session report: 03062012

[turonrambar]

   Date:    03062012

   Equipment:   LX200 GPS 8": various eyepieces, 2x Barlow, and a 2"UWF 24mm eyepiece.

Observations:   Mars: polar ice cap and how the planet laid on it's polar axis.

 Conclusions:   Need to calibrate the telescopes' sensors, even though, I had a successful alinement,
              (Mizar was hidden by a tree), and goto's were not that accurate, some being in the finder scope, and
              some not. None were in the telescopes FOV.
   
      

[drclay]

Hi Kip....more important than calibrating sensors will be the Train Drive function, which can - and should - be done in daylight on a very distant terrestrial landmakr (water tower, distant buildiing top, etc.) at very high power, making sure the target is dead center with each slew in each axis.

Takes only a few minutes and will improve your pointing accuracy greatly.

Doc

[lindendave]

As one who has known and Doc and taken his advice for over a decade I can attest to it being akin to gold! I have never gotten one bit of advice from him that ever steered me wrong and I still rely on him a great deal.

[turonrambar]

Dear Dr. Clay and lindendave,

As one who has known and Doc and taken his advice for over a decade I can attest to it being akin to gold! I have never gotten one bit of advice from him that ever steered me wrong and I still rely on him a great deal.

Not hard to take when you realize it's born from one's passion.

Hi Kip....more important than calibrating sensors will be the Train Drive function, which can - and should - be done in daylight on a very distant terrestrial landmakr (water tower, distant buildiing top, etc.) at very high power, making sure the target is dead center with each slew in each axis.

Takes only a few minutes and will improve your pointing accuracy greatly.

Doc

I'll train the drives next opportunity.

Thanks for the feedback and your time too.