Need help with my step by step instructions please

[carastro]

and if necessary rotating the tripod

I don't understand why you are telling the OP to rotate the tripod, this is just causing confusion.  Unless you are suggesting he doesn't have the tripod orientated pointing north in the first place.  

Ian, do you have a tripod leg on the north side of the mount, I am pretty sure this is a fixed feature of the HEQ5 because of where the Alt/az rod is placed on the tripod.  

Before you start, step back and look at your tripod and place polaris visually above the mount and make sure that North leg is dead central with polaris hovering above it. If it is then once the tripod is level you should not move your mount again.  

I suspect you can't see polaris which is reasonably bright in the polarscope because you aren't actually pointing the mount north, the tripod maybe pointing north, but try using the Alt/Az bolts to move the mount from side to side until you can see it.  If you still can't see it, then I think you must have a problem with not having the dial set at the 50 degrees you mention, and that's going to be difficult to correct with the short bolt and I think you'll need to replace that.  

As stated, you don't need to have your laptop with you when using Polarfinder, just remember where polaris was on the circle, from looking at the computer indoors.  I remember it by saying to myself (for example), polaris is at 47 minutes past the hour (or whatever).  

BY the way, you won't be able to see the constellations marked on the reticle in the polarscope, they are just there as a guide to orientation.  I personally don't find them much help, as by the time I have swung my head around the sky to find them, I have lost my sense of orientation in the polarscope.  I find using polarfinder and the polaris ring much the easiest method.

Yes, you need to rotate the RA axis but this is only to rotate the polaris ring on the recticle to get polaris in the right place, this rotation is not needed once you are polar aligned.

Oh just one more point.  Are you trying to polar align before putting the telescope on?  If so, do you have the counterweight bar extended?  If not, this will obscure the view through the polarscope.

HTH

Carole

[Davey-T]

Only suggested he may need to rotate the tripod a bit as he couldn't see Polaris in the polar scope.

Dave

[ianpwilliams]

No worries Dave, it may be that I could have rotated the tripod anyway, as many people seem to think that the tripod doesn't have to be level with the newer SynScan firmware.

[ianpwilliams]

I did have the north leg pointing north, but it wasn't precise, because I was under the impression that it only had to be roughly correct. But then it sounds like it doesn't have to be precise, if I use the Az bolts to turn the mount left and right to find Polaris.

I'm not using the Alt bolts, I moved the mount to the correct latitude by hand. Although I would need to use the bolts to fine tune by the sound of it, and they may not work what with the problems I've been having with them.

I have the scope on the mount, fully balanced, with the DEC turned correctly so I should be able to see through the polar scope.

If I'm going to try the polar scope again then I'll need to look through it in the daytime first, and make sure there's nothing wrong with it.

But it seems like the laptop is the way to go.

[wxsatuser]

While your doing that align the reticule, if you have'nt already done so.

[ianpwilliams]

I think it may already be aligned, but I'll check.

If I get the laptop up and running then does that mean that I won't need to mess around with the alt bolts and polar scope?

[todd8137]

I would suggest joining a club and getting some one round to show you the way forward

Pat

[carastro]

I did have the north leg pointing north, but it wasn't precise, because I was under the impression that it only had to be roughly correct. But then it sounds like it doesn't have to be precise, if I use the Az bolts to turn the mount left and right to find Polaris

OK, sounds like you have got to grips with that bit OK.

I'm not using the Alt bolts, I moved the mount to the correct latitude by hand

Hmmm, sounds like this is a problem with your short bolt, but if you are moving it by hand then there is nothing to keep it in place without tightening the bolts.

If I get the laptop up and running then does that mean that I won't need to mess around with the alt bolts and polar scope? 

No this part needs to be done manually, the laptop is only an aid.  

Basically polar aligning is just getting the centre of the polarscope reticule (assuming that is orthogonal in the polar axis) pointing at true north so when the RA motors are working everything is rotating around the pole and to get this not only do you need to establish where true north is, but you need to adjust the mount manually to get there. Everything else is just a method of doing it.  

If you think of it that way it might help you get your head around it all.

So you do need to use those bolts.  

Carole 

[ianpwilliams]

I suppose I could buy those replacement bolts. £30 seems a bit steep, but I've spent a fortune already.

But if I'll still need to use the polar scope even with a laptop, then I'll need to find a way of seeing stuff through it, before spending money on bolts.

[ianpwilliams]

I would suggest joining a club and getting some one round to show you the way forward

Pat

Maybe, but it would be pretty embarrassing if I did that and the mount turned out to be defective!

[Scott]

Maybe, but it would be pretty embarrassing if I did that and the mount turned out to be defective

Why would it be embarrassing? surely you want this sorted so having some one who knows what they're doing beside you is the way forward?

I tend to think that in these situations, more often than not, it's user error . Get help from someone with experience for your own piece of mind.

[Davey-T]

If you take both bolts out you can see if one has been snapped, have you checked the accuracy of the Dec scale, never had an EQ5 but I think the scale circle is only stuck on so it could have come off and been stuck back in the wrong place.

Dave

[ianpwilliams]

The bolts always looked fine to me. Can't remember if one is longer than the other though. If it is then maybe I could swap them. Incidentally it's an HEQ5, not an EQ5.

One thing I will say is that when I set the latitude manually, it did look like the polar scope was pointing at the correct altitude in relation to Polaris. And when tilting the mount manually, it's really quite hard to do, so maybe I could get away with it.

Although if I can get somewhere with the polar scope (and confirm that it is user error rather than a fault), then I'll buy the replacement bolts anyway. So I better get outside with the mount and look at a distant object through the polar scope, and presumably if it's a clear view then it would be worth trying again at night. Then I can check the reticule as well.

[carastro]

I have probably got the original HEQ5 bolts just sitting in my tool box as I got the replacement bolts.  Can you remove the back bolt and see how long it is, I could let you have my old bolt if it is longer, but it really is advisable to get the replacement ones as the originals can bend and then it is a dreadful job trying to remove them.  

However if I am going to go down this route, I need to make sure I am sending you the right one as I have both an NEQ6 and an HEQ5, so don;t want to send you the wrong ones.  

Carole 

[carastro]

 I'll need to find a way of seeing stuff through it, before spending money on bolts. 

Have you looked through the polarscope in the daytime?

Even after doing this hundreds of times, I have still slipped up sometimes and wondered why I can;t see anything, either I've forgotten to rotate the dec axis, forgotten to take the polarscope cap off, or not extended the counterweight bar.  Duh!!!!

Don't feel embarrassed about getting help, it won;t be your fault if you were sold a faulty mount, I do suspect that rear bolt has been broken.  It does however tend to be shorter at the back because it would get in the way of the polarscope otherwise, but there should still be enough sticking out to be able to use it.

Carole 

[ianpwilliams]

Will do, and thanks. Although the guy I bought the mount from may have replaced the bolts already for all I know, but if not, then it sounds like those eBay ones are the way to go. They sound much better.

[carastro]

Looking at the bolts in your photo, they look like the originals as they have those floppy ends to them (for want of a better description). the replacement ones have a large knob on the north side and a push button type handle on the south side.  

Carole 

[carastro]

 I think the scale circle is only stuck on so it could have come off and been stuck back in the wrong place.

I agree with that.  I live at 51 degrees (London area) and my dial is rarely on the 51 degree position.

Carole 

[ianpwilliams]

I agree with that. I live at 51 degrees (London area) and my dial is rarely on the 51 degree position.

Carole

How would I fix that then? Presumably just make a note of the dial number once I had Polaris in the right place?

[carastro]

You could do that Ian, but it's not really that important, it's what you see through the polarscope that matters.  It's really only a guide.  As I say mine never points at the right place on the dial, and I never even look at it any more.

Carole 

[carastro]

I've found the bolts to both my HEQ5 and NEQ6 and the diameter of the bolt looks pretty much the same, but the flappy handle at the end looks thicker on one set so i presume they are the NEQ6 bolts.  

I'll wait to see what you decide to do.

Carole 

[ianpwilliams]

Here is a photo of my bolts. The front one is indeed longer than the back one, so I could swap them over. Although those eBay ones do look good.

I also looked through the polar scope out the window, at a distant object (too cloudy for stars), with good and bad news. The good news is that everything looked pretty clear (trees, lights etc), so hopefully there's nothing wrong with that. The bad news is than when I targeted the top of a tower and rotated the RA, it drifted a bit, so I'm going to have to adjust the reticule, although I think that's a daytime job.

[Mick J]

Bolts look good, I would stay with them for now, I was thinking it must be possible to set the 55+ degrees using something like a protractor/smartphone level indoors - tho not sure on this one, but may be a way of double checking the heq5 scale.

[ianpwilliams]

I don't know, I'm thinking it might be worth the eBay bolts anyway, if they are supposed to be less of a risk, and because they have proper handles too (don't like those flappy things).

And as for the dial, I can't see it mattering too much really. As long as I can see well enough the polar scope, then hopefully I can just get it in the ballpark, then use the alt and az bolts to get Polaris right, and then make a note of the alititude at that point for next time.

The main issues (aside from realigning the reticule) is being able to see stars through the polar scope, and knowing what to do when I can see Polaris. I may just take the mount outside on its own next time, no scope balancing, just so I can try to work out what's going on.

[carastro]

The main issues (aside from realigning the reticule) is being able to see stars through the polar scope, and knowing what to do when I can see Polaris. I may just take the mount outside on its own next time, no scope balancing, just so I can try to work out what's going on. 

That sounds a good idea Ian.  You won't need to keep using the dial once you've got it right once, unless you go a long way from your latitude, all you will need to do each time is tweak the adjustment bolts.  Just leave the mount head position where you last used it and it will be fine.  

I am thinking that you are now on the right track with everything.  

So you'll get PA sorted and then move on to the next step. 

Carole