mounts - if you have obstructed view for PA

[Spookylight]

Hi folks,

Trying to get setup for my first foray into AP.

My available viewing area in the garden has trees at the back which obscure Polaris variably. So although I'm looking at buying a HEQ5 Syntrek (on EQmod) I'm wondering if this is going to be an absolute ball ache to polar align it?

My alternative is to buy the new Celestron VX mount that has ASPA.

My scope is a 100ED pro 4" refractor, canon 1100D dslr with focal reducer - won't be buying anything bigger/heavier in future either. Only hope to go guided with PHD/whatever works best with guide OTA. I see the VX is getting very good rep, even in the usa.

I want the easiest & quickest system to setup and get running. I'm now leaning towards the VX due to it's ASPA & not needing either a polar scope nor polaris etc, and it's extremely accurate from what I've read. Then I can just guide using PHD afterwards.

Does that sound easier for my situation?

cheers

neil

[steppenwolf]

Drift alignment is always the best method where AP is concerned and a view of Polaris is not required, however, it is time consuming.

I recently reviewed the AVX mount for the Sky at Night magazine and I found it was a doddle to polar align using the All-Star Polar Alignment routine.

[sbooder]

Also I think that the newer HEQ5 mounts come with the flashable HCs so if it does not have the lates version of Synscan you can flash it so you can use the polar alignment sequence that uses other stars, it works very well.

[Spookylight]

Also I think that the newer HEQ5 mounts come with the flashable HCs so if it does not have the lates version of Synscan you can flash it so you can use the polar alignment sequence that uses other stars, it works very well.

The Syntrek heq5 only comes with a basic hand control for tracking only. Hence I'd be using a laptop connected instead.

[Spookylight]

Drift alignment is always the best method where AP is concerned and a view of Polaris is not required, however, it is time consuming.

I recently reviewed the AVX mount for the Sky at Night magazine and I found it was a doddle to polar align using the All-Star Polar Alignment routine.

thanks for that, seems like its calling my name lol

[sbooder]

The Syntrek heq5 only comes with a basic hand control for tracking only. Hence I'd be using a laptop connected instead.

Sorry, I missed the syntrek bit.  There is a bit of software for this very thing but I can not remember what it is called?

[sbooder]

There is EQAlign but you need a webcam (I think, there might be a simulation, not sure?).

[kingboya]

I recently moved to using Alignmaster. It is superb, takes minutes and gets polar alignment bang on. None of this rotating the RA axis anymore which was a real pain with dual side by side setup.

It is about £11.00 or so, and the best money I have ever spent on software!

[sbooder]

Try this page

[lensman57]

Hi folks,

Trying to get setup for my first foray into AP.

My available viewing area in the garden has trees at the back which obscure Polaris variably. So although I'm looking at buying a HEQ5 Syntrek (on EQmod) I'm wondering if this is going to be an absolute ball ache to polar align it?

My alternative is to buy the new Celestron VX mount that has ASPA.

My scope is a 100ED pro 4" refractor, canon 1100D dslr with focal reducer - won't be buying anything bigger/heavier in future either. Only hope to go guided with PHD/whatever works best with guide OTA. I see the VX is getting very good rep, even in the usa.

I want the easiest & quickest system to setup and get running. I'm now leaning towards the VX due to it's ASPA & not needing either a polar scope nor polaris etc, and it's extremely accurate from what I've read. Then I can just guide using PHD afterwards.

Does that sound easier for my situation?

cheers

neil

Hi,

If Steve says that the AVXs  ASPA is good then it must be good, anything that helps the polar alignment without resorting to drift align and the like must be good. The problem with a lot of these routines  is the unrealistic assumption that the user has an restricted view of the horizon all around, unlikely in the case of most of us. I myself am now considering trying the polar alignment using astro tortilla, once I have got it sorted out. Not the most convininet of routines for my HEQ5 but better than drift aligning I guess.

Regards,

A.G

[Spookylight]

Try this page

Holy pants alive    knew I didn't like PA.

There is EQAlign but you need a webcam (I think, there might be a simulation, not sure?).

Thanks having a look at that.

I recently moved to using Alignmaster. It is superb, takes minutes and gets polar alignment bang on. None of this rotating the RA axis anymore which was a real pain with dual side by side setup.

It is about £11.00 or so, and the best money I have ever spent on software!

Will look into that one as well.

Think I will probably go the AVX route. Especially as Steve the master man says it's good 

Cheers folks

[Spookylight]

I recently moved to using Alignmaster. It is superb, takes minutes and gets polar alignment bang on. None of this rotating the RA axis anymore which was a real pain with dual side by side setup.

It is about £11.00 or so, and the best money I have ever spent on software!

Just been watching Dion's video there of how to use Alignmaster. Isn't this almost the same thing as the ASPA on the Celestron AVX which is built in? Which must mean the AVX really is super accurate, especially if you repeat the procedure.

[Spookylight]

(darn can't edit posts)

Also, does the AVX take into account what Dion said about the software using the J2000 star positions being out now. Have Celestron addressed this in the same way the author of Alignmaster has?

[lensman57]

Just been watching Dion's video there of how to use Alignmaster. Isn't this almost the same thing as the ASPA on the Celestron AVX which is built in? Which must mean the AVX really is super accurate, especially if you repeat the procedure.

Even if this happenes to be an issue I am sure a firmware update will correct it.

A.G

[kingboya]

Even if this happenes to be an issue I am sure a firmware update will correct it.

A.G

it could well be, but I never use the handset with my neq6 these days, so needed a pc based version. I believe that the skywatcher firmware now has this sort of alignment procedure, which is very good.

Alignmaster is fast and very easy, and super accurate after 3 goes to get it spot on.

I have managed 30 min subs with my gear now as a result of someone recommending it to me! Ha 30 min.

[kingboya]

Edit: this is a single sub of 30min of M33 purely for test purposes using an Ha filter with the gear in my signature

[m37]

I believe the Alignmaster author addressed the date related issues, think one of the astronomy shed videos mentions it.

I use align master and find it excellent but be aware it will offer you pairs of stars and if none of the pairs is suitable/visible you can't select your own individual stars. I have a fairly restricted view and it is an issue, although only occasionally. I still recommend the software though; total bargain.

I have had success with the synscan polar alignment if you decide to upgrade to this but I still notice it being a little bug prone, sometimes gets stuck on one star (Ain) and whichever star I select the handset returns to Ain.

Cheers

[lensman57]

it could well be, but I never use the handset with my neq6 these days, so needed a pc based version. I believe that the skywatcher firmware now has this sort of alignment procedure, which is very good.

Alignmaster is fast and very easy, and super accurate after 3 goes to get it spot on.

I have managed 30 min subs with my gear now as a result of someone recommending it to me! Ha 30 min. uploadfromtaptalk1388814068467.jpg

I use the synscan polar align  as I have a very restricted view all around, at the moment it is Vega that I polar align with if get the scope out early enough. After 3 cycles about 10~12 minutes of messing around  it is good enough to get reasonable guiding up to 600s if the scope is correctly balanced which mine usually is not.

Regards,

A.G

[Spookylight]

That's impressive kingboya for a single sub at 30 mins.

I guess if the AVX isn't still good enough with ASPA I can still use autoalign with that mount too, so no big loss.

(darn can't edit posts)

Also, does the AVX take into account what Dion said about the software using the J2000 star positions being out now. Have Celestron addressed this in the same way the author of Alignmaster has?

After having a search in google from what I can see the Nexstar does not use the J2000 positions, it has some other algorithms instead.