2022-02-09

Verifying GoTo Mount Settings

I recently got a iOptron SmartEQ Pro+ mount and while setting it up I was confused over the time. Should it be local time and then I set the UTC offset in minutes? What do I do with the DST setting?

One way I found of checking whether my settings is correct is

  1. Look up the altitude and azimuth coordinates of a bright star like Sirius using a planetarium app
  2. Command the mount to slew to that star
  3. On arrival the altitude and azimuth coordinates are displayed on the handset
  4. Compare the coordinates shown on the handset vs coordinates obtained in step (1). They should match to at least the degree. If not the time and location setting is wrong.
  5. Tweak settings and repeat from (2) onwards until there is at least degree level agreement between the mount and reference altitude and azimuth coordinates.