Quote:
Originally Posted by Startrek
Greg,
I’ve used my Handset on different Skymounts with Synscan PA for over 4 years now connected on my Lappy using BYEOS and a simple DSLR and its equal to if not more accurate than Pole Master , and you don’t need a view of the Pole plus you only need 2 alignment stars not 3. Live view on BYEOS with the DSLR has no lag on your alignment Star when moved its instantaneous
Takes me 5 to 10 minutes to polar align
Even Dylan O’Donnell endorsed it on one of his YouTube’s ( not that I’m a fan )
It’s an popular method that’s not considered or even not known about in favour of Sharpcap and many others. Works treat for me
Cheers
Martin
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1) How do you know the handset method accuracy compared to pole master? I would have thought a comparison over multiple nights in different seeing conditions with drift alignment might have been the only way to know.
I only make this point as you raised the accuracy point where I was just talking about Polar Alignment and it's purpose to reduce field rotation and guiding can not fix that field rotation caused by bad polar alignment.
2) Have you tried the NINA version of the 3 star polar alignment? It works the similar way to the handset 3 star but automated. Search YouTube as there are now a few examples videoed.
I understood the handset 3 star alignment worked but mentioned NINA as it was a recent automated method if you wanted to use the latest software option.
3) "works a treat for me" that's fine and by all means, keep doing what works and what you know but it might not be the same for others which is why I mentioned it as a general comment. Accurate polar alignment particularly matters with bigger sensors like a full frame camera for those who want those stars around the edges not to have smears in a circular direction (so not talking about the effects of flat fields which is a different matter). But you can not correct field rotation caused by bad polar alignment by guiding. If you only have a small sensor and a short focal length, it might not matter.
I thought the topic was about a rig that can correct for polar misalignment. I presented options in broad categories and 3 point was one of them with NINA plugin being a recent release people might not know about.
If you want a rig that is tolerant to polar alignment, perhaps a rotator with some derotation software is a better path but I'm guessing that might be easier to get going on an Alt/Az mount so you don't have to do any Polar Alignment.