AUTOSTAR INFORMATION Last updated: 3 November 2000

Southern Hemisphere Alignment Tips

Subject:	 re: autostar in southern hemisphere
Sent:	Wednesday, November 1, 2000 20:18:21
From:	rseymour@wolfenet.com (richard seymour)
I've tested Southern Hemi operations, and you still start off pointed
-north-, because all that's used for is to help the Autostar know where
the hard-stops are.)

Hola, Laurent!

> My name is Laurent Guichard and I live in Reunion Island. I send 
> you this mail because of my autostar and of Meade !
> I got a bign problem with my autostar and my ETX90 EC. I don't 
>      know how to realize the alignement with the autostar surely 
>     because of my geographical situation. The Meade Manual for 
>     Autostar is writen for people who live inb northern hemisphere 
>     so that I relly don't know how to realize the home position 
>     firstable and I Don't know how to align the telescope.

Even if you are in the southern hemisphere, the Alt/Az alignment
 is the -same- as the northern hemisphere.
Place the ETX on a level surface.
Point the control panel West.
Unlock and spin the barrel anti-clockwise until it stops.
Turn it about 110 degrees clockwise the Fork with the numbered
scale is over the control panel.  That should
Point the barrel North (yes, norte'), level to the ground.

Turn on the power.

In Setup, you must tell it your site (21.06 degrees south,
 55.36 degrees East) ... for the Autostar, East is a positive offset.
(some versions of the Autostar use N and S for latitude, some use
 plus and minus... South is minus)
You must also tell it your offset from GMT (east is positive)

After telling it the time and date, it will offer Align/Easy.
Try it... just press [enter] and it should try to point at a
bright star.

IF it does nopt, please tell me what star it thought it was aiming at,
and where it really went (approximations are OK)
 
What version of ETX firmware do you have?
(The full number is under  Setup>Statistics [enter] (scroll up) )

I have tried this with my Autostar and ETX90, and although i am
in the Northern hemisphere, it looks like it is pointing in the
correct directions.

good luck
feel free to ask any questions you wish
i also recommend visiting  http://www.weasner.com/etx/
for much more information (not very much directly from the southern
hemisphere, but i do communicate frequently with owners in Australia,
Venezuela and Argentina)
--dick seymour

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