Jiggy 67

Yeh I think they are because the holes for the pegs are recessed that way up . I think I tried one both ways and this way worked best. I don’t think it’s a game changer either way though

How do you power the pet bed?

You will find plenty of A4 size observing records on the internet. I use SkySafari 6 and skylive which is a subscription service by SkySafari. I can create a plan for the evening viewing on my laptop ( I also use Stellarium as it’s more user friendly than Skylive) which then appears on the app on my phone to use next to the scope. I follow the plan on the app and make notes on A4 printed obs records including sketches. The next day, I update SkySafari with all the previous nights obs which is obviously saved. You can also download lists, such as MEssier MArathon to tick off as you go along. It’s a really good app, and if you don,t want to pay there are free versions but with less applications

Bet you would get a few bob for that on eBay, might be worth a valuation

Stunning!!!!!

It’s as if I’m looking through the scope!!!

Can’t explain your issues but if it helps to put your mind at rest , I’ve recently been using a brand new SynScan, probably from the same batch as yours (with a 200PDS) and it’s bang on every time, appears to be far more accurate than my last one

Yeh, Cheshire’s have always been a bit of a mystery to me too 😀

I’ve had a Hotech for a while, again, perfectly collimated out of the box and I love the compression ring that centres it perfectly in the focuser, no tightening thumb screws that can send it off centre. They are expensive but if you have a Newtonian especially, they are a good investment and worth the extra cost

I’ve had them down for about 2 weeks so the grass has grown a bit but not much as it slows at this time of year. I’ve spent about 5 nights out on the mats with no negative effects on the lawn. When I’ve done that previously without the mats it’s been a mud bath and ruined lawn

For those of you with a similar problem and considering solutions, a quick update, this cost £120 odd (I ordered one mat too many so would have been cheaper) they are all pegged firmly down (pegs come with the mats) and they work perfectly with no movement whatsoever. No mud, feet perfectly dry no matter the weather

And you appeared in the original 😀

Sounds obvious, but make sure you're dark adapted aswel, no white light and stand in the dark for 15 minutes so your eyes get used to it, makes a real difference to what you will see.....enjoy

Marvin, apology accepted, and very well put

I agree with everything you’re saying James. SynScan uses 3 star alignment to compensate for cone error, as far as I’m aware, 3 star serves no other purpose and with good PA and little or no cone error a one star alignment is adequate. I guess I was just being lazy and wanted a one star routine. Any way, it’s sorted now with a ripped up Pepsi can

Thanks Andrew, that’s exactly what I’ve done since first posting, not perfect but a lot better. I’ve given up on using the adjuster screws on the dovetail, they were giving me a world of pain 😀

So that’s how you respond to beginners?

Do you think this is my first mount? Cone error has diddly to do with the mount and everything to do with the relationship between dovetail, tube rings and OTA.......all of which I've used on previous mounts (but not my wobbly EQ1), they didn't come with this one. When severe it can seriously affect pointing accuracy on GOTO's particularly when crossing the meridian. All I was asking is if anyone had a mechanical solution to this

i didn't even know you could check the voltage from the handset 😀

I have the same power tank, i'm currently on my second one. The indicator lights on these tanks are notoriously erratic. Both my tanks lights perform differently. On my current one the green "fully charged" never illuminates but the red light goes out. When I switch on, the "ready to use" light comes on. It's guess work I'm afraid. Having said that, I've used mine over the last two nights and only put it on charge today (until the red "charging" light went out) and it worked perfectly. I would just give it a go......if its from FLO there's no rush to return it.

Future proofing is a factor as well. For example I have an EQ6-R Pro at the moment. I admit it’s probably overkill for visual which is all I do at the moment, but, like the OP I also intend to get into AP with a suitable scope, probably a esprit 100 Ed. I will already have the mount which I can enjoy whilst saving up for scope and associated paraphernalia

I agree with Peter, concentrate on visual for now and the 2000pds will certainly achieve that for a relatively low price. If you’re worried about portability, a 200PDS is not really a problem (obviously depending on your own limitations)

I feel your pain, I too took a few years out to recently return and it feels like starting again but at least you get to experience all them achievements for a second time welcome back

...........You're damn right it is!!!!! So i've had my EQ6-R Pro for about a month now and still not been able to get the timing right between work, weather and her indoors to give it a good try yet!!.....So at the weekend I thought I would try correcting cone error as per Astronomy Shed's video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WatdQlPp22Y This is my second attempt at this and it really isn't as easy as the video makes out. I have learnt to loosen the bolts holding the rings to the dovetail in advance (not to the extent that they are loose) as they can be really tight and trying to loosen them when the scope is trained on your objective is impossible without nudging the mount, even when the clutches are locked. I have found that the adjuster bolts do not make any difference, every time I tighten them to move the scope away from the dovetail everything seizes tight....without moving the fov closer to the target. On both occasions now I have given up and resorted to returning the scope to the dovetail with the adjusters screwed out and not impacting at all on the dovetail, this is the only way I can think of minimising cone error as using the adjuster screws just forces the ring mountings away from the dovetail without improving the cone error. Does anyone have a solution???.......I'm considering screwing all four adjusters in (at both ends) a few turns, so they are actually moving the rings away from the dovetail a bit, which, I'm thinking, will give me room to adjust back and to....if you know what I mean, any opinions on this.......or....... Does anyone have a better method.......or....... Does cone error really matter that much??? my problem is i'm a bit fussy and i would rather get rid if I can. On a separate issue (for those not getting bored) I have a SW 9X50 right angled finderscope (not the erecting type, the image is upside down) I noticed the other day whilst aligning it to the scope that the image moved over to the other side when i moved the lens over on the diagonal lens (through 90 degrees), in other words it moved over to a different area of the sky without the finder moving. I know I've been away from this hobby for a few years but thats' not right is it, surely it should stay on target. Anyone know the reason for this. Thanks for reading

Welcome back to the fold