KnightDiver
member
Reged: 03/21/08
Posts: 23
Loc: SE Michigan
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Hello,
I just bought a used LX200 classic from a buddy and set it up for the first time last night. I have some experience with an 8" version, but this is larger. Same firmware in both. 3.41 I think it is. 3.21 in the pendant.
Last night, using my "new" one in alt-az mode, I aligned it with one star. It didn't seem to find things correctly. Then I realized I had put the local time in wrong. Seems I can't add 12 correctly. Anyway, fixed that and did the 1-star alignment again.
It tracked and found objects very accurately. After about an hour, I guess, it seemed to be misaligned. It would not slew to the objects correctly. Seemed to be off by maybe the width of the moon.
So I aligned it again. This time I used the 2-star method. And for another hour or so it tracked perfectly and zeroed right in on several M-objects. Then, after letting it track on a double star for about 20 minutes, it seemed to get off alignment again.
What puzzles me about this is that it seemed to be spot on right after aligning it. But then it would go out of alignment by enough to make it impossible to find things from the catalog.
I'm wondering what advice you more-experienced guys can offer. Does this sound like something easy to fix like dirty encoders?
Thanks for your help.
Dave
Edited by KnightDiver (06/30/08 08:35 AM)
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southmike
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/22/04
Posts: 2817
Loc: Fayetteville, NC
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first make sure tripod is level before you mount the scope.
two star alignments are better ..even if they are closer.
also make sure you are in the right mode..ie ie polar or az.
make sure date , and location are right
google a gps location to make sure they are right.
also check for daylight savings time etc..
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group scope pic
my refractors
LX200 10"-St120
LX200 8" f6.3-Orion 80ed
LX200 8" f10-Orion 90 Mak setup pic
Meade 102ED LXD650
Sky Watcher 100 ED Triplet prototype
Nexstar 5
etx125
etx70's
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Spoonsize
Vendor/Clothing
Reged: 08/27/04
Posts: 1905
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You could check to make sure FREQ is set to 60.1
--------------------
Steve Durham
www.margesmonograms.com
(Marge made me do it)
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KnightDiver
member
Reged: 03/21/08
Posts: 23
Loc: SE Michigan
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Thank you, both, Southmike and Spoonsize, for your suggestions. I used a GPS to get the lat/long. And I had the time wrong at first but corrected that. I used the bubble level on the scope to level it. Not the best, but ok I think. Mode was correct. Alt-az. And FREQ was 60.1.
The thing that puzzles me most is that for about 1/2 hour or more, the thing was right on. Every object I told it to go to it centered exactly. Seemed like it happened rather quickly after that. It seemed to jump out of alignment.
I kept questioning myself on this. What was I doing wrong. Today, thinking about it, I never had this problem on my 8" LX200 classic. And this is the same scope, just 12". Same firmware. So I think I am doing things right.
From your questions can I assume that you doubt a problem with the scope? I prefer this to be "operator error". At least THAT I can fix.
Thanks guys!
Dave
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nytecam
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/20/05
Posts: 4549
Loc: London UK
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Although not directly answering your query if you move to new objects fairly near the last and 'centre + sync' as you go the scope doesn't have to work as hard and pointing errors can be minimised 
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Nytecam 51N 0.1W
Meade 30cm LX200+ETX-70+DS-2090+C8+Ha+CaK PSTs SBIG SGS+homebuilt spectrographs
Starlight SXVF_M9/Lodestar/Canon 300D DSLR/Fuji E550
My observatory build-ETX-70 imaging-spectro page
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southmike
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/22/04
Posts: 2817
Loc: Fayetteville, NC
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maybe someone trained the drives wrong....shrugs
--------------------
group scope pic
my refractors
LX200 10"-St120
LX200 8" f6.3-Orion 80ed
LX200 8" f10-Orion 90 Mak setup pic
Meade 102ED LXD650
Sky Watcher 100 ED Triplet prototype
Nexstar 5
etx125
etx70's
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KnightDiver
member
Reged: 03/21/08
Posts: 23
Loc: SE Michigan
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Quote:
maybe someone trained the drives wrong....shrugs
I don't understand this one. I'll look at the manual to see what you are referring to.
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Spoonsize
Vendor/Clothing
Reged: 08/27/04
Posts: 1905
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Quote:
Quote:
maybe someone trained the drives wrong....shrugs
I don't understand this one. I'll look at the manual to see what you are referring to.
There is no such animal on the Classic...
--------------------
Steve Durham
www.margesmonograms.com
(Marge made me do it)
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KnightDiver
member
Reged: 03/21/08
Posts: 23
Loc: SE Michigan
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Quote:
maybe someone trained the drives wrong....shrugs
When I look in the manual about training, it seems to imply that this function is only available in the polar mode. Would it affect the Alt-Az mode?
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dwitek
member
Reged: 07/03/08
Posts: 27
Loc: White Lake, Michigan
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Quote:
Quote:
maybe someone trained the drives wrong....shrugs
When I look in the manual about training, it seems to imply that this function is only available in the polar mode. Would it affect the Alt-Az mode?
Right, the PEC training is only for scopes using the wedge in polar mode. I assume that PEC is disabled if the scope is not in POLAR mode.
Dave
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KnightDiver
member
Reged: 03/21/08
Posts: 23
Loc: SE Michigan
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Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
maybe someone trained the drives wrong....shrugs
When I look in the manual about training, it seems to imply that this function is only available in the polar mode. Would it affect the Alt-Az mode?
Right, the PEC training is only for scopes using the wedge in polar mode. I assume that PEC is disabled if the scope is not in POLAR mode.
Dave
Thank you, Dave. You actually answered two questions for me. You confirmed what I thought in that PEC is the "training" that was referred to. Second you agree that it is probably not applicable in Alt-Az mode.
Thanks again!
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