EQ Mount advice

[Joef]

Tonight I had the first opportunity to get out with my new HEQ5 Pro mount and 200PDS. When you go from target to target the mount tracks fine, no problem there, but the way it moves, the eyepiece position obviously changes position, sometimes on the side, sometimes on the top, so the scope needs to be spun in its brackets, so you can look through the eyepiece comfortably. The questions are, is there a right or wrong way of doing this, if the RA or DEC moves, do you have to start from square one again, ie alignment, balancing etc. 

[ONIKKINEN]

I used to observe with my 8'' on an EQM-35, a very fiddly and weak mount that always lost alignment if i tried to spin the rings so i figured out some ways to make it (a bit) easier. I would figure out which part of the sky im going to observe in and roughly what orientation the tube would be in, then i would rotate the rings so that its the least inconvenient in all of the sky that i plan on observing at. Of course that means that the eyepiece is at an observable position only in about a third of the sky, but usually that was more than enough to have a look at different targets. Then i would return the axis manually to home position and do the go-to alignment from there. Now the eyepiece is probably in some almost unusable orientation but i only have to look through it a little bit to get the go-to alignment working. Finderscope was my friend here and sometimes i just used that for the alignment (if it was perfectly aligned, otherwise waste of time). I think its better to struggle looking through the eyepiece during alignment rather than during observation so this is the least worst option IMO.

Or you can try doing what you're already doing, rotating the scope in the rings but as you know its very easy to knock either axis off and its game over. I did both but often had to re do the go-to circus because rotating the scope in the rings is sure to shift something in the mount.

[wookie1965]

Get yourself these use the front of the trunking wrap it around the ota then make a jubilee clip up. 

Make two and put one on the outside of your rings. 

You can then leave your rings loose and rotate the ota so the focuser is in a better position by doing this the ota cannot slip out of the rings and keeps balance. 

Hope this helps 

[malc-c]

To elaborate a little on Wookies post . Here's a ring fitted to my 200P - just above the top mounting ring

[Joef]

10 hours ago, wookie1965 said:

Get yourself these use the front of the trunking wrap it around the ota then make a jubilee clip up. 

Make two and put one on the outside of your rings. 

You can then leave your rings loose and rotate the ota so the focuser is in a better position by doing this the ota cannot slip out of the rings and keeps balance. 

Hope this helps 

 

8 hours ago, malc-c said:

To elaborate a little on Wookies post . Here's a ring fitted to my 200P - just above the top mounting ring

I have these items on order now, should be a day or two. Thanks a lot. 

[Joef]

On 13/01/2023 at 22:20, wookie1965 said:

Get yourself these use the front of the trunking wrap it around the ota then make a jubilee clip up. 

Make two and put one on the outside of your rings. 

You can then leave your rings loose and rotate the ota so the focuser is in a better position by doing this the ota cannot slip out of the rings and keeps balance. 

Hope this helps 

 

On 14/01/2023 at 00:24, malc-c said:

To elaborate a little on Wookies post . Here's a ring fitted to my 200P - just above the top mounting ring

Just thought I’d let you know, the jubilee clip mod works a treat, Thanks for the advice. 

[wookie1965]

37 minutes ago, Joef said:

 

Just thought I’d let you know, the jubilee clip mod works a treat, Thanks for the advice. 

Brilliant glad I could help.