Goto way off on a EQ 5 Synscan Goto Mount

[alcol620]

Hi folks, me again looking for further advice.

Just taken delivery of a the above mount and find myself in difficulties. I have set everything up as per instructions, date, time, timezone, lat/long, rough alignment with polaris etc etc. But when I ask the mount to goto, it is way off, as far as 90 degrees.

Anyone have any ideas? 

[Steve Ward]

It will almost certainly be an error in the inputted data , commonest one being the date in US style   i.e MM/DD/YY not DD/MM/YY.

[alcol620]

I did check this and as far as I am certain about anything these days I think it was in the correct order. Can't face setting this up again today, spent some time today, and still didn't get it to work. Doing my head in!

Subject to other advice will ensure I check this out when I get myself together in the next few days.

Thanks Steve

[Steve Ward]

After you've roughly polar-aligned , by rotating the mounts RA to get the polarscope view looking right , did you return the mount to the Home position before trying Go-To ... ?

[ronin]

I hate short posts about alignment.

What I hate is that you say the data was input, then no actual mention of 1, 2 or 3 star alignment.

As in: Having supplied the data the post reads that you then said goto X = you did no actual alignment of the scope.

Common problems are many:

You say Lat/Long (everyone says Lat/Long) except the data entered should be Long then Lat. Otherwise the scope is under the idea that it is in Northern Brazil.

Date is as already said US format not UK, so it could be a month or two out.

However I think it makes it obvious, just not sure if it makes it aovious on all the SW systems.

When you entered your location did you set Timezone to UTC?

The scope will have a default already in it which is often the West coast of America as in UTC+8.

I think that the software takes West or East for longitude you are something like +1 or +1.2. You are East of the Meridian whereas most are West of it.

Check that the Longitude value is therefore something like 001  00 E

Finally DST is Yes or On whatever it wants but it is On.

So there are several possibilities, one somewhere will be incorrect. The trick is finding which little whatsit it is.

The best thing is to write down all data on a big sheet and in BIG UPPERCASE letters.

DATE  -  August  12  2104  =  08  12  2014

LATITUDE = 52  40 NORTH

LONGITUDE = 001 15 EAST

TIMEZONE = UTC or 0

Read what the handset asks for then double check what you enter.

May seem childish but it is the best way.

Actually did  you do an alignment (1,2,3 star) of the scope ??

[alcol620]

Steve 

Not sure I understand that. I only roughly polar aligned by setting the tripod "N" leg up due north with a compass and then adjusted the altitude angle to 52 degrees my location latitude. From the manual I assumed that this would be good enough for visual observation and rough and ready goto.

Can you elaborate on 'return the mount to the Home position'.

New to all this so please excuse my lack of knowledge.

[Cornelius Varley]

The mount's home position is counterweight bar pointing straight down and the telescope pointing at the north celestial pole. The handset requires a known start position (home) so that it can work out where the approximate location of the first alignment star is.

[Cornelius Varley]

I hate short posts about alignment.

What I hate is that you say the data was input, then no actual mention of 1, 2 or 3 star alignment.

As in: Having supplied the data the post reads that you then said goto X = you did no actual alignment of the scope.

Common problems are many:

You say Lat/Long (everyone says Lat/Long) except the data entered should be Long then Lat. Otherwise the scope is under the idea that it is in Northern Brazil.

Date is as already said US format not UK, so it could be a month or two out.

However I think it makes it obvious, just not sure if it makes it aovious on all the SW systems.

When you entered your location did you set Timezone to UTC?

The scope will have a default already in it which is often the West coast of America as in UTC+8.

I think that the software takes West or East for longitude you are something like +1 or +1.2. You are East of the Meridian whereas most are West of it.

Check that the Longitude value is therefore something like 001  00 E

Finally DST is Yes or On whatever it wants but it is On.

So there are several possibilities, one somewhere will be incorrect. The trick is finding which little whatsit it is.

The best thing is to write down all data on a big sheet and in BIG UPPERCASE letters.

DATE  -  August  12  2104  =  08  12  2014

LATITUDE = 52  40 NORTH

LONGITUDE = 001 15 EAST

TIMEZONE = UTC or 0

Read what the handset asks for then double check what you enter.

May seem childish but it is the best way.

Actually did  you do an alignment (1,2,3 star) of the scope ??

That should be

Longitude 001 15 E

Latitude     52 40  N

and the default time zone is 0

[alcol620]

Thanks folks for all your help, much appreciated. Got to realise that you are dealing with a 70 year old here, having taken up what is a new language and a new subject very late in life with a failing memory. It all sounds very easy watching the Youtube video, the problem is taking it out into the garden.

I like the idea of writing the complete list of data down.

I also didn't realise there were issues about the home position. Presumably this means roughly polar align as I did then go into the alignment process, 1, 2 or 3 star FROM that position? Is that correct?

Thanks again folks, all much appreciated.

[Cornelius Varley]

Yes. Star alignment begins from the home position.

[Viewmaster]

Thanks folks for all your help, much appreciated. Got to realise that you are dealing with a 70 year old here, having taken up what is a new language and a new subject very late in life with a failing memory.

Take heart and never give up.....I'm 11 years older than you and have managed to get my GOTO working OK.

[ronin]

Yes, you have to supply the data, then polar align the evil thing, then select the 1/2/3 star alignment (pick 2)..

The alignment is for the scope/software to work out how bad you have supplied data and did the polar alignment :eek: , it works out how bad it is then compensates for it. :grin: :grin:

There is very likely an option in the menu for doing in effect a "no star" alignment and just get going. It relies on you havng done a good polar alignment of the mount and with the scope at the default/home/start or whatever position, otherwise things are really up the perverbial creek. It would make sense for this to be the mount polar aligned and the scope aimed at Polaris or horizontal and pointing North.

On Meades this start position is horizontal and North, which means you can start with the scope aimed at a wall. :rolleyes:  Since this tends to be easy I equally suspect that Meade would sue for infringement if SW adopted the same.

Oh yes, the 1/2/3 star alignment assumes that you know a few of the nice bright stars, at least the first one I think.

And if it goes completely insane check that it is set for the Northern Hemisphere, I have read a couple where the Synscan had Southern Hemisphere set in it.

[alcol620]

Hi Folks

Thanks for all your helpful and encouraging comments. I have spent another hour of so this afternoon trying to line up my mount. (Not star align, but simply get things lined up to where Polaris ought the be). I noticed that it is impossible to turn the RA arm round so that the small circle in the diagram in the reticle of the polar scope. The RA arm comes to a stop turning either way, due to the motor housing coming into contact with the mount.

I know that the mount was last used in Australia, does the reticle need to be turned round? Using your comments and the Dion Youtube video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwJ9O0lFnQs&list=UUFK1huCp-0Y3COTfkoV6cVQ for setting Home and Polar Aligning using the HA provided by Synscan I find that I can't get the small Polaris circle on the diagram in the polar scope. See above.

Is it possible that the reticle needs turning round for Northern Hemisphere use?

[Mukv]

Greetings

I have the NEQ6 PRO and it is armed with an AK47, every time I turn away from it it shoots me in the foot, it also has taken many frustrating evenings to work out this black art of the mystical GOTO but fear not time will be on your side, soon you will be posting to pass on your newly gained wisdom.

DONT GIVE UP.

Andy

[alcol620]

Andy

Thanks mate.

Alec

[alcol620]

Finally got it set up and working, go to and tracking look OK. Tracked Arcturus for about an hour without the image moving far from the crosshairs of the eyepiece. Super, super. Thanks for all the feedback and encouragement. Go to not always perfect, but hopefully this will improve with experience. I even got the scope polar aligned. What would be do without the internet and sites like this?

Also the following 2 sites were extremely helpful in getting an understanding of what I was trying to do.

http://worcspaul.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/accurately-setting-the-%E2%80%9Chome%E2%80%9D-or-%E2%80%9Cpark%E2%80%9D-position-on-a-skywatcher-eq5-pro-mount/

Thanks again folks, onwards and upwards

Alec

[alcol620]

Should have also add Dion's other site