Polar, 3 Star and Drift Alignment

[oggie doggie]

Hi All,

I have just put together my newly aquired HEQ5 pro and I am ready to get out there when the weather clears.

The whole polar alignment thing has me a little confused. I have followed instructions but I am not sure if I have nailed it yet as I can't get outside due to weather. Truth be known I know I haven't nailed it but I just can't guage how far out I am. (I really wish they would send instructions for the Southern Hemispher ONLY).

I have a question regarding Alignment.

Can I use the 3 star alignment then drift alignment instead of polar alignment or does the scope need to be polar aligned before I can use star and drift alignment?

I have the scope pointing south and have set my latitude. Would this be sufficient to start start and drift alignment?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[OneOfOne]

If you just going to do visual initially....just a rough alignment should be enough to get you going. Drift alignment is only really needed if you are going to take images or for a permanent setup.

A 3 star alignment would be a good starting point, then drift align to finish it off.