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EQM-35 PRO SynScan alignment help required


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Help! I have a Skywatcher EQM-35 PRO GoTo mount for which I am unable to get the star alignment right, whether I use 1 star, 2 star, or 3 star alignment. I can get it polar aligned without any problem, but when it comes to star alignment it is way out. Choosing Sirius as the first star to align, the scope slews to the right general direction but about 20 deg. lower and slightly to the east of where it should be. The mount is perfectly level. I have checked, and double checked, all the settings, longitude and latitude ( N 50:41:46 W 3:13:53), Date in mm:dd:yr format, Time, Time Zone (0), Elevation (25m) and Daylight Saving Time (Yes). I am at a complete loss what to do next. I am getting close to chucking the lot into the sea!!! Before I do that anyone got any suggestions? 

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1 hour ago, David Millen said:

longitude and latitude ( N 50:41:46 W 3:13:53)

Hi David,

Problems like this are almost always settings errors, even though everybody double-checks them 😀

Lat & Long must be entered in degrees and minutes so you should have entered;       50:41 N    and    003:14 W

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I have the same mount and usually do 2 star alignment (for visual), and I have been using Sirius as my first alignment star also. I find it rarely slews to the right place during alignment, but once I correct it and then align it on a second star, the mount finds targets pretty well following alignment. I think it's normal for the mount to be slightly off when aligning?

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I have an AVX mount and my first star shot is always a fair distance out... I always have to do 3 calibration stars before I get successful alignment. I use a 32mm EP to capture the star at first, then fine tune to centre the alignment targets on a crosshair reticule (red light) A great buy by the way!!!

Don't throw your kit in the sea 🙂 I felt the same the other night, when nothing went right out there in the dark... but the next night it all went lovely and I remembered why this hobby is so great

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I too have this mount, I find it works well. Are you starting off from a "home"-style position? IE RA axis pointing at the Pole, and counterweight bar pointing straight down from that position, so the scope is "on top" but pointing at the pole? If so, the first slew should be in the vicinity.

The mistake I made on first getting it was doing the polar alignment according to how the reticle was positioned, and thinking that was Home Position and starting from there. Once you've done the alignment, do you then rotate around the RA to get the bar pointing down before starting alignment?

Cheers, Magnus

Edited by Captain Magenta
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10 minutes ago, David Millen said:

Yes. I rotate to get the reticule positioned correctly for polar aligning and then return to the home position once  I have polar aligned before switching on the SynScan controller.

If you are polar aligning prior to switching on the handset/controller, where are you getting the 'time' value that you set Polaris to on the polar scope graticule 'clock'? From a seperate app?

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Some tips I found useful when using the handset.

After the first night of successful alignment, always set your mount up in the same space. Mark places on your mount so everything is the same, everytime. Mark the floor where the feet go. I do this religiously and my mount is almost polar aligned with just a little tweaking needed.

There will always be some degree of inaccuracy for star alignment. Adjustments will have to be made. Even now I plate solve, I'm slightly off but plate solving does it all for me.

There's a useful app for Android phones if you have one called SynScanInit. Gives you all the correct info you need for the handset and the polar alignment position.

Check that the reticle in your polar scope is calibrated. Easy to do and can be done in the day time with a distant tv aerial or something static.

Don't give up. These things are frustrating and can change from one night to the next. Troubleshooting will become a regular occurrence as technology has a habit of being off sometimes.

👍

Edited by Jamgood
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On 08/04/2021 at 14:19, Seelive said:

If you are polar aligning prior to switching on the handset/controller, where are you getting the 'time' value that you set Polaris to on the polar scope graticule 'clock'? From a seperate app?

Yes. Polar Clock and Polar Alignment apps. Check both.

 

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Try restoring the handset to default settings. It “remembers” historical “PAE” settings which have thrown me before, until I erased them. But if your mount was obtained new and if you have never used PAE, that will be unlikely to be the cause.

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12 minutes ago, David Millen said:
8 minutes ago, Captain Magenta said:

Try restoring the handset to default settings. It “remembers” historical “PAE” settings which have thrown me before, until I erased them. But if your mount was obtained new and if you have never used PAE, that will be unlikely to be the cause.

 

I thought all existing PAE data were erased if you performed a new star alignment?

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10 minutes ago, Seelive said:

I thought all existing PAE data were erased if you performed a new star alignment?

I agree it certainly should do, but I vaguely recall reading somewhere that it didn't, and that those PAE settings can pollute things. I may well be wrong though, I can't recall where I picked that information up. Erasing the historical PAE data on its own (without restoring the whole handset) has worked for me in the past, but that may have been coincidence. (There is an item in the menu structure somewhere to erase histprical PAE settings). Worth a try anyway...

Edited by Captain Magenta
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