Procedure for the CGE Cone Calibration
The CGE manual is very clear that it is required that you perform
the DEC Switch/Cone calibration in order to get accurate GoTo performance.
This generally must only be done once for your mount, although if you change
optical tubes, you will need to recalibrate each time you swap tubes due to
the potential differences in the optical axis of the two tubes.
While the manual is clear that you must perform the calibration, the
instructions on the "Calibrating the CGE Mount" sidebar are not exactly
correct. Here is the correct procedure:
- Perform an Auto Two Star Align as described in the manual, but be sure
the two stars you use are both on the same side of the meridian. For
example, both stars might be in the eastern half of the sky.
- Here is where the manual is not clear. Next, use the List
button, scroll to Named Stars, press Enter, then scroll to a star that is
on the opposite side of the meridian. Following the example we started
above, select a star in the western half of the sky. Press Enter to
GoTo the star.
- Press Undo until CGE Ready is displayed. Press the Menu button,
select the Utilities menu, Calibrate Mount, DEC Switch/Cone and then press
Enter. Then as the display is prompting, center the star in the
eyepiece using the Up and Right arrow buttons (to eliminate the effects of
gear backlash). After the star is centered, press Enter to complete
the calibration.
Again, as long as you are using the same optical tube, you should not
normally need to redo the calibration, though if you start to experience poor GoTo
performance on one side of the sky, you should try recalibrating.
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