Polar aligned question.

[IanL]

Polar aligned question.

Sorry guys if this sounds like a stupid question.
I have just moved from a tripod to an EQ6 and for me its a big learning curve.

If you have to polar align the EQ6 mount with the southern star can I get away with using the 3 star alignments instead. Problem being is that I have a building blocking the view of southern star and have no way of knowing if it is aligned correct.

Thanks
Ian
Brisbane

[Dennis]

Hi Ian

A big jump from an alt-az photo tripod to an EQ6 eh!

Take a look at this post – it describes a couple of simple templates I made for rough polar alignment in the daytime. Using these carefully can get me within less than 2 degrees of the South Celestial Pole (SCP).

I’m not sure about the EQ6, but my Vixen GPDX / Skysensor 2000 combination allows me to set up the mount as any of the following:

• Alt-Az
• Equatorial non-Polar Aligned.
• Equatorial Polar Aligned.

So, using the templates, I would then chose Equatorial non-Polar Aligned and proceed to do my 3 star alignment. The SS2K then seems to be able to model this (non-Polar Aligned mode) and produce subsequent, accurate GoTo’s.

Given that the SS2K is over 10 years old, I would hope that modern systems, such as your EQ6 and Controller, would also include this capability?

Cheers

Dennis

[IanL]

Cheers Dennis, I had been looking for that post. Just amazing mate.
Neve fail to impress me with you knowlege.

Cheer
Ian

[Doug]

Ian, you might like to review this thread also :
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=20072

In particular thread #8.
I too can not see the SCP from where my scope resides. A three star align on its own will not serve you well. You will need to be reasonably close to the SCP even if you can not see it, for a three star alignment to be of any particular use. Use the goto feature of your mount to allow you to set it to the SCP, you will find that you need no compas or protractor or anything else; Just a knowledge of your Latitude, Longitude, the date and siderial time and be able to both see and Identify the object you sellect for your goto. It works and it works well. The EQ6's goto is as accurate as the polar alignment. It follows that its goto can therefore give you accurate alignment.
Hope this helps you out as it has helped me.

[IanL]

Thanks Doug, I'll give it a go and let you know. That would be handy if it works at my location. Think i can get a fix off the tom tom sat nav in the back door.

This maybe why their is a GPS unit out for the EQ6 now. Would this be right.
Cheers
Ian

[IanL]

Polar alignment and go to function.

I did do a hand controller upgrade to V3.12 which game me more stars to align from and put in the correct GPS positions for where I was before doing the below

Just a short note from my own views about 2 star alignments with the EQ6.
Firstly thanks guys for posting the work around on finding the SCP star. I used Dennis’s protractor method. And without your posts I would have probably smashed the kit in frustration. J

Secondly one thing I found on the EQ6 forum when doing a 2 star alignment put in a low power 22mm and center it, then drop in a 9mm and center that. I followed this method and then placed the 35mm panoptic in and sent the scope M7 and it was bang on. Even dropping down to 22mm and the 9mm it was still centered.

The chap on the EQ6 forum wrote that even if the star is a fraction out when doing the 2 star alignment it will knock off the go to. I found this to be very important last night when setting up hence dropping down to a 9mm to further center it.

Some folk may disagree with the above but this is my own views from trying myself.

After winning the fight with the mount I was able to view more objects in 15mins than I had in 6 months.

Many thanks
Ian

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

I don't know about anyone else and I use an argo navis or losmandy gemini but I always use a reticle to center with. Makes a hell of a difference with goto in both the above cases.

[KG8]

Sounds like you got it sussed Ian. I use the 6 as well, and here in Briso it is useless trying to find octans so I just level/protractor/compass and that gets me close enough to the pole for city viewing. It's not like were chasing galaxies here in town is it? If you did the upgrade you can do a recalibration of the goto on the fly as well, which can help. I say can because if the polar is too far out, well nothing will work.

[IanL]

Hi KG8, Not too sure what goto on the fly is. Can you exsplain a bit.
Up grading the hand controller for me made the dif between goto and not goto.

Cheers
Ian

[KG8]

sorry bout the delay. If you have the V3 or above you can use the PAE (position accuracy enhancement) function in the utilities sub menu to update your position. To use the feature you send the scope to one of the stars nearby by using the object database (key 8, then named star), then find where it really is by slewing around, centre it, then use the utility function/Pae to update the mount's position. (by holding the escape key for 2 seconds) Now I wish I could tell you all that from first hand experience but I just updated my hand controller and haven't tested it myself. But it's gotta work hey

Here is the process as copied from the manual:

Pointing Accuracy Enhancement (PAE)
The three star alignment methods provide alignment adequate for any visual observing purpose.
For applications that require extra high precision in a particular part of the sky, the
SynScanT" provides a The PAE can be Pointing Accuracy Enhancement (PAE) function
to further improve the accuracy. performed in up to area(s) star(s) 85 zones to cover the whole sky.
The where the chosen alignment is located should be already mapped out accurately by the
Further accuracy enhancement is not necessary.
SynScanTM.

-by-step procedure on how to perform PAE:
The following provides a step

1. Choose a star as reference object from a star chart or planetarium software. This star should be a
known, bright object that is currently located in the same part of the sky with the object of your interest.
Find the reference object in the hand control database and go-to the object. If the mount
is under the control of the planetarium software, click on the object to slew to it.
3. Adjust the telescope so that the reference object is in the center of the eyepiece or CCD view.
4. Press and hold down the ESC key for 2 seconds. The hand control will display "Re-center" and the

name of the reference object will appear in a blinking mode (3 times). If the goto command is sent
instead of the name of the object, the hand control will display "Last from the
goto object".
5. Make sure that the reference object is still in the center of the view and press ENTER. If you do not
wish to record the result, press ESC to abort the operation. After pressing ENTER, the
SynScanT" will record the amount of pointing inaccuracy and recalculate the model of the sky. Now the pointing
accuracy of this particular part of the sky should be greatly improved.

EDIT: This didn't read read right so I edited it, it was copied across from a PDF file. " I Hate PDF Files!!!! "

[Doug]

Now the pointing
accuracy of this particular part of the sky should be greatly improved.

Hmmm G'day all, I wonder if this will then throw the earlier 'model'? out?
I'd noticed the PAE in the firmware upgrade but haven't gotten round to even reading the manuel. From your description it sounds like the Meade (and others) ability to synch to an object. If so that could save me the bother of a 1 star alignment based on the pre selected star data base. All I should need to do is 'goto' a convenient object and synch to it and away I go. That is what can be done with the Meade classic once it is polar aligned; synch to an object and cary on into the night.
Thanks for the tip KG8.
cheers,
Doug

[IanL]

Cheers KG8 thanks for that. I'll let you know how i get on when i give it a go.



Ian