Celestron CN-16 GPS

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Brand and Model:	Celestron CN-16 GPS
Price ($USD):	$149.00- $199.00
Type:	GPS
Description:	GPS Accessory CN16 Use the Power and Accuracy of GPS Satellites to Align Your Telescope with the Optional CN-16 GPS Accessory. Plug in the GPS receiver module into your telescopeâ€™s drive base port to link up and automatically download information from one of many global positioning satellites. Controlled with the NexStar computerized hand control, the CN-16 will greatly improve the accuracy of your star alignments by locating north and leveling the optical tube with more precision than can be done by hand.

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Celestron CN-16 GPS

Here is the deal with the cn-16. Do an alignment from the initial
(GPS) start up and get everything as perfect as you can. I used
Rigel and Polaris. Then go to the utility menu and scroll Compass
then scroll callibrate and hit enter. Next scroll to the alt menu
and scroll to calibrate. Once again hit enter. It took me about ten
different start ups and calibrations to get the gps to slew to
within 1* of my alignment star. At the end of the session I turned
the system off and picked it up and moved it to a different spot.
The tripod needs to be close as possible to level. I usually
accomplish this by pointing one leg north and putting pressure on
the other legs until the thing levels using the vial level.

How do I feel about the GPS. Yes it puts the lat/lon into the scope.
Yes it puts the time into the scope. It somhow has a reference to
north only you would never know looking at it. Yes it will put you
in the same area on slew but not until you do the calibrations. I am
not sure alignment is any quicker or more accurate. I believe I
could do this manually in the time it takes for the scope to get
it's self ready for the first slew.

At the end of the day it is important to have the tripod level in
order for the calibrations to mean anything.
Is it worth $150-&199.00 depending on where you buy it? I would not
reccomend it. Spend the money on a nice handheld and spend 30
seconds punching the numbers and the time in. At least a handheld
can be used for other things like boating, geo-caching.

Overall Rating: 5
Performance:5 Value:5
Weight: 5 (Veritable Vote)
Date: 02/29/2004 07:10:56 pm PST
By: miaxapa
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=343989

Reply Replies: 0

Celestron CN-16 GPS

I have worked with GPS on the LN20 Inertial Guidance system that used a star tracker.

Based upon my experience with it, I guess I have expectations that are not realistic. But being a newbee at using it, I could be wrong, but the documentation(lack of) does not give me a warm fuzzy feeling that I spent my money wisely.

Overall Rating: 4
Performance:3 Value:3
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date: 12/25/2004 08:23:07 pm PST
By: Anonymous (xxx.xxx.103.69)
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=410076

Reply Replies: 0

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