Balancing a Newtonian in Declination

[whooshbang]

Okay, so i now have a lovely EQ6 mount and SW 200P OTA courtesy of FLO (thanks FLO she's a beaut) and have perfect balance in RA axis, i can swing about the RA axis and it remains perfectly still no matter where i leave it, thanks to the counter weights. However, in DEC i can not achieve this - around the axis - balance due to my chosen(most comfortable) position of the focuser assembly and finder scope on the outer OTA. I can only get balanced in DEC when OTA is parallel to ground or if i loosen the tube rings and rotate the OTA so the focuser and finder are positioned directly on top of the OTA.

If i want my focuser positioned on the side of the OTA for easier viewing do i need weights for countering the weight of the focuser, finder, eyepieces, cameras etc?

I hope that kinda makes? and I'm not wasting everyone's time with a stupid question.

Thanks

Dave

[Freff]

What I do is load all the accessories onto the OTA that I'm going to use on that nights session. I then balance the RA first then DEC. I will usually have to move the OTA within the tube rings to get the right balance. I normally use masking tape to mark regular positions on the OTA.

If I change the viewing area I will also have to rotate the OTA in the rings to get a comfortable position to the EP.

Tony

[Astro_Baby]

In practice its almost impssible to get complete balance in dec as the focuser sits to one side and as the eyepieces change over the course of viewibg wtge balance will be thrwon out. I balance with the mid weight eyepiece and let it go at that.

In the old days newts had counterweights for this bit i have never seen a modern newt with them. The dec balance is less critical in the main and mine is seldom perfecgly balanced whatever i do, in any event one change of eyepiecs will put the balance out and short of rebwlanCing fir every eyeoeiece change, which would requre realignment on goto thers not really a solution.

[ollypenrice]

I can't see the imbalance you describe as being of the slightest importance for visual observing. It is in imaging, where you are striving for sub pixel tracking accuracy, that balance is hypercritical.

Olly

[whooshbang]

Thanks Astrobaby and thanks Olly! That's cleared it up nicely. Got some serious reading to do before the imaging starts though *reaches for a copy of 'making every photon count'*

Also, looking at it, i can only feel the unbalance when OTA is pointed at polaris or directly at the ground and don't plan on doing much observing around those areas.... feels well balanced in the areas most commonly used.

Again, thanks for the advice, these EQ mounts take a bit more setting up than the alt-az and its my first GEM.... the learning process continues!