HEQ5 latitude adjustment - help!

[Beardy Bob]

OK, so here's the deal. I've RA balanced my nice new HEQ5 then move onto the DEC balancing, "adjust the latitude to between 60 and 75 degress if possible", says the instruction booklet. So I start to turn the latitude adjustment bolt.... 35 degrees....40 degrees......oh!

Basically, It reaches just short of 50 degrees then won't turn any more because the big lumpy thing around the setting circle is in the way. That's no use at all! My latitude is around 55 degrees for starters. Am I being really stupid here or what!?

[RobertCL]

Yep, it's a bit naff like that. Unscrew the polar scope cover (the "big lumpy thing") and you might be able to continue to 55 degrees.

[Beardy Bob]

Really!? I'm expected to take something apart just to adjust the latitude? Is this normal?

I was kind of hoping that I'd been supplied with the wrong type of adjustment bolt or something.

[Merlin66]

Well, removing the cover does make it easier.

An alternative is to hold the weight of the head in one hand and manipulate the drop down lever on the adjusting screw to let it pass the cover as you turn the screw........

BTW if your latitude is 55 degrees you don't have to go beyond this to do the balancing etc.

[Ford Prefect]

Hi you should be able to flip the silver handle down and keep turning it in half rotations, also make sure the opposite bolt is slack.

You may also want to consider changing the latitude bolts as the ones supplied with the mount can be a bit bendy

Astrodevelopments HEQ5 Replacement Altitude Adjustment Bolts

Mounting accessories from Ian King Imaging

hope that helps

Jon

[Beardy Bob]

Hi you should be able to flip the silver handle down and keep turning it in half rotations, also make sure the opposite bolt is slack.

Erm, yeah. That's a non-starter. If the head of the bolt slid down instead of flipped then it would be fine to do that, but the flipping action takes it right across the obstruction! That's why I thought that maybe I had been supplied with the wrong adjustment bolt. I've asked my supplier and am awaiting a response.

An alternative is to hold the weight of the head in one hand and manipulate the drop down lever on the adjusting screw to let it pass the cover as you turn the screw........

That's what I used to do to remove the friction and adjust my EQ2 quickly. Unfortunately, in this case, the bolt is actually acting to pivot the head back, so it can't be done like that.

Is this problem normal with an HEQ5? If so, surely there must be a stock answer. If not, then I definitely have a dodgy part somewhere.

[Merlin66]

Yes, all the HEQ5pro mounts are like this...temporarily removing the cover form the polar scope is usually the solution!!!

[barkis]

I bought the Upgrade bolts for my EQ6, but with hindsight, I would reckon a High tensile Bolt would have sufficed, and made any adjustments with a Ratchet Ring Spanner. The tip of the bolt would need radiused though, but a simple enough task really on a decent grindstone, and a thread cleanup afterwards.

Ron.

[Parallax]

As Merlin has said, remove the polar scope holder, adjust the alt then replace the cover. As long as you dont move location drastically (N or S), then this is a one time operation.

Steve

[TheThing]

Have you checked it against, for example, Polaris first? The scales on the latitude are notorious for being a little inaccurate!

[Beardy Bob]

Panic over, thanks everyone. I hadn't reached the section in the mount instructions on polar scope adjustment so I wasn't aware that the massive bulky part even contained the polar scope! I unscrewed it and it limped to about 55 degrees using half turns. I wouldn't want to live much further north though!

I'm having trouble figuring out what the RA locking screw actually locks and unlocks with regards to aligning the polar scope now so I'll have a proper go at it all and check online before I ask any other questions!

Thanks for the help everyone.

[Beyond_Vision]

You have to unscrew the polar scope cover. This would need to be removed to look through the polar scope anyway. Also when turning the adjuster dont turn it all the way clockwise to the point of fouling the mount before flipping the tab on the end of the screw. I.E. rotate the bolt not more than 270degrees beofre flipping the tab. All HEQ5's are like this so there is nothing wrong with your mount.

I would also recommend getting the adjusters mentioned previously from AStro Developments

Regards

Kevin