Celestron CGE Mount with Nexremote - Saving Alignment Model?

[SnakeyJ]

I've finally got my CGE permanently mounted in my observatory and am controlling it with Nexremote on my laptop.    I've got a pretty decent polar alignment and only need to refine for cone error if I swap out OTA's.

However, the nexremote is still forcing me to step through the alignment routine every time I start up - this is a right PITA with a small chip planetary camera and I have to resort to swapping the image train over for a reticule EP.     Having aligned and calibrated the mount is there really no way to save the alignment model?  It would seem to be a very basic requirement for any mount in this class.

I was told when I purchased the mount from @philj to avoid the mounts hibernate function, which is unreliable and can result in dangerous/damaging slews (no respect for limits).

 

 

[SnakeyJ]

Ok - sorry I think I have this but looks like I initially have to have the handcontroller connected to align - then transfer the alignment data.   Once this is stored in nexremote, it looks like I can remove the handcontroller and use the 'Last Align' function on the Nexremote.      Have to try this again tonight - at least the skies are forecast clear!

 

https://www.celestron.com/blogs/knowledgebase/why-does-the-nexremote-want-to-align-the-scope-on-startup-when-the-mount-is-already-aligned-with-the-real-hand-control

[philj]

Hi Jake

Only just seen this, not been on here for awhile. Glad you got the mount up and running. The quick answer but not the one you want to here is no.

Even though the mount was in the obs I never left a scope on it. I always took the scope off.

In the early days this was a pain because I had to do a calibration everytime but then I discovered 'Last Alignment' on the start up, this saves the alignment data from the last run and once the date and time have been confirmed thats it you are up and running.

However that doesnt help if your swapping scopes though in theory. But I got both my 127EDT and ED80 rigs set up on their rings and dovetails so there was little cone or misalignment error between them and OK on a small chip sometimes objects had to shifted a bit to centre them if I had swapped to the non mount calibrated scope but it wasnt too much of a problem. If I wanted dead accurate goto I would recalibrate.

 

 

[newbie alert]

I use a cgem and always use the hibernate function unless I run out of juice then I have to re staralign... I always use the park function first then hibernate..cant see how you can get dangerous slews?..so far I've not had any problems..if my focus star is out abit I just use the sync function..

[philj]

I couldnt agree more Newbie it shouldnt happen, Icouldnt see how one would get odd slews with hibernate either but it is quite common on the CGE. Cgems and the CGE Pro are newer technology/firmware, perhaps celestron addressed this in the newer mounts but I can assure you from 10 years of experience, parking and hibernating a CGE was not reliable, it doesnt happen every time but it happens, with the handset or nexremote.

Using Last Alignment was easier and far more relible plus you dont have to park the scope so the Hibernate peculiarity was never a problem.

 

I wouldnt go so far as to say they were dangerous slews, the scope would just end up pointing downwards sometimes after awakening. What I would do when it was obviously going to do its trick is just switch off. then restart and use Last Alignment, so I ended up using Last Alignment instead, simples, no problem or worries