Quote:
Originally Posted by AndrewJ
Gday Damien
That procedure wont work :-)
You need to set your GPS to "At Start", as when it fixes, it overwrites all the internal clocks and resynchs them.
By slewing manually etc before doing a goto ( which triggers a fix if it hasnt been done ) it will get horribly screwed up.
Also, doing synchs doesnt create a model, it just resets the encoder datums, ie last synch over rules all the earlier ones.
If you want to cheat and not do an align
a) Always have the GPS set to "At Start"
b) Put the mount in home position before turning it ON
c) On getting a fix, you are technically aligned
so can then do a slew to a known star and synch.
Andrew
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Thanks Andrew, I always knew it was not the best way but it's the way I've been able to get it to work.
I'll take your advice as I've always wanted to know the correct procedure.
I use my LX200GPS on a Milburn wedge all the time so the scope is set to polar mode. I thought the home position in this mode was to point the scope to the SCP, ie fork arms at zero, (in the middle of the stops), and the scope pointing directly out in line with the fork arms, (not horizontal as in Alt/Az). The problem I've had with this is there is not enough room for my camera to clear the fork arms in this position (with finger on the power button just in case).
So is this the best procedure without cheating?:
1. Set 'At Start' for the GPS, (didn't even know that existed but found it in the menu). Or is that for cheating mode only?
2. Next time using scope, put into home position and switch on, (did I get that bit right or is the home position something different to my explanation?
3. Do an auto align, (I'm guessing that because the GPS does a fix here, the scope will point to stars in the sky when slewing to an object rather than slewing to the ground. This always confused me as the biggest issues I've had when using the auto align have been the scope never gets close to the star it mentions and quite often I've had to kill the power to save the camera from hitting the fork arms. Perhaps because I did not have 'At Start' set?
Cheers,
Damien.