StarGPS-NX - GPS Receiver for Celestron
Scopes
4 March 2007
PixSoft Incorporated (http://www.stargps.ca/)
has introduced a complete GPS receiver compatible with many models of
Celestron computerized telescopes. The receiver is called StarGPS-NX
and it works with all SE, SLT, LCM, 8i Special Edition,
StarSeeker and CPC (should the onboard GPS fail) telescopes.
It also works with the 5i/8i, AS-GT, CGE, CGE Pro, CGEM and NexStar GPS (should the onboard
GPS fail) scopes providing the hand control is version 4.03 or higher.
It will even work with the NexStar GT and Tasco StarGuide scopes as long as
they have hand control version 104.0 or 4.03 or higher.
The StarGPS-NX alleviates you from the chore
of determining and entering the date, time, longitude and latitude.
Additionally, GPS time is highly accurate, especially useful if you employ the
hibernate feature on your scope. The cost is $149 USD as compared to
Celestron's own CN-16 module available for $200 USD.
| The picture at the right shows the StarGPS-NX
connected to a NexStar 102SLT. The red line is pointing to the
actual receiver, the yellow line shows the connection to the AUX port
(provides power to the StarGPS-NX) and the orange line shows the
connection to the RS-232 port on the bottom of the hand control - this
connection is how the StarGPS-NX sets the date, time and location
information on the hand control. For scopes with no available AUX
port (NexStar GT, LCM, AS-GT and StarSeeker), a splitter is provided allowing
the StarGPS-NX and the NexStar hand control to share the hand control
port on the mount. The cable to the bottom of the hand control can be
fed through the coiled cable of the hand control for less tangle. PixSoft supplies a patch of
self-adhesive Velcro for securing the receiver to the mount. |
Click for Larger Image |
Operation is simple: plug everything in, power up the scope and wait for the
StarGPS-NX's single LED to indicate it has successfully linked with GPS and
uploaded the information to the hand control. You then perform an
alignment as you normally would.
Full details, including the user's manual, are available at PixSoft's web
site - http://www.stargps.ca/.
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