Struggling with HEQ5 setup

[hjw]

OK - I am now a proud owner of a HEQ5 mount and I feel like someone gave me a Porsche and I don't have a driving license .

I had already some questions taking it out of the box but found some good answers in some very old post on this forum. What has me stumped however is the polar alignment. I had already some play time while waiting for it to get dark, leveled the mount put it as close as I could in the right direction. I told the mount to find the moon - it wasn't exact but pretty close took a video and all seemed to be running smooth. Then the first stars came out and I thought I try a 2-star alignment. And here everything went off the rails.

First the handset asked me to "Display Polaris Position" which I can't really do because in Australia you don't see Polaris. So I pressed enter and enter to skip through, selected 2-star alignment and selected Canopus as my first target. The scope virtually tried to find it in the opposite direction just on the horizon.

I assume it has something to do with the position of Polaris which I skipped. Where am I wrong?

Cheers

HJ

[Tinker1947]

Its likely you don't have your Location, Date or Time right, trust me its not broken.......

[cosmojaydee]

You will need to tell the hand controller where in the world you are, sounds like it thinks it is the Northern Hemisphere. Once you have set it up correctly then you should find your are one step closer to it working in the right manner 

[hjw]

Thanks for the quick response. I did enter the coordinates for my location 37°52'S and 145°22'E but I will check again... I am pretty sure it's not broken - the problem stands behind the scope .

[Yearofthegoat]

Please post back how you get on. I'll be ordering an HEQ5 shortly and it's a sure bet I'll have similar issues.

Just one thing - I'm torn between the Syntrek and the SynScan models.  Is the Goto handset worth the extra?

Thanks!

[hjw]

The moment I stepped out again the clouds had come in. Damn you, Murphy! Right now I think the time might have been the issue. The handset remembers everything else but resets the time. I must have switched the mount off in between and skipped over the time. I think the controller knows where I am because many of the star suggestions are only visible from the southern hemisphere.

@ Yearofthegoat: whether the handset is worth the extra expense - good question. As a beginner, I can do with all the help I can get. I heard that EQmod is more powerfull but then I need a laptop and more connections. I guess the learning curve would be even steeper. One step at a time. Anyway, a Syntrek mount is difficult to get in Australia. All vendors only stock the GOTO version.

[Yearofthegoat]

Thanks, that's what I was thinking!  In principle, there's no need for the handset as I have a laptop I can use - but as you say, more connections and more room for complication.

Glad you seem to have sorted out your issue - and I'll now remember to check the time when setting up too!

Have to say these forums really are a great help.

[Scott]

another common error is the date. it needs to be yanky format not aussie. month-day-year not day month year.

[nigelbeaumont]

I use Eqmod when imaging DSOs, but mainly because I also have to run PHD for guiding and APT to control the camera. If I'm observing I use the Synscan handset, as it's a lot easier and quicker to get up and running. GOTOs are great for beginners to find objects (provided they have done a reasonable polar alignment), but I also use star hopping as well with my binoculars while the telescope is imaging

[Thalestris24]

The moment I stepped out again the clouds had come in. Damn you, Murphy! Right now I think the time might have been the issue. The handset remembers everything else but resets the time. I must have switched the mount off in between and skipped over the time. I think the controller knows where I am because many of the star suggestions are only visible from the southern hemisphere.

@ Yearofthegoat: whether the handset is worth the extra expense - good question. As a beginner, I can do with all the help I can get. I heard that EQmod is more powerfull but then I need a laptop and more connections. I guess the learning curve would be even steeper. One step at a time. Anyway, a Syntrek mount is difficult to get in Australia. All vendors only stock the GOTO version.

The Syntrek is still a goto mount - it just gets it's commands from a computer I think it's daft that they sell an expensive hand controller without a built-in battery powered real-time clock - unlike the Celestron AVX which does have one

[Yearofthegoat]

^^^ Agreed, that is daft. Even a £20 alarm clock has a small battery to keep the time and alarms in case of power outages.

Yankee date format isn't so hard to get wrong at the end of the month!  Unless the handset allows you to enter improper values, which would be even more daft.

[hjw]

^^^ Agreed, that is daft. Even a £20 alarm clock has a small battery to keep the time and alarms in case of power outages.

Yankee date format isn't so hard to get wrong at the end of the month!  Unless the handset allows you to enter improper values, which would be even more daft.

No you can't get the date wrong on the 30th of December. I tried...

[Astro_Baby]

Its well worth with any new bit of kit setting it up indoors and having a play with it - pretend you are out in the dark and go through the processes needed for set-up.

Its a lot easier to get your head around in a safe indoor environment with light and warmth - its a lot harder out there in the dark and cold and you will always feel under pressure to get it going.  Much easier to mess about indoors getting to grips with it with a cup of tea in your mitts and no stress.

[hjw]

Its well worth with any new bit of kit setting it up indoors and having a play with it - pretend you are out in the dark and go through the processes needed for set-up.

Its a lot easier to get your head around in a safe indoor environment with light and warmth - its a lot harder out there in the dark and cold and you will always feel under pressure to get it going.  Much easier to mess about indoors getting to grips with it with a cup of tea in your mitts and no stress.

Thanks everyone,

I did try it during the day... but something funny happened anyway. Had another go last night and this time it went through the 2-star alignment without a hitch. I followed this by attempting a polar alignment (through the software) with some success and plenty of room for improvement. The best I could manage was a 30 sec exposure. I tried to take an image of the first DSO (the Carina Nebula) through a scope.

A few tasks left to get closer to my goal:

1. I had this scope for about 20 years and last week I moved the mirror to have it suitable for astrophotography. The scope has never been collimated and I think that will be the first priority.

2. The polar alignment though the handset is not precise enough. I have to learn how to do drift alignment.

3. For this I need a crosshair in one of my eyepieces.

After a year of just playing with a camera the first steps are done and it is an exciting journey!

Happy New Year to you all.

HJ

p.s.: Temperature is not a problem - we have summer and all I need is insect repellant.

[wxsatuser]

Not bad for your first image, well done.