Re: Mount is "lost"


Christopher Erickson
 

It looks like you have done a careful job with cable management but any new, temporary cable that is snagging on anything can result in the symptoms you describe.

Or maybe despite your best efforts, your umbilical is catching or snagging somehow.

Or thirdly, you have a chain of optical bits stacked on the back of that scope. Any chance that any of the interconnected components is slipping, sagging or shifting? Any loose set/lock/thumb screws anywhere back there?

No mirror shift problems? Are you using the mirror locks or is the primary unlocked? I can't tell for sure if you have an electronic focuser in that optical stack in the back.

Are your secondary collimation screws snug? No unstable secondary mirror issues?

I hope this helps.


On Wed, Jun 3, 2020 at 5:09 AM Michael Hamburg via groups.io <michael_hamburg44=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:
I am the 2nd owner of an AP900 that is permanently mounted in my observatory. When I got it I did a preliminary PA, 2-star calibration, and then a Quick Drift Meridian Delay. First session imaging seemed to go well. I use the hand controller which I initialized as per instructions. The only external program connected to the mount is PHD2. After a too long hiatus, the next session was a disaster. The mount wouldn't point in the correct spot- all the GoTos were way off. Last weekend I tried to recalibrate startingfrom the Park 3 position using the 2- star method. I could get the scope to get close to the 2nd star, but when slewing back to the 1st star it was off. I went back and forth. (In this case between Arcturus and Spica.) I faithfully followed the instructions in the manual but too no avail. Then theclouds came. I must be doing something very wrong. I would appreciate any and all help. (One of my hurdles is that I am 160 miles from my observatory during the week but here in Brooklyn, the internet is great. At the western MA site, the internet stinks so it is difficult to communicate on site.) Thanks again.

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