Alignment in Skywatcher Synscan app

[BrendanC]

I've just started using the Skywatcher Synscan app for Android, connected via wired USB/RS232 to a Skywatcher AZ GOTO mount. It works really well, but I don't understand how its alignment function works.

With the handheld controller, I would select, say, two-star alignment, and it would tell me to slew to a star, and then to confirm when it was in the centre of the view. However, with the app, if I select a star and select Begin Alignment, it starts slewing, and then asks me to centre the star in the view! This is the wrong way round! 

In the help it says that Alt-Az mounts have a default start position of 0-0. Is this why this might be happening? It seems counterintuitive, I thought the whole point of AZ mounts was that they're easy to set up and don't need any initial alignment for the mount, just aligning to stars. 

It's actually a bit dangerous. It started slewing to crazy angles, and I just don't understand why the app would make any prior assumption about the orientation of the mount before I start alignment.

Is there any way to override this, or basically just make the alignment function work the same way in the app, as it does in the handheld controller? Any ideas?

Thanks, Brendan

Edited December 22, 2019 by BrendanC

[michael8554]

I don't have any Skywatcher kit, but it would seem there are two ways to crack the same nut. 

1. With the mount pointing anywhere, you move to a star with the hand controller, and tell the mount that the star is centred. 

The mount now has a correct starting point for finding the second star. 

2. You set the mount to a zero position. The mount now has a correct starting point for finding the first star, so autoslews to where it thinks it is. 

You centre it with the hand controller, and move on to the second star. 

If you haven't set it to the Zero Position then yes, the mount could slew to a dangerous position. 

Michael 

[BrendanC]

They are indeed the two ways to do it.

Problem is, the hand controller did number 1 above. The app seems to do number 2, which both surprised and delighted me no end.

I've since found an info feature in the app that tells me the AZ coordinates when I plug the mount in, and it does indeed say zero for both values, ie the scope level, and pointing north. So, that's how I need to align it before starting in future.

It's a bit daft, I just do not understand why they would change the alignment method in the app, and not even explain this. Oh well. I think I've sorted it, I just need to make sure it's set up properly when using the app.

Thanks for the response.

[BrendanC]

Ah, now I understand. It was only doing that for one star alignment, obviously (now)  because one star still needs another reference point. Two and three star alignments behave as expected. 

[cletrac1922]

Brendan

I have been frustrated with the SynScan App since brought the WiFi adapter 12 months ago

Been southern hemisphere everything is round the other way

I use a compass the align the mount, and the north leg has to be facing south, and allowing 12 deg east magnetic variation

When do two alignment, I select Sirius and then Canopus when using the SynScan hand controller select save once aligned

With the SynScan App, I select Sirius as my first star, and mount skews close to it, then us up/down, left/right buttons to center

This is where my problem is

The instructions is up and right to save, I do not get confirmation been saved

When do second star alignment, the App selects a lists of stars which it thinks you can observe, half the time not been able to identify the star the App wants, and not able to select the one I want, visible

Have you had any success using the SynScan App saving your two star alignment and star of your choosing for the second star

I also use the App, for my SolarMax 11, on my EQ5pro mount, and when select solar, gives an equation to solve, and type in the answer

Example  123 + 456 = 

John