Hi Mike:
Welcome to the list. You've got an excellent piece of equipment and I see
that you're already getting some excellent advice from list members
regarding your questions.

I would add a few things:
First, the 201 and the 416 are completely independent units. You can use
the 201 to guide with any imaging camera (film or CCD) and you can use the
416 to image while guiding with any unit (or not guiding, or manually
guiding).

Along with their independent functions, the 201 and 416 must be
independently focussed. The basic plan with any guided imaging setup using
an off-axis guider is to focus the imaging camera first. Then move the
guiding camera in the off-axis tube till it's in focus. This can be tricky,
because there is no "fine focus" in the off-axis tube; you have to slide
the camera in or out a fraction of a millimeter at a time, checking the
brightness value to see when it's reached a maximum. Having a parfocal
eyepiece helps but only in getting the initial depth in the off-axis tube.
You can't touch the telescope focus because that's determined by the
imaging camera's focal plane.

(Note: there are some off-axis seups that have a helical focuser in the
off-axis tube but I'm not familiar with them.) Also, be aware that off-axis
guiding with the 201 is not a piece of cake; Pasi's web site is the best
guide to achieving success there. A lot of people, myself included, have
switched to guiding with a separate scope, or guiding with a different
guide CCD (the SBIG ST-4). THe MAPUG archives provide extensive resources
on the questions involved in these decisions.

Hope this helps...
Bert

Bert Katzung
San Rafael, CA

----------
> Subject: [M]: Newbee say hello- with loads of questions
> Date: Sunday, July 16, 2000 7:10 AM
>
> Hello to all ! Im new to this list (cant you tell) and just purchased my
1st
> telescope after 35 years of wanting one ; ) I have the Meade LX200 10"
F10,
> Eq mount, 416xte kit (with the 201xt guider), a laptop is coming, with
the
> 1460 scsi card for the imager to attach.... I have done the 2 star
alignment
> in ATL-AZ, and also done the EQ alignment on stars with my superwedge- so
I
> basiclly know how to align the scope.
>
> Im using "The Sky" software, for seeing whats out there, but so far have
not
> tried using it to control the LX200 yet. I have NOT tried the pictor
> software yet, because I am confused on how to focus the imager, with the
> 201...
> The manuals are somewhat written for folks other than a cherry like Me I
> guess ; ) Was the 201 an after thought by meade, and this is why it has a
> "seperate manual" ?? I assume that the 201 and 416xt imager are designed
to
> "work" together , correct ?
>
> My question....
>
> Could I get you to explain to Me the part about how the 416xt, and
> the 201xt get to be "in focus" at the same time, while aligning on your
> current image to be photographed ?
>
> I have read the manuals until Im fried out, trying to get a jump-start on
> this before my laptop arrives, but so far the ends of the story just does
> not tie together for me...Either most write about focusing the 416, or
using
> a parafocal eyepeice, but never have I found a step by step using the
416,
> with the 201... so, Step by step- what do you do using both the 201 and
416
> to acheive focus on BOTH, before imaging ??
>
> Sorry so green, but there is no one that I know around here that uses a a
> 416xte kit that I can ask or watch....
>
> Thanks to all answers in advance,
>
> Mike Howell
>
>
>

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