Instruction Manual DS-2000 Series Reflecting and Refracting Telescopes Meade Instruments Corporation
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.
CONTENTS Quick-Start Guide .......................................................... 4 Telescope Features ...................................................... 7 Autostar Features .......................................................... 9 Getting Started ..............................................................11 Packing List ..............................................................11 How to Assemble Your Telescope ............................11 The Viewfinder .................................
QUICK-START GUIDE 1 1. 4&5 Open the tripod: Remove the tripod from the giftbox and stand vertically. Gently pull the legs apart to a fully open position. Turn the center tripod lock knob to secure and stabilize the tripod. Tighten to a firm feel. Caution: Make sure you loosen the tripod lock knob before collapsing the tripod at the end of your viewing session. 4. Remove 4 screws from the mounting arm shaft: Locate the four screws on the mounting shaft.
7b 9 F I D H E 9. 7a. Attach the 90° diagonal prism (refractor models only): 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 eyepieceholder and tighten the thumbscrews (C) to a firm feel only to secure the diagonal prism in place. 10 7b. Insert the eyepiece: Remove the supplied 25mm eyepiece (D) from its container and place it in the diagonal prism (refractor models only; see Fig.
Features of the DS-2000 Series telescopes are virtually identical. Certain features of your telescope may look different than, or be positioned slightly different than the one pictured here, but the functionality of the features is the same. 12 A 11 (not visible) 10 Fig. 1b (Inset): (A) Dec. Setting Circle; (B) Dec. Lock 8 9 B (on opposite side) 7 6 5 13 25 4 14 17 15 16 3 24 2 23 26 22 (on bottom of base, not visible) 27 21 1 27 20 19 18 A B C D Fig.
TELESCOPE FEATURES An important array of features and manual controls facilitates operation of a DS-2000 telescope. Be sure to become acquainted with all of these controls before attempting observations through the telescope. 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. Eyepiece Holder - Holds the eyepiece in place.
Accessory Tray Attachment Bolts - Attach to wing nuts (not shown) 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. 20 Accessory Tray - Conveniently holds extra eyepieces, Autostar handbox, and other accessories when not in use. Tripod Lock Knob - Tighten to a firm feel to secure tripod legs.
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 40 for more information. Control of the DS-2000AT Series Telescopes is through the operation of the #494 Autostar handbox. Nearly all functions of the telescope are accomplished with just a few pushes of Autostar’s buttons.
DEFINITION: Throughout this manual, you will notice the term "Alt/Az." Alt/Az is frequently used to refer to Altitude (vertical) and Azimuth (horizontal). Alt/Az is just one of many methods used by amateur astronomers to help locate stars in the night sky. • Altitude (vertical) and Azimuth (horizontal) coordinates • Local Time and Local Sidereal Time (LST) • Timer and Alarm Status Press MODE again to return to the previous menu. The GO TO key also allows you to perform a "spiral search.
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 packing list or 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.
10. Attach the viewfinder: Carefully remove the rubber eyecup from the viewfinder before sliding the viewfinder into the bracket. Slide the viewfinder, eyepiece-end first, into the viewfinder bracket (see Figs. 8a and 8b). Replace the rubber eyecup after the viewfinder is positioned in the bracket. Tighten the four alignment thumbscrews (8, Fig. 1) to a firmfeel to hold the viewfinder in the bracket. 3 11.
Focusing the 6 x 30mm Viewfinder: The 6 x 30mm viewfinder is locked into permanent focus at infinity. Look through the viewfinder at a distant land object. If the focus is not sharp, follow this procedure: 1. 2. 3. NEVER point the telescope directly at or near the Sun at any time! Observing the Sun, even for the smallest fraction of a second, will result in instant and irreversible eye damage, as well as physical damage to the telescope itself.
5. image) has been aligned to the main telescope. Fig. 13B shows these same images after the viewfinder and main telescope are aligned. Check this alignment on a celestial object, such as the Moon or a bright star, and make any necessary refinements. Choosing an Eyepiece A telescope’s eyepiece magnifies the image formed by the telescope’s main optics. Each eyepiece has a focal length, expressed in millimeters, or “mm.” The smaller the focal length, the higher the magnification.
OBSERVING Observing by Moving the Telescope Manually If you wish to observe a distant land object, such as a mountain top or a bird, you can observe by merely pointing the telescope and looking through the eyepiece. 1. Loosen the telescope’s tripod base lock knob (26, Fig. 1) and Dec. lock (6, Fig. 1). 2. Move your telescope to observe distant street signs, mountains, trees, and other structures. Use your viewfinder to help site-in on an object. 3.
NOTE: Do not look through the telescope's eyepiece or viewfinder while it is rapidly moving. Children should always have adult supervision while observing. TIP: When a message is scrolling across the display, press and hold the Up Arrow key to increase the scrolling speed or press and hold the Down Arrow key to decrease the scrolling speed.
Pointer to 0° on the Dec. Setting Circle North The "Alt/Az" Home Position 1. Loosen the telescope’s Dec. lock (see Fig. 16 and 17). 2. Make sure the tripod base (23, Fig. 1) is level. Level the optical tube by lining up 0° on the Dec. setting circle (Fig. 17) with the triangular pointer. 3. Tighten the Dec. lock (Fig. 17) to a firm feel only. 4. Loosen the tripod base lock knob (26, Fig. 1) and turn the telescope horizontally until it points North.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Autostar requests the 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 27 and 26 for more information. IMPORTANT NOTE: While performing the automatic tracking procedure, only use the Arrow keys to move the telescope. Once the telescope has been set in the Alt/Az home position, do not loosen the telescope locks (10 and 26, Fig.
How to Easy Align Your Telescope If you have just applied power to Autostar, perform steps 1 through 5. If you have already performed the initialization procedure, go to step 6. 1. Sun Warning - Press the key prompted by Autostar to accept. 2. Getting Started - Press ENTER to continue. 3. Enter Date - Enter the current date as previously described, then press ENTER. 4. Enter Time - Enter the current time, as previously described. Select "AM," "PM," or 24-hour clock (blank). Then press ENTER. 5.
Two-Star Alt/Az Alignment Two-Star Alignment requires some knowledge of the night sky. Two-Star Alignment is identical to Easy: Align (see EASY (TWO-STAR) ALIGN, above), except Autostar displays a database of bright stars and two stars are chosen by the observer from this database for alignment. It is recommended that you choose stars with which you are familiar from this database when first trying out this method or the One-Star Alignment method.
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.
MENUS AND MENU OPTIONS 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 20, for an example of observing using the Object menu. Also see USING THE GUIDED TOUR, page 20. Many Autostar menu categories contain databases. An Autostar database is a list of viewable objects, such as stars, planets, comets, nebulae, and so forth.
Landmarks stores the location of terrestrial points of interest in the permanent Autostar database. IMPORTANT NOTE: To use the Landmark function, the telescope must be located and aligned exactly as when the landmark was added to the database. ■ Select: To select a Landmark already in the database (see ADD below), choose the "Select" option and scroll through the list. Press ENTER to select a Landmark, then press GO TO and the telescope slews to the object.
Autumn and Vernal Equinox calculates the time and date of the fall or spring equinox of the current year. Winter and Summer Solstice calculates the time and date of the winter or summer solstice of the current year. Glossary Menu The Glossary menu provides an alphabetical listing of definitions and descriptions for common astronomical terms and Autostar functions. Access directly through the Glossary menu or through hypertext words embedded in Autostar.
■ Suggest: Autostar calculates and suggests the best eyepiece for viewing, based on the telescope and the object being viewed. Display Options enables or disables Autostar’s two initial displays. If both displays are disabled, Autostar begins with the Date display. ■ Sun Warning: Turns the “Sun Warning” message on or off. ■ Getting Started: Turns the “Getting Started” message on or off. Brightness Adj: Adjusts the brightness of the display using the Scroll keys. When complete, press ENTER.
Arrow key and also slews the tube more slowly. Experiment with this option. Try changing the percent value until you get a "feel" for the Arrow keys that is comfortable for you. ■ Alt Percent: The Alt (Altitude) Percent operates identical to the AZ Percent option (see above), but allows you to change the altitude backlash, i.e., the way the Arrow keys move the telescope when moving along the altitude (vertical) axis.
be stored). Scroll through the list of Countries/States. Press ENTER when the site you wish to add displays. Then choose the desired city in the same manner. Time Zone Atlantic Eastern Central Mountain Pacific Hawaii Shift -4 Hours -5 Hours -6 Hours -7 Hours -8 Hours -10 Hours Table 1: Time Zone Shift. ■ Delete: Deletes a stored site from the database. ■ Edit: Edits a selected site, including: the name, latitude, longitude, and time zone.
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 for complete details on these and other accessories. Eyepieces (1.
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.
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-2114S Optical design......................................................................................Reflector Clear aperture ....................................................................................114mm Focal length ........................................................................................1000mm Focal ratio ........................................................................................f/8.8 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 Fast Medium Moderate Slow Fig. 33: 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 16 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.
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.
