NigelCampbell

Wow - you write a post - wander off to look at stars (clouds!) and when you finally pop back you see so much activity!

Glad it was useful and that it has fostered so much discussion and some great tips.

It's a sad day for astronomy. He was a national institution and a genuine inspiration for amateur and professional astronomers alike. His atoms will return to the stars from whence they came.

Glad to hear it William (also nice to see you've given up the gun slinging in favour of astronomy)

Nice Conversion ibdvideo. I use Sideral Clock app on my iPhone which gives LAT / LONG using the phone's gps (also does Sideral time)

A little obvious really. .......2 options, enter the data while at home before you go anywhere. If it is lost at power off then no good. Meades allow you to enter 6 custom positions so you can preset and just select the new position from the custom list. Alternatively just enter the place you are going to and when powered back on the default is the last location entered.

I did point out in the title that I was talking about SkyWatcher SynScan - not Meade. Also I agree that much of this is common sense but it is also very easy to get a step wrong. I have used google maps to get a LAT and LONG and not realised that I was using decimals.

The aim of the post was to share some of the things I learned over a year of using the scope to help new users to get started quicker. Many of the solutions to these problems I found using this forum and I thought it was a good idea to put them all into one post.

I'm glad I got help from other SGL members rather than a snarky know it all response like yours.

I also find a lot to like about the GoTo - I would add that I usually drive a short distance to my viewing location as it gives Milky Way dark skies and 360 degree view - so I have to do the whole setup from scratch each time.

If the handset had a clock battery this would save a great deal of hassle.

That's a great link Micheal - why they don't print that in the manual is beyond me - it's not like the information is going to go out of date!

I totally agree! Scrolling through the list of possible alignment stars the first time I used it told me that I really knew very little about astronomy! These days I have already chosen my alignment stars before I get started so it certainly speeds things up.

Since I've had my SW130p Alt Az Goto scope for almost a year now I thought I would write a little something for anyone thinking about a similar GOTO scope as their first step into astronomy.

My thought process when I got the scope was probably fairly typical. I figured that the GoTo system would allow me to find my way around the sky fairly quickly without having to learn every inch of the night sky manually. I also had limited time for observing and thought that this scope would get me going much quicker from the start.

Neither of these things turned out to be true.

So before you make the choice to Goto or not to Goto here are a few things they don't tell you in the manual.

1. Mount set up.

Stability is the key here - don't fully extend the legs (keep the scope low if you can. It must be level - I can't overstress this - buy a spirit level and triple check that it is level - with the scope on and balanced. Rotate the scope all the way round and check that it stays level.

2. Handset set up.

Entering the LAT and LONG - These coordinates have to be correct. Also make sure you are not using decimal coordinates found on some websites. Get the correct ones for your location - Don't enter them the wrong way round - Most sites give you North then West buy the SynScan wants West then North (made that mistake a few times!)

Get the right timezone. +00.00 for the UK

Be accurate when entering the time.

Daylight Savings - can't tell you how many times this confused me - for clarity this means British Summer Time (when the clocks go forward) so for right now the answer is NO.

Then you can begin alignment (I use 2 star align)

This is where the fun starts. The handset will list possible alignment stars. At this point you will realize that you really don't know enough about the night sky and may not be able to locate Mizar or Alioth without a star chart. Also the handset assumes you have an uninterrupted 360 degree view. So when the Handset suggest Dubhe (front tip of The Plough) and I'm at home on the patio - that is behind my house and obscured from view.

So then I had to use Stellarium on my laptop or starwalk on my iPhone to work out which star is which.

Having located a star which I can see I then line up the red-dot finder on it and then get it centred in the EP - It will inevitably then suggest a second star which is either obscured by houses or trees or list some that I just don't know.

Suffice it to say that this takes some time. If it takes too long between the first and second star alignment things are not great form there on in.

So Quick set up? - NO not at all

Easy to find my way around with no knowledge of the sky> - NOPE

Don't get me wrong - when it is all set up and working it is great. (providing you don't get overexcited and accidentally kick one of the tripod legs causing you to have to do the whole alignment again!)

But I have only been able to get up and running quickly by being very prepared in terms of having the right coordinates before I go anywhere with the scope and being very careful when entering data into the handset.

In addition I have had to learn the night sky so as to be able to locate various stars for alignment. So I bought a good star atlas and also a copy of Turn Left at Orion. Knowing the night sky really does make things easier.

Other issues.

As I said - it assumes a 360 degree clear view. So if you go on the Deep Sky Tour and choose Andromeda - it might still be behind a tree or house.

It also does not know what scope you are using. So some of the DSO's it is listing may be well beyond the resolving power of your scope - The 130p is great but some targets are beyond its power.

Batteries - Don't use rechargables - the power output drains and the scope goes out of alignment. Invest in some kind of PowerTank if you want a full night's observing.

Try and find a 360ish clear viewing point if you can - it makes a world of difference.

Plan your observing session - I will use Stellarium (free to download for Mac or PC) to plan the night's session - choosing targets and times before hand. I will use a star chart to make sure I know where the scope should be pointing.

In many ways (bad weather aside) it has been great getting to know this scope and it certainly forced me to learn the night sky. If I could have a "Do over" I would have bought an 8" Dobsonian but there is still a lot to recommend the 130p Goto.

My next purchase will be a SW250px Dob - but without learning the night sky first I would be as out of my depth with that as I was with the 130p.

Hope that helps someone in making the right decision on a scope - or if you bought a Goto scope maybe it will be useful to you.

Clear Skies - Nigel