A quick EQ mount question :)

[Juliette.x]

Can you use an equatorial mount like an alt az?

I mean like pushing it left/right up/down rather than having to go through alining it etc.

Thanks

[ChrisThePuma]

yes you can, but once pointed at a target its easier to keep it there by turning one of the wheels - and this is achieved by aligning it.

if you are only doing visual stuff then only a simple alinment is needed.

I plonked my scope on the patio - sighted polaris through the polar scope and ligned it up, then marked the 3 leg positions on the patio - now (for visual) i just plonk it on these marks and off i go :-)

[Merlin66]

Basically yes!

You can roughly align it then use it "manually" to move around from object to object.

A good aligned finder helps ;-)

[fizzer]

Yes you can, but you end up moving more diagonally than up and down.

For visual observing you just need to put the mount up pointing roughly north, set the latitude scale to approx your location (mine is 52 deg) and away you go.

Richard

[JamesF]

It's probably easier to do with some EQ mounts than others. Undo the clutches on my EQ1 and it was a doddle to push exactly where I wanted it to go. With my EQ3-2 it's not hard, but I do have to be a bit more aware of which directions it was designed to move in. I don't know what the EQ5s are like, but I don't think I'd bother trying with my NEQ6. Easier to get it properly aligned and let the motors do the work. It's why I paid for them, after all

James

[E621Keith]

It's easy on GP type mount such as EQ5 is easy. You can even use the manual slow motion control provided you haven't installed GOTO.

[ItIsOnlyMe]

I've been using an NEQ6 during the day for birding in the garden as an alt/az. Unlock the clutches and your away. No adjustment without power though which is a pain.

Have also used this way at night a little for casual observing, when you are used to a dob mount it is hard to stop just swinging the thing around to look at what you want to look at. Remembering to lock the clutches before attempting to remove the scope is vital.