webcam for telrad?

Does anyone use a webcam or VERY low magnification camera to rough align your scope? This would be for remote operations. When I turn the scope on and move from "home" it is really hard to get a sync star perfectly lined up, so was thinking of adding a web cam to look through the telrad. Or something like that. Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Charlie

What do you mean by "remote operations?" I am assuming you mean you will have a permanently established observatory in a remote location that you will operate from home.

Assuming that, I do not see how you can practically align from home. The scope, being permanently established, should already be set up and dialed in such that just turning it on, it knows where it is and where it is "parked." YOu send it to the first star, and the star really should be in (at least close to) the center of the chip. If it is not, you have not set the mount/scope up right.

I am assuming if you are contemplating remote observatory operation, you have thought about plate solving software. Pinpoint, or other software, will allow you to slew to an object, take a picture, figure out exactly where your scope is pointed, and then correct the pointing. If this won't work (because you are too far off, your equipment is not accurate enough, etc.....) then I doubt just putting a webcam behind a telrad would help much.

Alex

Very good thought. I think I'll give it a try, and add a wide field camera to verify position prior to platesolving. For now I have written code to park and un park an old AP1200 driven with an FS2 at my fledgling site.