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Re: Usability Question
开云体育? Dereck, 6 arc minutes is a tiny FOV, I would align with a lower power eyepiece and then swap if for a higher power. Paul ? That’s what I said in the post you responded to! It says.. *** I used a camera and changed the Region of interest.. If you use eyepieces, like I used to do, start out widefield until you locate the target, then increase the power – i.e take the time to be exact as possible before adding them to the model.. *** I use the camera as a set of eyepieces, locating the target at around 3,000 x 2000 pixels, center on the crosshairs, change the Region of Interest to 640x480 and center better, then synch and align.. It was after the third star was entered into the model – from my 6 arcminute Region Of Interest Camera view - that I just happened to do a GOTO back to all three model stars – without changing back to the full 3,000 x 2,000 pixels - that I was SHOCKED they were all perfect.. Sorry that wasn’t clear.. ??? HOWEVER! When I tried it again last night, It worked perfect for the first star.. Arcturus was in the (widefield ROI) of the camera.. A GOTO to Antares was not, but it was in the guidescope, so easily centered and synched on.. ??? My (widefield ROI) is somewhere around 20 arcminutes, so it SEEMED it was another “it stopped short by a half moon diameter / 15 arcmin”.. It is this “works one day but not the next” issue why it is – to me – much more important to have proper pointing devices and adequate scale between them so even if things are perfect, it’s a very simple matter to get back on target and continue on.. ??? Derek ? ?
On 7 Aug 2022, at 3:48:40 pm, Derek C Breit <breit_ideas@...>
wrote:
? (I had to calculate my FOV.. It is listed as 0.1 x 0.07 degrees, so 6 arcminutes..) This may include an extra step or so, as I was always told not to align on the first star.. Anywho, this is what I just did.. Maybe it’ll work for you! My settings are correct.. I have a new battery, I reset CWD. I did a cold start.. My clock runs very fast, so I use my cellphone and set it to the second and hit the SET button when appropriate.. I do this on every powerup.. I live in?Morgan Hill,?CA?and this was around 8:30 PM.. aka a little while ago..? I did a goto to Arcturus. Laser should it as it normally is, which is HALF a moon diameter away, almost entirely in RA.. (I use the tactile buttons on the back on the hand controller.. Coiled cord points away from me.. The button is what I need to center the target.. Also takes just a touch north in Dec.. I mention this for the “Stops Short” idea.. ).. Anywho, I centered Arcturus, and SYNCHED..? GOTO Antares, Center.. SYNCH.. ALIGN..? GOTO Arcturus.. Centered it, as it was off towards the top left, and ALIGNED..? GOTO Vindemiatrix and it is nowhere to be found and I didn’t try! I did a Goto to Arcturus.. On the way, I saw Vindemiatrix flash by.. *Importantly* Arcturus was in the same top left corner it was previously, so I went to MENU / ALIGN / UNDO LAST ALIGNMENT.. This time I centered Arcturus, SYNCH, then ALIGN..? GOTO Vindemiatrix, Center SYNCH, then ALIGN..? Arcturus to Vindemiatrix is around 20 degrees.. Arcturus to Antares is ~ 56 degees.. Antares to Vindemiatrix is ~ 62 degrees.. Not the best choices, but good enough.. Now I have three stars in a model on the West. And?regardless of which order I went to them via GOTO, they were all quite close to being centered in my little 6 arcminute FOV.. My guess is they were all within 2 arcminutes of being perfect.. I used a camera and changed the Region of interest.. If you use eyepieces, like I used to do, start out widefield until you locate the target, then increase the power – i.e take the time to be exact as possible before adding them to the model.. and remember, SYNCH, then ALIGN.. The “New” thing for me was to try and go back to previous stars to make sure they were correct before adding another one, as if it is wrong in any way, you can “UNDO LAST ALIGNMENT”..? I parked it at CWD and will do a WARM RESTART and see how it works next time out.. :-)) Derek ? ? ? ? From:?[email protected]?[mailto:[email protected]]?On
Behalf Of?Derek C
Breit ? Put the Counterweight bar horizontal , use the clutch knob as needed, and level with a torpedo level.. Spin the RA dial and set it to something like 18 hours.. Loosen clutch and lower the Counterweight bar and set it at 0 hours.. Lock the clutch.. Loosen the other clutch and adjust the scope until the level on the dovetail is centered.. Tighten clutch.. Your visual, so do this “well” but do not obsess with it.. I have a solution for you to try.. Just worked perfectly for me.. First time and I am quite pleased about it! See next email.. It’ll take a minute.. Derek ? From:?[email protected]?[mailto:[email protected]]?On
Behalf Of?Mark de Regt ? Agreed about “should.”??? ? What is the best method for making sure I have CWD a good as possible? ? From:?[email protected]?<[email protected]>?On
Behalf Of?Paul Homer ? Mark, ? Assuming you are polar aligned it is not just the CWD position that matters but the top of the dovetail should also be levelled, both with a small level. ? This is easy and quick and should get you fairly close. ? Then centre the star and synchronise the first star. ? If you are not so closely polar aligned then take the time to do alignments on three or more stars spread across the sky. ? This sill build a pretty accurate model and no camera is required. ? It will need to be rebuilt if you move the mount, but should only require a synchronisation if you only warm start. ? Paul ? ? ?
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Re: Controlling Losmandy GM811 with ASIAir Plus or Pro
开云体育I’m sorry, I meant to say that the ASIAir plus is backordered, not the iPhones or iPads!! ? Darryl ? From: <[email protected]> on behalf of "Brian Valente via groups.io" <bvalente@...> ? >>> ?I like that I will be able to use it on my iPhone or iPad, once they become available, they are so backordered now. ? iphones and ipads are backordered? holy smokes ? with the new iphone 14 coming up next month i would expect them on sale!? ? On Sun, Aug 7, 2022 at 5:34 PM zetapuppi via <stanfordd=[email protected]> wrote:
? -- Brian? ? ? ? Brian Valente astro portfolio? portfolio astrobin? |
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Re: Usability Question
开云体育Dereck,6 arc minutes is a tiny FOV, I would align with a lower power eyepiece and then swap if for a higher power. Paul
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Re: Controlling Losmandy GM811 with ASIAir Plus or Pro
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?I like that I will be able to use it on my iPhone or iPad, once they become available, they are so backordered now. iphones and ipads are backordered? holy smokes with the new iphone 14 coming up next month i would expect them on sale!? On Sun, Aug 7, 2022 at 5:34 PM zetapuppi via <stanfordd=[email protected]> wrote:
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Brian? Brian Valente astro portfolio? portfolio astrobin? |
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Re: Controlling Losmandy GM811 with ASIAir Plus or Pro
开云体育Thank you so much, Brian, I am listening to the podcast right now.? I like that I will be able to use it on my iPhone or iPad, once they become available, they are so backordered now. ? Darryl ? From: <[email protected]> on behalf of "Brian Valente via groups.io" <bvalente@...> ? CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. ? PS ? here's a recent podcast where we discussed AAP with losmandy owner/guest Jim Potts ? ? (skipped to this topic) ? On Sun, Aug 7, 2022 at 3:54 PM Brian Valente via <bvalente=[email protected]> wrote:
? -- Brian? ? ? ? Brian Valente astro portfolio? portfolio astrobin? |
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Re: Controlling Losmandy GM811 with ASIAir Plus or Pro
PS here's a recent podcast where we discussed AAP with losmandy owner/guest Jim Potts (skipped to this topic) On Sun, Aug 7, 2022 at 3:54 PM Brian Valente via <bvalente=[email protected]> wrote:
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Brian? Brian Valente astro portfolio? portfolio astrobin? |
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Re: Controlling Losmandy GM811 with ASIAir Plus or Pro
Hi Darryl I use ASI Air Pro with my G11 pretty frequently. There are others here with plus/pro and other mounts that I'm sure will chime in Brian On Sun, Aug 7, 2022 at 2:45 PM zetapuppi via <stanfordd=[email protected]> wrote:
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Brian? Brian Valente astro portfolio? portfolio astrobin? |
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Controlling Losmandy GM811 with ASIAir Plus or Pro
开云体育Hey everyone, I was thinking about ordering the ASIAir Plus for my GM811 but want to make sure that it can control my mount.? Does anyone have any experience using the ASIAir Plus or Pro to control their mounts? ? Darryl ? |
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Re: Usability Question
Way back in January as a new GM8G / Stellarvue SVX102T-R owner I was on the cusp of some frustration with my GOTOs and put up a rather comprehensive post about it.? I got way more responses than I imagined and proceeded to disseminate, prioritize and alter the path I thought I should be on to gain the competency I needed.? There were errors in my modeling, aligning and synchronizing process, (Thank you Brian), and mechanical adjustments and lubrication required in the RA/DEC worms and transfer gearing, (Thank you Micheal H).? When the mechanical functions are not working optimally the electronics won't do their required task but usually get blamed for all the problems.? I use the PoleMaster for PA and with my 714mm FL model and align with a 24mm crosshair EP (30x) and the first star on both sides of the mount is rarely in my EP.? With the help of my red dot once the first star is centered everything else is nearly dead on.? What I realized is no two nights are ever the same, sometimes I get a little sloppy and other times its the "seeing" but you have to be realistic with expectations.? In an effort to further perfect things I'm now looking at Orthogonality following the guide from Wilmslow Astro which Micheal references in his optimization paper.? For what I can spend I've bought the best stuff I could afford price be damned.? Quality Berlebach tripod, scope and mount, Losmandy dovetails, all the while matching one component's performance to the other so the system is balanced.? Last time out it took .075" of shims under the front tube rings to get orthogonal in RA and I'm asking myself again am I doing something wrong or can it actually be the equipment mechanical tolerances.? The point is "baby steps", sit down and think about things and work through one problem at a time and test each solution.? With patience the first 8 months have been very rewarding but now I'm looking at the astrophotography side realizing this will be a whole other challenge.? I bought a PEMPro license, ran the PEC analysis and realized there is still work to be done. I read my Losmandy Daily Digest every day and very often find relevant information that's useful to me.? Thanks everyone!
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Re: Usability Question
On Sat, Aug 6, 2022 at 03:09 PM, HenkSB wrote:
On Sat, Aug 6, 2022 at 04:41 PM, Chip Louie wrote:No, read what I posted.? ? -- Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware? ? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA? |
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Re: Usability Question
On Sat, Aug 6, 2022 at 03:41 PM, Mark de Regt wrote:
Mark,? The maximum number of stars I use to align my G11G and GM8G Gemini 2 mounts is 4, normally I just do a 2 star alignment and GOTOs are fine. The Gemini works fine, thousands of people have proven this.? When there is an issue it has always been traced back to #1 the data given to Gemini to solve for position including mount type, mount model, date, time, time offset, location coordinates, and format of the data issed. #2 Polar Alignment, #3 mechanical issues primarily related to drive system backlash, wind-up, endplay, lose mechanical parts etc.? Fix these and you will resolve your issues with GOTO performance.? ? -- Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware? ? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA? |
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Re: Usability Question
开云体育Thanks! ? From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Derek C Breit
Sent: Saturday, August 6, 2022 10:49 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Usability Question ? (I had to calculate my FOV.. It is listed as 0.1 x 0.07 degrees, so 6 arcminutes..) This may include an extra step or so, as I was always told not to align on the first star.. Anywho, this is what I just did.. Maybe it’ll work for you! My settings are correct.. I have a new battery, I reset CWD. I did a cold start.. My clock runs very fast, so I use my cellphone and set it to the second and hit the SET button when appropriate.. I do this on every powerup.. I live in Morgan Hill, CA and this was around 8:30 PM.. aka a little while ago.. I did a goto to Arcturus. Laser should it as it normally is, which is HALF a moon diameter away, almost entirely in RA.. (I use the tactile buttons on the back on the hand controller.. Coiled cord points away from me.. The button is what I need to center the target.. Also takes just a touch north in Dec.. I mention this for the “Stops Short” idea.. ).. Anywho, I centered Arcturus, and SYNCHED.. GOTO Antares, Center.. SYNCH.. ALIGN.. GOTO Arcturus.. Centered it, as it was off towards the top left, and ALIGNED.. GOTO Vindemiatrix and it is nowhere to be found and I didn’t try! I did a Goto to Arcturus.. On the way, I saw Vindemiatrix flash by.. *Importantly* Arcturus was in the same top left corner it was previously, so I went to MENU / ALIGN / UNDO LAST ALIGNMENT.. This time I centered Arcturus, SYNCH, then ALIGN.. GOTO Vindemiatrix, Center SYNCH, then ALIGN.. Arcturus to Vindemiatrix is around 20 degrees.. Arcturus to Antares is ~ 56 degees.. Antares to Vindemiatrix is ~ 62 degrees.. Not the best choices, but good enough.. Now I have three stars in a model on the West. And regardless of which order I went to them via GOTO, they were all quite close to being centered in my little 6 arcminute FOV.. My guess is they were all within 2 arcminutes of being perfect.. I used a camera and changed the Region of interest.. If you use eyepieces, like I used to do, start out widefield until you locate the target, then increase the power – i.e take the time to be exact as possible before adding them to the model.. and remember, SYNCH, then ALIGN.. The “New” thing for me was to try and go back to previous stars to make sure they were correct before adding another one, as if it is wrong in any way, you can “UNDO LAST ALIGNMENT”.. I parked it at CWD and will do a WARM RESTART and see how it works next time out.. :-)) Derek ? ? ? ? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Derek C Breit ? Put the Counterweight bar horizontal , use the clutch knob as needed, and level with a torpedo level.. Spin the RA dial and set it to something like 18 hours.. Loosen clutch and lower the Counterweight bar and set it at 0 hours.. Lock the clutch.. Loosen the other clutch and adjust the scope until the level on the dovetail is centered.. Tighten clutch.. Your visual, so do this “well” but do not obsess with it.. I have a solution for you to try.. Just worked perfectly for me.. First time and I am quite pleased about it! See next email.. It’ll take a minute.. Derek ? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mark de Regt ? Agreed about “should.”? ? ? What is the best method for making sure I have CWD a good as possible? ? From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Paul Homer ? Mark, ? Assuming you are polar aligned it is not just the CWD position that matters but the top of the dovetail should also be levelled, both with a small level. ? This is easy and quick and should get you fairly close. ? Then centre the star and synchronise the first star. ? If you are not so closely polar aligned then take the time to do alignments on three or more stars spread across the sky. ? This sill build a pretty accurate model and no camera is required. ? It will need to be rebuilt if you move the mount, but should only require a synchronisation if you only warm start. ? Paul ? ? ?
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Re: I just have one question
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I'm not quite sure why we even bother to use the local time offsets in the Gemini. I mean there is no civil time in space is there?? it's for compatibility with LX200 spec, for better or worse On Sun, Aug 7, 2022 at 8:52 AM Chip Louie <chiplouie@...> wrote: Isn't the time standard of the world UTC? GMT is a historical time standard used from back when the British e --
Brian? Brian Valente astro portfolio? portfolio astrobin? |
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Re: I just have one question
Isn't the time standard of the world UTC? GMT is a historical time standard used from back when the British e
Empire ruled the seas. Even the UK uses UTC these days though I think they still recognize GMT so the countries they and others stole back in the bad old days of Empire don't feel left because they are still on the antiquated GMT standard.? I'm not quite sure why we even bother to use the local time offsets in the Gemini. I mean there is no civil time in space is there?? -- Chip Louie Chief Daydreamer Imagination Hardware? ? ?Astropheric Weather Forecast - South Pasadena, CA? |
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Re: Usability Question
The bubble levels work great.? My G11S has 4 of them.? I set up each time using small markers on the driveway for 2 feet.? The base levels only need to be used once for adjusting the legs the first time, since the mount is always put in the same place afterwards.? I use the ones in the saddle to put the scope in the home position.? My polar alignment is then accurate to within only a few arc minutes!? I usually only need Az adjustments to get perfect PA.? The home position is always good enough for AP with plate solving.
As an aside, while I don't have a Polemaster I use the Fits viewer in Ekos for acccurate PA.? I first rotate around RA while taking a 20 second circular star trail image and save it.? Then I start taking subs at 1 Hz and reload the star trail image in tab 2 of the Fits viewer.? I put my cursor at the center of the trails, then switch to tab1 using Ctrl-tab so I don't have to move the cursor and double click to put a bulls eye at the trail center, which is where RA is pointing at.? Then, with the Alt/Az controls,? I move the NCP to the bulls eye using a 5 star asterism near the NCP.? This gets me to 1' accuracy real quick.? This works well if you are close to begin with. |
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Re: Usability Question - Stopped Short Edit..
开云体育I use the tactile buttons on the back on the hand controller.. Coiled cord points away from me.. The button is what I need to center the target.. Also takes just a touch north in Dec.. I mention this for the “Stops Short” idea.. ).. *** That would be the Left Button! Sheesh! Also, when I first went to Arcturus and it was off half a Moon via the laser on the Sky, *my* planetarium program showed the scope exactly on the star.. ? Derek |
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Re: Usability Question
The G11 I bought in 2017 has bubble levels on both the RA and Dec axes which is where I start for CWD. With the two other bubble levels on the G11 base, this makes for quick setup when starting from scratch. But sometimes I use a side-by-side arrangement where the crossbar for two scopes requires the saddle to be oriented horizontally, or should I say east-west. Then I use a torpedo level of the Dec axis since the bubble glass is up-down and not useable. But centering the bubbles between the marks is a sufficient CWD position for me to begin any session.
A 1996 era G11 I acquired recently acquired has bubble levels on the base but not on the axes. Not sure what year these were begun as included with mount. But now I am wondering if some stick-on bubble levels could be good enough to start with. But a torpedo level in the toolbox is always there as a fall back with the rest of the astro-gear.? John -- _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Losmandy G11G2 on pier; SkyShed design roll-off observatory; ZWO ASI2600MM-P; ZWO ASI071MC; Sky-Watcher Esprit 100 ED; Celestron C925 Edge HD with 0.7XFR, William Optics Zenithstar 61 APO; PHD2, Sequence Generator Pro and PixInsight user |
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Re: Usability Question
开云体育(I had to calculate my FOV.. It is listed as 0.1 x 0.07 degrees, so 6 arcminutes..) This may include an extra step or so, as I was always told not to align on the first star.. Anywho, this is what I just did.. Maybe it’ll work for you! My settings are correct.. I have a new battery, I reset CWD. I did a cold start.. My clock runs very fast, so I use my cellphone and set it to the second and hit the SET button when appropriate.. I do this on every powerup.. I live in Morgan Hill, CA and this was around 8:30 PM.. aka a little while ago.. I did a goto to Arcturus. Laser should it as it normally is, which is HALF a moon diameter away, almost entirely in RA.. (I use the tactile buttons on the back on the hand controller.. Coiled cord points away from me.. The button is what I need to center the target.. Also takes just a touch north in Dec.. I mention this for the “Stops Short” idea.. ).. Anywho, I centered Arcturus, and SYNCHED.. GOTO Antares, Center.. SYNCH.. ALIGN.. GOTO Arcturus.. Centered it, as it was off towards the top left, and ALIGNED.. GOTO Vindemiatrix and it is nowhere to be found and I didn’t try! I did a Goto to Arcturus.. On the way, I saw Vindemiatrix flash by.. *Importantly* Arcturus was in the same top left corner it was previously, so I went to MENU / ALIGN / UNDO LAST ALIGNMENT.. This time I centered Arcturus, SYNCH, then ALIGN.. GOTO Vindemiatrix, Center SYNCH, then ALIGN.. Arcturus to Vindemiatrix is around 20 degrees.. Arcturus to Antares is ~ 56 degees.. Antares to Vindemiatrix is ~ 62 degrees.. Not the best choices, but good enough.. Now I have three stars in a model on the West. And regardless of which order I went to them via GOTO, they were all quite close to being centered in my little 6 arcminute FOV.. My guess is they were all within 2 arcminutes of being perfect.. I used a camera and changed the Region of interest.. If you use eyepieces, like I used to do, start out widefield until you locate the target, then increase the power – i.e take the time to be exact as possible before adding them to the model.. and remember, SYNCH, then ALIGN.. The “New” thing for me was to try and go back to previous stars to make sure they were correct before adding another one, as if it is wrong in any way, you can “UNDO LAST ALIGNMENT”.. I parked it at CWD and will do a WARM RESTART and see how it works next time out.. :-)) Derek ? ? ? ? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Derek C Breit
Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2022 9:54 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Usability Question ? Put the Counterweight bar horizontal , use the clutch knob as needed, and level with a torpedo level.. Spin the RA dial and set it to something like 18 hours.. Loosen clutch and lower the Counterweight bar and set it at 0 hours.. Lock the clutch.. Loosen the other clutch and adjust the scope until the level on the dovetail is centered.. Tighten clutch.. Your visual, so do this “well” but do not obsess with it.. I have a solution for you to try.. Just worked perfectly for me.. First time and I am quite pleased about it! See next email.. It’ll take a minute.. Derek ? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mark de Regt ? Agreed about “should.”? ? ? What is the best method for making sure I have CWD a good as possible? ? From: [email protected]
<[email protected]> On Behalf Of Paul Homer ? Mark, ? Assuming you are polar aligned it is not just the CWD position that matters but the top of the dovetail should also be levelled, both with a small level. ? This is easy and quick and should get you fairly close. ? Then centre the star and synchronise the first star. ? If you are not so closely polar aligned then take the time to do alignments on three or more stars spread across the sky. ? This sill build a pretty accurate model and no camera is required. ? It will need to be rebuilt if you move the mount, but should only require a synchronisation if you only warm start. ? Paul ? ? ?
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Re: Usability Question
开云体育Put the Counterweight bar horizontal , use the clutch knob as needed, and level with a torpedo level.. Spin the RA dial and set it to something like 18 hours.. Loosen clutch and lower the Counterweight bar and set it at 0 hours.. Lock the clutch.. Loosen the other clutch and adjust the scope until the level on the dovetail is centered.. Tighten clutch.. Your visual, so do this “well” but do not obsess with it.. I have a solution for you to try.. Just worked perfectly for me.. First time and I am quite pleased about it! See next email.. It’ll take a minute.. Derek ? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mark de Regt
Sent: Saturday, August 06, 2022 8:53 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Usability Question ? Agreed about “should.”? ? ? What is the best method for making sure I have CWD a good as possible? ? From: [email protected]
<[email protected]> On Behalf Of Paul Homer ? Mark, ? Assuming you are polar aligned it is not just the CWD position that matters but the top of the dovetail should also be levelled, both with a small level. ? This is easy and quick and should get you fairly close. ? Then centre the star and synchronise the first star. ? If you are not so closely polar aligned then take the time to do alignments on three or more stars spread across the sky. ? This sill build a pretty accurate model and no camera is required. ? It will need to be rebuilt if you move the mount, but should only require a synchronisation if you only warm start. ? Paul ? ? ?
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Chip Louie