Suppose I set the scope on M3 and hit the "Recal" button and then
move
on to the next object and "tweak" that position with another "Recal".
Does the keypad "remember" each correction and thus improve the
scope's pointing accuracy as each "Recal" is done? Eventually the
scope should be right on if the mount can remember each calibration.

At 01:19 AM 5/14/00 -0000, you wrote:

Suppose I set the scope on M3 and hit the "Recal" button and then
move
on to the next object and "tweak" that position with another "Recal".
Does the keypad "remember" each correction and thus improve the
scope's pointing accuracy as each "Recal" is done? Eventually the
scope should be right on if the mount can remember each calibration.

no, it remembers only the last..

The only consumer software product that does what Chris is talking about
is The Sky, as far as I know. The software models the mount/scope
combination, in a way, and compensates for the differences with the
ideal.

Todd Gross wrote:

--
Best regards,
Chuck Hancock

c d h 5 9 at b e l l s o u t h d o t n e t

Chris,
The keypad will not change the RA and Dec co-ordinates of any object in its
data base just because you hit recal. All that happens is you put a new
starting position in the mount memory. All other objects are measured from
this new point. The pointing accuracy will not change with each re-cal. The
inherent accuracy is very high. What affects accuracy primarily is improper
polar alignment and non-orthogonal scope optical axis.

In order for the mount to do what you propose, it would have to distort the
sky map. The computer in the hand controller is not powerful enough nor does
it have enough memory to do that. You would need a program like TPoint and a
full computer to actually accomplish that function.
Roland Christen
Astro-Physics