Really starting to wonder why I bothered

[malc-c]

Outstanding Malc, massive improvement on your previous attempts. progress indeed. Was it via the ST4 port?

Nope.... I tried with the ST4 cable, but it seemed to make no difference, possibly something I did (or didn't ) do !

Strange thing is I then for some reason looked through the polar scope and Polaris was more or less where the HA position was indicated, but it was slightly off the ring. No idea why as I P/A last night. So I went back to basics.....

Centred Polaris on the cross in the polar scope and rotated the mount using the joypad whilst looking through the polar scope... Polaris didn't move from under the cross, so the polarscope is aligned with the RA axis of the mount- that's a good start. Then using the altitude bolts placed Polaris under the ring at the 6 O'clock position. Then used the joypad and rotated the mount until the bubble was at the bottom with Polaris centred in it. I then hit the button on EQMod to drive the mount to the correct HA position, then used the Alt and AZ bolts to position Polaris in the centre of the bubble. I then rotated the mount in RA using the joypad whilst viewing through the polarscope watching the ring track over polaris through out the rotation.

I then parked the scope in the home position and then selected Scheat again (which the goto was spot on ) and then opened up PHD again and ran the calibration settings again on the same star... the trace did follow the centre line, but the traces were very zig-zagy and that magic 25 value soon became very large...with the scope over correcting.... I then tried different calibration values to no real affect...

I've now given up for the evening.... I have a suspicion that the S/H HEQ5 has too much backlash or something like that which is causing the problem as other SGL members are getting better results using a field tripods and crude polar alignment....

[MG1]

Hi Malcolm, if you download the latest version of EQmod you will find that the polar finder routine has been updated to indicate the correct position I Polaris with regard to the small bubble. Due to procession and the fact that the reticule has not been updated for some time you will find that the correct position of Polaris is not at the centre of the bubble.

If you carry out an alignment using Alignmaster this will confirm this to be the case. Incidentally, using align master last weekend I was able to get within 9arcsec of the pole in both axis....I think!...may even have been 6!

Let me know if that doesn't make sense....btw, yr phd graph is a heck of a lot better than mines been! Keep in at it.

Best wishes

Michael

[Starlight 1]

I have not look at all of the posts But have you try turn the computer back before the time you put that program in .

[malc-c]

Thanks for the encouragement guys.

@starlight... the time on the PC and in EQmod are synced to a USB GPS dongle that's on the pier. So in theory everything is singing from the same hymn sheet

Michael, thanks for the heads up... I'll download that and take a look. That might just be the cause....

[malc-c]

Hi Malcolm, if you download the latest version of EQmod you will find that the polar finder routine has been updated to indicate the correct position I Polaris with regard to the small bubble.

Best wishes

Michael

Is that the file version of 123s dated 4/11/11 ??

[Black Knight]

I think the version MG1 is referring to is 124a, which was only posted to the EQMod Yahoo group a few days ago. However, there may be a new version coming - I believe Chris has been notified of a bug in 124a.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[malc-c]

Thanks Andy... Hopefully Chris will put up a post when its available