Celestron CG5 + Polar Scope help

[stargazermanc]

Hello, after a few years out of the hobby due to work and health issues, I am trying to get back into it but I am having some issues with polar alignment, I don't know if I am doing something wrong but would appreciate some advice.

I set the mount up to point north and can see polaris through the open hole, but when I try through the polar scope then I cant see it despite making fine tuning to the longitude / latitude screws not to mention that everything seems duller through the polar scope.

I also find that I have to contort my neck to look through the polar scope due to the leg of the tripod, does anyone else have this problem?

[newbie alert]

Are you rotating the counter weight bar out of the way fully?

I'm not the best person to ask as I've never owned a polar scope

[Cosmic Geoff]

Are you using the mount for astrophography? If not, you don't need to bother with any of this. Just aim it so that you can see Polaris through the hole and it will be close enough for visual. Make sure you turn the saddle so that the hole is not blocked.

I have heard of polarscopes used with a diagonal - seems a very sensible idea.

[Stu]

1 hour ago, stargazermanc said:

I also find that I have to contort my neck to look through the polar scope due to the leg of the tripod, does anyone else have this problem?

If you have the north leg facing north then the other two legs should be out of the way to make life a little easier?

As Geoff says, for visual just a rough alignment is all you need, otherwise I think you may be able to attach a webcam to the polarscope to avoid all the bending?

[stargazermanc]

Visual at first as I need to get back into it before attempting photography.

How would I attach a webcam to the polarscope?

[Grierson]

Have a look at one of Dion's excellent videos here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L6IvfievRE&t=71s

Although this is now some years old and I believe Dion has given up you may find this one and others from Astonomyshed very helpful as I did.

In addition, when I started out as a complete novice a couple of years ago, one forum member kindly responded to a similar question I posed, 'how do you look through the polar 'scope without breaking your back'. His solution was to buy a cheap angle finder from e-bay. Buy a plastic plumbing 'stop end' from B&Q, cut a suitable hole in it and araldite the two together. The 'stop end' I bought was sized to fit over my EQ5 polar 'scope eyepiece and was a snug fit. My version is shown below and t served me very well until I finally opted for the PoleMaster.     

 

[stargazermanc]

Thank you, that video is exactly what I need, however, I cant find a Phillips SPC900nc anywhere, can anyone recommend something similar?

[Donkeiller]

Had a GC5 for 2 years now, used it about 5x with little success. I have given up on it.

Totally frustrating piece of kit- but no different from any other EQ Mount.

A device designed by the Devil.

[RobertI]

Not sure what you mean when you say you look through the open hole? Is this before you have screwed the polar scope into place? 

The main reasons you will not be able to see anything that spring to mind are: out of focus (can you see any stars through it?) or the alt axis not at the correct angle and obscuring the aperture. 

With the tripod leg pointing north things are a lot easier as you can sit between the other two legs. I generally sit on a low stool to look into the polarscope and it takes a couple of minutes to align. I have thought about a right angled viewer but you lose the ability to sight along the polar axis with the other eye open. I have also thought about cameras, but when you get the hang of it, it’s so quick it’s just not worth it IMO, especially for visual. 

[stargazermanc]

On 06/01/2018 at 19:12, RobertI said:

Not sure what you mean when you say you look through the open hole? Is this before you have screwed the polar scope into place? 

The main reasons you will not be able to see anything that spring to mind are: out of focus (can you see any stars through it?) or the alt axis not at the correct angle and obscuring the aperture. 

With the tripod leg pointing north things are a lot easier as you can sit between the other two legs. I generally sit on a low stool to look into the polarscope and it takes a couple of minutes to align. I have thought about a right angled viewer but you lose the ability to sight along the polar axis with the other eye open. I have also thought about cameras, but when you get the hang of it, it’s so quick it’s just not worth it IMO, especially for visual. 

What I mean by open hole is without the polar scope inserted and the mount turned, I can see Polaris, one thing I did realise is that my mount was on the wrong way round so the tripod leg which should be facing north was actually facing south and was causing obstruction. However in the end I have opted for a polemaster as I like the idea of being able to look at a screen whilst making the adjustments.