Sense of scale

[Llamanaut]

Does anyone have any useful methods for working out a particular scopes manual tracking rate? Im having a bit of trouble tracking down targets, seems im overshooting by miles. I was thinking of measuring the distance between two known stars and working out how many turns of the fine adjust knob it took me... anyone got an easier method (and dont say buy goto)

[Psychobilly]

Couldn't you use the setting circles and see hown may revs of the slow mo knob are needed to move through 1 hour on the RA scale which would be 15 degrees.. dec scale would read directly...

Peter...

[Llamanaut]

i could if i wasnt using a rubbish wooden tripod... have to wait till wednesday for my new scope so in meantime im lumbered with no setting circles

[Psychobilly]

What mount have you got at the moment then?

Seeing as you dont have setting circles then you counting the turns between stars would work... just need to do the maths based on their relative RA's and Decs...

[Llamanaut]

lol... at the moment ive got a basic wooden mount with limited fine adjust controls... now you can see how hard ive worked to find the messiers ive found... roll on wdnesday when i take receipt of my new skyliner 300 dob!

[Psychobilly]

Cant fault it lets hope you get some decent skies for that 300..

Peter...

[Moonshane]

lol... at the moment ive got a basic wooden mount with limited fine adjust controls... now you can see how hard ive worked to find the messiers ive found... roll on wdnesday when i take receipt of my new skyliner 300 dob!

true but don't forget that the dob is of course completely manual (unless you have the auto version?).

that said, I find them so much easier to use than an EQ mounted scope.

[Llamanaut]

ive kinda gotten used to finding things myself, for me its the enjoyment of the chase... just wondered if there was a way to measure self alignment or is it just a case of manual fine adjusting?