Meade ETX-70AT / Autostar

Diamonddec

djhaxman wrote: »

If it gives you the option make sure and select daylight savings - no when you switch on Autostar and are about to aligning the scope.

Cheers for your reply. Just to clarify ... when you enter date and time into handset, it asks if you want daylight savings... I have been selecting NO ... should I be selecting YES?

djhaxman

Diamonddec wrote: »

Cheers for your reply. Just to clarify ... when you enter date and time into handset, it asks if you want daylight savings... I have been selecting NO ... should I be selecting YES?

No is right, I think when the time changes in the spring that's when you select yes.

dbran

Hi

Daylight saving should be "no".

Have you also checked your location is correctly entered in the autostar?

If the star chosen by the autostar is unavailable you can get it to pick another by using the scroll down key. Alternatively you if you want to pick your own alignmnent stars, use just two star allignment. This will require some knowledge of the sky though. The one star allignment is the least accurate method.

It is not unusual for it to be a bit out and dont expect the allignment star to be in the same field of view. It is just important that you centre it using the autostar direction keys.

Hope this helps

dbran

Diamonddec

Hi dbran. Autostar didn't ask me for my location!
Mate, I thought it would be just pointnshoot! I really wasn't expecting to learn about the sky before I could start exploring.

It was way out last night when I nominated Dubhe as my alignment star. Then when it settled somewhere else, it wouldn't let me move/centre on Dubhe, but instead made some constant noises that I took to be tracking .. on some distant group of stars that I have no chance of knowing! It would have been fine if it had let me use Dubhe, since I now know where it is ... and it is now my friend! ...

I'll try again tonight if all is clear.

Thanks again for your input ... much appreciated!

djhaxman

I would use one of the stars in Ursa Major and one in Orion, they're probably the best known and the easiest constellations to find, and are well placed in the sky at around 10:00pm these nights.

Diamonddec

Thanks djhaxman!

I would have thought that it would be handier if I picked 2 stars either side of and near to Polaris .. so that the telescope didn't have too far to travel! ... and I could see exactly what I was doing!

I'll look up Ursa Major and Orion as you suggest and familiarise myself with a couple of stars.

Cheers

Diamonddec

OK ... I'm just having a play indoors. I can see Jupiter out of the frontroom window (it's sort of southwest) and pointed the telescope north and levelled tube. I bypassed the star alignment and set for jupiter. It slewed around and actually wasn't too far out, i.e just outside telescope view... so I centred it in the viewfinder, but it doesn't let me set it as an alignment, so after a few seconds, it adjusts its tracking and throws it just out of the view and continues tracking, so it doesn't stay in the view for long without me adjusting it. I am not gonna blame the telescope, because I just approximated north without being able to see any stars at the back of my house. I have the 12mm and 3x barlow lens in and can just about make out 3 moons ... (I hope the're moons) :eek: ... one at about 7 0'clock to jupiter, and two going out from 1 o'clock. They are tiny though, and I can just about see them!

... still, it's a result from last night!

dbran

Hi

These are just teething problems u know

You cannot use a planet as an allignmnet. You can only use the stars in the database of bright stars.

It is also very important that you set your correct location as otherwise your allignment will not work. Go to <Setup> <site> and enter your current location using your lat and longtitude. Check with google earth to get it as exact as you can.

djhaxman is right. You are best using allignment stars which are as far apart as possible. The stars of Orion and Ursa Major would be perfect.

Hope this helps

dbran

Diamonddec

Thanks guys! ... as usual, I'm cutting corners and looking for the easiest way out! :rolleyes: ... sorry!

Because autostar didn't prompt me, I didn't realise that I had to set my location, as you asked me before dbran. I have followed your instructions and found out my coordinates from Google Earth and tried to put them in, but the handset is in a different format, so I am unsure how to enter it. For example, for latitude, the handset says --*-- , whereas my (made-up) latitude is 54*23'19.25 N
and autostar says longitude is ---*-- , whereas my longitude is 6*23'10.33 W (star is degrees).

Could you please let me know how I should enter it please.

Again guys, apologies for being such a dork!

lisbon_lions

Hi Folks,

Was wondering if anyone can help with an issue im having. Got the ETX 70AT for christmas and loved using over the hols. One issue I seem to be having is the altitude directional up arrow does not result in the scope going up. All other 3 directional arrows work, left right and down. I have tightened the altitude wheel pretty tight. Anyone experience this?
Thanks.

dbran

Diamonddec wrote: »

Thanks guys! ... as usual, I'm cutting corners and looking for the easiest way out! :rolleyes: ... sorry!

Because autostar didn't prompt me, I didn't realise that I had to set my location, as you asked me before dbran. I have followed your instructions and found out my coordinates from Google Earth and tried to put them in, but the handset is in a different format, so I am unsure how to enter it. For example, for latitude, the handset says --*-- , whereas my (made-up) latitude is 54*23'19.25 N
and autostar says longitude is ---*-- , whereas my longitude is 6*23'10.33 W (star is degrees).

Could you please let me know how I should enter it please.

Again guys, apologies for being such a dork!

So it looks like the Autostar only needs it to the nearest minute and not second of you location.

Diamonddec

dbran wrote: »

So it looks like the Autostar only needs it to the nearest minute and not second of you location.

Rightio ... so do I just enter 54*23 and 006*23

Cheers!

dbran

lisbon_lions wrote: »

Hi Folks,

Was wondering if anyone can help with an issue im having. Got the ETX 70AT for christmas and loved using over the hols. One issue I seem to be having is the altitude directional up arrow does not result in the scope going up. All other 3 directional arrows work, left right and down. I have tightened the altitude wheel pretty tight. Anyone experience this?
Thanks.

Did it ever work at all? Have you tried new batteries? If you are using goto, does the scope then slew upwards to a target?

Also I believe the autostar does not particularly like the cold and may become less responsive in subzero temperetures. So you might try setting it up inside and see if the problem goes away. I know at times I have had to press my autostar quiet hard in the cold to make it move when it is cold.

Also do not overtighten the altitude wheel as you will damage the clutch mechanisim. It should just be tightened to a firm feel only.

Hope this helps

dbran

dbran

Diamonddec wrote: »

Rightio ... so do I just enter 54*23 and 006*23/

Cheers!

Yes that should be fine.:)

Diamonddec

dbran wrote: »

Yes that should be fine.:)

OK, I'll give it a whirl ASAP!

Thanks for all your help ... it is much appreciated!

Diamonddec

More snow during the night! :mad:... that's over 2 weeks and it still hasn't cleared. Forecast up here is for more of the same for the rest of the week....



Sad, forlorn little telescope just itching to get outside and play!

dbran

Wow

Do you live in the country? You must get some nice dark skies there.


dbran

lisbon_lions

dbran wrote: »

Did it ever work at all? Have you tried new batteries? If you are using goto, does the scope then slew upwards to a target?

Also I believe the autostar does not particularly like the cold and may become less responsive in subzero temperetures. So you might try setting it up inside and see if the problem goes away. I know at times I have had to press my autostar quiet hard in the cold to make it move when it is cold.

Also do not overtighten the altitude wheel as you will damage the clutch mechanisim. It should just be tightened to a firm feel only.

Hope this helps

dbran

Yeah it worked at the start, and does even now from time to time, its very odd. Must see if I can troubleshoot it a bit more, using the GOTO will not slew upward when it does not via the up arrows but will when it does - if you know what i mean. Must be a dodgy motor?

dbran

Hi

Hmmmmm strange indeed.

If it was a fault with the motor it would display a "motor fault" on the autostar controller. Can you hear the motor trying to move or is it just nothing but dead when it is moving up? Have you tried CALIBRATE MOTORS?

The fact that it moves when it is moving "goto" also is significant as it means it is probably not an autostar keypad problem.

I wonder is it the connection cable has become frayed and is not making proper contact with the autostar or the computer panel.

You should check the connection cable between the autostar and the scope for wear or loose connections. Blow into the connector in case dust is causing a misconnection.

You can also try putting the question to http://www.weasner.com/etx/menu.html who seem to know everything.

Hope this helps

dbran

Diamonddec

dbran wrote: »

Do you live in the country? You must get some nice dark skies there.

Yes, in the countryside, 1/2 mile from a village to the east, where there is some light pollution. The nearest town is about 7 miles away further east. The telescope is actually facing due north in the picture, over the mountains...





To the west, we have mountains also, and very few houses (except my next door neighbour 70 metres away, who has taken to leave his outside lights on until the early hours of the morning!) :mad:

I am lucky enough to have pretty dark skies, but until I got this telescope, never really gave it a thought, or appreciated it ... apart from looking out for Orion's belt from time to time (don't know why)!

I suppose it's a natural thing for you stargazers, but I never appreciated how few clear nights we have until now ... that I'm looking out for them!

Cheers dbran!

MayoForSam

Anyone tried using their 'scope the last few nights?

Viewing conditions are almost perfect (for those of us with good circulation to our extremities) and the moon doesn't rise until the wee small hours.

Apparently the ETX motors don't like the cold too much though?

Fuzzy Clam

lisbon_lions wrote: »

Hi Folks,

Was wondering if anyone can help with an issue im having. Got the ETX 70AT for christmas and loved using over the hols. One issue I seem to be having is the altitude directional up arrow does not result in the scope going up. All other 3 directional arrows work, left right and down. I have tightened the altitude wheel pretty tight. Anyone experience this?
Thanks.

Yes.

Mine is 2 years old and was like this from new. I found that I had to tighten it more than I would have expected to.
I don't want to advise "over" tightening but it was the only way I could get it to work and it's fine now.

Diamonddec

I'm sooooo excited!:p ... I woke up at 3.15am, really thirsty, so went to the kitchen to get a drink. On looking out of the window, I was greeted with a cacophony of astral twinkling! ... The clearest night that I can remember for months, and so many stars that I could just about make out my new friend, The Big Dipper... and my familiar Orion's Belt. I saw one object just south of west and it shone more brightly than anything else ... Of course, I hadn't a clue what it was, so I fired up the computer and got onto Cartes du Ciel, and it informed me that it was Sirius! Anyhow, I had a look what was available to be viewed and it showed that Saturn was all present and correct in the south. So I picked up my scope (that resides permanently in the seating area of the kitchen) and took it into the south-facing living room and "homed it" with a "blind" northern approximation ... it luckily aligned using Arcturus (which I could see out of the window to the south-east) and Capella (which I couldn't see)... and whammo, I was ready to go. I picked Saturn and it went straight there, albeit in the corner of the frame of the 25mm eyepiece. So, I centred it and experimented with the various eyepiece combo's and found that the best viewing was with the 3xBarlow and 12mm lens. I can make out the rings OK, but TBH, I am a little disappointed that it's not a bit bigger in the eyepiece... Maybe I'm expecting too much! ... It's been tracking well now for the last 40 minutes and I'm more than happy with that!

Yes, I am excited that I have got my first sight of Saturn! ... Great! ... but now I'm going to bed!

Thanks dbran and djhaxman

djhaxman

No problem. Glad you're enjoying the scope.

You should download the program 'Stellarium'. It's free, and I think it's much easier to use than Cartes du ciel. Once you enter your location/coordinates by pressing F6 it gives a panoramic view of the sky, you can choose how many stars/nebulas/galaxies you want shown and named by pressing F4 and using the slider bars. Toggle between full screen and window by pressing F11. Other options are along the bottom and left hand side of the screen. Personal preference of course, I just find it a bit more user friendly.

Haven't had my telescope on the go for a few nights now, shame, with Mars in the sky, but am waiting on those new eyepieces to arrive from England, they should be here next week.

Diamonddec

djhaxman wrote: »

You should download the program 'Stellarium'.

Cheers, I'll have a look at that today!

Haven't had my telescope on the go for a few nights now, shame, with Mars in the sky,

Absolutely, saw it this morning, but it was very high in the sky to the South, and I couldn't get the telscope at it properly from the window.

...but am waiting on those new eyepieces to arrive from England, they should be here next week.

... I hope so!

Diamonddec

Just a thought... how often do you people use your 4mm eyepiece? I can't get onto it at all! ... The aperture is just too damn small to be usable for more than a few seconds at a time, and the focus/depth of field is just so tiny! The 12mm plus 3x Barlow gives pretty much the same image size, but is more easier to use... Trying to ally the 4mm with the 3X Barlow is a complete waste of time as you can see frig all! When do you people use the 4mm and for looking at what?

Cheers!




What a difference a few hours makes! :eek: ... 4 o'clock this morning I was enjoying glorious crystal clear skies and looking at Orion's Belt in this very same location... and now ...



Another bout of snow ... when will it end? :mad: :rolleyes:

djhaxman

Diamonddec wrote: »

... I hope so!

Not at all mate, the problem was on their side, a cancelled paypal transaction, a cancelled visa transaction and several phone calls to England and it's sorted.

Agonist

I've been using this telescope for a while now, since the recent Lidl offer (didn't have to wait for santa to come ) and now that it's been a few months without collecting dust I'd like to treat myself to a few accessories.

I'm enjoying looking at planets. Can anyone advise me as to which lenses/filters would add to the experience? I find that the great nebula in Orion and the Andromeda galaxy look a lot better in my 10X50 binoculars. Is there anything you could recommend that would enhance the view through the scope?

Any other tips are welcome. I don't mind spending a few bob if the accessories will be compatible with a better scope I might buy in the future.

Popoutman

I got a set of plossl eyepieces from an ebay shop (OpticalOverstock) - http://url.ie/4poq for about €60, with 32mm, 12mm, 6mm focal lengths, and a neutral density moon filter.

These are a very good replacement set for the ordinary eyepieces that shipped - wider fields of view and each eyepiece is at about the same focus point - swap and it's still in focus (parfocal). I may yet get another wide-field 3 to 5 mm eyepiece that I can also use with the 8" dobsonian that I am reconstructing.

I also got a Lumicon UHC filter - this really does make a difference to looking at the brighter nebulae up there. It's a pity that the ETX-70 has a little lip inside the eyepiece drawtube preventing the eyepiece from sitting flush. I might get a short 1.25" extension tube to fix this. Even though the recieved wisdom is that the size of the 70mm scope is too small to be useful with a narrowband filter like the UHC, I found it very good. I use the 32mm plossl with the barlow to get the image scale and comfort I wanted. Just make sure that you are shielded from light that can reflect from the filter from the eyepiece end.

Another upgrade I did was to get a Meade #497 classic controller with the full keypad. I got lucky and found one online for about $70 shipped - I made the cable to connect to a PC serial port, and I now have an updated 4.3 revision with the ability to directly key in NGC and IC numbers, and better tours. I can also control the scope from the laptop when I have my webcam in the eyepiece.

It would also be useful to get a flexible focuser extension, helps when fine focusing and when the tube is pointing closer to the vertical.

I'm in the process of using a powerpack battery to power the scope instead of the AA batteries - I went through 4 sets over the past month in the cold weather and daytime testing.

Popoutman

One I missed as a recommendation was a good-quality 2x barlow. That could be more useful than you'd expect, and you will certainly be able to bring it on to your next scope