register and align all of the images in the current gourp to a single object. When the command is selected all of the images in the group together are summed together to for a working image. This image is displayed. If the scope has drifted slightly between the images, the combined image will show multiple stars or trails similar to the section shown below:
The image fragment below shows clearly how all of the star are trippled. To align them, simply draw a selection box around all the stars that should be co-aligned.
Autostar IP The program will go through all of the images an shift them so that they will be aligned on the select star. After the the images have been aligned, a proof image will be created by averaging together all of the images in your group and displaying the results. It may take a couple of interrations to get all the images to line up if you are working in a crowded star field. The technique will work best if the alignment star is in a relatively isolated portion of the image.

Combine

The Combine command is used to combine all of the images in the group into a single image. There are several different combination methods available. Sum adds all the images together. Average averages all of the images together. Median takes the middle value of all the images at each pixel location. This method will drop out cosmic ray hits and other random noise from a group of images although the processing can be somewhat lengthy. Minimum takes the smallest pixel value of all the images at each pixel location. Maximum takes the largest pixel value of all the images at each pixel location.

Filter

The Filter command allows you to apply any of the filter techniques found under Process to the entire group of images. Filters available include: Convolve Median Unsharp Mask Fix Hot Pixels Fix Cold Pixels

Normalize

The Normalize command processes all of the images in the group so that their mean value is 10,000 ADUs. This command is most commonly used to prescale sky or twilight flats before median combining them to drop out stars, satellites and other transient effects.

Grayscale Palette and Standard Palette
The Grayscale Palette and Standard Palette commands are used together to optimize your systems' ability to display gray scale images. If you are running in a standard VGA display mode, these commands will be enabled. Since these commands are not required in other display modes, they will appear disabled. The standard VGA mode allows only 16 simultaneous colors, with this limitation in mind, Windows requires that these colors be set to the standards 'pure' colors, e.g. red, green, blue, magenta, etc., this provides only two gray values plus black and white. To improve you capability of viewing the high resolution B/W images, Epoch 2000 re-programs the hardware registers on the VGA board to display 16 gray values instead of 16 'pure' colors. By selecting the standard 16 color palette in the Image, Palette menu when the Grayscale Palette is active, you will be able to view the images in 16 shades of gray NOTE: The Grayscale Palette function removes all colors from the display leaving only shades of gray. Make sure you restore the regular colors by selecting the Standard Palette before you run other color intensive applications.

Autostar IP Appendix

Appendix A

Image Processing Basics

Image processing allows you to modify the appearance of an image by applying various types of filters, scaling options or transformations. The simplest type of processing is linear scaling. With linear scaling, one pixel from the source image is multiplied by a scale factor, then an offset term is added. The original pixel value is then replaced with the resulting value. This process is repeated on each pixel in the image. The contrast and brightness of the image can be controlled by varying the scale factor (contrast) and the offset value (brightness). You should attempt to set the contrast to a value that allows the full range of the important parts of the image to fall on the sloping section of the transfer curve (see the Scale Image function), then set the brightness so that the minimum pixel values appear black or very dark gray. The following histogram and transfer graph illustrates the optimal contrast and brightness settings to give a normal view of the image.

You may need to experiment to find the right settings for any given image. Sometimes it may be necessary to scale different areas of the image using Another useful image processing technique, convolution, allows you to enhance the appearance of an image by 'filtering' the image data by either smoothing (low-pass filter) or sharpening (high-pass filter) or combining parts of both types of filters. This is accomplished by passing a convolution matrix, or kernel, over the entire image and replacing the center pixel in the resulting matrix with the scaled sum of all of the other values. For example, if you wanted to average each pixel with its adjacent neighbors the following kernel could be used. 1 1
Each pixel, including the center one, would be multiplied by 1, then the sum of each of these terms is calculated. The result is then divided by the sum of each of the kernel values, in this case 9. Finally, the -39-
center pixel value is replaced with the new result. This process is then repeated for every pixel in the image. There are many different kernels that you can create that give various results. Meade Autostar IP provides several basic kernels that provide the most common functions, but feel free to experiment. There are a number of image processing books available that will describe other types of kernels.

Bibliography

William K. Pratt, Digital Image Processing, second edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1991

Glossary

absolute magnitude - the apparent magnitude an object would have if it were moved to a distance of 10 parsecs. angular diameter - the apparent diameter of an object expressed in angular measure i.e., deg, min, sec. aperture - the diameter of the objective lens or primary mirror of a telescope. apparent magnitude - the observed brightness of an object without any correction for distance. astrometry - the branch of astronomy concerned with the precise measurement of positions and motions of celestial objects. coma - an optical defect that affects only image details away from the center of the field of view causing stars to appear flared, like tiny comets pointing inward from the edge of the field. focal length - the distance from the lens or mirror to the focal point. focus - the oint in an optical system where all the image components are brought together.

Autostar

Captions for Cover
1. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) Screen - A 2 line, 16 character each line, information screen. Brightness and contrast of the screen is adjustable. ENTER Key - Completes a data entry or selects an Autostar function. MODE Key - Exits the current function and returns to the previous menu. Press MODE instead of ENTER to void any data input or feature selection. Pressing MODE for more than 2 seconds displays telescope status. GO TO Key - Moves the telescope to selected objects or coordinates. Arrow Keys - Moves the telescope in any of four directions. When data is entered, the arrow keys move the screen cursor. Number Keys - Enters numeric data. When not used to enter data, the number keys select telescope motor speeds (1 is slowest, 9 is fastest). 0 Key - Enters data or turns the Utility Light on and off. Scroll Up Key - Views menu options one entry at a time. During a moving message, this key increases message speed. Scroll Down Key -Views menu options one entry at a time. During a moving message, this key decreases message speed. Help (?) Key - Access the Autostar Help function. Coil Cord Port - Connects the coil cord (13) to Autostar. Serial Port - RS-232 cable port to Autostar. Coil Cord - Connects between Autostar and the telescope. Utility Light - Illuminates objects such as a watch or star chart. Pressing the 0 key turns the utility light on and off.
WARNING: Never use Autostar to move a telescope to look at the Sun! Looking at or near the Sun will cause instant and irreversible damage to your eye. Eye damage is often painless, so there is no warning to the observer that damage has occurred until it is too late. Do not point a telescope or its viewfinder at or near the Sun. Do not look through a telescope or its viewfinder as it is moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing.

Introduction

This manual describes applications of the Autostar Computer Controller with various models of Meade telescopes: ETX-90EC: Refer to the manual included with the ETX-90EC for instructions on the basic operation of the telescope, including usage of the standard-equipment Electronic Controller (EC). DS-telescopes (e.g., DS-60, DS-70, etc.): (a) Refer to the manual included with each of these models for instructions on the basic operation of the telescope. (b) If you purchased a DS-model which includes the #492 Dual-Motor Electronic Control System, then interchange the Electronic Controller (EC) of the #492 System with the Autostar Computer Controller and follow the instructions in this manual. The Autostar handbox plugs into the same HBX connector on the telescope as the EC handbox. (c) If your DS-model did not originally include the #492 System, and you are now adding the complete #493 Autostar Computer Control System (including motors on both axes) to your telescope, then read the enclosed manual (Meade #493 Autostar Computer Control System) first, before reading this manual. Autostar assists the observer with a large variety of features, including: Control the movement of the telescope to locate terrestrial and astronomical objects. Catalog of events (e.g., Moon phases, meteor showers, etc.).

4. 5. 6.

7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
NOTE: All number references in this manual are to the Autostar Computer Controller shown on the front cover.
-3 Guided tours of the best objects based on date and location. Model #495 Autostar has a database of over 1,200 astronomical objects. Model #497 Autostars database includes over 12,000 astronomical objects. A glossary of over 90 descriptions and definitions. A built in Help function by pressing the ? key. Utilities including eyepiece magnification, alarms, battery monitor, power saving functions, and more. Connect to a computer to remotely control the telescope. Language Selection: Autostar offers text in one of six possible languages. Press the key for the desired language. *Problem* If the wrong language is selected, press MODE and Autostar requests the language selection again. Sun Warning: Autostar displays a sun warning message which must be carefully read by every person using the telescope. After reading the message, follow the instructions to move to the next operation. *Hint* If screen messages are moving too fast (or slow), use the SCROLL keys (8 & 9) to change the speed. Self Calibration: Testing Motors is displayed and the telescope moves a short distance in both axes. Automatic calibration of the motors happens only once, the first time Autostar is used. NOTE: If Autostar is moved to another telescope, it needs to be recalibrated (see the Setup:Telescope:Calibrate Motor menu). Getting Started: Getting Started, is displayed with a message offering a description of Autostar operation. Press ENTER (2) to bypass this tutorial or press the ? key (10) to begin the message. At this point, Autostar can move the telescope using the ARROW keys (5). Pressing one of these keys moves the telescope up, down, left, or right. The speed of movement is changed by pressing a NUMBER key (9 = fastest, 1 = slowest). Date: The date must be entered each time power is applied. Enter numbers by pressing the numeric keys. Press the right or left ARROW key (5) to move the cursor. To change the month, use the up or down ARROW key. After the correct month is displayed press the right ARROW key to move to the year. Change the year, if required, using the numeric keys. When the correct date is displayed, press ENTER to complete the date entry. *Hint* The utility light (14) is turned on during date and time entry to illuminate a watch. Time: Local time must be entered each time Autostar power is applied. Enter the time using the NUMBER and ARROW keys. Change AM or PM using the SCROLL keys (8 & 9). When the time displayed is correct, press ENTER to start the clock running.

This Instruction Manual begins by explaining the operation of Autostar in sequence from turning on power to locating the first object in the sky. The telescope and manual should be used together to complete this important series of operations. The balance of the manual is a reference for additional functions. The first time Autostar power is applied, additional activities are required. Pick a comfortable location and take the time necessary to read each step carefully. When viewing is required, move to an open area outside and continue operation.

First Operation

Autostar Installation: Verify that power is turned off at the telescope computer control panel. Plug the coil cord (13) into the coil cord port (11). Plug the other end into the computer control panel HBX (handbox) port. Turn on the telescope power using the switch on the ETX computer control panel or by plugging in the power cord to the DS computer control panel. Initialization: With power on, Autostar begins the startup process by displaying the Meade copyright message, sounding a beep, and initializing the computer system. After initialization, Autostar requests information needed to operate the telescope. *Problem* If Autostar does not display messages, turn the power off and then back on. Also, check the batteries or other power source. If the beep sounded and the screen is difficult to read, press MODE (3) and Autostar resets the screen to factory settings.
-4Daylight Savings: When time is entered, it must be identified as Standard or Daylight Savings. Daylight Savings is when clocks are set ahead one hour. If Daylight Savings, select YES, otherwise choose NO. Use the SCROLL keys (8 & 9) to chose YES or NO. When the screen is correct, press ENTER to complete the entry. Telescope Site: The location on Earth (site) of the telescope must be entered. Use the SCROLL keys to pick the nearest Country (or State) from the alphabetical list. When the screen shows the correct selection, press ENTER. Next use the SCROLL keys to select the nearest City. Press ENTER when the best choice is displayed. NOTE: Not all countries or cities are listed. Pick the nearest from available choices. To add more sites, see the Setup:Site:Add menu. Telescope Model: Use the SCROLL keys to display the telescope model, then press ENTER. The telescope model can be found on the telescope box or a foil label on the telescope tube. Autostar automatically requests this information only once. Autostar Initialization Complete: In future sessions, Autostar only requests the date and time during the power-on sequence. Other items (such as language, motor calibration, site, and telescope model) remain unchanged from the previous session. After initializing, Autostar pauses at the alignment menu. Alignment relates objects in the sky to the position of the telescope. Autostar needs to be aligned accurately to find objects. Before proceeding with alignment, a general explanation of Autostar functions is helpful. Keypad and Help Function: The Autostar keypad has 20 keys. To register a single keystroke, press and release a key firmly and briefly. Holding a key for a longer period causes a repeated key entry. This is useful for operations which require multiple keystrokes. The Help (?) key (10), provides advice on operations, in the form of a moving message. LCD Screen and Hypertext: The Autostar screen has 2 lines of 16 characters each. The top line is the current active function or menu and the bottom line is the next level of options, data, or a message. When a moving message appears the speed can be changed using the SCROLL keys. To exit the message, press MODE briefly, unless the message gives some other instruction. Sometimes embedded in a moving message is a bracketed [word], referred to as Hypertext. Autostar Hypertext is similar to that used on the Internet. While a Hypertext word is visible, press ENTER, and the definition of the word appears, replacing the first message. After the new message is complete, press MODE and return to the original message. If the Hypertext is an object, like Jupiter, press GO TO while the word is visible and the telescope moves and points at the object.

Autostar Menus

Autostar Menu Structures: Autostar has menus with lists of available features (see Figure 1). The menus are organized in descending levels and are seen on the Autostar screen (1). The top line of the screen is the currently active menu category and the bottom line has the list of menu options that can be selected. Four keys are used to navigate the menus; ENTER, MODE, and both SCROLL keys. Pressing ENTER activates the item listed on the bottom line (moving down a menu level) and moves it to the top line. With the selected function on the top line, a new list of functions can then be displayed on the bottom line. To go back to the previous menu (moving up a menu level), press MODE. Pressing a SCROLL key changes the menu item visible on the bottom line. Since only one item of a menu list can be displayed on the bottom line, scrolling makes the other choices visible.
Autostar Manual Operation
Moving the Telescope: The ARROW keys (5) move the telescope in four directions; up, down, left, and right. The speed of movement is changed by pressing a numeric key from 1 to 9, with 9 being the fastest. Speed settings remain until changed by pressing a different number. Take time now to move the telescope using the ARROW keys. Pick an object and point the telescope at it. Use a slower speed when nearing the object to accurately center it in the viewfinder and then in the eyepiece. These skills are useful when training and aligning the telescope.

-5Select Item:

Object Event Guided Tour Tour Objects Glossary Utilities Setup Align Easy Date One Star Time Two Star Daylight Saving Telescope Telescope Model Targets Focal Length Site Az. Ratio Owner Info Alt. Ratio Clone Mount Download Train Drive Statistics Tracking Rate Reset Reverse L/R Reverse UP/DOWN Calibrate Motor High Precision Sunrise Sunset Moonrise Moonset Moon Phases Meteor Shower Solar Eclipses Lunar Eclipses Min. of Algol Autumn Equinox Vernal Equinox Winter Solstice Summer Solstice Solar System Constellation Deep Sky Star Satellite User Object Landmarks Identify Named SAO Catalog Double Variable Nearby With Planets Named Objects Galaxies Nebulas Planetary Neb. Star Clusters Quasars Black Holes IC Objects NGC Objects Caldwell Objects Messier Objects Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto Moon Asteroids Comets
Timer Alarm Eyepiece Calc. Brightness Adj. Contrast Adj. Battery Alarm Landmark Survey Sleep Scope Park Scope

A B C Z

AUTOSTAR MENU STRUCTURE KEY

ENTER MODE

The ENTER key (2) moves to the right The MODE key (3) moves to the left The up SCROLL key (8) moves up The down SCROLL key (9) moves down
(press and hold for 2 sec.)
Telescope Status Display RA/Dec Alt/Az Time Timer Battery Focus Enter to Sync.
ENTER (press and hold for 2 sec.)
Fig. 1: Autostar Primary Menus and Options.
-6Figure 1 shows the complete Autostar menu structure showing the paths that can be followed. From any point in the menu, pressing ENTER moves along a menu line to the right. Pressing MODE moves to the left along a menu line. Pressing the down SCROLL key moves down menu lists and pressing the up SCROLL key moves up. Menu Example: Finding the sunset time is a good example of how to use Autostar menus. Begin by pressing MODE several times until the screen reads Select Item: on the top line and Object on the bottom line. Pressing MODE multiple times causes Autostar to move back to the Object menu. The main menu has six choices; Object, Event, Guided Tour, Glossary, Utilities, and Setup. Pressing a SCROLL keys makes each of these visible on the bottom line of the screen. Press a SCROLL key until the bottom line reads, Event, then press ENTER to select that menu. The top line now reads Event: and the bottom line reads, Sunrise (the first item in the Event menu). Use a SCROLL key to view the other items, finishing with Sunset on the bottom line. Press ENTER to start the sunset calculation which then displays the sunset time for the current day. To leave the Sunset function and return to the Event menu, press MODE. Press MODE again to return to the main menu with the top line reading, Select Item: and the bottom line Event. Use similar sequences of the ENTER, MODE and SCROLL keys to explore other functions in the Autostar menu. Try other events or look up words in the Glossary. Do not change any settings in the Utilities or Setup menus until they have been explained later in this manual. *Hint* To avoid changing any value, press MODE which returns to the previous menu without making a change to any Autostar settings. Also use the Help (?) key for an explanation of any menu. To train Autostar, prepare the telescope for optical viewing by removing dust covers and inserting an eyepiece. The viewfinder should also be aligned and ready for use. Select a fixed land object as a reference for the training process. Point the telescope at the selected object and center it in the eyepiece. Press MODE until the main menu is displayed (Select Item:). Press a SCROLL key until Setup is on the bottom line, then press ENTER. With Setup: now on the top line, press a SCROLL key until the bottom line reads Telescope, then press ENTER. In the Telescope menu, press a SCROLL key until Train Drive appears on the bottom line, then press ENTER. The top line of the screen should read, Train Drive: and the bottom line should read Az. Train. Both telescope motors need to be trained separately. Start with Az. Train by pressing ENTER and following the instructions given. Autostar moves the telescope away from the centered object and asks that it be centered using only one ARROW key (all other ARROW keys are disabled). After the object is centered, press ENTER. Autostar now moves the telescope in the other direction and ask for the object to be centered again. Center the object and press ENTER. The training for the Azimuth axis is complete. Autostar has returned to the Train Drive: menu. Select the second motor using a SCROLL key until the bottom line reads, Alt. Train. Press ENTER and follow instructions as before. This time, the telescope moves up and down otherwise the training sequence is the same as Az. Train. After completing Alt. Train, Autostar is ready for alignment and operation. Remember the accuracy of this training determines how well Autostar finds objects.

Telescope Alignment

Alignment is the method used to relate objects in the sky to the position of the telescope. Autostar has six methods of alignment, three for Polar alignment and three for Alt/Az Alignment. The simplest method to align is Easy Align in the Alt/Az mode. Easy Align requires the telescope to be placed level on a table or on a tripod such as the Meade Deluxe Field Tripod. Select an

Telescope Training

Autostar is not able to accurately point at objects unless it is aligned and trained. Training Autostar allows it to collect data about the gears in the telescope motor system. Once training is complete, Autostar saves the data for later operations. Use great care in training the Autostar system to achieve maximum accuracy.
-7outside area with few obstructions and an open sky. The telescope should be prepared for observing with lens covers removed, a low power eyepiece installed and the viewfinder aligned. Use MODE to return to the main menu (Select Item:). Chose the Setup menu and press ENTER. Press ENTER again to select the Align menu. Press ENTER a third time to begin the Easy Align procedure and follow the instructions given by Autostar. The first action is to put the telescope in the Home position. Home position for all telescope models is with the telescope tube level (at 0) and pointed North. ETX telescopes must also have the base in a special position to avoid internal hardstops. Begin by releasing the ETX horizontal lock lever. Turn the telescope counterclockwise until it stops. Next turn the telescope clockwise until the fork arm is directly over the computer control panel and lock the horizontal axis. With the telescope in the home position (level and pointed North), press ENTER. Autostar now selects a bright star and moves the telescope to point near it. Using the ARROW keys, center the star in the viewfinder and then in the eyepiece. The alignment star should be easily recognized and is the brightest object in the sky where the telescope is aimed. When the star is centered, press ENTER. Autostar then selects a second star and points the telescope toward it. Repeat the same procedure as used on the first star. If the alignment operation was done accurately, Autostar displays, Align Successful. The telescope begins tracking (motors can be heard making a low hum) and the screen returns to the main menu. *Hint* If a selected star is not visible or is behind an obstacle, press a SCROLL key and Autostar makes another selection. The SCROLL key can be pressed as often as needed to locate a visible star. *Problem* If Autostar detects inconsistent data the screen reads: Alignment Failed. Repeat the alignment procedure until successful. Guided Tour picks the best objects available for viewing. To start a guided tour, select the Guided Tour function from the main menu. Use the SCROLL keys to view the list of tour objects and press ENTER to select any object of interest. When selected, the object name appears on the top line and information about the object is on the bottom line. Object information includes: astronomical coordinates, size, brightness, and more. All information can be seen using the SCROLL keys. Some objects have a moving message with a description of the object. If a moving message appears, use MODE to exit the message when completed. To direct Autostar to point the telescope at a selected object, press GO TO. The telescope moves at high speed toward the object. The telescope slows as it approaches the object and eventually stops and sounds a beep. The object should be visible in the eyepiece of the telescope. To see more objects in the Guided Tour, press MODE. Display a new object with the SCROLL keys and press ENTER to select it. Use this method to view any of the Guided Tour objects. *Problem* If objects are not in the eyepiece after GO TO is pressed, check the viewfinder to see if it is near the center. Under high magnification, some objects may be slightly out of the field of view and need some minor manual correction using the ARROW keys. If the object was not close to center, there are several possibilities. First, the telescope must sit on a stable surface or tripod. Second, use only the ARROW keys or GO TO key to move the telescope or alignment is lost. Third, be sure the date, time, and site are accurately entered. Fourth, make sure the telescope axis locks are firmly engaged to prevent slippage of the internal clutch. Fifth, telescope training must be accurate. Repeat very carefully all of the steps to train the telescope. Last, the alignment procedure must be done accurately. Make sure each step is done carefully and that alignment stars are centered. Synchronize Function: To improve the ability of Autostar to find objects, a sync function is included to make minor alignment corrections. If an object is not centered in the eyepiece, press and

Finding Objects in the Sky
With Autostar aligned, it is possible to find any visible object in the Object menu. Another option, is to take a Guided Tour.
-8hold ENTER for two seconds. Autostar requests that the selected object be centered, then press ENTER again. This improves the accuracy of alignment, particularly in the region of sky immediately around the sync object. Telescope Status Display: This is activated by pressing MODE for more than 2 seconds. The screen shows values related to Autostar operation, and can be viewed by using the SCROLL keys. The telescope can also be pointed at a particular location using the ARROW keys and watching a location display. For automatic movement of the telescope, press GO TO during a location display. Autostar requests the destination coordinates to be entered. Enter the coordinates, then press ENTER. Autostar moves the telescope to that location. To exit the status display, press MODE. Deep Sky is a database of objects outside our solar system such as nebulae, star clusters, galaxies, and quasars. Star is a database of stars by different categories such as named, double, variable, or nearby. Satellite is a database of Earth-orbiting objects such as the International Space Station, the Hubble Space Telescope, and other satellites. This feature is recommended for advanced users only since acquiring and tracking a fast moving object can be complicated. Additionally, Autostar needs fresh satellite data or it is unable to accurately predict the appearance time and location. The Meade web site (www.meade.com) provides updated information on orbits and complete instructions on how to use this feature. User Objects allows the user to define deep-sky objects of interest that are not currently in the Autostar database. Landmarks stores terrestrial points of interest. To enter a new landmark the telescope must be located and aligned exactly as when other landmarks were entered. Sync on a reference landmark, then move the telescope to the new landmark and enter it into the Autostar database. Identify is used when an object is placed in the telescope eyepiece and Autostar identifies the object being observed. B. Event Menu Options The Select Item: Event menu provides access to dates and times of astronomical events. Included are: Sunrise and Sunset displays the time that the Sun rises or sets on the current date. Moonrise and Moonset displays the time that the Moon rises or sets on the current date. Moon Phases displays the date and time of Full, New, 1st Qtr, and 3rd Qtr Moon. Meteor Showers provides information about upcoming meteor showers, including dates of the shower and when it is scheduled to reach maximum.

Autostar Menus and Function Reference
This section discusses each of the Autostar menus and functions (see Figure 1). To access any of the functions use the ENTER, MODE and SCROLL keys as in previous operations. A. Object Menu Options The Select Item: Object menu contains a database of objects for viewing, including astronomical, terrestrial and user-defined objects. When an object has been selected it appears on the top line of the screen. The bottom line contains information about the object which is viewed using the SCROLL keys. Press GO TO and the telescope points at the current object. Solar System includes eight planets (Earth is not included) in order out from the Sun, followed by the Moon, asteroids, and comets. Constellation is a database of all 88 northern and southern hemisphere constellations. When this menu option is chosen and a constellation name appears on the first line of the screen, pressing GO TO changes the second line to the name of the brightest star in the constellation. Pressing GO TO again moves the telescope to that star. Use the SCROLL keys to cycle through the stars in the constellation from brightest to dimmest.
-9 Solar Eclipse lists upcoming Solar Eclipses, including the date and type of eclipse along with the location and time of the first and last contacts of the lunar shadow across the Earth. Lunar Eclipse lists upcoming Lunar Eclipses. Min. (Minimum) of Algol is the minimum brightness of the eclipsing binary star system, Algol. Every 2.8 days during a 10 hour period, Algol undergoes a major change in magnitude as one of the two stars passes behind the other. The combined magnitude of the two stars dips from +2.1 to a minimum of +3.4 halfway through the eclipse as the second star is hidden. Autumn and Vernal Equinox calculates fall or spring equinox. Winter and Summer Solstice calculates the winter or summer solstice for the current year. C. Glossary Menu Options The Select Item: Glossary menu provides an alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions for common astronomical terms and Autostar functions. Press ENTER to access the Glossary database. Use the SCROLL keys to scroll through the alphabet. Press ENTER on the desired letter. Scroll to the desired entry, then press ENTER to read the description. D. Utilities Menu Options The Select Item: Utilities menu provides access to several extra features within Autostar, including a countdown timer and an alarm. Specific Utilities options include: Timer selects a countdown timer. This feature is useful for things such as astrophotography and in tracking satellites. To use the Timer, press ENTER, then choose Set or Start/Stop. Alarm selects a time for an alarm signal as a reminder function. To use the Alarm, press ENTER, then choose Set or Start/Stop. Eyepiece Calc calculates information about an eyepiece and how it functions for the specific telescope to which Autostar is connected. Brightness Adj uses the scroll keys to adjust the brightness of the screen. When complete, press ENTER. Contrast Adj uses the scroll keys to adjust the contrast of the screen. This feature is usually only required in very cold weather. When complete, press ENTER. Battery Alarm sounds when the batteries are nearing replacement. If not desired, press the scroll key to change the screen from YES to NO. Press ENTER and the beep no longer sounds. Landmark Survey automatically moves the telescope to all userdefined landmarks with a pause at each location. Use the ARROW keys to manually locate the first landmark. Press and hold ENTER for 2 seconds; the message ENTER to Sync. appears. Press ENTER and this landmark is synchronized with all other landmarks. Important Note: To accomplish a landmark survey, all landmarks must have been entered into the Autostar database from the same reference point (i.e., the telescope must be in the exact same location and mounted and aligned in the exact same way). Sleep Scope is a power saving option that shuts down Autostar and the telescope without forgetting its alignment. Press ENTER to activate the Sleep function and Autostar goes dark but the internal clock keeps running. Press any key, except ENTER, to re-activate. Park Scope is designed for a telescope that is not moved between observing sessions. Align the telescope one time, then use this function to park the telescope. Next time it is powered up, enter the correct date and time no alignment is required. Pressing ENTER causes the telescope to move to its pre-determined Park position. Once parked, the screen prompts to turn off power. E. Setup Menu Options The Select Item: Setup category primary function is to align the telescope. However, there are numerous other features available within Setup. These options are: Date changes the date currently used by Autostar. Time changes the time entered into Autostar. Setting the correct time is critical for Autostar to properly calculate locations and events.

- 10 Daylight Saving is used to set the status of Daylight Savings time. Telescope accesses the telescope options, including: Telescope Model: Selects the model of telescope connected. Focal Length: Changes the focal length of the telescope by typing in new numbers, then press ENTER. Az Ratio and Alt Ratio: The Az (Azimuth) ratio and Alt (Altitude) ratio refers to the gears installed in the telescope motors. Do not alter these numbers. Mount: Choose between Alt/Az mount or Polar Mount. A polar mount requires that the telescope be physically polar aligned. Train Drive: Trains the telescope motor drive to locate objects with more precision. This function is very important to accomplish the first time Autostar is connected to a telescope. Tracking Rate: Changes the speed at which the telescope tracks targets in the sky. Sidereal is the rate that stars move across the sky due to the Earths rotation, Lunar is the rate that the Moon moves, and Custom allows entry of userdefined tracking rates. Reverse L/R: Reverses the functions of the left and right arrows (i.e., the right key moves the telescope to the left). Reverse UP/DOWN: Reverses the functions of the up and down arrows (i.e., the up key moves the telescope down). slews to a nearby bright star and requests ENTER to Sync. Center the star in the eyepiece, then press ENTER. The telescope then slews to the originally requested object. Targets switches between Astronomical targets (motor drive on) and Terrestrial targets (motor drive off). Site allows access to the Site options including: Select: Displays the current site chosen during initialization. Use the scroll keys to cycle through all available sites. Add: Adds a new observing site. Delete: Deletes a stored site. Edit: Edits a selected site, including: the name, latitude, longitude, and time zone.
Owner Info accesses the owner information menu, including the owners name and address. Clone uploads information from one Autostar to another. Three options are available: Catalogs: Sends only the user-defined object information, such as new satellite or comet information, to another Autostar. Software: Sends only the basic Autostar software. This is useful if one user has downloaded a new version of the Autostar software from the Meade website (www.meade.com) and wants to pass this new software along to friends. All: Everything is sent to another Autostar.

NOTE: The reverse functions above are useful for observers in the southern hemisphere (i.e., South America, Australia, Africa, etc.) Calibrate Motor: If the telescope motors appear to have any sort of problem, use this option to retest the motors before doing a Reset. This option is also used if Autostar is moved between telescopes to match Autostar to the telescope. High Precision: If High Precision is turned on, when looking for a faint celestial object (i.e., a nebula or galaxy) Autostar
Download transfers information from a personal computer or another Autostar as described above in Clone. Statistics provides basic statistical data about Autostar, including Characters Free and Version. Reset completely resets Autostar. Autostar requires initialization again before proceeding with observations.

FCC NOTICE

MEADE LIMITED WARRANTY
Every Meade telescope, spotting scope, and telescope accessory is warranted by Meade Instruments Corporation (Meade) to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ONE YEAR from the date of original purchase in the U.S.A. and Canada. Meade will repair or replace a product, or part thereof, found by Meade to be defective, provided the defective part is returned to Meade, freight-prepaid, with proof of purchase. This warranty applies to the original purchaser only and is nontransferable. Meade products purchased outside North America are not included in this warranty, but are covered under separate warranties issued by Meade international distributors. RGA Number Required: Prior to the return of any product or part, a Return Goods Authorization (RGA) number must be obtained from Meade by writing, or by calling (949) 451-1450. Each returned part or product must include a written statement detailing the nature of the claimed defect, as well as the owners name, address, and phone number. This warranty is not valid in cases where the product has been abused or mishandled, where unauthorized repairs have been attempted or performed, or where depreciation of the product is due to normal wear-and-tear. Meade specifically disclaims special, indirect, or consequential damages or lost profit which may result from a breach of this warranty. Any implied warranties which can not be disclaimed are hereby limited to a term of one year from the date of original retail purchase. This warranty gives you specific rights. You may have other rights which vary from state to state. Meade reserves the right to change product specifications or to discontinue products without notice. This warranty supersedes all previous Meade product warranties.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of a CLASS B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures: Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna. Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that of the receiver. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician. Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the users authority to operate this equipment.
Meade Instruments Corporation
Worlds leading manufacturer of astronomical telescopes for the serious amateur.
6001 OAK CANYON, IRVINE, CALIFORNIA 92620-4205 U.S.A. s (949) 451-1450 FAX: (949) 451-1460 s www.meade.com
1999 All Rights Reserved. The name Meade and the Meade logo are trademarks registered with the United States Patent Office. Ver. 0399 Part Number 14-2001-01