Can anyone help please - EQ3-2 SynScan

[Welrod50]

Folks, I have a headache now, can you please assist??

After taking delivery of my shiny new EQ3-2 earlier today, I spent well over an hour assembling it and familiarising myself with it, charging the power tank etc etc.

So far so good, until I began to read the instructions for the SynScan handset and started to set it up. Now, I am not a fool and like to think I am relatively conversant with computers and the like, but after some brief tests just, I am not sure I have set it up correctly. Thank goodness I did it all just and not during my first observing session!!

I have established that where I live is Longitude -2.106 degrees west & Latitude 52.97 degrees north (Stoke-on-Trent). The Roaches (which will be my primary dark sky site) will be Long: -2.000 deg West & 53.17 deg North. I think our time zone is -00:00 (judging by the map in the instruction manual). Now, my issue is this:

I input the digits into the SynScan correctly (I think) as LONG= 002.10 & LAT = 53:00. I have to do this as it will not allow me to input LAT as 52.97. I have no idea why?? The handset will allow me to input 52.57, but anything larger/higher it wont allow. Luckily, I am pretty much bang on 53 degrees anyway, but that's not the point. Does anyone know why??

Also, am I inputting our time zone correctly at -00:00 or should we be +00:00 ? I have inputted -00:00. Is this right??

I ask as once inputted, I tried to slew to M31 and M13. I faced the mount North, adjusted the latitude to 53 degrees and had a good idea where each object was, but the scope was off. Not by a lot but enough for me to know it was off. If it can miss these at this point in the set up procedure, then it can miss the three alignment stars I would use. Am I doing something wrong, or setting something incorrectly?? I also set the time in the controller to 10pm tonight when M31 will be quite high, but the scope did not travel high enough at all.

Please help! I'm going slightly mad....

Scott.

[Helen]

Scott,

One thing is Daylight Saving (ie summer time) needs to be yes for now - but no after Saturday! That'll account for a 15 degree difference

Helen

[Welrod50]

Scott,

One thing is Daylight Saving (ie summer time) needs to be yes for now - but no after Saturday! That'll account for a 15 degree difference

Helen

Thanks Helen. I should've mentioned this in first post...I did set this correctly to 'Yes'. Any other thoughts??

Thank you

Scott.

[Helen]

...and thinking about the other question, it'll probably be because its asking you for your coordinates in degrees and minutes, not in decimal, so that's why 60 is the maximum

Helen

[Velvet]

was bout to point that out. Also i am not familiar with that mount, do you not have to polar align before 3 star aligment? Maybe someone with that mount can help further

velvet

[Jiggy 67]

Also, am I inputting our time zone correctly at -00:00 or should we be +00:00 ? I have inputted -00:00. Is this right??

I ask as once inputted, I tried to slew to M31 and M13. I faced the mount North, adjusted the latitude to 53 degrees and had a good idea where each object was, but the scope was off. Not by a lot but enough for me to know it was off. If it can miss these at this point in the set up procedure, then it can miss the three alignment stars I would use. Am I doing something wrong, or setting something incorrectly?? I also set the time in the controller to 10pm tonight when M31 will be quite high, but the scope did not travel high enough at all.

Please help! I'm going slightly mad....

Scott.

I don't think the plus or minus on the time zone matters, they are both the same.....zero, we in the UK do not add or subtract from GMT so its zero, however you may have to select daytime saving depending on the time of year....currently we are in daylight saving untill the last Sunday in October.

As for being out on your target.....ou need to do a 1, 2 or 3 star alignement, without it, Stnscan can't build up a picture of the sky above you

[Helen]

So DST isn't the problem.... It might just be that your 'home' position isn't quite right. When you actually come to do the alignment its normal for the first star to be out of the field of view. Once this is centred the mount has a much better idea of where it is, and the following stars will be much closer. Hopefuly you'll get to try it for real soon

Helen

[cosmojaydee]

I have come across this problem , after inputting all the data and was asked to do a 2 star align , It asks you to potion the first star in the center of the scope, then once you had done that you where asked to choose a second star to align . Now you think your all set , you choose am object you would like too see , so you choose something you know, press the goto and wait.............. where the hell is the scope slewing to . The issue may be in the date input, the input is American style , mm/dd/yy , so if you entered the date as you would normally do, this will cause issues

hope this helps

[Welrod50]

I think you've sussed it folks. OK, firstly I positioned the scope to face north as directed on the mount and took a rough guess at polaris. I know it's not ideal but I was fairly close.

But the main thing is, I think the SynScan wants the co-ordinates in degrees and minutes - not degrees with decimals.

I have just converted my home co-ordinates and there is now a notable difference in the figures it gives me. I'm going to input these and see what happens. I know I'm really doing myself no real favours, but I would expect the scope to at least point in the correct general direction. I'm sure this will sort it, but I will update further if not

Thank you ALL !

Scott.

[Welrod50]

I have come across this problem , after inputting all the data and was asked to do a 2 star align , It asks you to potion the first star in the center of the scope, then once you had done that you where asked to choose a second star to align . Now you think your all set , you choose am object you would like too see , so you choose something you know, press the goto and wait.............. where the hell is the scope slewing to . The issue may be in the date input, the input is American style , mm/dd/yy , so if you entered the date as you would normally do, this will cause issues

hope this helps

Yeah, I encountered this issue early on when it wouldn't let me proceed. It is set correctly, but good thinking

Scott.

[Welrod50]

Thank you all for your kind replies. I think it is sorted. I obviously can't see M45 or Vega due to limitless cloud, but scope slewed to pretty much where they should be, so I hope with some fine tuning under clear skies to be up and running. I will be observing and getting more used to the SynScan first before venturing off into AP once more, but hope to get some good shots in due course.

Again, thank you

Scott.

[Liofa]

You have clear skies?!?! Lucky! Fogged in here. Yup, I think it's your polar alignment and your co-ords. I took delivery of the same mount today, I'll post back when I've had a chance to use it. Probably not until the weekend, according to the weather.

[Welrod50]

You have clear skies?!?! Lucky! Fogged in here. Yup, I think it's your polar alignment and your co-ords. I took delivery of the same mount today, I'll post back when I've had a chance to use it. Probably not until the weekend, according to the weather.

No clear skies here yet. I wish !!

Yes, please post back and let me know. I will do same if I get opportunity to do some proper first tests this weekend

Good luck.

Scott.