stevesp Asiair can currently make polar alignment only if you can see Polaris
I think you may have been misinformed.
You only need to see two regions of the sky that are close to either the North Celestial Pole (NCP) or South Celestial Pole that are about 60º (4 hours) apart in Hour Angle from one another. You do not have to see the NCP itself, or Polaris, for that matter.
The two regions can be as far as 30º in Declination from the pole and the Polar Alignment plate solve will still work. From my simulations, I have found that a Declination that is within 5º from the pole produces a more accurate result in ASIAIR than being 30º from the pole.
For example, lets say the NCP or Polaris is about 5º below a roof line (or the horizon if you live near the Equator). What you can do is start with the OTA positioned at 30 degrees east of top dead center and move the declination sufficiently south (if you live in the northern hemisphere) so that you can do a successful plate solve. Tell ASIAIR to take the first image and do the initial plate solve.
Then ask ASIAIR to rotate the RA axis 60º west (or do it manually if your mount does not have GOTO ability in the RA direction); this will place the OTA at 30º west of top dead center above the RA axis, where ASIAIR will take a second plate. In this example, the OTA starts east of the pier and ends up west of the pier.
ASIAIR will use the two plates to figure out the center of rotation of the RA axis. If you are polar aligned, this center of rotation will also be 5º below your roofline. It does not matter. It is just a virtual coordinate in the sky.
The successive plate solves are done also at this second position. Again, ASIAIR only needs a clear shot of the sky in this second position; that view does not have to include Polaris.
These later plate solutions will tell ASIAIR how far your RA axis is still away from the pole as you adjust the altitude and azimuth bolts. All the while, Polaris (actually the NCP, since that is the important coordinate, not the location of Polaris) is sight unseen under your roofline (or horizon).
You do not have to start with the OTA at top dead center ("counter weight pointed at ground," for those with mounts that need a counterweight). You just need two locations that are separated by 60 degrees in hour angle, where you can see enough of the sky to plate solve.
Notice that if your camera and OTA combination produces an FOV that is wider than 5 degrees, the sensor might still see a dark roofline, which could prevent a plate solutions. If that is so, move the initial declination further from +90º.
With the ASIAIR, I have never pointed my OTA at the pole since that gives me an awkward position to reach the altitude and azimuth bolts on my compact mount (RainbowAstro RST-135). I have been pointing the mount at between about +88º declination and +89º declination, and starting with the OTA positioned 60 degrees east of top dead center. When the mount has finish rotating, my OTA is directly above the pier. You can choose any two other hour angles that are 60 degrees apart, if you have tree branches, etc that obstructs the view at some position. Just experiment around to find two clear spots. Unless it is some fast growing bamboo that obstructs your view, the same Hour Angle and Declination can be use over and over throughout the year.
Chen