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Subject: Re: Meade DB Accuracy Workaround
From: FSantore@aol.com
Reply To: mapug@shore.net
Date: Sat May 13 10:03:20 1995

Thanks for clarifying the second GOTO push as an observed refinement of the scope's position towards the desired objects coordinates. I missed your original post that suggested this. I will check the 2.4 ROM to see if it happens there also, since you mentionned you could see the coordinates change on the readout (and I assume in the eyepiece as well).

>The problem with the other workaround that you mentioned regarding
>getting coordinates from another source in my opinion would not work
>because you need to use the scope's SYNC process to cause the software
>to match the coordinates of an object selected from the scope's
>database. It knows what you selected and it knows what it thinks the
>coordinates of that object are. It will sync with respect to those
>coordinates and not to any external coordinates.

My workaround assumed the sync steps will still occur (I literally meant only replace the steps I indicated). This assumes one can manually sync on coordinates entered, and I believe I have done this in the past. It shouldn't matter if the accurate coordinates are pulled out of the Meade ROM, or out of one's ear, as long as when you hold the enter button down for more than a second after a GOTO the SW says 'these encoder steps belong to these coordinates (and the accompanying math transformations that implies)'. Anyway, the proof will be in the pudding when I test it (its raining in So Cal again). I might mention that there are a whole group of us out here that do Astrophotography and other things for which the 3.3 upgrade is just not worth it. I'm connected to a larger DB that's more easily accessed than through the keypad, so that's not a concern. The baffling would be nice but I haven't heard or observed a marked difference between scopes that have it (another good set of posts). BTW I'm not sure they would positively affect my photos. The backlash correction in RA would definitely be nice, but certainly not at $500-$600. One can effectively deal with the backlash with enough practice. High precision pointing has a workaround and is not a must have for film based work. All of this is to say that another workaround for the 2.4's is very much appreciated. Thanks again for the input. - Frank Santore (Tierra del Sol)