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Important: The first time the StarSeeker is used, it will request
information to help identify the model of telescope. Once
powered on, the hand control will display the message Select
Model. Use the Up and Down menu keys (10) to scroll through
the different StarSeeker models. Press ENTER when your
StarSeeker model is displayed on the hand control. This infor-
mation will be retained for future use and will not be displayed
again. If for some reason the incorrect model was selected or
you wish to use your hand control on a different StarSeeker
model, the Select Model utility feature allows you to re-select
the proper StarSeeker model from the displayed list (see
Select Model later in this section).
Sky Align
Sky Align is the easiest way to get your StarSeeker aligned and
ready to observe. Even if you do not know a single star in the
sky, the StarSeeker will have you aligned in minutes by asking
for basic information like the date, time and location. Then you
simply need to aim the telescope to any three bright celestial
objects in the sky. Since Sky Align requires no knowledge of
the night sky it is not necessary to know the name of the stars
at which you are aiming. You may even select a planet or the
moon. The StarSeeker is then ready to start finding and track-
ing any of the objects in its 4,000+ object database. Before
the telescope is ready to be aligned, it should be set up in an
outside location with all accessories (eyepiece, diagonal and
finderscope) attached and lens cover removed as described in
the Assembly section of the manual. To begin Sky Align:
1. Power on the StarSeeker by plugging the battery pack into
the jack on the base of the fork arm.
2. Press ENTER to choose Sky Align. Pressing the ALIGN
key will bypass the other alignment options and the scroll-
ing text and automatically begins Sky Align.
3. The hand control display will then ask for the following time/
site information:
Location - The StarSeeker will display a list of cities to
choose from. Choose the city from the database that is
closest to your current observing site. The city you choose
will be remembered in the hand controls memory so that it
will be automatically displayed the next time an alignment
is done. Alternatively, if you know the exact longitude and
latitude of your observing site, it can be entered directly
into the hand control and remembered for future use as
well. To choose a location city:
• Use the Up and Down scroll keys to choose between City
Database and Custom Site. City Database will allow you
to select the closest city to your observing site from a list of
either international or U.S. location. Custom Site allows you
to enter the exact longitude and latitude of your observing
site. Select City Database and press ENTER.
• The hand control will allow you to choose from either U.S.
or international locations. For a listing of U.S. locations by
state and then by city, press ENTER while United States is
displayed. For international locations, use the Up or Down
scroll key to select International and press ENTER.
• Use the Up and Down Scroll buttons to choose your cur-
rent state (or country if International locations was selected)
from the alphabetical listing and press ENTER.
• Use the Up and Down Scroll buttons to choose the clos-
est city to your location from the displayed list and press
ENTER.
Time - Enter the current time for your area. You can enter
either the local time (i.e. 8:00), or you can enter military
time (i.e. 20:00).
• Select PM or AM. If military time was entered, the hand
control will bypass this step.
• Choose between Standard time or Daylight Savings time.
Use the Up and Down scroll buttons (10) to toggle between
options.
• Select the time zone that you are observing from. Again,
use the Up and Down buttons (10) to scroll through the
choices. For time zone information, refer to the Time Zone
map in the appendices of this manual.
HELPFUL HINTS
Date - Enter the month, day and year of your observing
session. The display will read: mm/dd/yy.
• If the wrong information has been input into the hand
control, the UNDO button will act as a backspace allowing
the user to re-enter information.
• The next time that your StarSeeker is aligned, the hand
control will automatically display the last location (either a
city or longitude/latitude) that was entered. Press ENTER
to accept these parameters if they still apply. Pressing the
UNDO button will allow you to go back and select a new
city location or longitude/latitude.
4. Use the arrow buttons on the hand control to slew (move)
the telescope towards any bright celestial object in the sky.
Align the object with the red dot of the finderscope and
press ENTER.
5. If the finderscope has been properly aligned with the tele-
scope tube, the alignment star should now be visible inside
the field of view of the eyepiece. The hand control will ask
that you center the bright alignment star in the center of
the eyepiece and press the ALIGN button. This will accept
the star as the first alignment position. (There is no need to
adjust the slewing rate of the motors after each alignment
step. The StarSeeker automatically selects the best slew-
ing rate for aligning objects in both the finderscope and the
eyepiece).
If you have this model...
StarSeeker 70mm
StarSeeker 80mm
StarSeeker 114mm
StarSeeker 130mm
Select the following Model
NexStar 60mm
NexStar 80mm
NexStar 114mm
NexStar 130mm