EQ3-2 GoTo First Run

[Woolnut]

Hey SGL  

So i have just tried my GoTo system for the first time and whilst the scope is idle (motors not slewing) there is a sort of pulsy noise coming from the motor? Is this normal?

Further investigation has indicated that this may be a normal noise, i have had a couple of times now where the motors decided to stop responding but i think this is due to the fact my 'scope has not got the slightest idea where it is! (trying to learn how to polar align is harder than anticipated!) I have read through the instructions and looked at a lot of posts about GoTo and it seems it is a fairly common issue when first starting out...

 

[ronin]

They should always be driving the mount, they default to sidereal tracking rate. So the RA motor is in effect constantly running. I would expoect that this is what you are hearing.

My little Meade sort of grumbles all the time (Alt/Az), and one EQ mount had the nickname "The coffee grinder" owing to the "normal" (if somewhat painful) noise it made.

Main thing to remember about polar aligning - assuming equitorial here - is that the scope is irrelevant. You are polar aligning the mount which has nothing to do with the scope. Don't use the scope for polar aligning.

Easy if you are doing visual only is level mount, set latitude to about 51 degrees, maybe 52, rotate mout head to get polaris in the polar scope and then simply put polaris in the center. You will not be more the 1 degree out and the goto should be able to compensate for that. If you go to AP then learn how to do it with more precision as it will then be essential.

Also as I see it questioned occasionally - a goto goes to an object, tracking is simply the RA motor driving things round and is sort of a dumb action. So yes now a simple polaris in the center will get you going but more accurate polar alignment means better tracking and so objec in view longer.