Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums
Privacy Policy |
Please read our Terms
of Service | Signup and
Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu.... uh, User
M1ike
journeyman
Reged: 09/06/09
Posts: 5
|
|
Hi all, hope you can help.
Have just received my new EQ5 today - and am going through the mount setup procedure. It was sent to me without instructions, so am feeling my way a bit.
Have managed to find quite a bit of on-line resource, which has been helpful - but am still a bit confused.
When going through the polar-scope alignment process, a lot is made of locking-off the RA setting circle. What I'm finding is that even when the set-screw is tightened right-down, the setting circle still moves when the RA knob is turned - and then stops after a few degrees whilst the RA knob turning continues.
Should it be loose like that? Or should the set-screw stop it moving completely? Or, should locking it down lock the RA setting circle to the RA shaft, and make the circle turn in unison with the shaft?
When the set-screw is loose, the RA setting circle appears to be attached to nothing. It freely floats around the RA axis, and can be slid up and down the RA shaft. Is that right? Am I simply misunderstanding what the polar-scope alignment process entails?
Thanks for any advice you may be able to offer.
M1ike.
|
markan
super member
Reged: 07/13/09
Posts: 126
|
|
I've read that the setting circles aren't particularly accurate and are mostly there for show. I do a polar alignment myself so I only need to turn the RA knob to keep the object in the center of the FOV as it moves across the sky. I don't use the setting circles at all. I think a copy of Sky & Telescope's Pocket Atlas is more useful.
If you want to do the real thing, check out astro baby's site. It's the same procedure for EQ5 but without the reticule
http://www.astro-baby.com/HEQ5/HEQ5-1.htm
--------------------
Sky-Watcher 100mm ED f/9 refractor
Sky-Watcher 200mm f/5 reflector
EQ5 mount, Orion SkyView AZ
|
RandallK
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/10/06
Posts: 1003
Loc: Nanaimo, B. C. Canada
|
|
If you're going to do astrophotography, and, if you have a SkyWatcher Mount, then those circles are critical for polar alignment. The RA ring is used to set to agree with the current time... STANDARD Time. The compensation for Daylight Savings time is done through the hand controller and not with the RA ring. It's the altitude scale that really doesn't matter if it doesn't display your correct latitude. Even if it said 0° and you can see Polaris..that's all that matters. (You would then want to pop of the disc so it's somewhere in the range of your latitude). When you see Polaris through the bore, then that's your latitude...simple as that. The alignment procedure for the SkyWatcher is more archaic than Meade's or Celestron's but once you get the hang of it, you can set up with a perfect hour angle for Polaris and then good tracking. It takes me less than a minute to get Polar aligned. Doing a 3 star alignment takes a bit longer.
The 3 star alignment and Polar alignment are two different processes. When you do a star alignment and the handheld's computer selects a star near the Zenith...select an alternate star from the list. This can lead to a message saying "Alignment Failed". Stars selected by the handheld's computer that are near the Zenith seem to confuse the computer as to where N, S, E & W are located.
The above link posted my Markan has a very detailed tutorial.
Edited by RandallK (10/07/09 02:17 AM)
|
M1ike
journeyman
Reged: 09/06/09
Posts: 5
|
|
Hi markan,
Thanks! 
I googled & googled, and never once came up with a page as useful as the one you've just given me. That describes it perfectly, and has answered all my questions.
So, the set screw is supposed to only lock the RA setting circle at 0 eh? You learn something new every day. 
|
markan
super member
Reged: 07/13/09
Posts: 126
|
|
Yes, it's a good website. I used Stellarium to get a transit date for Polaris. I think for my location, it was November 29. I've got both the EQ5 and EQ5P with SynScan. For the type of observing I do, I prefer the EQ5. I enjoy star hopping and I find the control knobs of the EQ5 more intuitive than the SynScan. Vixen sells some foot long, flexible control knobs that work with the EQ5, and make it more comfortable for adjusting.
--------------------
Sky-Watcher 100mm ED f/9 refractor
Sky-Watcher 200mm f/5 reflector
EQ5 mount, Orion SkyView AZ
|
markan
super member
Reged: 07/13/09
Posts: 126
|
|
Quote:
If you're going to do astrophotography, and, if you have a SkyWatcher Mount, then those circles are critical for polar alignment.
I don't think you can do astrophotography with the EQ5. I think you need an EQ5P with an autoglider. But I don't do any photography myself, so I'm mostly guessing.
--------------------
Sky-Watcher 100mm ED f/9 refractor
Sky-Watcher 200mm f/5 reflector
EQ5 mount, Orion SkyView AZ
|
BKBrown
member
Reged: 08/23/09
Posts: 53
Loc: Ashburn, VA USA
|
|
There is an outstanding video tutorial at "Andy's Shot Glass" where he uses an Orion Atlas to demonstrate polar alignment. The reticle, procedure, and everything are directly applicable to the EQ5/EQ5Pro...it helped me get it right. Good Luck and Clear Skies...BB
--------------------
Skywatcher 100ED-5QP 100mm f/9 APO, Synscan & GPS
C8N f/5 Newt, WO 66SD ZenithStar APO
Atlas EQ-G w/ Synscan & GPS
Baader Hyperion 8-24 zoom; 31mm, 36mm ASP
TV 19, 24 Pan; Nag 9T6,13T6
Siebert 1.5/2.0/2.5/3.0/3.5 Barlow,
Celestron 2x Ultima Barlow, TV 3x Barlow
Celestron 15x70 Skymaster
|
|
5 registered and 11 anonymous users are browsing this forum.
Moderator: Charlie Hein, lineman_16735
Print Thread
|
Forum Permissions
You cannot start new topics
You cannot reply to topics
HTML is disabled
UBBCode is enabled
|
Thread views: 224
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
[Re: 
