Correct me if I'm wrong

[+Stu]

Good morning. 

I just need to pick some brains to check if I'm doing things right. 

Once level I do a rough polar alignment with the polar scope. 

Load it up and balance. 

Polar align with sharpcap. 

Turn the mount on and get Polaris centre of view and check focus. 

Then I turn it off and on again to set as home position (can this be done with EQASCOM or APT instead of the on/off?).

This is where I'm not sure of the next step. Is this the point where I select alignment starts and sync APT to each position?

Once I'm on my target and framed correctly, open up PHD2 and and start guiding. Then I'll take a few images to see if guiding is working. In the case of last night, it was not. 

I forgot to point the scope at Polaris before trying to find alignment stars. Would that be the cause?

[+RonC]

Hi Stu, not sure why you point to Polaris?

My routine is:

Set Home position for the mount (as I have to rotate it slightly to fit the Obsy)

I don't Polar Align every time because I don't move the mount, but at this point I'd do it using my iPolar and laptop.

Select alignment stars, at least one of them near my intended target.

(I use my handset still!) select star and let the mount go, using the handset pointers I centre the star BUT then use APT

to centre it exactly, then the same thing with the second star but that is normally on the APT screen and centre that,

Then of to my target, switch on PHD2 set that up and away we go!!

 

Edited July 5, 2022 by RonC

[+Stu]

1 hour ago, RonC said:

Hi Stu, not sure why you point to Polaris?

My routine is:

Set Home position for the mount (as I have to rotate it slightly to fit the Obsy)

I don't Polar Align every time because I don't move the mount, but at this point I'd do it using my iPolar and laptop.

Select alignment stars, at least one of them near my intended target.

(I use my handset still!) select star and let the mount go, using the handset pointers I centre the star BUT then use APT

to centre it exactly, then the same thing with the second star but that is normally on the APT screen and centre that,

Then of to my target, switch on PHD2 set that up and away we go!!

 

Thanks Ron. Maybe I misinterpreted the synscan instructions regarding Polaris. So as long as I'm polar aligned, doesn't it matter where the scope is pointing pre alignment?

[+Stu]

1 hour ago, RonC said:

Hi Stu, not sure why you point to Polaris?

My routine is:

Set Home position for the mount (as I have to rotate it slightly to fit the Obsy)

I don't Polar Align every time because I don't move the mount, but at this point I'd do it using my iPolar and laptop.

Select alignment stars, at least one of them near my intended target.

(I use my handset still!) select star and let the mount go, using the handset pointers I centre the star BUT then use APT

to centre it exactly, then the same thing with the second star but that is normally on the APT screen and centre that,

Then of to my target, switch on PHD2 set that up and away we go!!

 

When you set home position, is that on the handset or PC? And does it have to be a certain position? Maybe I'm missing the idea of what home position is. 

Edited July 5, 2022 by Stu

[Clive]

I have always assumed that the 'home' position is when the mount is pointing at the true NCP (or SCP for our southern hemisphere members!) with the RA axis aligned with the counterweight vertically downwards and the Dec axis horizontal. Although Polaris is close, it's still rotates 3/4° from the true NCP so to align Polaris in the centre of the scope could mean some odd 'Home' positions.

I initially polar aligned (just with the polar scope), went through the mount alignment then asked the mount to go to the home position. I then marked the mount RA and Dec axes where it stopped. I just align those marks now to 'preset' the home position.

But I guess that using an accurate home position only dictates how close the 1st alignment star will be close to the centre of the field view after the slew. Once you've centred it, the mount will have a better idea of where the RA axis is actually pointing and after the 2nd alignment star, should be able to precisely calculate where it is pointing (cone error excepting!)

[+RonC]

it doesn't matter where the scope is pointing as you are aligning the mount first.

I have the Home position marked on the mount, (check You Tube  to find the position for Home then mark it)

 

Ron

 

PS You answered while I was typing!  Yes you are correct there!!

Edited July 5, 2022 by RonC

[+Stu]

Thank you both. Sounds like I've got all my alignments and positions a bit mixed up. 

[Bottletopburly]

As long as home is near as damn it weights down scope pointing at Polaris and you pa with sharpcap , ipolar etc and your platesolving (Astap)and your using APT , go to pointcraft choose a target hit Goto++ and let Apt take you to your target no need to three star align or owt like that .

[+Stu]

1 hour ago, Bottletopburly said:

As long as home is near as damn it weights down scope pointing at Polaris and you pa with sharpcap , ipolar etc and your platesolving (Astap)and your using APT , go to pointcraft choose a target hit Goto++ and let Apt take you to your target no need to three star align or owt like that .

Platesolving was next on my list of things to work out. Slowly working through everything when weather and work allow 🤯

[Bottletopburly]

22 hours ago, Stu said:

Platesolving was next on my list of things to work out. Slowly working through everything when weather and work allow 🤯

If you have an image you have already taken with your setup try blind solving with Astap after configuring in APT , make sure you set focal length in Tools tab in Apt , also you only need about a 4 sec exposure for platesolving using Astap, near solve requires the rough co ordinates just for your information.👍

[+Stu]

1 hour ago, Bottletopburly said:

If you have an image you have already taken with your setup try blind solving with Astap after configuring in APT , make sure you set focal length in Tools tab in Apt , also you only need about a 4 sec exposure for platesolving using Astap, near solve requires the rough co ordinates just for your information.👍

I will give that a go 👍It's been sat there for a while, waiting for me to figure out what to do with it