For any equatorial mount, it is best to balance in both axes as closely as possible. When perfect balance cannot be obtained, the mount should be loaded such that the drives are actually driving against a load, (working "uphill") and not acting as an escapement. This will, in almost every instance, result in better tracking. SCT's have notoriously undersized motors historically, as well as tiny clutches, so correct balance is even more critical. --- astrodeb@charter.net wrote:
I took out my refractor this morning and noticed my Starbeam red dot pointer is higher on the clamshell ring than the piggy-back bracket. All I have to do is move the piggy-back bracket where the Starbeam is mounted on the clamshell ring. Then I move the Starbeam to the right ride of the clamshell ring where the piggy-back bracket is. With the bracket nearly at the top of the clamshell ring, the scope should not be in the camera's viewfinder. Thanks to all that responded.
Joe, one of the first things I do when I set up is balance the scope in RA then balance the scope in Dec. Otherwise, stars tend to trail when taking photos because of the movement of the scope.
Debbie
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