ausastronomer wrote:Hi Mike,
Notwithstanding that your altitude bearings are eccentric, have you done the red laser test to ensure that the altitude encoder is centred, as best as can be centred, on the altitude axis of rotation? I found this helped pointing accuracy enormously in the pre TPAS days. It also helps post TPAS as there are less errors to be corrected by TPAS.
If you haven't done it I can walk you through it.
Hi John! Rosalie says Hi! too. Hope you are well. We are traveling to NZ this spring (I'm taking the travel scope that's the subject of these posts). We haven't yet visited all the places you recommended for our last trip!
Thanks for the kind offer to help. I don't know the red laser test, but it looks like Gary posted a how-to guide so I'll take a look at that.
I discovered this problem because I could see that the ALT-encoder was moving as I moved the scope in altitude. I set out with paper and protracter to find the "right spot" but discovered there wasn't one right spot. But, as you say, there is probably a "best" spot.
Many thanks,
Mike