In fact, you dont really need software polar alignment features in your scope. Im using a g11 primarily for mallincam and outreach. Step by step guide to polar alignment on a equatorial eq mount, how to use the. Polar align heq5 getting started equipment help and. In the southern hemisphere the procedure is the same but you have to use the asterism in octans. Skywatcher heq5 pro synscan computerised goto equatorial mount. How to polar align with heq5 and eq6 mounts, and synscan 3. Skywatcher heq5 pro synscan equatorial mount for telescope. I am using a levono tablet running the latest asiair software. Apr 20, 2019 the guide camera is connected via its usb cable to the asiair and works fine.
The reason is that you need to do a 2 or 3 star alignment with the hand controller first, which i found annoying and time consuming i have limited sight lines in my backyard. Skywatcher eq5 pro synscan mount tring astronomy centre. Learning how to properly polar align the heq5 pro using the builtin polar alignment scope took a bit of time, but now its a 30second process. Use the altitude and azimuth adjusters to placec polaris into the small circle in the polar scope reticule. Polar alignment requires that you first perform a bright, 2, or 3 star alignment. This technical note sets out the procedures required to accurately polar align a synta eq3eq5heq5 or synta eq6. It can detect the model of the mount it is connected to. Heq5 pro polar scope calibration and quick tips for polar alignment. Stainless steel legs and an accessory tray that also doubles as a leglocking spreader provide a solid and stable platform for all your gear with natural vibration suppression to ensure clear views even. There is a polefinder telescope supplied with the heq5 mount that can be used for accurate polar alignment. Well the world has moved on and so has polar alignment. A comprehensive tutorial on setting up the polar scope finder for the popular heq5 mount and polar alignment. Scottish highlands for amateur astronomers seeking superior equatorial control and the ease of a precision computerized goto system, the heq5 pro synscan tm is. The skywatcher heq5 pro synscan is designed with the novice user in mind.
Synscan hand control is a useful tool for terrestrial observing. While you can still get good goto accuracy without paying too much attention to this important setup procedure, tracking will be impaired without it. The exceptional synscan goto system allows full control of both r. Firstly, i havent used the synscan polar alignment feature yet, so bear with me, but. Mar 14, 2018 this low level software gets installed automatically in most cases for using a synscan mount. Pae is pointing accuracy enhancement, and it sounds like its behaving correctly from lewiss description. The synscan hand controller, combined with the optical encoders and electronic drive motors of your goto. Steve richards is the author of making every photon count and writes for the sunday times. Polar alignmentaligning the skywatcher heq5orion sirius. Polar alignment heq5 getting started equipment help and. The nightly polar alignment is what you do at the beginning of each observing session. The equipment used in this example a skywatcher heq5. It is best performed with the telescope and counterweights removed from the mount.
Polar align is a different feature altogether its accessed from the setup menu, whereas pae is accessed from the utility func. Ive tried various methods for polar alignment, but the easiest method for me by far is to drift align using the phd guiding software. While an azimuth mount is the easier option for first time telescope owners, an equatorial mount offers a plethora. I do a lot of outreach i need to have fast, pretty good polar alignment not too long after the. You are thinking of guiding where you use an additional scope and camera or oag. Skywatcher heq5 pro goto astronomy mount first light optics. Skywatcher heq5 goto equatorial mount s30400 adorama. It was one of the first mounts i had ever used for astrophotography, and one i still use to this day. Connecting to skywatcher synscan mount heq5 zwo support. Quick and easy polar alignment included with the heq5 is an illuminated polar finderscope to assist astronomers with quick and easy polar alignment.
Drift alignment versus synscan polar alignment astronomy forums. Here are two procedures for doing the polar scope alignment. It also has a builtin polar alignment scope which makes it easier to align the polar axis of the mount to the earths axis of rotation whilst not strictly necessary for goto pointing. Learning how to properly polar align the heq5 pro using the builtin polar alignment. The heq5 is a good sturdy mount from skywatcher which uses quartz crystal drive motors. The scopes are an at12in 12 f4 newt, at8in 8 f4 newt, and a hyperstar c8. The synscan v4 goto hand controller provides easy, computerized location of thousands of night sky objects planets, nebulas, star clusters, galaxies, and more for viewing through your telescope.
Using goto for polar alignment without software feature. Skywatcher heq5 pro synscan go to equatorial mount for astronomical telescope with usb support. Another factor that we liked about the heq5 pro is the builtin polar alignment scope, which makes it easy to get the polar axis of the mount precisely parallel to the earths. Invaluable as a guide to this topic which can be very confusing. It works, but any wind turns it into a tuning fork. Heq5 pro goto mount with steel tripod skywatcher australia. The heavyduty mount is a smaller version of the skywatcher eq6 pro mount and is specifically designed for observers who enjoy the steadiness of the eq6 pro mount but find the. Polar alignment is only available in the pro version of the app as you stated, and only available when connected to the mount in eq mode. While most mounts leave you high and dry to purchase accessories on your own, skywatcher includes plenty of accessories to get you started. You will find it in the advanced menu on the main screen. The article was written using a skywatcher heq5 mount, but the.
All of the telescope mounts on the list above include a polar alignment scope depending on the version you order, with the exception of the celestron cgem. The solar track mode is a new fuction to track the sun and does not need an alignment. The exceptional synscan goto system allows full control of both. Polar alignment using hour angle method sergio kaminsky. This technical note sets out the procedures required to accurately polar align a synta eq3eq5 heq5 or synta eq6. Skywatcher heq5 pro computerized equatorial mount this skywatcher heq5 pro mount is equipped with synscan and has been designed for use by novice and experts alike. Optional accessories thera are some accessories that can be used with this mount including. Tutorial on how to perform polar alignment with the hour angle method. This method of polar alignment is sufficient for virtually all visual use of the telescope. Heq5 pro synscan tm computerised goto extra heavy duty equatorial telescope mounting system with v. By correctly setting the autoguiding software such as phd guiding in the pc that commands the autoguide camera, you can select the speed correction in order to. How to update firmware on synscan hand controller telescope.
Update and correct the solar tracking speed in the solar track mode. The button with the time for pole star ha is important when using eqmod to assist in polar alignment. Heq5 pro polar alignment with synscan beginner area east. With the userfriendly pushbutton hand control, locating and viewing the treasures of the night sky becomes as easy as a walk in the park. Set up and align the goto system in whatever way the mount requires. By correctly setting the autoguiding software such as phd guiding in the pc that commands the autoguide camera, you can select the speed correction in order to obtain an accurate guide between 0. Nov 28, 2015 so my questions could best be answered by somebody who has the same reticle and preferably the same software synscan software version 04. The process of this is beyond the scope of this tutorial and the reason for it is simple eqmods website already has an excellent pdf stepbystep tutorial on using eqmod for polar alignment and it is viewable here click link. On top of that, the included polar scope included allows an extremely precise polar alignment that helps to drastically improve the quality of tracking, especially for astrophotography.
Designed for novice and experienced astronomers alike, the skywatcher usa heq5 equatorial goto mount is built to similar specifications of their more robust mounts for. Similar to skywatchers larger eq6 pro, the heq5s counterweight shaft slides neatly into the body of the mount for easy storage and transportation. The three main methods of connecting a synscan mount to a pc through ascom are summarized below. Polar alignmentaligning the skywatcher heq5orion sirius mount.
The azeq6gt is a dual purpose, fully functional computerised heavyduty gototracking astronomical mount in both altazimuth az and equatorial eq modes. The skywatcher heq5 is a goto equatorial telescope mount capable of deepsky astrophotography. I have connected the skywatcher heq5 synscan pro to the asiair using the supplied usb to serial cable connected to the units serial to handset cable and the asiair recognises it and connects ok. The methods differ primarily in terms of which ascom driver is used, the handcontrol configuration, and the cable type for connection to the pc. The synscan hand controller is a popular model found on many equatorial telescope mounts. Heq5 pro polar alignment with synscan beginner area. Dec 15, 2014 the synscan hand controller is a popular model found on many equatorial telescope mounts. These are ok for basic tracking, but the goto upgrade kit installs more precise stepper motors and adds the goto hand controller for better alignment, tracking and. For amateur astronomers seeking superior equatorial control and the ease of a precision computerized goto system, the heq5 pro synscan is your answer. This tutorial best suited for the eqneq6atlas mounts. The setup process can also be used with the eq6 mount and orion.
The drift align method can be used in either hemisphere by using free software called phd2 guiding. For amateur astronomers who want a goto equatorial mount for visual or wide field imaging use with a small telescope such as a 6 newtonian or 60100mm refractor, the heq5 pro synscan is a costeffective option. The eq3 synscan uses the same goto system found in the heq5 and eq6 pro synscan with over,400 objects in its database and a pointing accuracy of about 1. These mounts provide extremely high precision tracking and have built in autoguider ports. Using the current hour angle of polaris, which you obtain from software. So much so that i feared id wasted my money on my heq5 pro.
Telescope star alignment using your synscan hand controller. Skywatcher heq5 pro computerized equatorial mount this skywatcher heq5 pro mount is equipped with synscan and has been designed for use by novice and experts. I cover 2 star alignment, tips on how to change your rate, how. Or you could save some time, effort and expense and use the polar alignment routine already built into the synscan handset. Accurate polar alignment is a specific requirement of any kind of astrophotography as only by achieving this alignment can accurate tracking of celestial bodies be made and this is a prerequisite of photographing sky objects. Another factor that we liked about the heq5 pro is the builtin polar alignment scope, which makes it easy to get the polar axis of the mount precisely parallel to the earths axis of rotation. This heavyduty heq5 pro mount is a smaller version of the sturdy eq6 pro mount. Heq5 pro polar scope calibration and quick tips for polar.
But it also possible to perform with smaller heq5 mounts. Its important to update your firmware to fix software bugs. Has anyone used the synscan polar alignment function and can comment on its usefulness, with or without. Skywatcher azeq6 synscan goto mount dubai telescope. I have a hdx 110 mount and when i got to this information the synscan v5 goto hand controller needed i didnt know what to input. The skywatcher azeq6gt is an exciting evolutionary development of the hugely successful neq6 pro. Temporarily disable the polar realignment function for the feature still under improvement. Skywatcher eq5 pro synscan computerised goto equatorial mount hardware features. Without knowing the hour angle of polaris, using the date scale on the polar axis of the mount.
We asked steve richards to write an overview of eqmod with details on some of its many features and how to use them. If you are using the handset then you would do a two or three star alignment after you polar align. Skywatcher heq5 pro synscan computerised goto equatorial. You can then pick your target from the list in the handset and it will slew to the target and start tracking automatically. The skywatcher heq5 in this example features a builtin polar scope with an illuminated reticle. Eqmod is a popular set of software tools used by many astronomers to control the skywatcher heq5, neq6 and other mounts directly from a pc. So my questions could best be answered by somebody who has the same reticle and preferably the same software synscan software version. This method of polar alignment is sufficient for virtually all. Easy polar alignment for astrophotography step by step. With the eqmod i just set my mount up in home position, use the feature in asiair to goto a certain object, then 1 or 2 plate solves always gets me directly centered.
Simple polar alignment for beginners lonewolf online. Aug 10, 2011 another factor that we liked about the heq5 pro is the builtin polar alignment scope, which makes it easy to get the polar axis of the mount precisely parallel to the earths axis of rotation. These mounts provide extremely high precision tracking and have built in. It is specially designed for observers who need the steadiness of the eq6 pro mount but. Step by step instructions of using your hand controller to align your telescope. I used the free planetarium software stellarium to calculate the highest. Your scope likely now has allstar alignment andor software alignment. Eqmod controlling the heq5, neq6 and other mounts directly. Jun 15, 20 eqmod is a popular set of software tools used by many astronomers to control the skywatcher heq5, neq6 and other mounts directly from a pc. They are bit different than the larger mounts but the principle is the same. The setup process can also be used with the eq6 mount and orion equivalents.
852 1142 54 892 990 1325 504 581 1220 1326 471 1223 101 219 566 267 527 1495 242 164 1424 1334 1265 408 282 336 1054 1136 1224 1042 213 371 858