Synscan Alignment Issues

[SrStewart]

Hello everyone!

I recently got a new telescope (Skywatcher 10" Dob) with Synscan & GPS.

So I don't have to worry about my Altitude and longitude and time since its automatically set up. I've check all my other settings (daylight savings/timezone) and they all check out. Once I pass all these settings I get to the screen where it tells me something along the lines of:

Polaris HA: 4:37

Clock: 2:07

So I find Polaris. Align it up and then do around 2o'clock from north. Then I do either 2/3 star alignment.

Tonight I try 3 star and I usually get a rough area of where the first star is. I align it up to as perfect as possible and move on to the next star. Yet it completely puts me off into a wrong area of where it should be (Oh I am using skywatcher app from my Iphone to help make sure I am hitting the right targets.). Now I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I thought maybe I am interpreting the Polaris HA and Clock. Or maybe theres something else wrong?

Anyways hope someone can give me a hand with this or a step by step.

Cheers

[brantuk]

Unless you have GPS I think you'll find you do have to input your latitude via the set up screens. Otherwise it just won't know how far above the equator you are and the star alignment will think it's succeded but in fact will have failed

[SrStewart]

Yeah I have all the longitude and latitude in right. Just wondering what do I do when the Polaris HA and Clock digits come up? and If I'm doing it correctly.

Do I just leave my scope at 0 so its completely horizontal? Or do i move it to Polaris and then move it to the clockwise to whatever digits come up on the screen from polaris?

[cyborg421]

Hi there,

Is it the 250px Dob?

Simon

[malc-c]

Ignore the HA / clock position for Polaris - you have a dob on an alt / az mount and don't need to polar align the mount in the same way an EQ mount needs to be aligned.

[Cornelius Varley]

Does the AZ firmware include the Polaris HA and clock info ?. What firmware version does your handset display. You should ignore the information about the Polaris HA and clock.

Peter

[SrStewart]

@ cyborg421, Hey yes I got the 250px.

@Malc-c, So from when I have it horizontally pointing north I should just ignore the Polaris HA and Clock and just move to the alignment settings?

@Cornelius Varley, I got version 3.27, so it should be all updated.

Thanks for responding guys. I may have a feeling I may be complicating the situation and its a lot easier then I think.

[Cornelius Varley]

Version 3.27 is the EQ firmware, you need version AZ 3.08 which is why your mount is not aligning.

TELESCOPE SUPPLIERS - SKY-WATCHER TELESCOPE

Peter

[cyborg421]

I don't recognise the info you are giving.

After levelling my scope and putting in time & location data, I press 1 for aligning the scope and then select 2 star align. I usually use Polaris as the first star (mainly cos I can always see it). I then swing it manually so that Polaris is in the eyepiece (32mm). I then press ok & then centre it using the hand controller. Then choose the second star (whichever one is convenient) and the scope will swing round to it. Centre that with the hand controller press ok and Bob's your uncle.

Simon

[cyborg421]

Version 3.27 is the EQ firmware, you need version AZ 3.08 which is why your mount is not aligning.

TELESCOPE SUPPLIERS - SKY-WATCHER TELESCOPE

Peter

Good point Peter that would help!

[Jessun]

How much is 'completely the wrong area'? The 3 star alignment tries to deal with your cone error. That is as far as I know all it does that the 1 and 2 star alignment doesn't. With a Dob, perhaps not needed?

[SrStewart]

Ha! Hey guys. Ok so I just updated it all to make sure. I got:

Hardware V3.06

Firmware: V3.08

Database: V3.27

So hopefully that was my issue. I'll have clear skies tonight so hopefully I'll get it right tonight. Thanks a bunch for helping me out again fellas.

Cheers, If anything goes wrong I will hopefully be able to figure it out.

[jon1000]

Ha! Hey guys. Ok so I just updated it all to make sure. I got:

Hardware V3.06

Firmware: V3.08

Database: V3.27

So hopefully that was my issue. I'll have clear skies tonight so hopefully I'll get it right tonight. Thanks a bunch for helping me out again fellas.

Cheers, If anything goes wrong I will hopefully be able to figure it out.

How did you update? I have the same system, thanks.

[SrStewart]

Hey yea it was my firmware that needed updating! Everything is aligning perfectly now! I only updated the database the first time! Thanks Cornelius Varley for pointing me in the right direction, and all the other fellas who gave me a hand!