Can you manually set GPS coordinates on a Nextstar 6se ?

[dleger]

Woohoo..!

I just bought my first "serious" scope (Nextsar 6se) and took it out last night (Jan.17/13), because it was a fairly clear sky and looked forward to setting it up (before the twilight was gone)...

One a fresh set of Energizer batteries, I preceeded to use Staralign.. It took me a few tries before the "Match" was reported.....

However, looking up, I could see Orion and wanted to slew to M42/M43 and try and take some pictures, but it wasn't listed on the "Tour" list..... So, I chose "Andromeda" which was on the list, and the scope proceeded to attempt to tear my camera from it's T-adapter, by swinging up (lesson learned..)

I noted that when I configured the "location", I could't find Singapore, but had to choose Bangkok, Thailand as the closest to my location..

- Is it possissble not choosing "Singapore" is a factor in the inaccuracy I'm getting ?
- There is a GPS attachment capability, but isn't there a manual way to set GPS coordinates ?

Thanks...

[Davegn]

Hi Dave,

Welcome to the forum and welcome to the hobby.

Congrats on your first "serious" scope!

I had tried out one of my friend’s Nexstar before and
Yes it is possible to manually set the GPS coordinates for the Nexstar mount.
You might when to try resetting on the nexstar hand controller set.
I do believe it will be call “reset to factory setting”

I think why you are not able to find M42 is likely the date was set wrongly.

Nextstar is an AZ mount. Would suggest maybe you would like to do some visual obbing instead. It does not accurately track the star enough for you to take a photo.

Weather permitting; we are having a sidewalk session tonight at TPY.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=9605

if you are free, do drop by and Maybe would like to bring your setup for us to help you with it?

Regards,
Dave Ng

[Gary]

Hi Dave,

Welcome to the forum and a nice choice for your first serious scope! I have looked through a couple of well-collimated C6 XLTs and they are quite amazing for its price.

There is at least one member with a 6SE in this forum. Hope they can help you to resolve your issue.

In case you do not have the manual, this is the online version:
http://www.celestron.com/c3/images/file ... 9manua.pdf

Good luck and clear skies!

[cloud_cover]

Hello! By and large you should be able to set the gps manually by entering Singapore's co ordinates.
If you set Bangkok's position, the mount will think its in Bangkok hence it will miss targets by about 13 deg(Dist. Between Singapore and Bangkok / Circumference of the Earth, x 360deg). Also, because the time zone is not the same, the position that the mount assumes for a given object may not be the same. This may be the reason why M42 is not in your list and slewing to M31 sends it straight up when its actually quite low now in the late evening.
Regarding photography, its not so much the accuracy of the mount's tracking but the fact that being an Alt-Az mount, it does not eliminate field rotation. Because the stars are rotating about the Celestial Pole, they will also rotate in your long exposure photo. If you do not correct fr this (by using a field derotator or by using an equatorial mount), you will see your stars forming arcs around the center of your images. Your mount, however, is very useful for planetary imaging and video astronomy, which you may, at a later time, want to explore
Hope it helps!

[Airconvent]

I used to have an old Nexstar 8 but that was 2 generations ago. I can't believe they still have not included Singapore by now especially since they have an agent here (Astro-scientific). Maybe you can get Albert from the Science Centre to feedback to Celestron on a software update to include Singapore.
Otherwise just enter it manually. It should work properly.
Regards

[Mariner]

Woohoo..!

I just bought my first "serious" scope (Nextsar 6se) and took it out last night (Jan.17/13), because it was a fairly clear sky and looked forward to setting it up (before the twilight was gone)...

One a fresh set of Energizer batteries, I preceeded to use Staralign.. It took me a few tries before the "Match" was reported.....

However, looking up, I could see Orion and wanted to slew to M42/M43 and try and take some pictures, but it wasn't listed on the "Tour" list..... So, I chose "Andromeda" which was on the list, and the scope proceeded to attempt to tear my camera from it's T-adapter, by swinging up (lesson learned..)

I noted that when I configured the "location", I could't find Singapore, but had to choose Bangkok, Thailand as the closest to my location..

- Is it possissble not choosing "Singapore" is a factor in the inaccuracy I'm getting ?
- There is a GPS attachment capability, but isn't there a manual way to set GPS coordinates ?

Thanks...

Most likely your "misalignment" is due to the coordinates not entered in correctly. As Singapore is not in the list, you'll have to input it manually from GPS coordinates that can be easily obtained from any smartphone GPS app. You can manual input the coordinates in the nexstar hand controller. Save the money from the GPS unit on something better.... like a good eyepiece.

One more thing. I won't trust batteries running the system. Get yourself a good power tank. Most of the guys know about my "beef".

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10852

[weixing]

Hi,
Don't waste $$ on a GPS unit... you can always use your mobile phone to get your location coordinate and unless you travel out of singapore, I think don't need to change it frequently.

Anyway, I think to key in your coordinate, select "Custom Site" instead of "City Database" when asked using the <UP> or <DOWN> scrolls key.

Have a nice day.

PS: Welcome to SingAstro!

[jeffyen]

Do this to input the coordinates. It will be memorised until you change it again.


-The next time that your NexStar is aligned, the hand control will automatically display the last location (either a city or longitude/latitude) that was entered. Press ENTER to accept these parameters if they still apply. Pressing the UNDO button will allow you to go back and select a new city location or longitude/latitude.
~page 12 of the manual.

[dleger]

Hi Everybody,

Thank you for the warm welcome and all the good advice.... :-)

Yes, I have the manual, and they neglected to even mention about manually setting the GPS.
(Maybe they prefer if you bought the GPS accessory....dunno)
I did finally see a mention on the Celstron website, under FAQ, where the question is asked & answered...

Mariner, the battery pack is a good idea, (and I read your thread about it), so that my scope could last the entire night and have enough juice to slew properly.... thanks for that....

My medium to long term goal is astrophotography, so I will do some watching, but need to start "trying" the A.P. stuff, because it's got a steep learning curve, (i.e. How to setup my scope for such, and learning the post processing stuff). How much exposure time I get with an alt-Az mount remains to be seen, but 30secs + stacking to be my initial goal for A.P.

I'm so impressed with what (skilled) people can do even with a camera and lens alone..Amazing....
And that's what I look up to... Doing the same with scopes is actually harder, due to the higher magnification and increased sensitivity to tracking errors, wind, vibration, etc...

Yes, hope to drop by Toa Payoh, when the weather & time permit, and looking forward to meeting you...

Cheers,

[dleger]

Mea Culpa....

Correction - Searching through the PDF verion of the manual for keyword "custom", they do mention it...

"Use the Up and Down scroll keys to choose between City Database and Custom Site. City Database will allow you to select the closest city to your observing site from a list of either international or U.S. location. Custom Site allows you to enter the exact longitude and latitude of your observing site. Select City Database and press ENTER."

So, it's a bit obscure, but they do mention it.... my bad...

Regards,