Get polar aligned in minutes

[allan gould]

I've put this link to direct you to a new computer program for polar alignment. Some of you will be aware of and using Matthias Garzarolli's guiding program Guidemaster. Well I have been beta testing his new program - Alignmaster. The title says it all.
Using an illuminated reticule the program allows you to select two stars visible to you and using ASCOM drives the mount to these stars in sucession. Aligning using the reticule each time then the program takes the last star and offsets it so that a tweak of AZ and then in ALT gets you polar aligned.
No webcam or 30 minute drifts involved.
Quick and accurate.
Guiding is much improved due to the lesser number of corrections using this program.
The site for registration is http://www.naa.net/garzarolli/alignmaster/index.html
There is a 30 day free trial

[Glenhuon]

Thanks for the link Allan. Downloaded and will give it a spin when the sky clears a bit.

Cheers
Bill

[White Rabbit]

now that is interesting. i'll give it ago 2night and report back in the morning

[allan gould]

Thanks for the comments guys, much appreciated.
Its interesting that either everyone is able to polar align in a snap or there is little interest in such a program judging from the lack of comments.

[Dennis]

Hi Allan

Okay – you’ve thrown down the gauntlet!;)

I’ll download the application and compare its polar alignment accuracy and ease of use to my excellent Tak EM200 Polar Alignment ‘Scope!:)

Cheers

Dennis

PS – when I’m over this horrid cold, upper respiratory tract infection and sore back due to lying in bed! LOL! At least it wasn’t the dreaded SF!:scared:

[Matty P]

Looks interesting. Will give it a go and see how accurate it is.

Thanks Allan. :thumbsup:

[Tandum]

I don't use ascom to control my scope, my handset works fine.

[mldee]

Didn't receive the registration key until late last night.

Installed the program today and it seems to set up OK on my PC Dell Laptop.

I tried it earlier tonight using Canopus and Regulus, as they were convenient for me to see. Seemed to do all it's things, and I reran it about 3 times. I seemed to be offcentre when trying to final az el align the mount to the stars, but it could well be me. I'll try again tomorrow.

If it works as it's supposed to, it will be a neat and tidy little program.

[seeker372011]

I downloaded yesterday and am still waiting for the rego key to be emailed-course I dont know if I will have a clear night over the next 30 days to be able to try this software

[allan gould]

For those interested, there are several caveats in using the program to get good alignment. The mount must be well leveled , the laptop time must be accurate and lastly, the GPS co-ordinates accurate.
Hope that helps. I sometimes re-check my initial alignment using a set of stars in the East if done initially using stars in the west (or vise versa).

[Dennis]

Ah ha, that’s one advantage the Tak EM200 Polar Alignment ‘Scope (PAS) has over this new SW method then – the mount does not need to be level (within safety limits of course!).

However, I’m still keen to give it a go, just to compare the set up accuracy of both. It will be an interesting and educational exercise as so far, I’ve just relied on the Tak PAS and really need to get my head around drift aligning, albeit with some very nice software!

Cheers

Dennis

[Tandum]

For those that don't know, set your Internet update clock to au.pool.ntp.org for local updates.

[keppar]

Allan
Have reg key and downloaded I have put in Location (Melb) and set coordinates what do I put into "time",I,m using laptop time is it 0 or + 10 .
Thanks Graham

[allan gould]

Graham,
You dont need to add anything here as this is taken care of when you put in the location from the select location box (it should show a 10 in the small box which means +10). The select location box sites are ordered in country and then city - a little weird. So scroll down til you see AU then the city you need. In the next version there will be the facility to add your own locations ie prefered dark sites with the GPS co-ordinates etc.
Hope this helps
Allan

[oggie doggie]

The site stipulates that "Goto Mount that can be controlled via ASCOM".

Does this cover the Skywatcher EQ mounts? I have the Heq5pro.

The program sounds to good to be true.

[telemarker]

I tried it out tonight using a DSI and the bullseye in PHD to do the aligning. I quite like it. I'll try it some more but I think the author will be getting my money.

[allan gould]

Thats exactly the mount that I use with ASCOM. Wait til the clouds roll away and try it.

[allan gould]

Glad its working for you as its now my prefered method for aligning the mount

[oggie doggie]

Allan, I have installed ascom drivers and alignmaster and am now going through the setup of Alignmaster. So far so good.
A couple of quick questions for you.

Where do I get additional locations from? They don't appear on the website. Or isn't this important if I have accurate lat/long settings.

It also asks me to select a the type of telescope, I am not sure which option to select for the Heq5pro. The options are: ASCOM Dome, Generic Hub, Pipe Diagnostic, POTH Hub and Simulator.

Any help would be appreciated.

Mark

[allan gould]

Mark
You can set your own lat and long settings in the box provided and it will remember these the next time that you start the program. So if you have an accurate GPS setting just enter it. The next version of the program will have the ability to add additional sites which will be there for further reference. Make such your laptop has an accurate time setting as well and that the time zone is accurate for your position.
For the HEQ5PRO mount select the generic ASCOM driver for EQMOD relating to HEQ5/EQ6 mounts and use that with EQMOD. Download from EQMOD or ASCOM (cant remember which as I'm at work at the moment). In the properties box for the EQMOD ASCOM EQ5/6 select your port (Com) settings etc and away you go. You can either plug into the bottom of the handset the serial adapter that came with the mount (to update programs) and use this to communicate with a planetarium program thru ASCOM or get a dedicated single cable connection that does away with the handset. See post by Peter_4059 regarding this as he is the expert. See this post http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=46168
Hope this helps

[Octane]

Allan,

Looks like I have a similar set up to you (Losmandy G-11 + Gemini).

Do you use a Shoestring GPUSB in order to communicate to the mount?

I haven't downloaded the software yet, but, have connected successfully using the GPUSB in the past with PHD Guiding.

This sounds like an excellent product and I would be happy to pay for it if it does as promised. :)

Regards,
Humayun

[allan gould]

Humayun
For the Losmandy mount all I do is use my planetarium program to control the mount through ASCOM. I connect to the rs232 port and a serial to usb converter and I use the Gemini 4.2.22 driver, as the Gemini 4.2.27 driver doesnt work for me for some reason. Then I set the ascom control in Alignmaster to the gemini setup in ascom and away you go.
Hope this helps
Allan

[troypiggo]

G'day Allan,

Haven't tried the above software, but read the website about it. Looks like it's very similar to the alignment component of EQAlign (http://eqalign.sourceforge.net/index-en.html). Just thought you might be interested in that. It's also free, and has a guiding component etc ;)

[allan gould]

I guess that I should have been more explicit in that if you can control your mount using a planetarium program and an ASCOM driver then thats all the connections you need. The Alignmaster program uses the same connections/cabling to send the mount to the stars it requires. You need nothing else - such as a GPUSB cable for guiding.

[allan gould]

Troy
EQalign is similar to WCS ie you do a long drift on a star in the North then do a correction and the a long drift on a star in the East or West and then a correction. With Alignmaster you goto a star center it, it then goes to the next star and you correct it with the handpaddle. It then works out your position from where it should be if true polar alignment existed. The program then offsets the position of the star where it would be if properly aligned you then tweak the Az and then the Alt (in 2 moves). There is NO time consuming drift analysis to get the error from the true pole. As i said I can do 2 iterations (one East and one west) to get polar alignment. The second iteration is just to check the accuracy of the first iteration. Guidemaster also free has an alignment procedure similar the EQalign, but Alignmaster is far more accurate than either WCS or EQalign and heaps faster.

[Octane]

Allan,

Thanks for the information. I will give it a go as soon as I get the chance.

I have a serial-to-USB converter and I'm quite sure I have the relevant serial cable.

Laptop -> serial-to-USB -> serial cable -> RS232 port on mount.

I will have a go tonight and see if I can get it working without the GPUSB. Never tried it. Is there provision for GPUSB should I require it? I'm at work at the moment and can't download the software to try it out. :)

Regards,
Humayun

[allan gould]

Humayun
You have it correctly. You dont even need the planetarium program just the correct ASCOM driver. As I said I use Gemin ver 2.2.24 not 2.2.27 which is the latest. If you have the same problem as me with the latest driver then PM me your email address and Ill send it to you. Ive had it working seamlessly with both mounts and find I can even do it using the spotter scope with x - hairs.
Allan

[troypiggo]

I see. Thanks for the clarification.

[mldee]

Hi Allen,
Just a quick update on my newbie efforts....

Since I have a pretty heavy SBS setup on my EQ6, decided to balance and level it carefully, which took up most of today. Looks good now.

Marched out about 6pm to try the alignment - clouds everywhere, went back inside in disgust.

Peeked out about 8.30pm and all was clear. Opened the RO roof and started looking for the listed stars using CdC and Stellarium. After about 30 minutes :whistle: I located one of the listed pairs. Cranked the scope around and got the first one in the cross hairs of the finder scope, moved to the C8 and - nothing. Dew everywhere.:lol:

Gave up and went back inside as the alignment star was heading for the trees. There's always tomorrow and the finder scope x-hairs:D

[netwolf]

Thanks Allan, another good alternative option, will try it out. There is also PolarAlignMax, which is free but requires CCDSoft+TheSky or MaximDL. It uses a CCD to capture a field and plate solves it for the position, to work out the misalignment.

[allan gould]

From comments made in relation to Alignmaster. I do not synch when using EQMOD and running Alignmaster. A good point was recently raised on this point. You need to have raw uncorrected data for alignmaster to work properly. If you align 3 points first with EQMOD then you have a corrected pointing model which ameliorates the effectiveness of alignmaster.
I had forgotten to mention this.
When I use my losmandy G11 with gemini I only do a one star synch and then use alignmaster.
Regards, Allan

[White Rabbit]

Totally put my scope out of wack lol.

Now I cant get it to slew to the second star it only slews to one star and want to start correcting. It looks like a really great program easy to use and quick but in my case not very accurate. I'm well balanced and leveled my clock on the pc is set correctly all gps info in correctly as well. I could be missing something in my set up thats causing the issue. I'll uninstall a reinstall it tomorrow and try again.

I'll wait a while before I plonk my money down.

[pvelez]

I gave it a go this evening - seemed to work quite well with the EQ6 and EQMOD. Only issue was one of the default stars in most of the pairs was close to the horizon - which isn"t easy when surrounded by houses.

I'll give it another go and if it continues to work ok, will buy.

Thanks for the initial tip Allan

Pete

[allan gould]

As a heads up, a new version of the program has just been released (V1.3.30)

[h0ughy]

Allan, the web site has 1.4.32?

[allan gould]

Last night it was 1.3.30 - Iguess he was very busy with a few suggestions from testers about the program. Ill have to try it out tonight.
Thanks for the heads up David.

[mldee]

I have the same problem, only it's trees, so finding a pair with a usable low-angle star can take some time, but I still like the concept, so will plug along until me, the stars, clouds and the trees find a sweet spot/time:P

[allan gould]

One new feaTURE THAT HAS BEEN ADDED BUT NOT PUT INTO THE HELP OR INFORMATION FILE IS THAT YOU CAN APPEND THE STERNE (STAR) AND CITIES TXT FILES TO ADD NEW ALIGNMENT STARS OR LOCATIONS.

Sorry bloody caps lock bungle fingers strikes agin.

This should solve people's problems that have a tree lined aspect that may stop them finding suitable stars.
Also if you have several sites that you regularly go to you can add them to the top of the file and they will stick there and be the first choices presented.
But make sure you follow the entry styles exactly or it won't work.

[h0ughy]

care to come up with a list for southern observers? ;)

[cookie8]

Hi Allan
Does this software work with my humble eq5 mount?

[allan gould]

Only if you can control it through ASCOM. So I think the short answer is no, but I'm willing to be corrected

[allan gould]

New version of Alignmaster has just been released (V1.5.34).
Matthias seems to be taking all suggestions for improvements to his program on board. He seems quite open to new suggestions so if you have a good idea, see if he will implement it.

[h0ughy]

he is churning them out, what are the improvements

[allan gould]

Better coding apparently to calculate the offsets needed. The new changes to come are dedicated boxes for putting in new stars as well as new locations that can be saved. He is waiting for his net-site person to come back from leave and these will be implemented in the next release. Most changes would not have been noted are the stars are labelled with colours 1 &2 rather than names, better colour for certain boxes, flipping of the map for us here in the Southern hemisphere. You can append the star (sterne) file with new stars if thats what you want and the location txt file but the format MUST be correct. He is making this easier to do. Some changes havebeen made to the GPS implementation as well.

[Loupy31]

Hi Allan,
Its been a while, This software looks good, havent had a chance yet to test it but If you say its good I trust your judgement.
Tell me, what is the difference if i roughly align south, level mount, goto a star for first alignment, then just use the alt az to get the star centered in the eyepiece, wouldnt that be the same?

Cheers Peter

[allan gould]

Hi Peter.
Software is good. Use the trial version but you need ascom controlled mount for it to work. Its not as simple as you suggest as it has to take into account different affects of refraction , flexture etc etc.
Give it a try but my best advice is to mark out where your tripod legs are , align the mount and next time just replace in the same position and your adjustments will be very small.
Use the 30 day trial to sattisfy yourself - I now use EQMOD with the HEQ5Pro and find all objects are now on the chip of my DSI with a 10" scope. Gotos are that good with accurate leveling and polar alignment.

[h0ughy]

I wonder if this program can be used for polar aligning from SOL during the daytime? If it could imagine setting up during the day at ease.......

[Octane]

And bypass all warnings that come with your scope about looking at the sun. :P

[h0ughy]

of course i would be using a solar scope like the 60mm Lunt;)

[troypiggo]

Just gave Alignmaster a go tonight for the first time. Unreal! So easy and intuitive to use, and just did a couple of iterations and it's pretty accurate. Good gear that's on my "must have" list now.

[JohnH]

Tried this last night for the first time but the alignment generated was not good enough for a 4 min exposure at 1.73"/pixel and a 30'x42' fov there was noticeable field rotation present that I do not have with a drift align. This software automates the iterative goto method and helps in the selection and slewing to of the relevant stars but I think the instructions are incorrect. With iterative gotos you slew to a N or S star and adjust the mount (in ALT/AZ) to centre then you go to an E or W star and adjust with the HC to get centre and SYNCH and repeat the process.

http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/astro/iterating.pdf

This can get you to +/- about 2'. I am not sure if the ASCOM driver is sending the SYNCH commands it appeared not, in any case the Gemini L4 has this feature built into the firmware so I am not sure I will use it again.