Skywatcher 200P setup...at my wits end

[Jiggy 67]

if you are not sure if it is polaris in the finder scope , just go for a cup of tea , when you come back polaris will be where you left it ,it does not move !!

if its not polaris it will drift out of view

Excellent tip!!!

[noakesy]

i have a 200p make sure you have put in your correct location, ensure you have the top of the mount where you put the dove plate is around the right way if it still points downwards rotate the dove plate holder 180 dgres .

[Sandgrounderjen]

thanks everyone, really appreciate it...will try again on the next clear night

[Sandgrounderjen]

Clutches now on...makes a massive difference (shame its not mentioned in the manual)...have tested setup in the living room...just need a clear night now!

[malc-c]

Bit late I know, but hope the following helps:

Basic setup of an EQ5 /HEQ5 mount :

Place the tripod on the ground. On Skywatcher EQ mounts there will either be the letter N next to one leg, or there will be a spigot cast into the mount next to one leg. This needs to be facing North and a compass helps with this rough positioning. Level the base of the tripod and attach the mount and place it in the default home position with the weight bar parallel to the leg that is pointing North, and the dovetail shoe vertical when viewed from behind the mount. Unwind the altitude bolts and tilt the mount up to the approximate position for your latitude.

Balance the mount:

Attach the OTA to the mount so that the tube is central on the dovetail, or where you feel the balance point should be. Carefully release the DEC clutch and rotate the OTA so that it’s horizontal, noting which end appears heavy. I would suggest the best way to move the OTA to achieve balance is to slightly release the screws on the tube ring clamps and slide the OTA left or right. Once balance has been obtained in the horizontal position, tighten the ring clamps back up and place the scope in the horizontal position and lock the clutch on the DEC axis. Release the RA clutch and carefully rotate the mount until the weight bar is horizontal, and position the weights until the scope is balanced on that axis. With the weight bar horizontal lock the RA clutch and release the DEC clutch. Now the next step really applies to Newtonian scopes, but is worth doing with refractors. Release the DEC clutch and place the OTA vertically, you’ll find that it wants to tip and seems top heavy. Undo the ring clamps slightly and without letting the OTA slide down, rotate the OTA in the tube rings until the scope can be placed at any position around the DEC axis and it will stay there. Release both the RA and DEC clutches and place the scope back into the home position.

Polar Alignment:

To perform polar alignment for visual use, look through the polar scope and using the altitude and azimuth bolts on the mount place Polaris dead centre on the cross-hair of the polar scope reticule. Using just the altitude bolts, position Polaris so that it then intersects the circle with the bubble on it. The mount is roughly polar aligned, and should be good enough for visual tracking.

Synscan start up:

With the scope in the home position connect up the handset and /or synscan controller. Turn on the controller and run through the initial set up menu. Enter the date as MMDDYYYY and enter your longitude and latitude as Hrs Min and Seconds, NOT DIGITAL co-ordinates. Set the time up as GMT, and if viewing in the winter say NO to daylight saving (or YES in the summer) and if viewing from the UK, set the time zone to ZERO. When asked to perform alignment, select 2 star and choose a star that you can identify from the list. Let the scope slew round to where it thinks the star is. Once it’s stopped, with a low power (25mm) eyepiece in the scope, release the clutches and centre the star in the field of view and lock the clutches again. Confirm the scope is pointing at the target star and then move on to the second star. The scope should then slew to point at the target star, and it should appear in the field of view of the eyepiece. Use the direction buttons on the handset to centre the star and then confirm this on the handset. You should find that once the handset confirms the alignment you can now select objects in the handset database and they should be within the field of view once the slewing has stopped.

[Cornelius Varley]

It better to polar align the mount before attaching to telescope and counterweights. It's alot easier to adjust the latitude bolts if there is less weight on them. It reduces the risk of bending the bolts.

Peter

[Jiggy 67]

Clutches now on...makes a massive difference !

So it was leaving the clutches open then??....panic over...enjoy

[kharga]

Try Bolton Astronomy Society - Bolton Astronomy - only about 25 minutes from you!

[killer10971]

i had major problems with my goto upgrade kit ,kept point through the earths crust , mine was a **** up on the dec gear when i assembled it

changed gear round and works perfect now

if you still have problems and your setup data is correct then check that ,ill send a link with pics that show correct assemble

[Sandgrounderjen]

wow thanks everyone...so kind of you all...nearly got it right tonight...now at the stage where the target appears in the finderscope!

Got a peak of a very fuzzy Andromda tonight

Now, next problem...should I shoot next doors security light or hit it with a baseball bat?

[Ramjo]

Go and watch astronomy shed's tutorials on YouTube, they make it all seem a doddle,

[Black Knight]

Now, next problem...should I shoot next doors security light or hit it with a baseball bat?

You could try glaring at it*.

*This may not work in all (or indeed any) instances

[pvaz]

Now, next problem...should I shoot next doors security light or hit it with a baseball bat?

Though choice!

[Ramjo]

Astronomy shed youtube.