Recording Corrections - Software Bisque Paramount ME User Manual

Figure 41: The Periodic Error Correction tab's graph of raw periodic error data (TheSky6 Professional

Recording Corrections

Please read the Important Note in the "
before continuing.
During the recording phase the angle of the worm relative to where it would be during
normal sidereal tracking is measured and stored at a rate of about five times per second.
This provides a history of the angle adjustment for a complete rotation of the worm. Note
that this function is for correcting periodic error only. For best results, make sure you're
mount is well aligned with the pole. If the mount's polar alignment is poor, then you will
also observe a drift component in the recorded periodic error data. This drift makes
"extracting" the actual periodic error from the recorded data more difficult, and can lead to
a less than optimal periodic error correction curve. (This is another reason why Software
Bisque developed the PrecisionPEC software described earlier. PrecisionPEC uses periodic
error data over several cycles of the worm, and drift from polar misalignment when
recording periodic error can be detected and removed.)
The following steps are necessary to successfully train PEC:
1. Start Autoguiding – Start autoguiding using a suitable guide star near the
celestial equator. Periodic error shows its greatest effects within the range of +15
degrees declination and –15 degrees declination. Choose a star high in the sky
(near the meridian) to reduce atmospheric effects. Acquiring data on the west side
of the mount ensures you do not run into the "east limit" of German equatorial
mounts.
2. Start Recording – With the mount initialized and tracking, from TheSky6
Professional Edition, click Telescope > Options > More Settings, and then click
Periodic Error Correction tab. Autoguide for a few of minutes to ensure the
system is settled down and to remove the effects of backlash in the worm. When the
autoguider is successfully making guiding corrections, click Record.
Edition).
P eriodic Error Correction (PEC)
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