EQ6, EQMOD and help please?

[GOTO (Geoff)]

Hi all
Having a bit of a problem here. I have an EQ6, have installed EQMOD ASCOM DRIVER and can connect to the Sky6 which I like but now I have no hand controller plugged in how do I do the initial 2-3 star alignment and get the Sky to recognise where I am starting from?

I have probably missed something very obvious here, any help on this semi clear night would be appreciated.

Kind regards
Geoff

[zipdrive (Dave)]

I initially used the mouse to control the slew. Click on the "pad" button in the slew controls. Then you place the cursor in the pad window and take the mouse to your scope for the manual star alignments slews .

If you have a gampad/joystick then you can use that also with EQMOD.
Personally i use a wireless numpad.

Assuming you got Telescope API already setup in thesky, you just need to tell it to slew to a star then manual slew adjustment then 'sync'.
Sync on as many stars as you like, EQMOD will build a pointing model automatically.

EQMOD manual will have more details.

[sheeny (Al)]

G'Day Geoff,

Once you use EQMOD you can forget the 2/3 star align procedures in the mount. EQMOD allows you to "sync" on as many stars as you like.

I use a wireless game controller to manually move the scope with EQMOD. Dave has the clues for the using the mouse or other options.

Al.

[gbeal]

I'm still learning myself, but have dispensed completely with the supplied H/C, using a home-brew cable instead.
In my case I use Cartes du Ciel, but TheSky should be the same.
I open CdC and this automatically opens EQMOD. In CdC click on a star I want to align with, in my case early evening I use the likes of Canopus, Sirius, and Achenaar, but any and many will do.
Click on Canopus, then goto and the mount will zoom off to where it thinks Canopus is. I get it close in the finder, using the NSEW buttons on the EQMOD panel, a speed of something like 3 to start with then fine-tuning it with 1, using the crosshairs in whatever capture program I am using as well. Once aligned, hit "Synch" and then move to the next star (Sirius in my list above). Repeat all this. I usually do three, but you can do as many as you like.
With TheSky it will be essentially the same. A gamepad would make life simpler, but I find that my alignment is close enough to use the EQMOD buttons, plus like I said, I am just learning. One step at a time for this old geezer.
Gary

[pmrid (Peter)]

Originally Posted by GOTO

Hi all
Having a bit of a problem here. I have an EQ6, have installed EQMOD ASCOM DRIVER and can connect to the Sky6 which I like but now I have no hand controller plugged in how do I do the initial 2-3 star alignment and get the Sky to recognise where I am starting from?

I have probably missed something very obvious here, any help on this semi clear night would be appreciated.

Kind regards
Geoff

Geoff, as Gary says, you can forget 2-3 star alignments. You'll still need to be fairly well polar aligned of course. Choose 3 stars on the side of the meridian where you'll be working. Space them fairly well also. If you do this, you'll have a pretty darn good pointing model and your go-tos will be fairly close.

Get a gamepad also. They are a great tool and easy to configure and use.

Peter