NexStar GPS- Alingment

[Zakalwe]

Apologies if this sounds like a proper dumb-*** noob question....

In my nexstar 8GPS manual, it states "GPS Align must be used with the telescope mounted in altazimuth. With GPS Align mode, the NexStar automatically levels

the optical tube, its built-in electronic compass points the telescope in the direction of the northern horizon, while the GPS

receiver links with and acquires information from 3 of the orbiting GPS satellites. With this information, the built-in GPS

system calculates the scope’s location on Earth with an accuracy of a few meters and calculates universal time down to the

second. After quickly making all these calculations and automatically entering the information for you, the NexStar GPS

orients itself with the sky, slews to an alignment star and asks you to position the star in the center of the eyepiece."

Further on it states "To begin the GPS

alignment:

1. Power on the NexStar by flipping the switch located on the

bottom portion of the drive base, to the "on" position. Once

turned on the hand control display will say NexStar GPS.

Press ENTER to choose GPS Align or use the UP/Down

scroll keys (10) to select a different mode of alignment.

Pressing the ALIGN key will bypass the other alignment

options and the scrolling text and automatically begins GPS

Align.

2. Once GPS Align has been selected, the telescope will begin

to move to its north and level position. While the NexStar is

positioning itself, the GPS receiver automatically begins to

establish a link with the GPS satellites orbiting the Earth.

The hand control screen will display the message GPS

Linking to"

Now, when I power up the scope, and press Align on the handcontroller, it says "GPS Linking". it then goes "GPS Linked" and asks to confirm the downloaded time and position. It then asks for an alignment method. I normally select "SkyAlign", and manually slew the 'scope to 3 stars. The scope seems to track OK-ish (during a session I will normally replace the earlier aligned stars with new objects as I increase the EP magnification.

The questions is that my scope never makes any movement after linking. Nor does it find level or slew to the northern horizon. It doesn't slew to an alignment star...I have to do that. Why is that, and am I doing something incorrectly?

I have upgraded both the hand controller and base with the latest firmware, BTW.

<edit to add> Even if I press Align to automatically select the GPS Align, it still asks me to slew to and centre 3 stars. Any ideas why it is not automatically slewing to an alignment star?

[Helen]

Hi there,

What has happened is that by upgrading the hand controller you have lost the GPS Align option (if I remember correctly, the GPS option had to be removed from later software versions as a result of a court case between Celestron and Meade about copyright/patent infringement).

I think you might find the 2 or 3 star alignment more accurate than sky align.

This site http://www.nexstarsite.com/ is a mine of information and includes details of what was added/removed at each software change. I'm pretty sure you could go back to an earlier software version which includes GPS Align if you wanted. I must admit I loved the GPS align when I had the scope you have, and my nephews thought it was cool that it did it all itself!

Hope this helps

Helen

[Demonperformer]

Probably a stupid question, but is "GPS align" different from "Sky align" - so by selecting sky align you are overriding the automatic function?

Either way, if what you are doing works, I wouldn't worry too much about it, just enjoy the results.

EDIT: must learn to type faster ... ignore me, Helen is much more knowledgeable than me.

[Zakalwe]

Ahh...I had forgotten about the Meade/Celestron thing, so that could be it. Many thanks.

[Zakalwe]

Found it on the Nexstar site (thanks Helen)

"With hand control version 2.3 (first shipped with the NexStar 8i SE) and higher, Quick Align, GPS Align and Auto Align are no longer available."

[Helen]

I'm glad you're sorted out - that's a great scope!

Helen

[Zakalwe]

Thanks Helen.

Yes I am enjoying the 'scope (when the blooming clouds clear...). I've got a shedload to learn about imaging and stargazing, but at the moment I am enjoying just looking upwards through it!