Instruction Manual DS-2000 Series Reflecting and Refracting Telescopes AutoStar® — LNT™ — SmartFinder™ ™ MEADE.
WARNING! Never use a Meade® DS2000™ 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 the telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope or SmartFinder™ as it is moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing.
CONTENTS Quick-Start Guide .......................................................... 4 Telescope Features ...................................................... 7 Autostar Features .......................................................... 9 Getting Started ..............................................................11 Packing List ..............................................................11 How to Assemble Your Telescope ............................11 Using Smartfinder ..............................
QUICK-START GUIDE 1 4&5 Fasten wingnuts 1. Open the tripod: Remove the tripod from the giftbox and stand vertically. Gently pull the legs apart to a fully open position. Attach the tray to the tripod: Slide the bolts through the tray and struts. Thread the wingnuts onto the bolts. 4. Remove 4 screws from the mounting arm shaft: Locate the four screws on the mounting shaft. Remove the screws using a "+" (Phillips head) screwdriver. 5.
9 7b I D F H 9. E 7a. Attach the 90° diagonal prism (refractor models only, see inside front cover): Pull out to remove the plastic dust cover from the eyepiece holder (A). Slide the tube of the diagonal prism (B) into the telescope’s eyepiece-holder and tighten the thumbscrews (C) to a firm feel only to secure. 7b. Insert the eyepiece: Remove the supplied 25mm or 26mm eyepiece (D) from its container and place it in the diagonal prism (refractor models only; see Fig.
8 5 other side 9 E 7 F 6 2 4 Fig. 1b (Inset): (E) Altitude Setting Circle; (F) Altitude Lock 1 3 11 10 12 7 other side (not visible) 2 1. Focus Knob 13 25 2. Eyepiece Holder 3. 90° Diagonal Prism 14 5 (refractors only) 4. Eyepiece Holder Thumbscrew 15 5. Eyepiece 6. Focus Lock Knob 16 7. Smartfinder-LNT Module 3 8. Smartfinder Alignment Screws 24 23 17 9. Smartfinder Lens 10. Altitude Setting Circle 26 and Lock 1 11. Dew Shield 12. Dust Cap 13. Optical Tube 22 14.
TELESCOPE FEATURES Take the time to become acquainted with all of these controls before attempting observations through the telescope. 1 Focus Knob: Moves the telescope’s focus drawtube in a finely-controlled motion to achieve precise image focus. Rotate the focus knob clockwise to focus on distant objects, and counterclockwise to focus on nearby objects. 2 Eyepiece Holder: Holds the eyepiece in place. On refractor models, also holds the 90° diagonal prism in place.
18 Accessory Tray Attachment Bolts - Attach to wing nuts to fasten tray to the tripod. See page 11 for more information. Note: It is not necessary to remove the tray each time you collapse the tripod. The tray is designed to be collapsed with the legs. 19 Accessory Tray - Conveniently holds extra eyepieces, Autostar handbox, and other accessories. 20 21 nner Support Struts (3) - Make the tripod more secure and stable.
AUTOSTAR FEATURES NOTE: DS-2000EC users, see APPENDIX E, page 39, for information about your supplied Electronic Controller. Autostar information does not apply. DS-2000EC users may obtain the #494 Autostar handbox as an optional accessory. See page 42 for more information. The #494 Autostar controls the DS-2000AT Series Telescopes. Nearly all telescope operations are accomplished with just a few pushes of Autostar’s buttons.
DEFINITION: Throughout this manual, you will notice the term "Alt/Az." Alt/Az (short for altazimuth) just means that your telescope moves up and down and from side to side. Alt/Az is one of many methods used by amateur astronomers to locate celestial objects. 4 GO TO Key - Slews (moves) the telescope to a selected object. While the telescope is slewing, the operation may be aborted at any time by pressing any key except GO TO. Pressing GO TO again resumes the slew to the object.
GETTING STARTED Packing List Getting the telescope ready for first observations requires only a few minutes. When first opening the packing box, note carefully the parts listed on your giftbox. How to Assemble Your Telescope The telescope attaches directly to the tripod. The telescope in this way is mounted in an “Altazimuth” (“Altitude-Azimuth,” or “vertical-horizontal”) format. The telescope in this configuration moves up and down and from side to side. Fig. 6: Attach cradle to mounting arm. 1.
11. Insert the eyepiece: Remove the supplied eyepiece (3, Fig. 10) from its container and place it in the diagonal prism (refractor models only; 1, Fig. 10) or directly into the eyepiece holder (2, Fig. 11, reflector models only). Tighten the thumbscrews (2 and 4, Fig. 10, refractor models only) to a firm feel only. Tighten the thumbscrew (3 , Fig. 11, reflector models only) to a firm feel only. 3 2 12. Insert batteries: The telescope’s battery compartment (1, Fig. 12) is located on top of the drive base.
menu, and “00.2” in the Blink On menu, the red dot will blink on for .2 seconds and then blink off for .1 second, and then repeat the cycle until you change the values again. 9. Press and hold MODE to exit this function. Aligning Smartfinder Fig. 13: Connect Autostar to the HBX port and Smartfinder to AUX port. Because the main telescope has a fairly narrow field of view, locating objects directly in the main telescope can sometimes be difficult. Smartfinder (7, Fig.
Choosing an Eyepiece A telescope’s eyepiece magnifies the light gathered by the optical tube. Each eyepiece has a focal length, expressed in millimeters, or “mm.” The smaller the focal length, the higher the magnification. For example, an eyepiece with a focal length of 9mm has a higher magnification than an eyepiece with a focal length of 25mm. Fig. 15: 25mm and 9mm eyepieces.
NOTE: Do not look through the telescope's eyepiece while it is rapidly moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing. Terrestrial Observing DS-2000 refracting telescopes are excellent high-resolution, terrestrial (land) telescopes (reflecting telescopes are designed primarily for astronomical observations). Viewing terrestrial objects requires looking along the Earth's surface through heat waves. These heat waves often cause degradation of image quality.
Speeds 7 or 8: Best used for rough centering of an object in the eyepiece. Speed 9: Moves the telescope quickly from one point in the sky to another. Observe the Moon Point your telescope at the Moon (note that the Moon is not visible every night) and practice using the Arrow keys and the slew speeds to view different features. The Moon contains many interesting features, including craters, mountain ranges, and fault lines. The best time to view the Moon is during its crescent or half phase.
Initializing Autostar This section describes how to initialize Autostar. Perform this procedure the first time you use Autostar or after performing a RESET (see RESET, page 28). Fig. 17: Altitude lock and setting circle. DEFINITION: Initialization is a procedure that ensures that Autostar operates correctly. When you first use Autostar, it doesn't yet know where the observation location site is . Time and Date information is set at the factory (and do not need to be entered by the observer).
IMPORTANT NOTE: Autostar requests the Zip Code or Country/State, City, and Telescope Model information only the first time Autostar is activated. If you wish to change this information, use the "Site" and "Telescope Model" options in the Setup menu. See pages 26 and 27 for more information. IMPORTANT NOTE: While performing the automatic tracking procedure, only use the Arrow keys to move the telescope.
NOTE: Autostar locates alignment stars based on the date, time, and location entered. The alignment stars may change from night to night. All that is required is for the observer to center the selected stars in the eyepiece when prompted. NOTE: The GO TO key also allows you to perform a "spiral search." A spiral search is useful when the telescope slews to an object, but that object is not visible in the eyepiece after the telescope finishes its search. (This sometimes occurs during an alignment procedure.
BASIC AUTOSTAR OPERATION SETUP MENU Quick, easy alignment permits all telescope operations with only a 2-minute setup. Select Item: Object Select Item: Setup MEADE UTILITIES MENU Calculate eyepiece magnifications; set timer alerts; create your own landmark survey. OBJECT MENU Want to see Mars? The Orion nebula? The Andromeda galaxy? Select from over 1400 database objects and press GO TO to move the telescope automatically to an object.
To Calculate Sunset time: 1. Press the MODE key several times, until “Select Item: Object” is displayed. 2. Press the Scroll Down key once to display the “Event” option in the “Select Item” menu. 3. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Event" option and move down a level. "Event: Sunrise" is displayed. 4. Press the Scroll Down key once to display the "Sunset" option in the Event menu. 5. Press the ENTER key to choose the "Sunset" option and move down another level. 6.
Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving. 22 Sunrise Sunset Moonrise Moonset Moon Phases Next Full Moon Next New Moon Next 1st Qtr Next 3rd Qtr Meteor Showers Quadrantids Lyrids Eta Aquarids Delta Aquarids Perseids Orionids Taurids Leonids Geminids Ursids Solar Eclipses Lunar Eclipses Autumn Equinox Vernal Equinox Winter Solstice Summer Solstice Select Item: Event Fig.
Object Menu Almost all observing with Autostar is performed using the Object menu category. (NOTE: Exceptions include Guided Tour and Landmark Survey.) See GO TO SATURN, page 19, for an example of observing using the Object menu. Also see TAKE A GUIDED TOUR, page 19. Many Autostar menu categories contain databases. An Autostar database is a list of viewable objects, such as stars, planets, comets, nebulae, and so forth.
Moonrise and Moonset calculates the time that the Moon rises or sets on the current date. Find rise and set times for other dates by entering a new date into the “Setup: Date” menu. See DATE, page 26. Moon Phases displays the date and time of the next Full, New, 1st Quarter, and 3rd Quarter Moon. Meteor Showers provides information on upcoming meteor showers, such as the Perseids, the Leonids, etc. Also lists the dates of the showers and when they reach maximum.
Alarm selects a time for an alarm signal as a reminder. To use the Alarm, press ENTER, then choose "Set" or "Start/Stop." ■ Set: Enter the time of day for the alarm to sound, in hours, minutes, and seconds, then press ENTER. ■ Start/Stop: Activates the alarm set previously. Use the Scroll keys to toggle between ON and OFF. When ON is displayed, press ENTER to activate the alarm. When the alarm time arrives, Autostar beeps. Press ENTER to deactivate the alarm.
Cord Wrap, when set to "On," moves the telescope in such a way as to prevent the cords and cables attached to your telescope assembly from getting wound around the assembly and tangled as the telescope slews to objects. "Off" is the default setting. Setup Menu Manual Alignment Menus: The telescope must be initialized and aligned before Autostar can find stars in the sky.
■ ■ Train Drive: Trains the Altitude and Azimuth motors to locate objects with more precision. If you are experiencing any problems with pointing accuracy, follow the procedure described in APPENDIX D: TRAINING THE DRIVE, page 38, to insure accurate pointing and tracking. Tracking Rate: Changes the speed at which the telescope tracks targets in the sky. a.
■ Delete: Deletes a stored site from the database. ■ Edit: Edits a selected site, including: the name, latitude, longitude, and time zone. Time Zone refers to the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) time zone shift. Users West of Greenwich, England use “-” hours, East of Greenwich use “+” hours. For the United States, look up the time zone shift in Table 1. NOTE: Autostar compensates for daylight savings time, if selected. See SETUP MENU: DAYLIGHT SAVING, page 26.
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES A wide assortment of professional Meade accessories is available for the DS-2000 Series Telescopes. The premium quality of these accessories is well-suited to the quality of the instrument itself. Consult the Meade General Catalog or www.meade.com for complete details on these and other accessories. Eyepieces: For higher and lower magnifications, Meade Series 4000 Super Plössl (SP) yield highresolution imaging with all DS2000 telescope models. A useful selection includes the SP 9.
CARING FOR YOUR TELESCOPE Your DS-2000 telescope is a precision optical instrument designed to yield a lifetime of rewarding observations. Given the care and respect due any precision instrument, your telescope will rarely, if ever, require factory servicing. Maintenance guidelines include: a. Avoid cleaning the telescope’s optics: a little dust on the front surface of the telescope’s correcting lens causes virtually no degradation of image quality and should not be considered reason to clean the lens. b.
4 3 1 2 5 6 Fig. 23. 3 2 2 1 2 3 Fig. 25. Fig. 24. 1 2 2 3 4 1 5 Fig. 26. Fig. 27. 1 1 2 2 Fig. 28. 4 3 3 Fig. 29. Looking at or near the Sun will cause irreversible damage to your eye. Do not point this telescope at or near the Sun. Do not look through the telescope as it is moving.
thread inward one of the adjustment/lock knobs (1, Fig. 24) while unthreading another of these knobs. Only make adjustments to two knobs at a time until the secondary mirror appears as in Fig. 28. 3. Secondary mirror-holder adjustments: If the secondary mirror (1, Fig. 28) is centered in the focuser drawtube (2, Fig. 28), but the primary mirror is only partially visible in the reflection (3, Fig. 28), the three “+” (Phillips head) secondary mirror-tilt screws (2, Fig.
SPECIFICATIONS DS-2060 Optical design......................................................................................Refractor Clear aperture ....................................................................................60mm Focal length ........................................................................................700mm Focal ratio ........................................................................................f/11.7 Resolving power..............................................
DS-2114 Optical design......................................................................................Reflector Clear aperture ....................................................................................114mm Focal length ........................................................................................910mm Focal ratio ........................................................................................f/8 Resolving power...............................................................
APPENDIX A Celestial Coordinates It is helpful to understand how to locate celestial objects as they move across the sky. +90 Dec. Star 1 17 18 19 16 15 14 13 12 11 ation clin De A celestial coordinate system was created that maps an imaginary sphere surrounding the Earth upon which all stars appear to be placed. This mapping system is similar to the system of latitude and longitude on Earth surface maps.
APPENDIX B Using Autostar to Find Objects Not in the Database TIP: Entering R.A. and Dec. Coordinates of an object without using the menus: If you do not wish to navigate through the menus, a more direct way to enter coordinates is to press and hold MODE for two seconds or more. R.A. and Dec. coordinates display. Press GO TO. "Object Position" and a set of coordinates displays. Enter the R.A. and Dec.
APPENDIX C Observing Satellites In this procedure, you will prepare your telescope to observe a satellite pass. 1. Go to the "Object: Satellite" menu option and press ENTER. 2. Use the Scroll keys to scroll through the list of satellites. 3. Select a satellite from the list and press ENTER. 4. "Calculating...." and then "Tracking..." displays. If the satellite is going to make a pass, "Located" displays. 5.
APPENDIX D Training the Drive Train the telescope motors using Autostar. Perform this procedure if you are experiencing any pointing accuracy problems. Fig. 32 depicts the complete Drive Training procedure. NOTE: Use a terrestrial object, such as a telephone pole or lamp post, to train the drive. Complete this exercise once every 3 to 6 months to maintain the highest level of telescope pointing accuracy. 1 2 Verify that AUTOSTAR INITIALIZATION is complete. Press MODE until Select Item is displayed.
APPENDIX E Changing the LNT Battery The LNT Module uses a lithium coin CR2023 battery that will last about 5 years and is installed with the original LNT Module assembly. After you replace the battery, you will need to recalibrate the telescope’s sensors and reset the time and date. You will need a new battery. Also, you may use Meade’s optional Atomic Time Update Module, although this is not necessary. Update port To replace the battery: Alignment screw Fig.
APPENDIX F How to manually set the date to March 6, 2005: 1. Press ON/OFF to turn on the control panel. 2. Press the button prompted by the control panel to show that the Sun warning has been read and understood. Press ENTER to bypass Getting Started message. 3. Keep pressing MODE until “Select Item: Object” displays. 4. Keep pressing the Scroll Down key until “Select Item: Setup” displays. Press ENTER. 5. Keep pressing the Scroll Down key until “Setup: Date” displays. Press ENTER. 6.
APPENDIX G Fast Medium Moderate Slow Fig. 36: Electronic Controller. (1) Arrow Keys; (2) Indicator Lights; (3) SPEED Key; (4) Coil Cord; (5) MODE Key; (6) OUT Key; (7) IN Key. Electronic Controller (DS-2000EC Users Only) DS-2000 "EC" models come equipped with an Electronic Controller handbox, rather than the Autostar Handbox. The Electronic Controller provides you with the means to control the telescope motors from a compact handbox. The Electronic Controller (Fig.
Slew Speeds The Electronic Controller has four slew speeds that are directly proportional to the sidereal rate (see page 15 for more information). Press the Speed key to change the slew speed. Note each slew speed corresponds to one of the four LED's of the Electronic Controller. Light 1 (top LED): The fastest speed. Use to move the telescope quickly from one point in the sky to another. Light 2: Best for centering an object in the viewfinder.
BASIC ASTRONOMY In the early 17th century Italian Scientist Galileo, using a telescope smaller than your DS-2000 model, turned it skyward instead of looking at the distant trees and mountains. What he saw, and what he realized about what he saw, has forever changed the way mankind thinks about the universe.
Planets Planets change positions in the sky as they orbit around the Sun. To locate the planets on a given day or month, consult a monthly astronomy magazine, such as Sky and Telescope or Astronomy. You can also consult Autostar for information about planets. Scroll to the "Object: Solar System" menu and scroll through the lists of planets. When a planet you are interested in displays, press ENTER.
Refracting Telescopes use a large objective lens as their primary light-collecting element. Meade refractors, in all models and apertures, include achromatic (2-element) objective lenses in order to reduce or virtually eliminate the false color (chromatic aberration) that results in the telescopic image when light passes through a lens. Reflecting Telescopes use a concave primary mirror to collect light and form an image.
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.
