please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

We all started somewhere! We are a friendly bunch! Most of your questions can be posted here, but if you are interested in Astrophotography please use the new Beginner Astrophotography forum. The response time will be much better.
Post Reply
User avatar
realflow100 United States of America
Orion Spur Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 857
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2020 5:21 pm
4
Location: Orangeburg South Carolina USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

#1

Post by realflow100 »


I know what to put in for my coordinates but the time settings are SUPER CONFUSING.

its in 24 hour time mode. with no way to change it to 12 hour time mode.
and i dont know what to put in there. its 11:37 AM right now

and I dont know what to put in for minutes ahead or behind of UT.

should daylight savings be YES or NO?

im in orangeburg SC in the USA
Svbony SV503 70mm ED F6 420mm FL refractor telescope (New)
Canon EOS 100D/SL1
Tamron 18-200mm F3.5-F6.3 II VC lens
canon 50mm STM F1.8
svbony 8-24mm zoom eyepiece
svbony goldline 66 degree 9mm and 6mm + 40mm plossl + 2x barlow.
svbony UHC 1.25 filter + astromania 1.25" O-3 filter + also an svbony H-B filter.
User avatar
Lady Fraktor Slovakia
Co-Administrator
Co-Administrator
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 9863
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2019 9:14 pm
4
Location: Slovakia
Status:
Offline

Re: please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

#2

Post by Lady Fraktor »


realflow100 wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:39 pm I know what to put in for my coordinates but the time settings are SUPER CONFUSING.

its in 24 hour time mode. with no way to change it to 12 hour time mode.
and i dont know what to put in there. its 11:37 AM right now

and I dont know what to put in for minutes ahead or behind of UT.

should daylight savings be YES or NO?

im in orangeburg SC in the USA
AM times are normal, if it was 11:37 PM then it would be 23:37.
1 PM= 13:00, 2 PM=14:00 etc.

DST is in effect.
See Far Sticks: Antares Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser BV 127/1200, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885
EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, AXJ, AXD
Az/Alt: AYO Digi II/ Argo Navis, Stellarvue M2C/ Argo Navis
Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102
Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Takahashi prism, TAL, Vixen flip mirror
Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss
The only culture I have is from yogurt
My day was going well until... people
Image
User avatar
realflow100 United States of America
Orion Spur Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 857
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2020 5:21 pm
4
Location: Orangeburg South Carolina USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

Re: please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

#3

Post by realflow100 »


how many minutes do I put in for ahead or behind UT TIME?
Svbony SV503 70mm ED F6 420mm FL refractor telescope (New)
Canon EOS 100D/SL1
Tamron 18-200mm F3.5-F6.3 II VC lens
canon 50mm STM F1.8
svbony 8-24mm zoom eyepiece
svbony goldline 66 degree 9mm and 6mm + 40mm plossl + 2x barlow.
svbony UHC 1.25 filter + astromania 1.25" O-3 filter + also an svbony H-B filter.
User avatar
Graeme1858 Great Britain
Co-Administrator
Co-Administrator
Articles: 1
Online
Posts: 7222
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2019 7:16 pm
4
Location: North Kent, UK
Status:
Online

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

I Broke The Forum.

Re: please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

#4

Post by Graeme1858 »


realflow100 wrote: Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:39 pm I know what to put in for my coordinates but the time settings are SUPER CONFUSING.

its in 24 hour time mode. with no way to change it to 12 hour time mode.
and i dont know what to put in there. its 11:37 AM right now

and I dont know what to put in for minutes ahead or behind of UT.

should daylight savings be YES or NO?

im in orangeburg SC in the USA

Hello Realflow

South Carolina is Eastern Standard Time which is 5 hours behind UTC.

You are currently on EDT (daylight saving) which is 4 hours behind UTC.

So set your time to -5 hours with daylight saving on.

Regards

Graeme
______________________________________________
Celestron 9.25 f10 SCT, f6.3FR, CGX mount.
ASI1600MM Pro, ASI294MC Pro, ASI224MC
ZWO EFW, ZWO OAG, ASI220MM Mini.
APM 11x70 ED APO Binoculars.

https://www.averywayobservatory.co.uk/
User avatar
turboscrew
Inter-Galactic Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 3233
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:22 am
3
Location: Nokia, Finland
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

#5

Post by turboscrew »


- Juha

Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5

I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Image
User avatar
realflow100 United States of America
Orion Spur Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 857
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2020 5:21 pm
4
Location: Orangeburg South Carolina USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

Re: please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

#6

Post by realflow100 »


how many minutes do I enter for MINUTES behind UTC?
i cant enter hours it has to be minutes.
Svbony SV503 70mm ED F6 420mm FL refractor telescope (New)
Canon EOS 100D/SL1
Tamron 18-200mm F3.5-F6.3 II VC lens
canon 50mm STM F1.8
svbony 8-24mm zoom eyepiece
svbony goldline 66 degree 9mm and 6mm + 40mm plossl + 2x barlow.
svbony UHC 1.25 filter + astromania 1.25" O-3 filter + also an svbony H-B filter.
User avatar
turboscrew
Inter-Galactic Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 3233
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:22 am
3
Location: Nokia, Finland
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

#7

Post by turboscrew »


1 hour is 60 minutes. -5 hours = -5 * 60 = -300 minutes.
- Juha

Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5

I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Image
User avatar
realflow100 United States of America
Orion Spur Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 857
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2020 5:21 pm
4
Location: Orangeburg South Carolina USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

Re: please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

#8

Post by realflow100 »


ok
ive set it up twice now and it doesnt matter how perfectly I level it. balance the camera. or how perfect my star alignment is. its always off by enough that its pathetic to even call it goto. because its always off by too much whenever I tell it to goto an object its way off center. almost to the edge of the view.
doesnt matter if I do planet align. 1 star. or 2 star alignment.
it just doesnt want to goto right or track very well

Would it help if I take 2 long exposure photos of like 2 minutes long. one with tracking enabled. and 1 with it stopped. to see what the difference is and why it might not be tracking right? if I can somehow compensate for it being inaccurate somehow?
Svbony SV503 70mm ED F6 420mm FL refractor telescope (New)
Canon EOS 100D/SL1
Tamron 18-200mm F3.5-F6.3 II VC lens
canon 50mm STM F1.8
svbony 8-24mm zoom eyepiece
svbony goldline 66 degree 9mm and 6mm + 40mm plossl + 2x barlow.
svbony UHC 1.25 filter + astromania 1.25" O-3 filter + also an svbony H-B filter.
User avatar
turboscrew
Inter-Galactic Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 3233
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:22 am
3
Location: Nokia, Finland
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

#9

Post by turboscrew »


Do you have GPS connected to it?
If not, have you set your location?
Your date is OK? (It's easy to overlook the year.)
You started from the park position (zenith, south)?

Your time is 300 behind UTC and DST ON.
Orangeburg, SC, USA is located at United States country in the Cities place category with the gps coordinates of 33° 29' 35.9412'' N and 80° 51' 19.4940'' W.
You may have more accurate coordinates. These are probably the coordinates of the centrum.
- Juha

Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5

I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Image
User avatar
realflow100 United States of America
Orion Spur Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 857
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2020 5:21 pm
4
Location: Orangeburg South Carolina USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

Re: please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

#10

Post by realflow100 »


There is no GPS to connect to it.

I set the location. time. and date.
I set the coordinates to my EXACT apartment location. right on top of my apartment address.

Date is good.
Time is set to within 2 seconds.
everything I can think of is perfect. Ive checked dozens of times by now. and even repeated the setup process from the beginning multiple times over ending up with the same settings each time.

Tried planet align. 1 star. and 2 star. and it just never tracks very well. at all.
Svbony SV503 70mm ED F6 420mm FL refractor telescope (New)
Canon EOS 100D/SL1
Tamron 18-200mm F3.5-F6.3 II VC lens
canon 50mm STM F1.8
svbony 8-24mm zoom eyepiece
svbony goldline 66 degree 9mm and 6mm + 40mm plossl + 2x barlow.
svbony UHC 1.25 filter + astromania 1.25" O-3 filter + also an svbony H-B filter.
User avatar
turboscrew
Inter-Galactic Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 3233
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:22 am
3
Location: Nokia, Finland
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

#11

Post by turboscrew »


realflow100 wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 3:04 pm There is no GPS to connect to it.

I set the location. time. and date.
I set the coordinates to my EXACT apartment location. right on top of my apartment address.

Date is good.
Time is set to within 2 seconds.
everything I can think of is perfect. Ive checked dozens of times by now. and even repeated the setup process from the beginning multiple times over ending up with the same settings each time.

Tried planet align. 1 star. and 2 star. and it just never tracks very well. at all.
That is weird, and I can understand your frustration.
Has it ever worked fine?
The hand set clock keeps the time (battery is good)?
I assume you run it with AC/DC adapter.

Does it even park right (alt 90°, az 180°)?

Are you using true south instead of magnetic south? That probably doesn't matter if they don't differ much.
- Juha

Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5

I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Image
User avatar
realflow100 United States of America
Orion Spur Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 857
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2020 5:21 pm
4
Location: Orangeburg South Carolina USA
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

TSS Photo of the Day

Re: please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

#12

Post by realflow100 »


its never worked fine

I replaced the battery in the hand controller with a brand new one when I first got it because the one it came with was dead
and yes I use AC wall outlet power for it with an extension cord if I need one.

I'm not able to use "true south" or anything precise. all Ive got is a compass and its trash. Theres no way possible to align it to within a decimal of a degree of accuracy. all I can do really is just vaguely point the "S" on the mount in the direction of south.

it does park right if I set it to park. (straight up and with the S in the direction of south)

it's never worked fine ever since I got it. its always been a struggle. with very poor tracking no matter what. at any focal length.

it only worked fine one time just from random chance. (Only for about 13 frames 30 seconds exposure each with 360mm focal length refractor telescope or so. then it started losing tracking again and trailing.)
and I didnt do anything specific or different then.
Svbony SV503 70mm ED F6 420mm FL refractor telescope (New)
Canon EOS 100D/SL1
Tamron 18-200mm F3.5-F6.3 II VC lens
canon 50mm STM F1.8
svbony 8-24mm zoom eyepiece
svbony goldline 66 degree 9mm and 6mm + 40mm plossl + 2x barlow.
svbony UHC 1.25 filter + astromania 1.25" O-3 filter + also an svbony H-B filter.
User avatar
turboscrew
Inter-Galactic Ambassador
Articles: 0
Offline
Posts: 3233
Joined: Sat Jun 20, 2020 9:22 am
3
Location: Nokia, Finland
Status:
Offline

TSS Awards Badges

Re: please help me set up my alt az star tracker again i reset it by accident

#13

Post by turboscrew »


realflow100 wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 4:34 pm its never worked fine

I replaced the battery in the hand controller with a brand new one when I first got it because the one it came with was dead
and yes I use AC wall outlet power for it with an extension cord if I need one.

I'm not able to use "true south" or anything precise. all Ive got is a compass and its trash. Theres no way possible to align it to within a decimal of a degree of accuracy. all I can do really is just vaguely point the "S" on the mount in the direction of south.

it does park right if I set it to park. (straight up and with the S in the direction of south)

it's never worked fine ever since I got it. its always been a struggle. with very poor tracking no matter what. at any focal length.

it only worked fine one time just from random chance. (Only for about 13 frames 30 seconds exposure each with 360mm focal length refractor telescope or so. then it started losing tracking again and trailing.)
and I didnt do anything specific or different then.
Then, I think, it can't be fixed with setup or something, but don't take my word of it - I'm no expert. I haven't even seen that thing other than in pictures in the web.
My guess is that it needs some internal adjustments or even repair.
Looks like you've checked pretty much all there is to check without opening the mount.
- Juha

Senior Embedded SW Designer
Telescope: OrionOptics XV12, Mount: CEM120, Tri-pier 360 and alternative dobson mount.
Grab 'n go: Omegon AC 102/660 on AZ-3 mount
Eyepieces: 26 mm Omegon SWAN 70°, 15 mm TV Plössl, 12.5 mm Baader Morpheus, 10 mm TV Delos, 6 mm Baader Classic Ortho, 5 mm TV DeLite, 4 mm and 3 mm TV Radians
Cameras: ZWO ASI 294MM Pro, Omegon veLOX 178C
OAG: TS-Optics TSOAG09, ZWO EFW 7 x 36 mm, ZWO filter sets: LRGB and Ha/OIII/SII
Explore Scientific HR 2" coma corrector, Meade x3 1.25" Barlow, TV PowerMate 4x 2"
Some filters (#80A, ND-96, ND-09, Astronomik UHC)
Laptop: Acer Enduro Urban N3 semi-rugged, Windows 11
LAT 61° 28' 10.9" N, Bortle 5

I don't suffer from insanity. I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Image
Post Reply

Create an account or sign in to join the discussion

You need to be a member in order to post a reply

Create an account

Not a member? register to join our community
Members can start their own topics & subscribe to topics
It’s free and only takes a minute

Register

Sign in

Return to “Beginners forum”