How to Track Iss With Ioptron Zeq25

#1

Posted 08 June 2018 - 11:23 PM

Ok so here's my issue. I have an iOptron ZEQ25 and I'm setting it up, plug it in and set up the rest of the getup, and once the thing beeps at me I know that GPS was able to lock. Next thing I try to slew to an inconspicuous target, in the middle of the sky, a bright star typically. the thing go wildly to a different portion of the sky. The GPS or something is wrong. The only thing I can do after that is to manually slew it to the star of choice and "allign". After that it thinks that the 0 position is way off kilter, whatever. If I slew to a couple targets and tell it to sync to target it'll get about 5ish degrees away from my desired target. Just bugs me though. Any answers?

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#2 gotak

Posted 09 June 2018 - 07:30 AM

Does it say GPS ok on the hand controller?

Did you set the correct time offset?

How long have you had the mount?

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#3 josh3211

Posted 09 June 2018 - 08:10 AM

I've never actually seen the words "GPS LOCK" on it, I consider it correct when it's changed from it's default "2011-01-01" to todays time and date. and I've had it now for a few months, have taken it out a handful of times. I went out last night with it and even though I had everything set up I flipped the on/off switch to off and back to on and let it re-lock. had significantly better luck the second time, slewed to the same star to lock and everything.

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#4 gotak

Posted 09 June 2018 - 08:42 AM

Forgot if it has the hand controller battery. If it does you might want to swap it. I had GPS issues till i changed it out on the ieq45 pro.

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#5 khobar

Posted 09 June 2018 - 10:43 AM

I've never actually seen the words "GPS LOCK" on it, I consider it correct when it's changed from it's default "2011-01-01" to todays time and date. and I've had it now for a few months, have taken it out a handful of times. I went out last night with it and even though I had everything set up I flipped the on/off switch to off and back to on and let it re-lock. had significantly better luck the second time, slewed to the same star to lock and everything.

It won't say GPS Lock but GPS OK. It starts with GPS ON until it gets a lock at which point it beeps. From what you've described, it is locking and getting *something*.

I have the CEM25, and at one point within the past year I, too, would get a lock, and the GPS info was *wrong*. The solution for me was to change the battery in the hand controller.

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#6 bobzeq25

Posted 09 June 2018 - 10:54 AM

On my CEM60 I frequently "clear alignment data".  Otherwise errors tend to persist.

If I clear alignment data, set the zero position by eye, and sync to a bright star near my target, things work pretty well.

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#7 xiando

Posted 09 June 2018 - 11:01 AM

I've never actually seen the words "GPS LOCK" on it, I consider it correct when it's changed from it's default "2011-01-01" to todays time and date. and I've had it now for a few months, have taken it out a handful of times. I went out last night with it and even though I had everything set up I flipped the on/off switch to off and back to on and let it re-lock. had significantly better luck the second time, slewed to the same star to lock and everything.

in configuration ?GPS Status? (I think that's what the setting is called)

GPS On (no lock)

GPS Ok (lock)

Getting lock around here usually means slewing the RA over to one side so the GPS is fully exposed to the sky. Much as it's nice the have a built in GPS, It's a massive design flaw.

PS> make sure your Daylight savings setting is correctly chosen or you'll  be an hour off.

Edited by xiando, 09 June 2018 - 11:03 AM.

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#8 Kendahl

Posted 09 June 2018 - 04:07 PM

GPS isn't magic. All it does is save you the labor of manually entering latitude, longitude, date and time.

There are three steps to getting good accuracy with a GoTo mount:

1. Enter accurate latitude, longitude, date and time. (GPS does this for you.)
2. Get a good polar alignment. (iOptron's polar alignment scope does this well enough that I never need to drift align.)
3. Run the alignment procedure. (I use Sync to Target, which is only a one-star alignment, on a star close to my intended target. It works well near the celestial equator, not so well at high declinations.)

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#9 josh3211

Posted 10 June 2018 - 03:50 PM

I did not know there was a battery in the HC, I thought it drew all power through the st4 cable. My polar alignment is usually really good throughout the night.

in configuration ?GPS Status? (I think that's what the setting is called)

GPS On (no lock)

GPS Ok (lock)

Getting lock around here usually means slewing the RA over to one side so the GPS is fully exposed to the sky. Much as it's nice the have a built in GPS, It's a massive design flaw.

PS> make sure your Daylight savings setting is correctly chosen or you'll  be an hour off.

As far as slewing the RA out of the way, I just unlock the gears and move the ra horizontal.
Cycling the power on and off and going inside to have a beer while it re-acquires worked last night. I've never tried resetting it like that before last night. And currently the daylight savings setting would be "on" or "off"? I can never remember if we are in daylight savings time or not.

I'll try replacing the battery, while I have you guys I have another question. I can't shoot images at zenith because the scope hits the tripod without fail. I've tried rearranging the setup so that my primary scope is sitting further forward, and guide farther back to get the focuser closer to the sky when it's at zenith, but it still hits.. Is there any way around this? maybe a saddle extension? and wouldn't something like that simulate a larger weight?

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#10 xiando

Posted 10 June 2018 - 04:04 PM

you can get an extension tube (pier extension) to lift the mount up above the tripod, which can help with zenith/near zenith for telescopes that bump the tripod

5.5"

https://www.highpoin...m_term=IOP-8035

8"

https://www.bhphotov...8b80f03bd95d28a

unlocking and swinging will do just fine for acquiring lock if it doesn't "come easily" in your specific geographical area (or if like me you have a ton of trees that interfere...everything south of meridian is cloaked, and to the south my house blocks signals below ~40 degrees)  without exposing the box that houses the GPS (I do it with a slew myself, but that's your choice)

I can never figure the daylight savings either. I believe it means "select Y if your timezone utilizes daylight savings time", rather than having to set it back and forth every six months. I'm really not sure though.

Edited by xiando, 10 June 2018 - 04:08 PM.

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#11 gotak

Posted 10 June 2018 - 04:18 PM

All the daylight saving does i think is change what time it displays.

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#12 josh3211

Posted 10 June 2018 - 05:06 PM

All the daylight saving does i think is change what time it displays.

Viking, wouldn't the time be a crucial factor in determining star position? Or you're saying that it simply only changes the *display* time?

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#13 xiando

Posted 10 June 2018 - 05:13 PM

All the daylight saving does i think is change what time it displays.

Setting it incorrectly screws with star alignment.

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#14 ChrisWhite

Posted 10 June 2018 - 06:20 PM

You also need to tell the mount where it's zero position is and point at Polaris when you establish this.

The mount software is not in sync with where it is actually pointing in the sky.

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#15 xiando

Posted 10 June 2018 - 06:46 PM

You also need to tell the mount where it's zero position is and point at Polaris when you establish this.

The mount software is not in sync with where it is actually pointing in the sky.

That's an initial setup thing isn't it?

I always set the mount up (without the scope added), then use a torpedo level on the housing to set RA zero, then in the saddle to set DEC zero, then power cycle (to set system zero) and add my scope.

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#16 gotak

Posted 10 June 2018 - 06:47 PM

Setting it incorrectly screws with star alignment.

Don't understand that. In places without daylight saving you'd never change that settings for N to Y. Daylight saving is an arbitrary change of time zone. Keeping it off all year should not change a thing as to where the stars are.

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#17 ChrisWhite

Posted 10 June 2018 - 07:00 PM

That's an initial setup thing isn't it?

I always set the mount up (without the scope added), then use a torpedo level on the housing to set RA zero, then in the saddle to set DEC zero, then power cycle (to set system zero) and add my scope.

It would be if when you power on the mount it automatically zeros, but if the mount retains any pointing info from previous session it might not. The OP also mighy not be starting with the mount pointing at Polaris thinking the GPS would do more. To me it it does not sound like a location issue but that the mount is not pointing where it thinks it is.

I don't have a zeq25, but with all my mounts the first thing I do is turn them on while physically aiming my scope at Polaris and verifying that the software says the same.

Might not be the issue, but just something to check out...

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#18 xiando

Posted 10 June 2018 - 07:02 PM

It would be if when you power on the mount it automatically zeros, but if the mount retains any pointing info from previous session it might not. The OP also mighy not be starting with the mount pointing at Polaris thinking the GPS would do more. To me it it does not sound like a location issue but that the mount is not pointing where it thinks it is.

I don't have a zeq25, but with all my mounts the first thing I do is turn them on while physically aiming my scope at Polaris and verifying that the software says the same.

Might not be the issue, but just something to check out...

Right. I agree. that's why I set the zero manually then power cycle. It's slightly off because I do it before polar aligning, but the misalignment is very minimal

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#19 ChrisWhite

Posted 10 June 2018 - 07:31 PM

Right. I agree. that's why I set the zero manually then power cycle. It's slightly off because I do it before polar aligning, but the misalignment is very minimal

Yes, I'm the same.  And I platesolve anyway, so doesnt matter if I am off a smidge.

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#20 xiando

Posted 10 June 2018 - 08:42 PM

Yes, I'm the same.  And I platesolve anyway, so doesnt matter if I am off a smidge.

I don't plate solve, but the error doesn't affect me much either. That's accommodated by using my guidescope as a finder for a minute (with an eyepiece swapped for the guide cam) to pull the alignment star into view of my main camera, then the guide cam goes back on, and I dial in the one-star alignment (sop when using a ZEQ25) using my main camera and the HC.  a few re-syncs on intermediary targets as I move to my imaging target and the error is gone.

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#21 josh3211

Posted 24 June 2018 - 05:42 PM

It would be if when you power on the mount it automatically zeros, but if the mount retains any pointing info from previous session it might not. The OP also mighy not be starting with the mount pointing at Polaris thinking the GPS would do more. To me it it does not sound like a location issue but that the mount is not pointing where it thinks it is.

I don't have a zeq25, but with all my mounts the first thing I do is turn them on while physically aiming my scope at Polaris and verifying that the software says the same.

Might not be the issue, but just something to check out...

I would tend to agree with you, but the weird thing is that it does verify objects in the correct position. After star aligning (after the mount slews to a wrong quadrant) it seems to fix the location issue, but the only problem i have now is the it's doing the meridian flip at incorrect times, it thinks that the mount is rotated to a different position than it really is. Not to mention when I tell the mount to go to "Zero Position" after star aligning, it's always pointing in a crazy direction and not the zero position I set up in the first place. Long story short, if I power down and power up the gps after first alignment, it seems to clear up a lot of the alignment issues. Now to do a Paul Chasse RA tune to get rid of my RA backlash.....

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#22 ImNewHere

Posted 24 June 2018 - 10:50 PM

Definitely change the hand controller battery (very easy to do) and definitely make sure your minutes behind or ahead of UTC are set right in the controller. If not it will screw things up. Also, clear any alignment data and go from there.

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#23 josh3211

Posted 25 June 2018 - 07:27 AM

Definitely change the hand controller battery (very easy to do) and definitely make sure your minutes behind or ahead of UTC are set right in the controller. If not it will screw things up. Also, clear any alignment data and go from there.

I had questions about both aspects of this. Firstly, Where the heck is the battery, do I have to crack the whole HC open? Secondly, I couldn't find an option that remotely resembled "Clear Alignment Data"

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#24 josh3211

Posted 03 September 2018 - 10:59 PM

Ok everyone, I've been imaging for a solid few weeks now and have had amazing results. But the issue remains with the GPS lock. Every time I setup, I have to manually tell the ZEQ25 where the star is. Sometimes it's closeish, but most times it's very far off from where my star is. I tend to pick Deneb this time of year, it being very bright and high in the sky early in the evenings. But every time I align the scope, it's always off.
I started using SharpCap to zero in my polar alignment every time, and I've used levels to determine and set my zero points with a sticker line strip. Is there a way to update where the 0 position is on the mount or something? I still have this issue, and I'm looking into remote controlling the scope with Teamviewer and Stellarium (for the upcoming cold winter nights here in Idaho). But in order for that to be viable, I'll have to be present to align the scope unless I know exactly where to go to find the star.

Here are some of the images I've taken in the meanwhile

Edited by josh3211, 03 September 2018 - 10:59 PM.

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#25 josh3211

Posted 03 September 2018 - 11:11 PM

Oh, and maybe one more piece to the puzzle. After I set up and align the mount to a star (Usually deneb) The mount goes to targets SPOT ON. But if I tell the mount to return to "zero position" it looks askew. It looks exactly like the photo attached when I set it up as far as "zero position" but when I align it, and tell it to go back to zero position, it's askew usually on the RA axis.

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How to Track Iss With Ioptron Zeq25

Source: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/621108-ioptron-zeq25-gps-setup-issues/

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