HHHHEEEELLLLPPPPP!!!!! Newbie

[Space_Trucker]

HHHEEEEELLLLPPPP!!!

Hello all, I'm a newbie and need some advice! I have just purchased a polar axis finder for the CG-5 mount and appear to have a small problem in that it does not fit inside the polar scope holder. The finder is fitted with its own date circle/meridian offset, so i'm assuming that the polar scope holder and date circle needs to come off the mount?? and then the finder just screws in ??

PLEASE SOMEONE HELP!!!

i'm quite heavy handed you see and dont want to force anything and break something!!

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY HELP!

[glowjet]

If the polar scope you have purchased is for the CG-5 mount, you should find that the one your mount came with will unscrew to allow you to fit your new polar scope,

remember lefty loosy, righty tighty, sounds a bit daft but some people forget.

John.

[russ]

Do you mind me asking which polar scope you purchased? Only the Skywatcher/Celestron polar scope just looks like a black tube with a rubber eyecup. This just slots up into the mount and held in place by those 3 screws. The 3 screws are used to align the polar scope.

There's another polar scope available which has the settings circles attached to the polar scope. I'm think these maybe for the Phenix clone version of the EQ5???? Not sure the setting circle on the EQ5 is meant to come off.

Russ

[yesyes]

If you have a few days, I might be able to help. I have the same mount and just received my polar scope from FLO yesterday. I haven't tried mounting it yet but will try this week. The polar scope didn't come with any instructions. So I'm hoping the manual for the mount will have some info..

If you find out in the meantime, please post here...

[glowjet]

I think the plain tube type with rubber eye cup fits into the CG-5 mount and is adjustable for centering with the three finger screws, the other, with date time scale attached, should also fit, but the plain tube holder will have to be unscrewed from the mount body first. Once this is done you can look forward to centering the scope and setting it for polar alignment, you can read your instructions, but I would suggest an alternative, have a look at Astro Baby`s web site she has put all this into plain English, for those who have struggled in the past with this problem.

John.

[yesyes]

I bought the CG5 version of this one:

Celestron - Celestron Polar Axis Scope

So you're saying I need to remove some holder from the mount first?

I haven't tried this yet but will do this weekend at the latest.

[Space_Trucker]

Do you mind me asking which polar scope you purchased? Only the Skywatcher/Celestron polar scope just looks like a black tube with a rubber eyecup. This just slots up into the mount and held in place by those 3 screws. The 3 screws are used to align the polar scope.

There's another polar scope available which has the settings circles attached to the polar scope. I'm think these maybe for the Phenix clone version of the EQ5???? Not sure the setting circle on the EQ5 is meant to come off.

Russ

Its Definately the "Celestron Polar Axis Finder" for the CG5 mount from FLO!!

[yesyes]

The one I liked to above?

If yes, I'll try mine this weekend at the latest and let you know.

But I think what glowjet said above sounds reasonable. You might need to remove something off the mount first to make room for the polar scope. On the FLO website I got the impression that these are original Celestron polar scopes. So I'm sure they must fit somehow... ;-)

I'll report back as soon as I've tried mine.

I haven't checked the manual for the mount yet either. But I'll definitely do that before moaning to FLO that there were no instructions with the polar scope...

[Space_Trucker]

If you have a few days, I might be able to help. I have the same mount and just received my polar scope from FLO yesterday. I haven't tried mounting it yet but will try this week. The polar scope didn't come with any instructions. So I'm hoping the manual for the mount will have some info..

If you find out in the meantime, please post here...

:icon_salut:Thanks, much appreciated... I will wait to see how you get on although there is the distinct possibility that FLO may have sent me the wrong polarscope ( I've sent an e-mail to them to find out).

CHEERS

[Space_Trucker]

I think the plain tube type with rubber eye cup fits into the CG-5 mount and is adjustable for centering with the three finger screws, the other, with date time scale attached, should also fit, but the plain tube holder will have to be unscrewed from the mount body first. Once this is done you can look forward to centering the scope and setting it for polar alignment, you can read your instructions, but I would suggest an alternative, have a look at Astro Baby`s web site she has put all this into plain English, for those who have struggled in the past with this problem.

John.

Thanks....... Can you send me the link to that website or will i find it in SGL?

[ashenlight]

here you are

Astro-Baby Astronomy Website

[Space_Trucker]

Thanks!!!!!!

[Space_Trucker]

If you have a few days, I might be able to help. I have the same mount and just received my polar scope from FLO yesterday. I haven't tried mounting it yet but will try this week. The polar scope didn't come with any instructions. So I'm hoping the manual for the mount will have some info..

If you find out in the meantime, please post here...

Ive just had contact from FLO regarding the polarscope and it appears that you DO have to unscrew the polar holder (the one with the 3 screws) off the back of the mount in order to fit the new polarscope!! They also apologised(ish) for the lack of instructions.

RESULT:hello2: Just got to go and try this now!!

[yesyes]

great, thanks for the update. let us know how it works out...

[Space_Trucker]

I think the plain tube type with rubber eye cup fits into the CG-5 mount and is adjustable for centering with the three finger screws, the other, with date time scale attached, should also fit, but the plain tube holder will have to be unscrewed from the mount body first. Once this is done you can look forward to centering the scope and setting it for polar alignment, you can read your instructions, but I would suggest an alternative, have a look at Astro Baby`s web site she has put all this into plain English, for those who have struggled in the past with this problem.

John.

Thanks for the advice....... it turns out that the polar holder with the date circle etc unscrews off the housing and the new polarscope with date circle just screws right back in!! got the answer from FLO. I bookmarked the website you told me about...thanks! Its all done now and im very happy.... next purchase: dew shield / heater then i'm away!!

[russ]

Excellent stuff indeed, always great news when a problem is solved.

Russ

[glowjet]

Glad to hear you have sorted things out.

John.

[yesyes]

Thanks for letting us know. Now I'm confident that i will be able to install my polar scope as well .. ;-)

[yesyes]

OK, I just installed my polar scope. I successfully removed the holder that came with the mount and screwed in the new polar scope. So far so good.

But how do I use it? When I look through the polar scope I see cross hairs and a little circle where, I guess, Polaris will have to be in (slightly off the celestial pole). I also see constellations around the cross hair. I assume the polar scope has to be rotated so that the constellations in the scope match the direction of the constellations on the sky.

However, I don't see a way to rotate the polar scope other than unscrewing it until the direction matches the sky. Is that the way to do it?

Also, at the end of the polar scope that goes into the mount I seem to be able to adjust the "length" of the scope. Part of it can be screwed in and out and fixed with a nut. What is that for? If I need to adjust something here I hope I only have to do this once as I had planned to leave the polar scope installed in the mount.

I checked the manual for the mount in the meantime but that does not have any instructions for installing and using the polar scope. It only mentions that a polar scope is available as an optional accessory.

[Astro_Baby]

You rotate the scope by rotating the mount through its RA axis. Take a look at my guide here Astro Babys HEQ5 Polar Alignment and it may give you some pointers.

This guide is really for the HEQ5 but all polarscopes are broadly similar. Skip the first part about fine tuning the reticule.

[Cornelius Varley]

But how do I use it? When I look through the polar scope I see cross hairs and a little circle where, I guess, Polaris will have to be in (slightly off the celestial pole). I also see constellations around the cross hair. I assume the polar scope has to be rotated so that the constellations in the scope match the direction of the constellations on the sky.

Rotate the mount on the RA axis untill the constellations appear in the finder as they do in the sky.

Also, at the end of the polar scope that goes into the mount I seem to be able to adjust the "length" of the scope. Part of it can be screwed in and out and fixed with a nut. What is that for? If I need to adjust something here I hope I only have to do this once as I had planned to leave the polar scope installed in the mount.

I think this is probably to be able to focus the finder. They changed the design recently so I can't be sure. Check the OVL and Skywatchertelescope sites for manuals on setting up and using the pole finder.

Peter

[Astro_Baby]

Take a look here as well - its a PDF for the Skymax 127 /EQ5 mount - the mount is almost identical to yours. The nut I expext is actually a focuser for the polarscope. The SKy-Watchers ones usueally have three lock screws intead.

Anyway take a look at this and it may help.

http://content.telescope.com/rsc/img/catalog/product/instructions/IN_215_SVPro127_RevB.pdf

[yesyes]

Thanks a lot for the replies.

Of course... Moving the RA axis will rotate the polar scope... *facepalm* Why didn't I think of that?

Astro_Baby this an excellent guide to polar alignment on your website. Explains it all...

I'll give that a try later today. And it looks like clear skies tonight, so I might be able to try it on polaris as well ..

[Astro_Baby]

DOH ! moment there - dont worry honey - polar alignment does most peoples heads in at first. I know I nased my head against the mount at times and just wished I had taken up knitting but once the light goes on you wonder why it ever seemed tough to do.

Its one of those funnly old things that seems at right angles to logic at first.

[smutly]

Hi

Sorry to hijack this thread but i have also just got a polar scope Sky Watcher Sky Watcher polar alignment scope for EQ3 and EQ5 for my eq3-2.

I have unscrewed the original 3 thumb screw and date circle from the mount but the polar scope will not slide into the inner sleeve/tube. Would this have to be removed? and if so how?

Here is some pics

Thanks