Help With EQ2 Mount and R.A setting circle

[OptimusPrimeval]

I am not sure if the R.A. setting circle on my new Skywatcher 130p EQ2 mount is working as it should!!

To be honest it looks a little warped. There is a pointer on it that obviously points to the R.A readings. The thing is when I do the slow motion controls on the RA, the pointer moves round with the circle, so that for example if I had originally set it at 18h52, when i twist the slow motion controls the entire RA wheel spins but the pointer goes with it so that no matter how long I twist it for it always ends up reading 18h52 if you see what I mean??

I would have presumed that the pointer was supposed to stay stationary and that the RA wheel is supposed to move so that you can locate objects in the sky once you have polar aligned etc??

As you all know I am a total newb, so please be gentle.

[Bizibilder]

Honest answer - setting circles as supplied are "below par" (can't use naughty language on the forum!!)

They tend to be weak and flimsy - on my EQ1 & 5 they certainly are! AND are "stuck" to just about everything with "Chinese grease" - the stickiest stuff known to man!! The result is they do their own thing!!

I started out in the 70's using circles to find things - so I was quite concerned to find just how useless modern ones are!! I assume the reason is so that when you finally get fed up you will go out and buy a nice expensive goto!!

I'm not sure what the solution is - there are threads that show how to "service" your mount - they may help.

Rant over!!

[OptimusPrimeval]

Honest answer - setting circles as supplied are "below par" (can't use naughty language on the forum!!)

They tend to be weak and flimsy - on my EQ1 & 5 they certainly are! AND are "stuck" to just about everything with "Chinese grease" - the stickiest stuff known to man!! The result is they do their own thing!!

I started out in the 70's using circles to find things - so I was quite concerned to find just how useless modern ones are!! I assume the reason is so that when you finally get fed up you will go out and buy a nice expensive goto!!

I'm not sure what the solution is - there are threads that show how to "service" your mount - they may help.

Rant over!!

Lol, I certainly know what you mean by chinese grease!!! Well it looks like I shall be learning the skies by the dark art of star hopping, just gotta buy myself a star atlas now!!

Back on topic, so honestly speaking those setting circles really aren't all they are cracked up to be then?

[Bizibilder]

Really, No!

If you think about it - on the EQ5 they are either side of 60mm in diameter (one a bit more, one a bit less!!!!! I just measured them!) so a circumference of about 3x60=180mm (taking Pi as three as done in schools these days!!!) gives you about 1mm=2deg. This you are supposed to read in the dark with your body contorted to even see the darn things! I think not. They even have a "vernier" scale CAST onto the body of the mount - laugh - I nearly fell off my chair!!

On the EQ1 (which came with my SW80mm guide scope) the circles are 60mm and 35mm - even worse.

In the "good old days" of the 60's and before it was always suggested that the minimum diameter for circles was 6" (150mm) and 10" or 12" was even better! but you were warned that these were only suitable for "rough finding " objects.

As to star atlases - save your pennies!! - there are several exellent ones on the web:

http://www.uv.es/jrtorres/index.html This has three called A, B & C - A is basic 21 sheets of A4 for the whole sky, B has 103 sheets and is really useful for finding stuff and C which is 566 sheets and has far more on it than any amateur could ever need!

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~zs3t-tk/index.htm Taki's atlas to mag 8.5 again on A4.

Plus the downloadable "Stellarium" and "Cartes du Ciel" which is linked to the "Virtual Moon Atlas".

Hope this helps.

[OptimusPrimeval]

Really, No!

If you think about it - on the EQ5 they are either side of 60mm in diameter (one a bit more, one a bit less!!!!! I just measured them!) so a circumference of about 3x60=180mm (taking Pi as three as done in schools these days!!!) gives you about 1mm=2deg. This you are supposed to read in the dark with your body contorted to even see the darn things! I think not. They even have a "vernier" scale CAST onto the body of the mount - laugh - I nearly fell off my chair!!

On the EQ1 (which came with my SW80mm guide scope) the circles are 60mm and 35mm - even worse.

In the "good old days" of the 60's and before it was always suggested that the minimum diameter for circles was 6" (150mm) and 10" or 12" was even better! but you were warned that these were only suitable for "rough finding " objects.

As to star atlases - save your pennies!! - there are several exellent ones on the web:

JR's website on Deep Sky Astronomy This has three called A, B & C - A is basic 21 sheets of A4 for the whole sky, B has 103 sheets and is really useful for finding stuff and C which is 566 sheets and has far more on it than any amateur could ever need!

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~zs3t-tk/index.htm Taki's atlas to mag 8.5 again on A4.

Plus the downloadable "Stellarium" and "Cartes du Ciel" which is linked to the "Virtual Moon Atlas".

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the links, they will come in most useful!

[keenrw]

I am not sure if the R.A. setting circle on my new Skywatcher 130p EQ2 mount is working as it should!!

To be honest it looks a little warped. There is a pointer on it that obviously points to the R.A readings. The thing is when I do the slow motion controls on the RA, the pointer moves round with the circle, so that for example if I had originally set it at 18h52, when i twist the slow motion controls the entire RA wheel spins but the pointer goes with it so that no matter how long I twist it for it always ends up reading 18h52 if you see what I mean??

I would have presumed that the pointer was supposed to stay stationary and that the RA wheel is supposed to move so that you can locate objects in the sky once you have polar aligned etc??

As you all know I am a total newb, so please be gentle.

Hi

I have the same on my new evo 90 ... i ignore the silver pointer on the RA as it spins with the dail and i use the little arrow/line inbetween the R and A at the top in white .

Rich