Neil H

Thanks guys I will work on the problem , I have some magnets I could fit in the bottom of the OTA to add weight can't do it at the moment due to the rain ,it to big to set up in doors lol 

Hi and welcome to the best and friendliest forum for light years 

Hi get these 2 apps the first is polar alignment pro you can do a day time alignment with this app and will show you what you polar scope should look like through the polar scope the second is synscanlnit2.1 this  is free and gives you all the info you need for the hand set it will also give you the polar scope view as well so you know you have it right , go into the hand set and clear the PAE  data , after you do your star alignment go to you first target of its out press escape then press and hold escape button you will get a message to say centre object in eyepiece use buttons I hand controller once it's aligned press enter it then stored this data in the PAE  the more times you do this the better it gets mine used to be miles off now it's only mm in eyepiece

Hi I use polar alignment pro app it does everything right from setting the mount it also does day time alignment I found it to really good I checked it again last night I polar align using the polar scope then checked with the app and was spot on 

3 hours ago, Karen Bexley said:

Thanks Neil.  I think starting small appears to be the way to go, in terms of using the equipment I already own and trying to identify the objects closest in the sky.  I'm not expecting to view deep space objects (just yet anyway) but I suppose that is a possibility in the future 😀 

DSO will be really good were you are nice dark skies , when your ready for a telescope try and find a shop so you  can see how big the telescope is in the real world , there is nothing worse buying a telescope and find it's hard to set up because of its size and hard to store away when your done 

When you know what you want do a shop around FLO are really good on prices they also have price match with super fast postage and top customer support

I wish the council would do something about the flats behind me I can't see the planets , knocking them down would be great 

I am glad you got your problem sorted just shows you they sometimes do listen 

Hi thanks for the info I am look at balance weights as well as extension to see what may work best 

Hi I have the HEQ5 I fitted the belt kit now on YouTube there are demos of before and after the belt conversion but they show you it with the cover off , the cover is not totally sound proof but it's is quiet compared with the before the motorway 1 mile away from me drowns  out the mount so your neighbours may never hear you so I would not worry your be good 

Hi Karen once your bitten by the bug there is no cure , The doctor right a telescope will be the only thing that will help ,but when your ready this is a hobby of a life time so there is no rush 

Hi guys I have the Orion Optics 200/1200 on the HEQ5 mount , everything is fine till i want to look overhead the telescope hits the tripod leg and then puts the go-to out of alignment , I can find a column extension but it's 16 inches way to tall I just need to get telescope about 2 inches higher in the dove tail mount or raise the HEQ5 off the tripod top 

I know the easy answer is don't look overhead but sometimes when going to a target it does the EQ flip and only just misses the leg of the mount

I cant move the telescope up in the mount using the dove tail as this puts telescope out of balance 

I have looked for a second-hand column extension so I can get it cut down but no luck so far 

Hi you can also fill the lower legs of tripod with sand to add weight 

5 hours ago, johninderby said:

The postie just walked right past. Was expecting a small item from FLO. 🙁

Oh well....all I have to look forward to today is to Amazon delivering a new duvet cover . 😴😴😴

we must share same postie  he walked past mine too , so no Telrad today , Monday fingers crossed

Hi mate I had the powerseeker 114eq it was ok , I did take Johns advice with better eyepieces that I could use later on with better telescope, second hand is a really good way to go on a tight budget, I did get my hands on a skywatcher 150/750 fast telescope on a EQ3-2 mount is solid as a rock that set up was £120 the motor off the powerseeker fits the EQ3-2( older EQ3-2)

So upgrade your eyepieces to the ones John linked you to then learn with that telescope while saving and looking through the adds on here and astro buy and sell , e bay is good too but if you see something you like ask on here before you buy so not to get stung 

Hi Shaun welcome to the best forum by light years

Hi Wayne welcome to a really big family 

I hate scammers they should have the nuts chewed off by a dog 🐕

Hi and welcome you just joined a very big family 

19 hours ago, JamesF said:

That's not bad at all.  I'm planning on doing a NEQ6 soon and it looks like quite a lengthy procedure by comparison.

James

Hi James the kit is a lot bigger for your mount look like the motor mounts are changed as well , good luck I am sure it will go well and no more jingle bells as it slews

Hi all my delivery was boring compared to you guys , I got the belt drive kit for my HEQ5 and it only took about 20 mins to fit 

Hi Nick welcome to the best forum by light years , welcome back to the hobby that's out of this world 🌎

There is no such thing as a stupid question, I know as I have asked loads 

Orion Optics do telescope servicing but may just be reflectors but may be worth asking 

I just wanted to say thanks to you all for help and advice and super fast post i ordered  the rowan belt kit for the HEQ5 on Monday and it was in my hand to day 

Now that fast postage guys 

Hi why don't you look on astro buy and sell there was a NEQ6 on there that's a great mount 

https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/agentlogin.php

11 hours ago, AlcyoneSVX said:

I too am a beginner at this. I have a C8-NGT GoTo scope that I bought second hand. When I first got it, I tried using the polar scope, but I couldn't see anything through it, Polaris was too faint for my eyes to pick out. So then I tried running through the alignment program using the stars it suggested, but often I couldn't find them even using Google Sky on my phone . So then I came up with an idiots method to get it near enough, although it will probably horrify the experts on here. I skip the alignment program and just choose an easy target like Venus. I tell the scope to point itself at that target. Once it stops moving, I pick up the tripod and turn it round until Venus is visible in the finder. Obviously it's not a proper alignment, but it's quick and easy and usually good enough for my needs.

Is your polar scope lite if it is try it on the lowest setting , mine was very high which made it so bright it was hard to see Polaris if you have it on dim Polaris comes up as a white dot  which makes it easier to line up 

But the really important part is to make sure the polar scope is in line with the mount astrobaby shows you how on her site 

Hi this is how I do it may not be right but it works 

I know Polaris lines up on a point of next doors house , so first I line the North leg of the tripod to that point I then level the mount on 2 axis , now I fit the mount in its home position weights line up with North leg of tripod (home position of the telescope) now I fit the telescope once on the mount put in your heaviest eyepiece now balance the telescope in both axis 

Once Polaris is in the sky rotate the telescope to open the polar scope then I match Polaris to the polar alignment app adjust latitude and zenth screws to line up Polaris in the Polaris position in the polar scope that's it's your done 

If you have not yet check and align the polar scope to the mount look on astro baby web site it will show you how