New EQ6 w/ SW ED100 polar alignment questions

[loki78]

So I finally got my EQ6 and SW BD ED100 2 weeks ago or so and last Friday night finally got a chance to use them, a rare clear night in Sydney as of late.

With the weather being as it had been i hadn't read much on polar alignment till the night so was learning from the manual and trying it on the fly as it were.

Ultimately, all the instructions in the manual revolve around focusing Sigma Octantis in the polar scope and yadda yadda. This became a problem, as the balcony on my unit does not see South. Well it does, but all it sees is a big brick wall.

Then when doing the synscan 3 star align, i couldn't find a 2nd star.

Clearly I will need to modify/streamline this process for when I am using it on my balcony. There are a plethora of guides/resources some similar and some wildly differing about alignment.

I'd love to give this a go again Thurs/Fri night as I should have some clear patches, and have it down pat by next Mon/Tue which should be quite clear.

Some advice or suggested resources to read would be much much appreciated.

The setup will be for imaging with a DSLR to begin with, so i need a high level of accuracy. My balcony faces from roughly North to about West-Southwest, with no roof on it.

Please drop some wisdom on my noob rear end :)

[brian nordstrom]

:) Nice set up Jon , by you wont be able to do a 3 star allignement from a balcony , you need as close to 360 degree view to do it properly and accuratly .
I view from my balcony all the time using my Ioptron IEQ45 and once my coordinents are entered into the hand piece ( a once done job) , all I do is place it as close to facing south as I can by eye .;) .Turn it on and view , 90% of the time I can view for hours like this , it tracks very well . I done this for the TOV last wednesday and only had to adjust the DEC once in 6 hours of viewing Venus .
I only bother with a star allignment if I take the scope out on to the lawn , or a dark sky site .
Just plonking mine down pionting it south is more than ok for a quick peek ( ususlly it turns into hours ) , I am sure your EQ6 will work the same :thumbsup:.
Good luck and let us know as to your progress .
Brian.

[stardust steve]

Are you able to try the drift align method? Might be worth a try after setting your altitude and using a compass to point the mount to true South.
Good luck:astron:

[loki78]

I've been reading a little on drift alignment, diff guides seem to differ a bit on those as well but it seems tomorrow I will be getting hold of an illuminated reticule which seems more or less necessary for it.

[MattT]

There is a good polar alignment bit in the book The Backyard Astronomer. If you can get a copy it might be worth it and there is lots of other great things in the book.
Very nice scope and mount too! I just got a second hand Saxon ED which is the same scope and it's fab on planets especially...I thought an HEQ5 was overdoing it....
Cheers Matt

[Peter.M]

I assume you will be guiding your Eq6 with an autoguider? because you can use it do a drift alignment if you are.

[loki78]

I will be shortly, but not yet. I want to get it working as it is, then once I am on top of all of that, i will then add guiding to it. I don't want to throw too much together all at once that I already don't know how to use, one bit at a time.

[traveller]

Have you tried the solar noon method? Brett Mitchell has also written a nice article on his website about alignment, just search his user name and go to his website in his signature.
Good luck!
Bo

[loki78]

Thanks Bo, just downloaded the EQ6 and drift guides off his site to read through now :)

Anyone else with tips, keep them coming please :D

[loki78]

Further question to that, is it ok to leave the scope/counterweights on the mount when inside and not in use, or should you really unload the mount when it wont be used for long periods?

Is there a specific way it should be kept when not in use etc?

[traveller]

If you take the scope off, then take off the counterweights and retract the shaft back up the head. Otherwise you can leave them out for a few days provided they are covered up properly.
See this thread http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=88716
Cheers, Bo

[loki78]

Thanks again, I bring the whole lot inside, but it doesn't seem to be a problem leaving the scope and everyone on the mount when not in use, seeing as some guys leave it all set up and outside, i should be right.