Polar Alignment - With the QHYCCD Polemaster

Polar alignment is very important in tracking stars. It can be tricky if you are just beginning. The Polemaster takes some of that guess work out of the equation. I will tell you a little bit about the Polemaster, where to get the software, how to use the software.
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[@ianpatterson6202]

As a complete beginner and not very flexible these days this looks like a must, thanks for the clear and easy explanation, something else on the list

[@AmyAstro]

Another option is using Sharpcap. Check out that video also. You may not need to purchase anything to accomplish a quality polar alignment.

[@jefflaycock4574]

love your work Amy. The 3 o'clock tip is a winner.

[@AmyAstro]

Thanks so much! Best of luck!

[@tommy8644]

Just bought a Polemaster too :) your voice is so clear and relaxing! deserve a subscribe!

[@AmyAstro]

Thank you and welcome!!!

[@AntharikshamTV]

Thank you for explaining in detail ❤️. This video is so useful.

[@AmyAstro]

You’re welcome 😊

[@geoffnash3098]

Like your videos the polemaster is going to save my back from hurting it looks like a great tool that will help me alot.

[@AmyAstro]

It is a game changer.

[@chrishanson3497]

I bought the Pole Master about a month ago and it has changed my setup and enjoyment immensely. I live in a major city with a Bortle 8-9 sky. Polar alignment via the reticle is nearly impossible. I have missed more nights of viewing and astrophotography because I could not get a good polar alignment. Now that I have used the Pole Master a couple of time I can polar align in less that 10 minutes and it is spot on. Amy your video really cut my learning curve, thank you. Plate solving is my next step. I'll be using NINA.

[@AmyAstro]

So glad this was helpful. I gave up the Reticle on night two. lol

[@iancoombes6120]

Hi Amy, just purchased the Polemaster. That tutorial is a going to be a massive help to me. Clear instructions and such a refreshing voice to listen to. Just going over to subscribe too. Thank you from South Wales, UK....👌

[@AmyAstro]

You are so welcome!

[@authunhx3129]

Watched both this and the Sharpcap video and am now better informed than I have been for many weeks. Thankyou for your demo. Very clear and very well presented.

[@AmyAstro]

Glad it was helpful!

[@camrun2011]

the good thing about your videos is you explain each and every thing in a flow. Keep up good work

[@AmyAstro]

Thank you so much! I fear I ramble sometimes. lol

[@adamcarpenter7823]

Thanks for the great video! Just receive my AVX mount yesterday and my Polemaster today. Luckily tonight is supposed to be clear!

[@AmyAstro]

That is awesome. Best of luck!

[@lumleytc]

thanks Amy, brilliant instruction video, glad I found your page, just got my Pole master and this makes it so much clearer,

[@AmyAstro]

So happy it helps. Clear skies!

[@jamiermathlin]

great video, I have the pole master and I am just about to go outside and use it for the first time tonight, thanks for the video, I am full of confidence and ready for action. best regards from Suffolk, England :-)

[@AmyAstro]

Have fun! Explore the universe!

[@TheRon1169]

Great Demonstration Amy I have the polemaster as well and did not know about the 3 o'clock position. Thank you for sharing that and it is why I apreciate these videos. You always learn something from each person. Clear Skies!

[@AmyAstro]

Glad it was helpful!

[@sketch6995]

I have been a year putting my rig together, I finally got it out for 1st light a few nights ago. My only goal was to learn to polar align. I used the polemaster, and quickly discovered it was alot harder finding polaris than I thought. But when I finally did, it was a breeze. Great investment. My only problem was the camera refresh wasnt happening very fast. QHY says it only happens on new gaming laptops. Their fix is to run a music vid on a loop in the background to prevent the OS from putting the USB ports to sleep with the power saving setting........hell of a fix.

[@rodneyhendrickson5094]

I looked at a couple of videos on this but I like the way you showed how to do it butter Thanks Amy Big help!

[@AmyAstro]

Thank you! Happy to help.

[@eddycarette4826]

Nice work, Amy!

[@gary7990]

Hi Amy, I have ordered a polemaster and will use this video as a setup tutorial once it comes in. I really like the way you take your time and explain each step in a thorough and clear manner, thanks so much you have a new subscriber!

[@AmyAstro]

Wonderful and welcome to my channel! I hope you enjoy the polemaster as much as I do.

[@jchristie254]

Myself and my friend are thinking of getting this, definitely will now after your demo. We've both got too many aches and pains to be polar aligning manually lol Great to find your channel.

[@AmyAstro]

This will definitely save your back. Welcome!

[@Steve_The_Ignorant_Astronomer]

Just saw your video on the pole master , good one... I did not see the pole you asked about what we use to align. I was going to try the pole master but when I saw the price that changed my mind. Since I have it on a pier I dont have to align to much so I bought the Sharpcap version. Think it was 10 bucks for the year and it worked real good for me..

[@AmyAstro]

Great choice. Polar alignment is definitely not a one size fits all.

[@Steve_The_Ignorant_Astronomer]

@@AmyAstro I had the cameras already I figured why invest in another cam . Just use scope and see how it goes. If it did not like it would do the investing... But I am happy with it

[@brucemullis479]

I watch astrophotography channels all the time. You just popped up when looking into Polemaster. Never seen your channel before. Good info here. I got an EQ6RPRO on the way and some good info on your channel.

[@AmyAstro]

Welcome and Thank you very much!

[@lhapilot75]

I love the Polemaster, and I also use mine in the 3 o'clock position. At the beginning, it was a little bit daunting but now it takes me less than 5 minutes to do everything in the Polemaster. For my routine I do a Rough Polar Alignment with my mount, then use Polemaster, and lastly, I do at least a 12 point TPoint model and an Accurate Polar Alignment using TheSkyX on the MyT mount.

[@AmyAstro]

Excellent. I have not tried SkyX. I'm very curious about that.

[@lhapilot75]

@@AmyAstro In my opinion TheSkyX is an excellent program, but it has a steep learning curve (manual is 691 pages lol). With TheSkyX Pro you can do everything from polar alignment, plate solving, imaging sessions, guiding, focuser, rotator, video, dome, imaging correction, etc in one program.

[@AmyAstro]

@@lhapilot75 But it has a manual! How rare is that! I do love an all in one option. Thanks for putting it on my radar!

[@stormingbarney4498]

Great video. I am using the Polar Alignment feature on the ASIAir Pro which is really quick and simple to use. Of course, it only makes sense if you’re invested in the ZWO eco system, but it’s another good option to consider and also saves my back, neck, and knees lol.

[@AmyAstro]

Thanks for sharing! I heard it works well.

[@NebulaPhotos]

Great tutorial Amy! The only thing I do differently with my Polemaster is I've always had the USB cable oriented to the 9:00 position. I believe this is how the manual suggests setting it up: www.qhyccd.com/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=show&catid=30&id=22 But your way is much easier to remember with the "Right knob moves the stars Right"! Up and down would be the same both ways of course. Clear skies, Nico

[@AmyAstro]

I had to simplify it so I would remember. Your channel is great! Keep up the great work.

[@matth.143]

I too have been setting up in the 9:00 position due to the manual telling me to set it up that way. After watching Amy’s video I’m very interested in see the results once I give this a try myself. The problem is I will have move the tighten screw from the 3:00 position to the 12 lol in order to get it a try lol.

[@AmyAstro]

Matt H. I had to do the same thing.

[@starpartyguy5605]

Going to Cherry Springs in north Pennsylvania next week. I have the Polemaster. All new software and cameras. Promise to self to keep 4 letter words under my breath!

[@AmyAstro]

Huge promise there. I know that feeling exactly. Have fun!!

[@Bogfra1]

Best Amy I have been using it for a year and it is a fantastic addition now for new users this video will be very interesting and you can guess for me nothing new again a beautiful video and here in Belgium already a few weeks regularly beautiful dark nights.

[@AmyAstro]

Great to hear! Enjoy them while you have them.

[@Louis.Cyphre]

Very good explained, thank you. Also a great voice to listen to! ... But did nobody see also the 2 UFOs at 17:30 from the left bottom passing polaris left side up?

[@bofblog]

Great video Amy...nice piece of kit ..the only improvement that could make it easier is a finer thread on a mounts adjustment bolts

[@AmyAstro]

Yes, I wish manufacturers did that. The treads are huge!

[@MichaelA-j6k]

Great instructional video!

[@billvinson7859]

Thanks Amy. I will get the Polemaster or the Orion P1.

[@AmyAstro]

Best of luck!

[@GaryEasonFlightArtworks]

Great tutorial, thank you. I'm about to get one of these. As an aside though, why does anyone ever crouch down to squint up through the polar finder? Just use a right angle viewer.

[@AmyAstro]

Easy to think about the right angle viewer now. When I started I did not know they existed. :) Sure wish I did though.

[@geoffnash3098]

Best videos instructions are easy to follow

[@AmyAstro]

Glad you like them!

[@KB2AT]

Great video Amy.

[@AmyAstro]

Thank you!

[@TerryMcKnight1]

I have the Polemaster too Amy and found your tutorial very informative.

[@AmyAstro]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@JungleEddie]

I just ordered the Polemaster and I plan on using it with an Android Tablet. Have you or any of your viewers done this? Any suggestions? Did you use an adapter with the supplied cable or buy a new cable with the appropriate connections?

[@AmyAstro]

I use the supplied cable. It has a USB 2.0 connector for the computer side. I have not tried this with a tablet directly. I have used Remote Desktop to an iPad to control.

[@briangriffiths937]

Excellent video, I don't use a polemaster myself, I can get sub 10 arc seconds of accuracy using Sharpcap, and Sharpcap has a lot of very useful features like sensor analysis and the ability to take images.

[@AmyAstro]

Good stuff! I need to learn more about SharpCap. I've only used the PA routine so far.

[@dwtees]

I've never heard set screws called grub screws. When did this terminology change.

[@2badger2]

If you decrease the speed of your mouse (Mouse Properties - Speed) it makes it very easy to get the center.

[@AmyAstro]

Boy that is my palm to forehead moment. Thank you for sharing that with me. I will do that next time out.

[@chrishanson3497]

Amy, at 3:42 you suggest mounting the polemaster with the USB port at the 3 o-clock position. I followed that step and my alignment was always a little off. After rereading the user guide it states that when facing the polemaster align the USB port on left side, or 9 o-clock position. I switched to the left hand side and my alignment is much better. Have you tried the left hand position?

[@AmyAstro]

Honestly it has been years since I tried it on the left. In the last couple months I have been treating the polemaster as a fast camera and doing my polar alignment with sharp cap. Sharp cap is just faster.

[@geoffnash3098]

I like your videos when I buy the polemasterdo I have to take out the factory installed pope scope? But your videos are the best

[@AmyAstro]

Depends on your mount. Most mounts have an adapter so they attach to the front of the mount. Thank you for your kind comment.

[@Wub892]

If you want to save data reliably, I would suggest a raid set up with mechanical hard drives. I know SSD's are fast but they expensive and have a higher failure rate.

[@AmyAstro]

My son has been talking about that. I will get it set up in the near future.

[@redfireroush]

Very Nice Tutorial.

[@AmyAstro]

Many many thanks

[@Bogfra1]

Amy So it is true in atmospheric disturbances he is quite prone to incorrect representations even if you use it early in the evening when the stars around Polaris are just visible but for me he meets the tricky pole alignment with the built-in polar scope also disappointing me and this is still a lot more accurate and we still have PHD2 which solves the small impurities in tracking.

[@AmyAstro]

The atmosphere does play a big role in alignment. When the sky is moist the stars look like they are bouncing around. When that happens it is really a trial and error thing. I align, take a couple images. If they look bad I try alignment again. There are nights I do this several times. Overall it is still easier than using the polar axis scope that comes on the mounts.

[@cocococo7511]

Hello Amy, Athought it's a bit difficult for me to understand all because English is hard for me ;) , I love yours videos :) I have a little question about the Polemaster, I 'd just achieved an Orionstarshoot P1 (the same that Polemaster) for my mount and I saw in the video that we must put the USB port of the camera should be directed to the three o'clock than on the website it's left side when you are facing the camera. it is very important or it just needs to be horizontal? Have a nice day

[@AmyAstro]

Welcome! I place the USB in the 3'oClock position when I am looking at it. The reason is so when I view the images on the screen everything is exactly how I see in real life. My tree is on the right and growing from the ground. Just easier for me. I have tried several rotations and they all work well.

[@cocococo7511]

@@AmyAstro thank you very much :)

[@jodyschultz5870]

Very good video thanks. Now I know I don't need a Polemaster. I will stick with Sharpcap. Your Sharpcap video was good to. I think Sharpcap is faster and more accurate. Also if you have a guide scope and guide camera then Sharpcap is less money too.

[@AmyAstro]

I now use my polemaster camera with sharpcap. The camera is fast and always in focus. :)

[@jimngugk4741]

Hi what if I don't really see the Polaris can it be help ? Because my location is as low as 4.2 degree and there is a mountain in front of Polaris position . Thank you

[@AmyAstro]

Hi! I don't think the Polemaster would work great in this situation. I hear that the iOptron iPolar works when you do not see polaris.

[@geoffnash3098]

Hi Amy I now have the polemaster just got it my question is on my heq5 do I have to remove my Polarscope came with the mount?

[@AmyAstro]

No it can stay in place. I never touch it anymore.

[@geoffnash3098]

Hi Amy when you get a great alignment how long can I take a picture for? We talking a half hour maybe a hour? I read about these people who do 3 hour pictures just wonder if postmaster can do that? Thank you for your help

[@AmyAstro]

It really varies for a lot based on environment, balance, glass, mount. I know of folks who take 10 min images. I typically limit myself to 5 min or less. I am in the hobby phase of mounts (

[@miketarlin9032]

Appears to be useful for some. Currently I use the Skywatcher EQ6R with the polar scope followed by a very easy built in drift align. I get approx 1 arc/min accuracy which is more than enough for my 420mm AP scope @ 2min unguided exp times; so for me, I don't see the value. PA takes me about 3 mins to be ready to shoot. Not trying to bash it; just doesn't seem logical for me to purchase one. Maybe one day when I can no longer bend down to look thru the polar scope I may want one. :)

[@AmyAstro]

I agree with what you are saying. We all have to choose what is best for us. I'm just showing an option available. The funny reason why I chose the pole master was the first time out, while trying to adjust the reticule, It fell out to the ground. While trying to put it back in I damaged it. Being completely new I asked others for help, and this was the solution suggested by some. This was lesson learned for me, but happy there was an alternative.

[@MrExo_3D]

can the polemaster be used as a guide camera when not doing polar alignment?

[@AmyAstro]

Well... I have never thought of that. The polemaster is a camera/lens built into one unit. I do not know how well it would work with a guide scope. As a stand alone guide system, maybe, but the field of view is so wide I do not think it will be precise enough for you. This is all guessing on my part. It never hurts to try since it will not hurt anything. Let me know your results if you do try it.

[@williamcaldwell9431]

Excellent video. Thanks for posting.

[@AmyAstro]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@traveler7249]

What is the link to the Drift Alignment? The current link is not correct. It points to another channel.

[@AmyAstro]

I think I was sending you to another youtuber. I have not learned the drift alignment technique yet.

[@AstroDenny]

Excellent! I love my Polemaster but I have been using Sharpcap and I think I get a little closer alignment.

[@AmyAstro]

I started to use sharpcap lately. I believe you are right. Polemaster is great to start with.

[@traveler7249]

What advice for Polar Alignment when we can't see Polaris? - My view of the North is totally obstructed by houses and trees. -- Those trees are nice except for polar alignment.

[@AmyAstro]

I hear that the iOptron iPolar will do a polar align with no polaris visible. It plate solves. Another method is drift align with PHD2. I have not tried it yet, but believe Visible Dark on KZbin has a video on it.

[@greglight5808]

Hey Amy great videos always informative

[@AmyAstro]

Glad you like them!

[@salomon1639]

Great tutorial. I was using Polemaster on older windows 8 computer and had no issues but ever since I began using the Polemaster on my new windows 10 pro computer (high end gaming laptop), I have had issues with the live view not staying live unless I use a video in the background or moving my mouse. It makes the aligning process more frustrating as I have to turn the Alt Az knobs and then move the mouse to see my movement and keep repeating this until I am able to center Polaris in the "rotating" circle. Trying to adjust the square at the final adjustment is more frustrating. Have you heard of this problem and have any suggestions as I am considering getting Sharp cap Pro but I feel that I already have the Polemaster and it should work as advertised. Thanks for your input and keep up the great videos.

[@AmyAstro]

That is odd and I can see how that would be frustrating.

[@Zircon_215]

I have the same problem ... and I checked on Cloudy Nights and was told to do the same thing ie keep a video running in the background. Luckily I had an Acer notebook laying around and it works perfectly on that.

[@cryptojihadi265]

Thank God. Just tried mine tonight, first thing I figured out was the 3:00 position to make movements make sense. Second thing was the fact that the view would stop going live as I was making the adjustments. Frustrating as hell. Will try the movie in the background thing. Hope that works. But yeah I have a one year old I7 laptop with a dedicated video card So should be fast as hell.

[@OlliesSpace]

Hi Amy how do you compare this to Sharpcap Amy ? I have Sharpcap currently and guessing it's not worth getting this as well. Real shame about your hard drive. Thanks👍

[@AmyAstro]

I started with the polemaster. It works great. I was in the hobby a couple years before I learned about sharpcap. First your camera needs to be in focus prior to starting PA with sharpcap. The polemaster is always in focus. Both are very easy to use. I feel sharpcap gives me a better PA since it does plate solving. I don't think I would have understood sharpcap in the beginning of my journey. If you have sharpcap I would try this first before spending the money on the polemaster. If you are new, the polemaster is good to learn with.

[@OlliesSpace]

@@AmyAstro Thanks Amy yes I'm using Sharpcap now and finding it very good. It was suggested to me that some of my elongated stars in my images are due to poor polar alignment and to use Polemaster(and Sharcap wasn't great) but I'm getting a good/excellent result in Sharpcap and so this didn't make sense to me, I wanted to check with someone who had both. Thanks Amy and great channel too👍

[@TheUrbanAstronomer]

Nice demo Amy 👍👍

[@AmyAstro]

Thank you 😁

[@EminiMe7]

My polemaster does not work? always freezing?? loaded windows 10...so frustrating...

[@AmyAstro]

That is terrible! Are you using a remote set up? If so check your wifi connection. That causes me problems sometimes.

[@necatidemiral]

Many thanks for this wonderful video. Are you using plate solving after polar alignment? Can I ask a plate solving video to complete the tracking and finding stages of an astrophotography session.

[@AmyAstro]

Yes I can do that. Just waiting on another clear night. :) Thank you for the comment!

[@castlegrande]

I had some issues, myself. Scenario: Celestron CGX-L with PM mounted in the position where polar scope would be. Windows 10, dry cold front coming in with I'm sure some turbulence going on. My experience didn't match those presented in video 100%. 1. As I rotated the mount with HC, I saw no rotation going on the computer screen "real time." What happened was that after I stopped moving the telescope, after maybe 5 seconds, the change in position suddenly appeared on the screen. 2. The navigation circle in upper left was inconsistent about showing what the mouse was hovering over. 3. When green circle appeared with subject star on it, and I began to rotate back home, the star moved along the circle maybe 20 degrees, then stopped as I continued to rotate back. 4. Circle for Polaris didn't rotate except sometimes when I'd drag the mouse over it. 5. Most irritating of all was that the green box and red circle jumped around in the center of the main screen, never actually appearing on the monitor. Did turbulence cause all this? I can understand the antsy box and circle, but the slow response to my alt/az adjustments? I'd have to wait a few seconds to see the results of my movements.

[@AmyAstro]

There are days I do get that lag. Mine is due to poor wifi signal. The polemaster is connected to a mini pc on the telescope and I use Remote Desktop Protocol and remote in from a laptop. If I get jumpy square and circle that is due to the seeing not being great. You will have to watch them for a bit and decide if you are close enough.

[@castlegrande]

@@AmyAstro Thank you. I noticed you said your square and circle were jumpy and it was due to atmospheric factors from approaching storm, so I just extrapolated!

[@castlegrande]

Nice and calm tonight. The device behaved as advertised. Now if I could only figure out which of those weird stars are what the HC is sending me to for star alignment. I'm hitting the wrong ones. Go To is really off! Manually got to target, though. At least the beast that goes nowhere is aligned now.Thank you for the presentation!

[@AmyAstro]

@@castlegrande Do you have a telrad on your scope? If not get one, cheap and will be your best friend during 3 star alignment.

[@castlegrande]

@@AmyAstro Will do! Thanks again!

[@howardnielsen3869]

MIne worked 2 times after i first purchased it. After a rainy cloudy winter of resting, the camera refused to be recognized again on Windows. Driver issues with this company are numerous as an internet searchy demonstrates. I am going to give ShapCap a whirl. I am very disappointed this did not function as it is a rather expensive device that can only do (or not do!) one thing.

[@AmyAstro]

That is a huge bummer. I hate this happened.

[@johnadams9044]

This is a lot of time and work to achieve alignment. Not what is advertised.dssssss

[@rickpaul9858]

Thanks for this but I see no advantage of the pole master over using SharpCap. SharpCap works great is much cheaper option!

[@Bogfra1]

It's where SharpCap is cheaper but not free if you want to use certain parts where by now the polar aligment module and frankly it still goes faster with the Pole master.

[@AmyAstro]

That is true. When I was beginning I asked around a lot. Most folks said polemaster. So that is where it came from. As I progressed in the hobby I learned other options. SharpCap is very good. Maybe not easy for the very beginner though. I started with zero star knowledge.

[@glennschiffer1742]

@@AmyAstro yes sharpcap is a good option,but it doesn't work with my canon r6,so I'm using polermaster for now

[@andyleather3014]

i never get stars in each circle

[@AmyAstro]

Very unusual, unless you have something blocking your view.

[@astrodad656]

Ahhh...the sweet sound of a belt drive (as opposed to my coffee grinder SiriusEQ). 🙁

[@AmyAstro]

The best! lol I know the coffee grinder also. I have a Sirius EQ also., great mount. Scares the night animals away.

[@karllewis735]

You know, you can also get a dove tail adapter for the Pole Master from AMD. Then you can use it on any mount. Thanks for the video.

[@AmyAstro]

Thanks for the tip! I did not know that. Love AMD!

[@howardnielsen3869]

This would be great of the polemaster actually worked.

[@AmyAstro]

It works well for the beginners learning. I now treat my polemaster as a very fast always in focus camera. I polar align with sharpcap, using the polemaster camera.

[@weatherchaser1166]

When I hear the term PoleMaster, I'm not thinking of Astronomy...

[@AmyAstro]

lol

[@Wub892]

i like the panda.

[@AmyAstro]

Thanks, It is fun.

[@denodan]

Me I perfer ipolar, easier, quicker, less mucking around

[@AmyAstro]

I would like to try the iPolar sometime

[@itsgmani]

they should pay you.

[@AmyAstro]

I can wish. :)

[@Paul_85-]

I cannot believe people fall for this gimmick , this polemadter literally does the exact same thing as your hand controller. Nothing else. All you have done is waste money on a fancy hand controller that does the exact same thing.

[@AmyAstro]

Not really a gimmick if it works for you. This is a real solution for the few folks who don't understand the process. I know the sky watcher manual explaining how to use the controller really lacked clarity. For me it was a good thing. Polar alignment needs are different for everyone.

[@ranjitgovindaraj]

It’s not really a gimmick. Where I live which is pretty close to the equator, Polaris is really low in the horizon and it can’t be viewed in the mounts polar scope. So Polemaster or Sharpcap is really helpful in alignment. I’ve used the Synscan HC only to build a rough pointing model for visual use but nowhere close to being good enough for imaging.

[@Paul_85-]

@@AmyAstro the process is exactly the same as with the hand controller. It's a con and you know it.

[@AmyAstro]

@@Paul_85- The hand controller was the first thing I dumped on the mount. So for me it is not a con.

[@AmyAstro]

@@ranjitgovindaraj Thank you for your input. I had not thought about folks near the equator. If Polaris was on my horizon I would have zero chance to image here.