Quote:
Originally Posted by 04Stefan07
I am aiming it 169 degrees as true north. My compass could be out as I am using my mobile.
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I hope you meant south! Point it the same side of the celestial sphere as the southern cross
I use a good quality Silva orienteering compass, standing behind the polar axis of the scope about 6 feet away (minimal metal flux interference) sighting down the lubber line along the polar axis, with my bezel set at 168° (we are 12.3° mag var'n here). Make sure the needle though is aligned within the bars on the bottom of the compass (that also rotate with the bezel).
Every time I have done it this way (and sometimes check with my iPhone's compass, but it gives me a different reading each time you use it), I have been instantly good enough for long-duration visual with minimal drift. If I want to image, I then start with this initial position and run a SharpCap polar refinement, and it is always come up as at least "Fair" (usually "Good") for the initial solve - you then refine it - with tiny incremental moves - until it reads "excellent". I have had it down to mere seconds (around 4 secs or less) out in azimuth and alt in only about 5 minutes of fiddling.
It sounds like you have the compass basics wrong Stefan, so I'll see if I can find you a good tutorial.