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Alignment procedure for EQ6-R Pro question

Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2019 7:41 pm
by ffellah
Hello all: I received the EQ6-R Pro mount, read the manual and could not find an alignment procedure for the daytime on the sun. I contacted Sky Watcher and this is their response:

"At this time we do not offer a way to align on the sun. You would need to skip through the alignment process and slew over to the sun manually. Once there the mount should track in sidereal rate. Your guider should be able to take over from there.

Thank you! Sky-Watcher Support "

Just curious, how do you owners of this mount align it on the sun ?

Thank you,

Franco

Re: Alignment procedure for EQ6-R Pro question

Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2019 7:51 pm
by MalVeauX
Heya,

If using a hand controller, you're limited to its firmware version and what it has set for safety measures.

If you're using a connection to a laptop/computer, you can ditch the handcontroller and do you what you want. The EQ6 can use EQMod with ASCOM drivers and be controlled with planetarium software. I do this since I'm imaging with a laptop anyways and I choose solar slew rate, select the sun as my subject in Stellarium and slew to it by clicking in the software. No hand controller. No limits.

Very best,

Re: Alignment procedure for EQ6-R Pro question

Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2019 8:22 pm
by PDB
Hello Franco,

Never understood "solar align" for a mount. Isn't that just the same as just slewing to the sun (from the goto planet button) and then align with the control keys. I had to do something to make "Sun" appear as object under the planet button, but can't remember what. (think this was introduced in handcontroller firmware 4.39.05) And same a Marty, I hardly use the handcontroller.

Anyway, congrats with the new mount ...

Regards,

Paul

Re: Alignment procedure for EQ6-R Pro question

Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 5:15 am
by marktownley
I just point the mount north (not using a compass etc just quick visual plonk it down), I level the pier, boot up the mount, skip all the align / setup guff on the hand controller and switch the tracking to solar. Then I just manually slew to the sun.

Re: Alignment procedure for EQ6-R Pro question

Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 5:55 am
by Carbon60
Hi Franco,

Just as Mark says. That’s exactly how I set up mine (although I do use a declination corrected compass to set it to north). It goes without saying, of course, that you should set the tilt angle of the headstock to match your latitude, so as to track across the equatorial plane. I don’t use a guider, or any tracking software from my laptop to keep on track. The mount just tracks along by itself with occasional corrections from me via the hand controller.

Stu.

Re: Alignment procedure for EQ6-R Pro question

Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 11:16 am
by ffellah
Thank you Marty, Paul, Mark and Stu for the good tips.I will try the mount one of these weekends...Saturday I am heading to the 29th Connecticut Star Party in Goshen, CT with my buds from the Westport Observatory and our faithful 25" Obsession dob. I will bring a solar scope for the day.

Franco

Re: Alignment procedure for EQ6-R Pro question

Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2019 8:54 am
by LauraMS
Hi Franco,

my Skywatcher Az-Eq6 has a 'solar track' option. It doesn't need alignment in that case and you can select 'solar guiding rate' with it. I'd expect you can do the same with your mount.

In addition I recently acquired the Hinode Solar Guider which is just perfect because it eliminates the effect of inevitable misalignment and keeps the sun in the FoV all day if you want :cool: .

Best wishes
Laura

Re: Alignment procedure for EQ6-R Pro question

Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2019 4:31 pm
by ffellah
Thank you, Laura. Yes, I have been using the Hinode guider for over a year and it is good !

Franco

Re: Alignment procedure for EQ6-R Pro question

Posted: Sat Sep 28, 2019 4:33 am
by marktownley
I like the hinode guider too, it's very good!