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Failing newbie about to quit

Reman

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Reman

Reman

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I gave up smoking 1 day 8 years ago, so I'm quite good at quitting.

I kinow there are lots of U-utubes and books and stuff out there, some of which are too complicated for my old brain but I think Im MASSIVELY missing the point somewhere setting up MY WIFES  new scope!

I've took a nice picture of the Moon.

I can even see polaris through the polaris finder thing in the tripod

But when it comes to the Syncscan and making that work, even a little bit I'm really losing it, considering I'm not that luddite when it comes to I.T.

Not even getting fancy, yet, I'd be happy  to do a 1 star sertup and  if it just slewed roughly to a star on my side of the world

Instead it seems to insist on thinking I'm living under the patio and pointing at stars that are lower than my house.

I really think I'm just missing something FUNDAMENTAL in the setup.

Unless we get by this, them the wife, and the scope ar going, I'll keep the dog.

Am I on a hiding to nothing with SW ver 3,27?

As above I set the trips scope at Polaris.

I set the main scope at polaris.

I do 1 star alighn and as soon as I choose a starr, say Pollux, that i can pick up on Skymap as being say 10 o'clock in relation to Paolaris, the scope slews to point at something nowhere near where (pollux is supposed to be.

Tell me what I'm doing so so wrong please????

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Helen

Helen

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I think that the problem might be skymap  - at the moment pollux is not visible in the evening, so the scope pointing below the horizon might be right!  So check your skymap set up first. 

Otherwise can you post a picture of your scope set up in home position.

Helen

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michael8554

michael8554

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Setup can be very frustrating for a beginner, so getting help from someone who is familiar with the mount will have you up and running in no time and save you a lot of frustration.

Also as Helen says, Pollux isn't above the horizon until about 03:30.

Try Deneb, Vega, Altair, Arcturus

Michael

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Reman

Reman

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Good call! Forget Pollux then blame that on MRS REMAN's  IPAD .Lets say Alkaid.

Last go before bedtime.

Scope pointing at  Polaris. 

Reset Syncscan 

(Date in correct format)

Hit 1 star align

Alkaid

Slews to approx 2.0clock in relation to Polaris, when Alkaid should be (VERY ROUGHLY) 10Oclock?

Stop laughing at the back!!!

I'll post a pic of the home position tomorrow. (Helen)

….now thinking that i'm doing something wrong with "home position"

Oh its so complicated

Night all !!

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sdkfz181

sdkfz181

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The first time I used my Nexstar 4SE I had a similar problem. Eventually, I realised I had the longitude and latitude mixed up. The location I had actually set was somewhere in the Amazon rainforest!

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ronin

ronin

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Data

Assuming Leicester as it is in the middle of Leicestershire:

Longitude =  -1.13 = -1o 8" = 1o 8" W  (CHECK the number of leading zero's, should be 001o )

Latitude = 52.68 = 52o 40"

Timezone = UTC, maybe UTC+0 maybe UTC-0 may just be 0 or 00. One system needs -00, do not ask why -00 but I know there is one that does..

DST is On or Yes

Date is (presently) 06/02/2015  June the Second 2015, NOT, the Second of June 2015.

Set a custom location do not use one of the ones in the offered list.

Level anything that can be levelled and looks like being level is sensible.

Next, does the scope start from being pointed at Polaris?

Not overly familiar with the Synscan but I thought it was the scope starts (sometimes/usually?) from being pointed due North but with the OTA horizontal.

Equally I know they had some setup that concerned Polaris, they updated the software a few times, added features, then found they didn't quite work, removed them, fixed and readded them. So a bit messy. As I recall the Polaris one fell into this.

V3.27 is I think the latest and the one that they got about right, V3.26 did some odd things, some people stick to V3.23 as it had less features but they did work.

When the handset starts up, I think you can see the data, read it all and make sure it is right. Do not assume that the 52 40 displayed is right just because you expect to see it somewhere, it has to be the right somewhere.

P.S., by the time you have sorted it all out, the batteries will be low and the thing will then slew randomly across the sky, so have a spare set or three, or power it from a mains/DC unit.

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Mrbloke

Mrbloke

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Telescope manufacturers really need to employ Apple to design the software on their goto scopes, they are notoriously difficult to use instinctively and the instructions are rubbish.

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Scott

Scott

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Telescope manufacturers really need to employ Apple to design the software on their goto scopes, they are notoriously difficult to use instinctively and the instructions are rubbish.

Why, so we can pay per constellation?  :evil:

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Mrbloke

Mrbloke

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Why, so we can pay per constellation?  :evil:

Constellation? It will be per star! You might get a discount if you buy the constellation. I specifically said 'design', not 'own' for this very reason!

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Reman

Reman

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Just reviewing at work, so have to whisper.

I 'm happy the date is entered correctly.

Likewise from memory the N+W  cords were roughly 52'30 amd 1'20'25 so I could not? get thiose wrong way round

Im now thinking that teh idea of "HOME" is wrong.

I may be over simplifying and I'v not used any spirit level or played with the degree rings.

The scope "home, weighhts down and forwards pretty well pointing at Polaris as is the polar scope .

But I'm now thinking thats not correct?

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Reman

Reman

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Just to add to anyone reading/ helping. it is appreciated. :laugh:

Im no technophobe , give me a car/computer/washing machine and I'll fix it!

But I did not  know anything about the sky except for the Plough, for my entire life before having this thing to deal with!

And if anything I'm finding there is  too much information in too many places, but with a lot of assumed knowledge.

I think the issue is my joining these bits of infrmation together in this case

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Paul M

Paul M

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I'm no Synscan expert but never struggle to get good 3 star alignment.

I don't do all that home position stuff. OK for an observatory mounted scope but otherwise is just another step that can go wrong.

So here is what I do, assuming that your Lat/Lon and time are set correctly (I use the GPS mouse :) )

Polar align by just getting Polaris within the Position Angle Circle on the finder. (yeah, dog rough!)

Select 3 star align

Select a star that is visible from my location and then it slews somewhere, anywhere, Rarely near the target. But Synscan thinks that's where it's at so make it so!. Gently release the clutches and gently move the scope manually to get the target star in view. Nip the clutches up and use the slew keys to center the star in the eyepiece and ENTER.

For the second star select something quite away away from the first, and accept that. This time the slew should put the target in the field of view because now Synscan has some idea where it is. If required center it with the slew keys and ENTER.

The third alignments star should land just about right. Adjust if necessary and ENTER.

You should get an "alignment successful" message and off you go.

To me it looks like you are getting lost at the first step. If you didn't park the scope at "Home" last time you used it and it was correctly aligned at that time then home means nothing...

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Paul M

Paul M

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For a comprehensive set-up tutorial Dion's takes some beating ...  :smiley:

http://www.astronomyshed.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1893

That first video in particular is very good. But I suspect all that stuff with levels and setting circles might just see the OP quitting...

Whereas my own dog-rough method gets me GOTOing round the sky in 5 minutes. 

Now, if I was going to start imaging....

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Reman

Reman

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"Polar align by just getting Polaris within the Position Angle Circle on the finder. (yeah, dog rough!)

Select a star that is visible from my location and then it slews somewhere, anywhere, Rarely near the target. But Synscan thinks that's where it's at so make it so!. Gently release the clutches and gently move the scope manually to get the target star in view. Nip the clutches up and use the slew keys to center the star in the eyepiece and ENTER.!"

Yay I'm liking this approach. Very Engineering logic.

I 'd previously tried a version of it a few days ago. Basically with it all at the "start/home" position (which i may still be misundtrestanding) I told the GOTO to go view a particualr object. The Moon say.

Then once slewed to some randon point as it would seem, I then unlocked and moved the scope to point at the moon, hoping that it would be sorted now its got this bearing it would move to he next chosen object correctly, but sadly this did not seem to work. I'd hoped it would work in principle at least even aif a bit "rougfh" ut would at least clear my understanding!

I'll watch some more of the vids suggested when I'm home later and see if I get my eureka moment

Cheers all

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