Meade autostar alignment

[tiredboy]

I recently got my first telescope (Meade etx80). I have used it without autostar to pick up some stars, the moon and venus but think its now time to use autostar. I know that if you can't see the object it is supposedly aligning to you click next and it will select a new target but is there a way to pick a target yourself to calibrate it to? I tried to align the telescope the other day and it kept on picking objects behind houses so it would be great if I could point at a known object and tell it what I was pointing at.

Also (and I have asked this on another post but is also relevant here) should I align to magnetic north or true north?

[Glen]

i think , but may be wrong but if you can't see the star it chooses to align on, pressing goto again will choose another that may be in view. just repeat until your line of site is ok hope this helps

Edit: sorry miss read, if you choose 1 star alignment itll ask for your star choice also true north is needed.

Glen

[alowen]

My dad and i have had some slight alignment issues with his Meade ls6 recently. I wasnt aware of the goto button option. Will try next clear night, whenever that'll be.

Thanks

Al

[Glen]

Oopps, my bad to change the required star press the arrow keys at the bottom. the goto

button makes the scope revolve in bigger and bigger circles to help locate stars.

Sorry just wanted to clear that up...

Glen

[Rols]

it dont seem to matter with mine, it never seems to point me in the right direction!

i was given some advice the other night by JJ, he suggested he got good alignment when "Il tell you how I do it with my 125,

with the scope in the home position (turned fully anti clockwise till it stops then rotated 1/4 turn,pointed north and leveled)

I slew to the first star,its never in the f.o.v so I use the handset to move the star into the f.o.v and press "enter",

same with the second star,adjusting and pressing enter lets it know how far its out,the next thing it goes to "should" be in the eyepiece f.o.v,"

i will give it a go next time its clear, i'm not sure what turning it before i start will do? but anything is worth a go and if it's working for JJ who knows!.