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do&dont's when putting it all together?

lacrits58

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lacrits58

lacrits58

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Hello!

When new scope arrives so is there any "do&dont's" when putting it all together?

mount is an neq6 and ota is GSO 10''.

I think its better to discover "fall pits" before you actualy is in one! :)

Any hints&tricks?

//Jan

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brantuk

brantuk

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Very nice setup and welcome to SGL :)

When tightening the mount to the tripod - don't overtighten or it won't move in azimuth for polar aligning.

Ensure the dovetail is tight in the mount saddle and keep checking as it cools down for first session. They have been known to slide out of the saddle as the metal contracts/expands. Put a safety bolt in each end of the dovetail.

Don't bend the soft steel bolts in the mount head when setting lattitude - swop for the hard steel upgrades.

Ensure the tripod legs are locked firm before popping the mount on.

Put at least one 10kg counterweight on the bar (preferably two in your case) before putting the scope on - or you'll risk a "loose axis" slip and the scope will crash into a leg.

Just a few to get you going - hth :)

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JamesM

JamesM

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Do your polar alignment before putting the scope/counterweights on the mount, as this will relieve any pressure when making the necessary adjustments in getting polaris in the centre of that bubble. A handy tip that I use, is to mark the scope's tube (thin tape from auto shops is ideal and in different colours! :grin:) so that you can place it in the right position within the scope rings in anticipation of balancing the scope in both the RA and DEC axes.

James

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MAN or ASTROMAN

MAN or ASTROMAN

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To re-itererate_DON'T OVERTIGHTEN! I made the mistake of overtightenining a screw on the slow -mo of my EQ2 mount,and the head sheared off! Chinese metal is Cack!.It stands to reason when you think about the tonnage of scrap metals of anykind that gets shipped to China (resulting in criminal damage to church roofs,railway signalling,even railway track,etc!).NB-my mate has advised me never to buy any screws,nails or 'tools'(I use the term loosely) from any of the 99p/pound shops for this reason. In my defence,I'd been doing some electrical work beforehand,where my mantra has always been " clean,bright and tight". STUPID ME!

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VigdisVZ

VigdisVZ

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Be extremely careful with the altitude adjustment bolts on the NEQ-6. They bend really easy. I mean, REALLY easy. Since you live so high up in the country, the bolt that pushes the head upwards is extended really long and the part of the mount that meets it is at an angle to allow for it to slip and ruin the bolt. Due to this it affects us northerners more than the it does people from down south.

I have modified my NEQ-6 to avoid this: We have a few users of the NEQ-6 in the astronomy club and one of out members (Gunnar is his name on SGL) makes this modification.

There are other mods you can do like getting reinforced bolts for a less invasive procedure. But I recommend you look into this before it's too late.

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JamesM

JamesM

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It seems that a lot of members feel that the Skywatcher manuals (especially the instructions on alignment etc) aren't that well written but I personally have found them not too bad - though I agree with Peter's comment above that it is really worth reading it from cover to cover a couple of times. To help further, you might want to label the different parts of the mount with some sticky labels to help you remember which bit is what, (saves going backwards and forwards through the diagrams). As good as any written instruction, a visual reference such as the video above from Astronomy Shed, can really help cement in the mind what goes where etc. Hope some clear skies come your way soon so you can pull it all together!

JAmes

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brantuk

brantuk

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"Since you live so high up in the country, the bolt that pushes the head upwards is extended really long and the part of the mount that meets it is at an angle to allow for it to slip and ruin the bolt. Due to this it affects us northerners more than the it does people from down south."

An excellent tip - I would never have thought of this living in the middle of the country. I guess a conversely similar thing must be true if you travel or live south. Indispensible Vig :)

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VigdisVZ

VigdisVZ

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"Since you live so high up in the country, the bolt that pushes the head upwards is extended really long and the part of the mount that meets it is at an angle to allow for it to slip and ruin the bolt. Due to this it affects us northerners more than the it does people from down south."

An excellent tip - I would never have thought of this living in the middle of the country. I guess a conversely similar thing must be true if you travel or live south. Indispensible Vig :)

Thank you.

And the north of sweden, where OP lives, is even more north than the northern part of the British isles. You southerners have all the fun, less ruined bolts and more messier more time of the year.

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jonathan

jonathan

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Do not attempt to carry the NEQ6 mount and tripod together unless you are a contender for World's Strongest Man;

Definitely take the weights off the mount when carrying it, and retract the weight bar all the way in;

Be very careful how you lift the NEQ6 mount, as even with the clutches tight it can turn in your hands and may cause you to lose your grip, also be careful of the polar scope cap as it comes off quite easily;

Take care when attaching the weights to the bar. You may need to use the extension bar, remember to put the end cap on once the weights are attached and tightened;

The polar scope can't be used with the weight bar retracted, always extend it fully and tighten it up;

The polar scope has it's own red light which comes on when the mount is powered and turned on;

Level the mount using the built-in bubble, consider the height at which you want to comfortably observe - either seated (SCT or Refractor) or standing and adjust the height preferably before adding the scope;

Don't adjust anything without first making sure the mount is securely attached to the tripod;

To adjust the latitude, it may be necessary to push the mount head manually as simply screwing the bolts in or out does not provide enough power to move the very heavy mount head; the mount head will swing up or down on the latitude scale if the bolts are unscrewed far enough, consider the bolts only as locking bolts, not for moving the mount head directly; be very careful and try to maintain control, it is very heavy!

Consider using either a mains supplied 12V 4amp (or enough power to be sure you don't overload it with heater tapes etc), or a 12V leisure battery (used for caravans and electric golf buggies etc), a normal car lead acid battery is not the best thing to use;

Learn to hug your scope using one arm while you tighten bolts with the other, sometimes this is the safest way to mount / unmount it;

Wear a strong pair of gloves, as the metal parts of the mount and scope will get very cold to the touch during winter;

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