Tracking problems...again!

[coldknights (Cathy)]

That's ok been a while since we looked at the sun (With the correct filters only ) .

How long did it take to drift out of the eyepiece ?

This one we got a 10-20 mins and still in the eyepiece but moved slightly from the Centre of the eye piece.

Can you take a pic of the screws you did up ?
Did you have any nuts to tighten up ?

[michaellxv (Michael)]

Hi Stefan,

I have the older 80GTL version and had similar problems tracking when I tried. Making sure everything is firm from the ground up helps but in the end the mount is mostly plastic and flexes and moves in the slightest breeze.

Visually mine tracks OK in that an object will stay in the FOV of a 10mm EP even though you can see it moving around that view. I have gone away for 30min and come back to still have planets in the view.

However, putting a camera on it is like putting a 5 or 6mm EP in, the FOV is very small and the drift will take an object out of the view. You can watch the Alt/Az tracking as it moves up then across, gets ahead then waits, gets behind then catches up etc.. The Sun and Moon are large enough that you can let it drift and then watch it come back, with planets you risk losing them. I was always making manual corrections to keep things where I wanted them.

Basically I found it very hard work and gave up having learned the leason that a good mount is required.

Best of luck with it.
Michael.

[04Stefan07 (Stefan)]

Originally Posted by coldknights

That's ok been a while since we looked at the sun (With the correct filters only ) .

How long did it take to drift out of the eyepiece ?

This one we got a 10-20 mins and still in the eyepiece but moved slightly from the Centre of the eye piece.

Can you take a pic of the screws you did up ?
Did you have any nuts to tighten up ?

It's weird after I did this adjustment the second batch of video I captured the Sun stayed aligned. Check out the photos below. I unscrewed them and took that large plastic part off then put it back on.

Also if you look between the orange part and where the mount sits it tends to flex a bit (the part where the mount turns clockwise/anti-clockwise).

Once the object is locked on it either slowly goes out of alignment or slowly goes out of alignment for a bit then stops.

[04Stefan07 (Stefan)]

Cheers mate. Would love to get a proper mount one day!

Originally Posted by michaellxv

Hi Stefan,

I have the older 80GTL version and had similar problems tracking when I tried. Making sure everything is firm from the ground up helps but in the end the mount is mostly plastic and flexes and moves in the slightest breeze.

Visually mine tracks OK in that an object will stay in the FOV of a 10mm EP even though you can see it moving around that view. I have gone away for 30min and come back to still have planets in the view.

However, putting a camera on it is like putting a 5 or 6mm EP in, the FOV is very small and the drift will take an object out of the view. You can watch the Alt/Az tracking as it moves up then across, gets ahead then waits, gets behind then catches up etc.. The Sun and Moon are large enough that you can let it drift and then watch it come back, with planets you risk losing them. I was always making manual corrections to keep things where I wanted them.

Basically I found it very hard work and gave up having learned the leason that a good mount is required.

Best of luck with it.
Michael.

[coldknights (Cathy)]

The nut that needs a small tightening is in pic 1 behind the scope to mount plate can you get to it ?
Can you remove the bolt out of the way ?

[04Stefan07 (Stefan)]

Originally Posted by coldknights

The nut that needs a small tightening is in pic 1 behind the scope to mount plate can you get to it ?
Can you remove the bolt out of the way ?

Yeah I can take that off. I will give it a go now!

[04Stefan07 (Stefan)]

OK it has been tightened.

[coldknights (Cathy)]

Now when you press on the scope with a bit of pressure does it move like before or is the scope harder to move with the same pressure you tried last night ?
Remember not to over do it with that nut do it up a bit check it by putting the scope back on and applying pressure to the scope and see if it is better then before.key word little at a time.
If you tighten it to much it will bind .

[04Stefan07 (Stefan)]

Originally Posted by coldknights

Now when you press on the scope with a bit of pressure does it move like before or is the scope harder to move with the same pressure you tried last night ?
Remember not to over do it with that nut do it up a bit check it by putting the scope back on and applying pressure to the scope and see if it is better then before.key word little at a time.
If you tighten it to much it will bind .

That part seems OK. I think it's where the orange part is as shown in the 3rd image.

[coldknights (Cathy)]

I tried rocking our one and not much movement at all in that part.
Seems to be ok .
Does that part look the same thickness all the way around that part?
If it varies then that will make it rock a bit.

Did you change the base or is that the original ?

[michaellxv (Michael)]

Another option which may work for you is building an EQ wedge for the mount so that you only have to track on one axis. Just google 'slt wedge' for some examples.

I did look at this but with my long tube I would have run into clearance issues. It may be more practical for your PST.

[04Stefan07 (Stefan)]

Originally Posted by coldknights

I tried rocking our one and not much movement at all in that part.
Seems to be ok .
Does that part look the same thickness all the way around that part?
If it varies then that will make it rock a bit.

Did you change the base or is that the original ?

Yeah it looks the same all around.

The base is the same, I just attached it to a new tripod. It behaved the same way on the old tripod as well.