evanapp

Re GPS. Mine isn't synscan, but when my dongle first fires up it produces some weird results until it has hooked onto enough satellites.  Does the synscan GPS tell you how many satellites it has locked onto?  Is it having difficulty finding enough?  Sometimes I find moving merely a couple of feet can cause it to pick up another three satellites.  I know moving the laptop is easy, but if you can set up the scope in a slightly different position it might solve the problem.  Alternatively, it could be that this was just a spurious result for me - it was about to sort itself anyway as I was moving it.

Ten satellites. And the problem seems just to have started, with no changes in anything.

Evan

I'd like to raise a couple of other questions.  I've been running into problems with SynScan (on an EQ mount) choosing a slewing direction that runs the  OTA (Orion 120ED) into a tripod leg. There doesn't seem to be any way to make it turn around and go in the other direction. Anyone run into this and have a fix?

The second problem concerns the SynScan GPS. (Yes, I know that no one really NEEDS a GPS.) Mine has suddenly started locking onto a date in mid-year 2033! Time, latitude and longitude are correct. However, if you manually correct the date with the handset, it throws the time off, so you are  back to setting both time and date manually. (Horrors!) Anyone have any thoughts?

Evan

I don't see why not. Hopefully, the new production version of the firmware will be out soon.

Evan

I don't know about the mounts, but the latest beta firmware upgrade for the SynScan is ambidextrous. With the last production firmware, you had to choose EQ or AZ.

Evan

Note that the newest beta is V0332AZEQB05. It is supposed to be the last one before the production version. SkyWatcher tends to recommend it when people report problems with earlier versions.

Evan

Tracking with an EQ mount requires polar alignment, but not the one-, two- , or three-star alignment. I don't know how it works with AZ's.

Evan

And also I found out that to track you need to align first. Why couldn't it be like the autotrack version then?

You shouldn't have to align if you only want to track. Just say "No" to the alignment query.

Evan

Yes, I have. I decided it was due to low volatage from my power supply. I had loaded the power supply pretty well that night with two dew strips and and a camera. When I powered up a fluorescent panel I could not orientate the scope vertically to attach it; one axis worked but not the other. I did a reset and realign, reduced the load on the power supply and all was well.

No question of power for me. I'm using mains power with a Celestron adapter. 12.2 v solid. The locking up of the manual slewing controls seems to show up when you power up and continue from "Park." I'm using the latest beta firmware, and I am wondering if there might be a glitch.

Evan

I have found everything in this discussion to be very helpful, and especially the alignment star list. In that regard, I was surprised to note that on the night you go off summer time, the automatic alignment star selection changes -- in fact it becomes a lot more friendly! Since the sky hasn't changed noticeably in one day, I don't quite understand this. (My date and time are input from the GPS module.)

I'd like to raise a separate question. Has anyone had a situation in which the manual slewing controls on the SynScan handset simply stop working, while the GoTo slewing continues to function properly? When this has happened, I have even parked the telescope, cycled the power, and started over, with no success. Finally, after running several GoTo slews, the manual controls started working again. This has actually happened to me with two different handsets. Anyone have any thoughts?

Evan