HEQ5 Questions. Please advise

[Specman]

...OK, I have posted here as I feel like a complete beginner after last nights session.

It was my first session since last April due to the appalling weather conditions, long summer, work....yardy, yarda, and I forgot EVERYTHING!

Thank god for my NexStar 4 set up along side or the night would have been a wash out!

I was planning a viewing session to break me in gently but at the end of last season I've started using EQASCOM and a gamepad. I struggled to polar align, couldn't see the engravings in the scope for some reason. But that's when my problem started.

You've polar aligned and your scope is at six's and seven's, all over the place. You go back to the home position right? I was now connected to the Syscan hand controlled. Where's the park button?

I ended up telling it to go to Jupiter (which was no where near)when it arrived at its destination, then simply un-locking the clutch's and pointing it a Jupiter. The polar alignment was spot on as I held the planet dead centre for 3 hours or more in the EP which was a 5mm with a 2x barlow.

The planet was stunning by the way, so I just gave up faffing and enjoyed.

I understand I need to do a 1,2 or 3 star align which I tried to do but the scope seemed to be pointing the wrong way, which I put down to me unlocking the cluches after polar aligning to get to park.

I confess I like the Celestron Sky Align much more you can pick anything and it tracked beautifully last night also.

I checked the extremely poor instruction manual and wracked my brains (which seems to cloud over in the dark, or is that just me? ) but try as I might I couldn't solve the riddle of what to do after polar aligning and before going to your first target.

Can anybody advise on the proceedure?

Many thanks

Mark

[steppenwolf]

Polar align the mount.

Set the RA axis manually so that the weights are pointing as close to straight down as you can visualise and then lock the RA clutch.

Set the DEC axis manually so that the telescope is pointing upwards as high as it will go and lock the DEC clutch.

Turn on the hand controller and set the date and time ensuring that you get the month and day in the right place and allow for BST settings.

Perform a 1, 2 or 3 star alignment BUT on the first star only undo the RA and DEC clutches and manually push/pull the mount to centre the first star as best you can and then lock the clutches (this is not an officially documented part of the procedure but it sure works for me!). Finely tune the pointing using the hand controller until the alignment star is perfectly centred and then accept it.

Move on to the next alignment star and use the hand controller to centre it and then do the final star if you are doing a 3 star alignment.

You should now be able to slew to most objects and get them somewhere in the EP's FOV.

[Merlin66]

I think the question was :

Which button do you press to return the mount to a PARK position?

(I'd answer but I can't remember!!)

[steppenwolf]

I read that as being just part of the problem as the OP seemed confused as to when the mount should be at the Park position?

[Specman]

This might help Merlin! Malc-c gives a very good set up guide. Might help somebody else

http://stargazerslounge.com/beginners-help-advice/142992-polar-alignment-heq5.html#post1822593

It's obvious in the cold light of day, I've forgot so much since April it's scary!

Jumping across to EQMOD caused me no end of confussion in the dark when I was trying to go back to basic 's and Syscan

Cheers

Mark

[JamesM]

The 'Park Scope' facility is the third listed choice within the menu accessed by the no.3 button also marked 'Utility'.

James

[Merlin66]

Thank's for the memory jogger!

[Specman]

The 'Park Scope' facility is the third listed choice within the menu accessed by the no.3 button also marked 'Utility'.

James

I knew it must be in there somewhere. Thanks for the assistance James.

[Specman]

Thanks for the assistance Steve