Anyone there using EQ Align?

[pixueto]

Hi, is anyone there using EQ Align for accurate polar alignment? What about for guiding? I am using a modded EQ5 with PHD and I was wondering if this programme could apply periodic error correction to my budget mount.

thanks for your help

[Spikey]

I find EQMOD polar alignment accurate enough for my needs. 30 minutes + guided subs.

[pixueto]

Thank you! Can I ask you? Do you use it for guiding? What kind of scope are you using? I have a reflector and I'm not sure if the star will drift towards the right direction (should I tick the box for specular image?

Thank you

[Spikey]

What I mean is I don't use EQ Align, the EQMOD polar alignment is built into EQMOD. EQAlign is for drift aligning which I've never had to do. I use Maxim for auto-guiding now but I used to use PHD.

[Black Knight]

I tried EQAlign, but couldn't get on with it. I know that many people use it fine though, so that probably says more about me than the program TBH! .

[earth titan]

I find EQMOD polar alignment accurate enough for my needs. 30 minutes + guided subs.

Glad you said that, as I'm about to try it on the next clear night.

[pixueto]

I tried EQAlign, but couldn't get on with it. I know that many people use it fine though, so that probably says more about me than the program TBH! .

Were your troubles related to the webcam? I've read that it won't work with atik type of cams.

[martin_h]

Ive used it for drift aligning (QHY5) but never used it for guiding

[George]

Ive used it for the last 2 or 3 years for drift aligning which it does extreamly well, not used it for guiding tho as I use either PHD or Maxim.

[Black Knight]

Were your troubles related to the webcam? I've read that it won't work with atik type of cams.

I can't remember for sure, I may have been using my qhy5. But like I said the problem was probably down to me, not the software .

Sent from my mobile using Tapatalk, so please excuse the speeling and granma!

[obscura]

Polar align.

I started swinging the mount here there and everywhere employing different methods. All are essentially the same. My method just depends on if one can tell the time.

Ensure mount is at home and polaris is visible in polarscope. Get Polaris HA for the time you need from say Polar Finder. Using the az and el adjust bolts, tweak Polaris at that time on the outer circle in the polarscope. Forget the little circle. So, if the HA is indicated on the Polar Finder clock face 04:00 adjust Polaris to there. (Note: you do much the same thing getting the little circle to 06:00 swinging the mount, setting circles and so on....)

Is it accurate? Consistently after setting polar align this way, I rarely need do adjust alignment night after night.

I use QHY5v/PHD for guiding.

[pixueto]

Thanks guys. Well, yesterday I had a go with EQ Align 2.2.9 (I think that was the version). I calibrated it but then, when I started aligning using Arcturus in the medidian, the programme would crash after 1 minute no matter how many times I tried.Has anyone encountered/solved this problem before?

Thanks

[themos]

I've had some good experience with EQAlign but also a lot of freezes, crashes etc. I don't use it anymore and I can't say I miss it. You can use PHD to get a live graph of your Declination drift so you can do drift alignment like that.