Testing Park3 is definitely a good idea. For any new startups I generally run the mount thru all park positions before going to any object.

 

If Venus coordinates are correct, then something else is wrong. Probably not battery or database. I suggest getting in touch with George at AP and having him advise some other tests. You could very easily have one of your settings of time, date, location wrong, something that isn't obvious to you but may be to a second person. It's happened to me when I had the clock set to 3 o-clock, forgetting that it should have been 15:00 hours.

 

Rolando

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Christopher Erickson <christopher.k.erickson@...>
To: main <main@ap-gto.groups.io>
Sent: Thu, Mar 12, 2020 10:50 am
Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Dumb(?) question re start-up of my AP900GTO CP4

I would still perform the easy test of sending it to park 3 to see what happens.

-Christopher Erickson
Observatory engineer
Waikoloa, HI 96738
www.summitkinetics.com
   

On Thu, Mar 12, 2020, 10:38 AM Stuart <stuart.j.heggie@...> wrote:

Okay - have confirmed that I have the right Lat/Long and the keypad has the right values for , say, Venus but claims it is below the horizon when I issue the slew command via the keypad. That's after confirming it is in Park 4 and knows it is in Park 4. 

So ... new battery (I have one in hand that I ordered, worried about this happening) and reload the db?

Stuart Heggie

http://www.stuartheggie.com/

On Thu, 12 Mar 2020 at 15:03, Stuart Heggie <stuart.j.heggie@...> wrote:

Thanks Rolando. I will check that too. Just got home. 

Stuart

On Thu, Mar 12, 2020 at 3:01 PM uncarollo2 <chris1011@...> via Groups.Io <chris1011=aol.com@groups.io> wrote:

bring up an object but before sending it there press the < button to see the object data. If it looks wrong, it could be that your keypad battery has died and you will need to re-load the database plus put in a new battery.

 

Rolando

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Stuart <stuart.j.heggie@...>
To: main <main@ap-gto.groups.io>
Sent: Thu, Mar 12, 2020 7:40 am
Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Dumb(?) question re start-up of my AP900GTO CP4

Interesting possibility. I woke up in the night thinking that very thing but confirmed this morning that I'm indeed using Park 4. (I started using Park 1 with tracking off with the same result and then switched to Park 4).

Stuart Heggie

http://www.stuartheggie.com/

On Thu, 12 Mar 2020 at 13:06, Christopher Erickson <christopher.k.erickson@...> wrote:

Try sending it to Park 3 and see where it goes. Maybe you have misremembered Park 4...

-Christopher Erickson
Observatory engineer
Waikoloa, HI 96738
www.summitkinetics.com
   

On Thu, Mar 12, 2020, 6:25 AM Stuart <stuart.j.heggie@...> wrote:

All - my AP900GTO CP4 has been idle for over a year and with power OFF. I am putting it back into operation and am having a weird time getting the scope to find targets (like at all).

• When I power up, the hand controller signals that I am set to EXT and to hit MENU to use the hand controller. I do that.
  
• Then it prompts for my Location (I only have one): I select '1' and GOTO
  
• I checked the Lat/Long and it is my home location. I adjusted it very slightly as the mount is in a slightly different location than it was).
• I checked the Time and Date and they were off by a few days (odd?) - I corrected them both.
• At this point, I loosen both clutches fully, signal I want the mount to go to Park 4 and hold the mount while it whirs away and when it is done, I use a bubble level to position it in Park 4. I tighten the clutches gently, issue a second Park 4 command, check the level then lock in down firmly (hand tightening only of course)

THEN the weird part: I hit menu till I'm at the top menu, I select Object then pick some object I know is up in the sky (I'm in a dome shielded from any risk of pointing at the sun and the scope is covered anyway). Let's pick Venus for example (tho it failed on the moon when the moon was up also). In most cases the hand controller declares the object I can see naked eye (Venus, the Moon, Betelgeuse, ...) is below the horizon. Or it slews and slews way off the target.

Is it possible my hand controller db is corrupted from the long time powered down? 

Stuart Heggie

http://www.stuartheggie.com/

--

Stuart
http://www.astrofoto.ca/stuartheggie/

--

Stuart
http://www.astrofoto.ca/stuartheggie/

--

Stuart Heggie

http://www.stuartheggie.com/

--

Stuart
http://www.astrofoto.ca/stuartheggie/