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Old 01-04-2017, 03:03 PM
DancingStar (Tony)
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3-star v drift alignment?

Hi everyone, I cannot get my HEQ5Pro goto mount aligned satisfactorily no matter how carefully I think I am being. I managed to find some comprehensible [to me] instructions on drift alignment, but I need to ask something – the 2- or 3-star alignment procedure on the HEQ5Pro requires adjusting the mount manually via the azimuth and altitude adjusting bolts, but so does the drift alignment procedure.
So am I right in thinking that I should only perform one of these procedures, not both? – Otherwise, I imagine that adjustments in one would immediately spoil the adjustments done in the other one?
Thanks
Tony
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  #2  
Old 01-04-2017, 03:23 PM
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pluto (Hugh)
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I think the 2 or 3 star alignment is for the goto. I didn't think it requires you to adjust the alt/az bolts though? (It's been a while since I did it though)

You still need to polar align and you should do that before you do your goto alignment. So drift align, if that's how you're going to do your polar alignment, first and then the goto alignment on the hand controller.

I thought the Skywatcher hand controllers had a polar alignment feature in them now days? perhaps you could use that instead of or as well as drift alignment (depending on how accurate you need it).
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Old 01-04-2017, 04:13 PM
DancingStar (Tony)
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Hi Pluto I do the polar alignment first with a compass and clinometer app. Then the 2- or 3-star alignment with the Synscan, [which involves the bolts]. That should make the goto work correctly, but it never really does. Hence the question about which method is better and whether I should do one or both.
Cheers
Tony
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Old 01-04-2017, 04:29 PM
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madwayne (Wayne)
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Hi Tony

I think you're getting the two processes confused. Do your drift alignment to ensure that you are accurately aligned. The two or three star alignment is for your mount to know exactly where your telescope is pointing.

Adjustments in your drift alignment are done with the altitude and azimuth knobs on your mount. Corrections on your go to alignment are done with your hand controller so the mount knows how far off it is pointing.

With my EQ6 with good polar alignment my first star would be in the field of the finder. The second alignment star would be in the field of view of the eyepiece.

hope that helps.

Wayne
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Old 01-04-2017, 04:48 PM
DancingStar (Tony)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by madwayne View Post
Hi Tony

I think you're getting the two processes confused. Do your drift alignment to ensure that you are accurately aligned. The two or three star alignment is for your mount to know exactly where your telescope is pointing.

Adjustments in your drift alignment are done with the altitude and azimuth knobs on your mount. Corrections on your go to alignment are done with your hand controller so the mount knows how far off it is pointing.

With my EQ6 with good polar alignment my first star would be in the field of the finder. The second alignment star would be in the field of view of the eyepiece.

hope that helps.

Wayne
Hi Wayne thanks for the reply. Hmmm I knew I was confused before; now I am more confused.
I understand that the 2- or 3-star alignment procedure is for telling the mount where it’s pointing. The Synscan software has a routine where, after the basic 2- or 3-star alignment, I can get it to improve the pointing accuracy – it goes to a star, then slews away a tiny bit and tells me to adjust the star back to the centre using the adjustment bolts, not the hand controller.
But after doing both of these procedures [and, of course, previously polar aligning the tripod and mount with a compass and clinometer app], I still found that the scope didn’t find stars particularly accurately and it didn’t keep track of them well – they started drifting across the field of view quite soon.
I read several articles on drift alignment and I think I interpreted the word “drift’ as implying that if I follow this procedure, I will be able to identify then eliminate drift in stars that I find and want to track. But this, too involves using the adjustment bolts. I didn’t think that this procedure is only for polar aligning, as it involves pointing the scope at stars in the east/west or even north!
So if I understand you, are you saying that the drift alignment procedure is only for aligning the mount and tripod with the celestial pole?
And that after I have done this, I still need to do the 2- or 3-star alignment to tell the mount where it’s pointing?
If that’s true, what should I do about the routine to improve the pointing accuracy [which means using the adjustment bolts again]?
Cheers
Tony
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Old 01-04-2017, 05:30 PM
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darrellx (Darrell)
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Tony

I have both an EQ5 and EQ6 and the process is the same with both. I agree with Wayne, I think you are confusing the two processes.

Do the polar alignment, and when you come to the Synscan 2 or 3 star alignment only use the Hand Controller to make the adjustments. Ignore this part "and tells me to adjust the star back to the centre using the adjustment bolts, not the hand controller".

I have found that I only ever need to do a 2 star alignment if I get the Polar Alignment fairly close.

This is the part that drove me nuts for a long time - "If that’s true, what should I do about the routine to improve the pointing accuracy [which means using the adjustment bolts again]". Ignore this and use the Hand Controller.

Polar Alignment - use the Alt and Az knobs
2 Star Alignment - use the Hand Controller

Hope this helps.
Darrell
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Old 01-04-2017, 05:40 PM
DancingStar (Tony)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by darrellx View Post
Tony

I have both an EQ5 and EQ6 and the process is the same with both. I agree with Wayne, I think you are confusing the two processes.

Do the polar alignment, and when you come to the Synscan 2 or 3 star alignment only use the Hand Controller to make the adjustments. Ignore this part "and tells me to adjust the star back to the centre using the adjustment bolts, not the hand controller".

I have found that I only ever need to do a 2 star alignment if I get the Polar Alignment fairly close.

This is the part that drove me nuts for a long time - "If that’s true, what should I do about the routine to improve the pointing accuracy [which means using the adjustment bolts again]". Ignore this and use the Hand Controller.

Polar Alignment - use the Alt and Az knobs
2 Star Alignment - use the Hand Controller

Hope this helps.
Darrell
Hi Darrell, thanks for that. You message does not mention ‘drift alignment’ so is that what you mean when you say ‘polar alignment’?
Are you saying that first I should set up the tripod facing south, the mount at the right elevation, then do drift alignment then do 2 or 3-star alignment [and don’t bother with the fine adjustment bit]?
Cheers
Tony
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Old 01-04-2017, 06:14 PM
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doppler (Rick)
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Set your scope up and do a 1 star align. If the star is not in your finder move the mount manually and try again until the first star is a least in the finder. Then do the goto, I find that 2 star alignment is good enough for visual.(ps skip the polar scope part, it might work ok in the northern hemisphere but not very easy down south)
Here's a video link that might be of help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fO6hyYtPwM

Last edited by doppler; 01-04-2017 at 07:13 PM.
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Old 01-04-2017, 08:40 PM
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barx1963 (Malcolm)
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Aligning an eq go to scope can be confusing at first. The thing to remember is that there are 2 processes, "polar aligning" and "go to aligning". Polar alignment can be achieved by compass and inclinometer and the n refined by drift alignment or similar procedure. Go to alignment is achieved with a 2 or 3 star alignment. Polar alignment is used to get the mount aligned to the pole while the go to align,ent builds. Model of the night sky to enable go tos to work. My procedure is as follows.
1) setup the mount using a compas to align the mount to the South Pole, rembering to offset the compass for magnetic declination as magnetic south and true south are different. Then set the altitude. This stage I am not looking for deadly accuracy, just as good as I can get without obsessing.
2) run a 2 star alignment on the hand set. So at this stage I am spewing using the buttons on the handset, NOT the bolts on the mount. At the end it will give me a readout how close my polar alignment is, usually less than 2 degrees but do not panic if it is more.
3) now go to the polar align,ent routine on the handset. This is a little more complicated but the instructions on the screen are clear enough. It will ask you to slew to a star. You then use the slew button on the handset to center the star ( a reticle eyepiece is helpful here!). After you hit enter the scope will move off the star and you recentre it with the altitude bolts. Then it will move again and you re enter with the azimuth bolts. Once done your polar alignment is much closer. Then do another 2 star alignment and check the accuracy of the polar alignment. If necessary, redo the polar alignment routine.
Remember accurate polar alignment is more essential for imaging, if visual use, this procedure above is fine.
If imaging, drift alignment will help refine you polar alignment. If using PHD for guiding the polar alignment routine in that program will help refine it. Important to remember to do a 2 or 3 star alignment after any polar adjustment.

Malcolm
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