Home Position For EQ5 Deluxe?

[Ian McCallum]

Is the so-called home position on GEM, just for go-to types or computer controlled?🤔 After having my new EQ5 Deluxe mount for a little while, I'm still a little confused by some of the functions of it.  It's certainly more capable and more complicated that the old Meade EQ-1B that I used to use...🙄

[Cornelius Varley]

10 minutes ago, Ian McCallum said:

Is the so-called home position on GEM, just for go-to types or computer controlled?🤔 After having my new EQ5 Deluxe mount for a little while, I'm still a little confused by some of the functions of it.  It's certainly more capable and more complicated that the old Meade EQ-1B that I used to use...🙄

The "home position" is just for goto mounts. The mount needs to start from a known position to find the first alignment star.

[Ian McCallum]

9 minutes ago, Cornelius Varley said:

The "home position" is just for goto mounts. The mount needs to start from a known position to find the first alignment star.

Thanks, I thought it was, but just needed to double check.👍

[malc-c]

In the northern hemisphere the default home position for goto mounts is with the mount facing North with the RA axis centred on the North Celestial Pole, and with the weight bar pointing to the ground.   The DEC axis is parallel to the RA, so the scope is also pointing at the NCP. - Like this example taken from the net.

 

When you power on the mount the handset assumes that the mount is in this position, and will then use it as a basis for the first alignment point.

But with the hand controller you have, unless you are controlling the mount via a PC it's not really relevant

Edited December 22, 2021 by malc-c