New HEQ5 polarscope oddity!

[pringlepowell]

Hmm...

Just bought an HEQ5 mount. Is it normal that when the mount is in the home position, the polarscope points exactly downwards??

Also - even having followed astronomyshed instructions I can't master this alignment lark. Help!

[The Sailor]

the polarscope points exactly downwards??

Sorry to be of no help but I can't quite understand this, maybe a little bit more info.

Jim

[malc-c]

It doesn't (shouldn't) point downwards, The stock home position is thus

You look up through the scope, not down. If you remove the dome cover (to the left of the setting circle in the image above) the eyepiece is visible, so you need to get on your hands and knees and peer upwards with the mount facing the north pole

Oh and you need to rotate the DEC axis do the hole in the mount is not obstructed by the shaft

[Bizibilder]

And don't forget to remove the black plastic cap so you can see right through the mount (and rotate the dec axis so the polarscope can see "through" the hole in it.

[The Sailor]

Can't wait to read the reply

Jim

[pringlepowell]

Good grief - Give me some credit I didn't mean the whole polarscope!!!

The reticule, in home position, has the circle for Polaris at the bottom, which seems a little too helpful as its different to all the tutorials I've ploughed through. Have I just been incredibly fortunate? Help.

[E621Keith]

Not sure about the HEQ5, but the orientation of the polarscope reticule are adjustable in my Vixen and its EQ4/5 clone. The first step of polar alignment is to set the date circle at mid night 1st Nov, where polaris is above the NCP (i.e. reticule should be directly below the NCP due to inverted image).

May be this has been carried into the HEQ5 model.

[Photosbykev]

It doesn't matter where the Polaris circle is initially. You need to accurately position it correctly by rotating the Ra axis using the dial or roughly using a polar clock. Then put Polaris in the centre of it

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Blame Apple for the typos and me for the content

[malc-c]

LOL - a case of garbage in - garbage out !

Basic polar alignment:

Rotate the RA axis until the bubble on the circle is at the 6 O'clock position (bottom of the circle) and lock the RA axis. Now use the alt / az bolts on the mount and centre Polaris on the cross in the middle of the main circle, and without touching the az bolts but using just the alt bolts, position Polaris in the centre of the bubble. Now on on the handset as part of the set up, the controller gives you the position for Polaris since it's last transit. If you imagine the large circle on the polarscope as a 24 hr clock (ie polaris in its current position would be 12 hrs) you need to release the RA lock and rotate the mount round so that the bubble is in the posttion stated by the controller, and then lock the RA again. Now using both teh alt / az bolts, reposition Polaris in the bubble. This will be good enough for visual work

[pringlepowell]

And the time of last transit on the handset - is that the HA figure or the CLOCK figure?

Does that mean the date circle is practically redundant?

[The Sailor]

Pringle, sorry for being flippant but that is the first time anyone said the polarscope is pointing downwards and did have me wondering where were you looking from. Hope all the input from the people in the know has been helpful .

Jim

[pringlepowell]

I was amused I have to say, still not clear on alignment though. It's not even as though trial and error would work.

[steppenwolf]

The reticule, in home position, has the circle for Polaris at the bottom,

Pure serendipity! There are lots of guides on the Internet explaining the alignment procedure and it certainly isn't a trial and error process - it is a finite process that will work every time if you carry out each part of the procedure - the early parts only have to be done once which is a bonus!

My guide here should help you.

[owned]

I have to say that I didn't have to many problems when setting up my HEQ5 pro the frist time. But the manual is very confussing.

I found this site and it helped.

http://www.astro-baby.com/HEQ5/HEQ5-1.htm

Although if I had found the page by Steve that he links to above, it would have been even easier. Top page that Steve, many thanks for sharing.