synscan noob help

[Moonman (Michael)]

Originally Posted by Starkler

I then the dec axis attempted to grind my refractor diagonal into the southern tripod leg

Hi there,

I had this problem with my EQ6 setup with a newtonian which I solved with an extension tube that lifted the mount up sufficiently for it to clear the legs. Depending on how tall or short you are this could be a solution.

The eq6 also occassionally tends to meridian flip as you described when asked to move only a samll distancefrom its previous position. I havn't any ideas on this I'm sorry to say.

cheers

mike

[Kokatha man]

Hi Moonman - the extender is a good option; but unfortunately it's only for the EQ6 - there isn't one for the HEQ5.

Ergonomically, with a long refractor, the height of the HEQ5 can present problems viewing towards the zenith, unless you're 4 foot "tall": I'm expecting (hopefully today!) a custom-ordered pier from Mick to ease my poor old back!

Regards, Darryl.

[Moonman (Michael)]

Thats a real bummer isn't it. I guess no system in perfect.

cheers

mike

[NJB (Noel)]

Hi All.

I've been reading this thread with interest. I have a answer to White Rabbit's question about syncing. The SynScan does do it, but calls it Pointing Accuracy Enhancement (PAE). See page 7 of the SynScan manual (well, page 7 in my manual). Basically, you GoTo an object, centre it, then press and hold down the ESC key for two seconds. The hand control will display "Re-center" and the name of the object in a blinking mode 3 times. Then press ENTER to confirm the syncing.

I have a question of my own though. People talk about focusing the polar scope by screwing out its eyepiece. But on mine, the whole polar scope screws out, and I can find no way of screwing out just its eyepiece. I've tried loosening some of those little screws and turning the attached rings next to the scale, but to no effect except dropping the dastardly small screws. I can barely see them to put them back in! My polarscope is seriously out of focus, and I can't find how to fix it.

Thanks for any help.
Noel

[White Rabbit]

Thanks NJB.

I stumbled across that but wasnt really sure if that what was happening.

Wish I could help you with your problem but...I dont have a clue.

Thanks again

Sandy

[NJB (Noel)]

Ahhh.... I've found the answer to focusing the polar scope! Brute force, what else? The eyepiece DOES screw out, it just was screwed all the way in and stuck tight, and took some effort to shift it. I also found a discussion about this on the Cloudy Nights forums which gave me confidence to try harder!
(http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthrea.../o/all/fpart/1)

Noel.
(Hopefully soon to be able to actually use my new HEQ5 PRO mount for some real observing.......)