On 1/8/2023 7:56 PM, Christopher Erickson wrote:

Basically, always use Recal.

Agreed.

Do you have a finder scope? I've found it helpful to use the arrow keys
to center the target (a very bright star) in the finder first, then in
the OTA with a long FL eyepiece. If I want to be precise, I'll replace
that with a short eyepiece that has crosshairs. I use the hand box arrow
keys with the slew rate set at 12X.

Using the finder scope first eliminates blindly searching for the star
in the main scope. I always adjust my finder scope so its crosshairs
match the center of the main OTA, and I note which direction each arrow
key moves the star in the finder scope.

This is the first slew of the evening and I moved the scope prior to
start up, but tell the scope it is in park 3 when I unpark it.

Is the mount actually _in_ that position? If you put a level on each axis, are they level? Can you adjust the tripod or whatever the mount sits on so the axes are level? If so, then your first slew should put the target close to the center of the FOV. The only reason it's off is because the mount is not physically exactly in Park 3.

HTH.

--- Mike