I will go through the videos and report back how I go with the alignment over the weekend.
Bill, I had read a similar but not so detailed How To and so I think I had placed my scope with a rough polar alignment.
Thats why I was so suprised to see the slew direction of desired object to be completely out.
Anyways eagerly waiting for the weekend to try it out but I'm sure its going to be cloudy again !!!
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Ross - I adjusted the metal knobs to move the mount head and get its pointer to approx 27 deg. on the lat scale.
I use it (admitedly for the northern hemishphere) and it is a doddle. I understand that to use for the southern hemisphere that you use chi octans instead of polaris?
http://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/tutindex.html
(scroll to the bottom of document for southern hemisphere)
Like I say, I haven't done this myself in the southeren hemisphere but it might be worth a try.
Bill, I had read a similar but not so detailed How To and so I think I had placed my scope with a rough polar alignment.
Thats why I was so suprised to see the slew direction of desired object to be completely out.
Anyways eagerly waiting for the weekend to try it out but I'm sure its going to be cloudy again !!! ......
Hi
OK understood that you've got the "rough polar alignment" correctly done - so did you then do the "1, 2 or 3-star" alignment of the mount in that position? AND this is to be done first before combining its use with your planetarium software Stellarium !!
If you are using EQMod software what ever you put in the hand controller doesn't matter a squat as it just parses the RS232 control data straight though.
In my experience the only times that i have had the telescope go the opposite way is when I had put in the wrong Lat/Long coords, eqmod is a bit funny how you put them in especially when you set them.
Peter pointed you to my document showing how to actually set up your mount. This is what I have done and is a collection of a few years of information that i have gathered/experienced. It has pictures and a step by step way of setting everything up.
Nowdays i use pole align max and it is very good at what it does you just need to see its stars which can be problematic if you are in a tight area but other wise brilliant.
If you want to get rough polar alignment without drift alignment and what not after you have done your basic set up as Bill discribed earlier, go to your hand controller, do a 1 star align shoot off to a nice bright star around the SCP region Canopus, Archnarr, Hadar, Rigel Kenturas those are some of the ones avalible. Once it has slewed DON'T TOUCH THE HAND CONTROLLER...... move the mount physically eg unscrew the 2 black RA adjustment knobs, and back off the front Dec adjustments and move the star into the center of view for your telescope (assuming that your telescope/mount is pretty well aligned). Once you have done this lock everything back off, park your scope to bring it back to your pre set home position.
This is where you either slip back to eqmod or use your hand controller but you can go further with doing your alignment with drift alignment or the like. but to test how close you are to the pole just slew to a bright star and you should land it in your finder scope, at least this is my experience.
Thanks Jeremy for the EQMod links. Have gone through them but it wont be useful as I don't have the view of Octans so I will certainly have to go with a rough alignment followed by drift.
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OK understood that you've got the "rough polar alignment" correctly done - so did you then do the "1, 2 or 3-star" alignment of the mount in that position? AND this is to be done first before combining its use with your planetarium software Stellarium !!
I think I did but you know what I may have very well forgotten to do this (was going through a lot of sites to understand polar alignment and was overwhelmed with the info). This may be what caused the slew of scope in opp direction. Thanks Bill.
Quote:
If you are using EQMod software what ever you put in the hand controller doesn't matter a squat as it just parses the RS232 control data straight though.
In my experience the only times that i have had the telescope go the opposite way is when I had put in the wrong Lat/Long coords, eqmod is a bit funny how you put them in especially when you set them.
Thank you for your comments Brendan. When I connected the EQMod, the hand controller was disconnected from the mount. You have mentioned that the eqmod has a different way of accepting the lat/long data ? How is it different, can you please explain ?
I use this mount, and I dont have a view of the CSP. The easyest way that I have found is guiding assisted drift alignment. I use my SSAG and PHD. The procedure is very easy.
yesterday was a clear night after 12am. So in the session from 12am to 4am, I was able to balance and successfully complete a 3-star alignment via the hand controller.
Slewing to target object was then working out fine however after a minute or so found that the target object would drift away. So I just used the had controller to view the target object again and it would be in my EP. Or sometimes used the directional keys of the hand controller to get it back in my EP.
I guess I have to move now into drift alignment or probably look at a software doing so.
Also, by mistake during my session, I turned off the power to my scope. It was in a park position so no probs in that regards but when Itried to slew to the target again, the target object was no more in my EP.
Do I have to conduct a star alignment everytime ? Doesn't this info get stored in the hand controller with custom settings such as for home backyard, use these alignments ?
Im pretty sure that you have to do the alignment everytime you turn it off, however I would only do a 2 star because the third one only adjusts for cone error and for me it hasnt helped with goto accuracy.
Unless your dovetail is buggered it should be fine.
Also, by mistake during my session, I turned off the power to my scope. It was in a park position so no probs in that regards but when Itried to slew to the target again, the target object was no more in my EP.
Do I have to conduct a star alignment everytime ? Doesn't this info get stored in the hand controller with custom settings such as for home backyard, use these alignments ?
Yep, each time you turn off the power source you do have to do the 1, 2 or 3-star alignment routine again - there is no provision for a ROM-based storage on the handcontroller for such
Good to hear that you've finally managed to at least get it slewing to the right spot after the star alignment process
I'd recommend the Alginmaster software - there's a trial period before you decide to pay up, so give it a try
Generally speaking if you did this - http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=14036 - you'll find that you should be able to keep the "lock" on the object for much than the minute or so that you are experiencing
I like to use EQAlign for drift aligning. I can't compare it to other software because it is the only one I have used, but I find it quite easy and it is free.
Im pretty sure that you have to do the alignment everytime you turn it off, however I would only do a 2 star because the third one only adjusts for cone error and for me it hasnt helped with goto accuracy.
Unless your dovetail is buggered it should be fine.
That is sad but in terms of PEC, it must be storing it for sure. Its hard to believe that both star alignment data and pec need to be done everytime. Damn EQs are hard work. I guess once this part is mastered the outcomes make it all worth it.
Well to be honest, even when my mount was keeping the M42 in the EP for a min, it was like a joyous moment for me coming from the days of struggle of dob mount and alignment issues.
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I'd recommend the Alginmaster software - there's a trial period before you decide to pay up, so give it a try
Generally speaking if you did this - http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=14036 - you'll find that you should be able to keep the "lock" on the object for much than the minute or so that you are experiencing
I had already downloaded the software but didn't realise that it would take the author 48 hrs before I receive a useable trial serial number. Usually such processes are automated and worth it when it comes to amateurs like me trying to go through forums around 2 am - find a solution and want to implement it straight away.
Anywho I have received the serial number and will give it a try most likely next weekend now.
Also, the link that you have provided is showing a complicated system for me at this stage. I have bookmarked it, once I get used to the routine and get my setup right, I will then move on to optimize it.
I like to use EQAlign for drift aligning. I can't compare it to other software because it is the only one I have used, but I find it quite easy and it is free.
Whereabouts in Brisbane are you?
cheers,
Andrew
Hi Andrew, yeah I saw the EQAlign software, I will probably get into it next week. So with EQAlign, does it capture a webcam output as well into the program ?
Does it store the alignment data for the next session even after powering off the mount and the program ?
Hi all,
yesterday was a clear night after 12am. So in the session from 12am to 4am, I was able to balance and successfully complete a 3-star alignment via the hand controller.
Hooray!
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Slewing to target object was then working out fine however after a minute or so found that the target object would drift away. So I just used the had controller to view the target object again and it would be in my EP. Or sometimes used the directional keys of the hand controller to get it back in my EP.
I guess I have to move now into drift alignment or probably look at a software doing so.
Yep, sounds like inadequate polar alignment. After you re-centre the object in your EP, you can hold down the ESC button on the hand controller for two seconds and it will come up with a prompt to update its alignment data (press ENTER to confirm). The next time you slew to the same object, it will use the updated data... but it obviously doesn't fix any polar alignment issues.
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Also, by mistake during my session, I turned off the power to my scope. It was in a park position so no probs in that regards but when Itried to slew to the target again, the target object was no more in my EP.
Do I have to conduct a star alignment everytime ? Doesn't this info get stored in the hand controller with custom settings such as for home backyard, use these alignments ?
According to the SynScan manual, it will remember the star alignment provided that you (1) explicitly park the mount using the hand controller, and (2) don't move the position of the mount or unlock the clutches.
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According to the SynScan manual, it will remember the star alignment provided that you (1) explicitly park the mount using the hand controller, and (2) don't move the position of the mount or unlock the clutches.
Yep that's true BUT only if you did not turn the power off - the previous "star alignment" will still hold true when parked - and then you can continue another session without going through the "star alignment" process providing the mount too hasn't been moved - I'm sure that my EQ6 Pro loses the "star alignment" when the power is turned off though!!
