Gasman

Just had a tinker with VS code, a whacking 29gig download for the lot😲, lucky I’m on a decent fibre conn. Steve

Never had a problem with EQMod, download/install Ascom, Ascom drivers for your setup, chosen planetarium, fire them all up and Bob's yer dads brother!. Steve

Thanks for the info guys. The iOptron does look more capable perhaps than it is although I agree the 6kg capacity is pushing it a bit. Al's GPDX has a Synscan kit fitted so I assume eqmod ready. Steve

Hi peeps Still looking for a mobile mount capable of goto, able to carry an ed80 plus dslr plus guide cam. Very interested in the Vixen Gpdx that one of the SGL members is selling but for not much more came across the iOptron SmartEQ Pro+ GoTo which FLO is selling. Never had any iOptron gear before (or Vixen come to that;-)) Anyone have any experience of the iOptron mount and if you can use Eqmod with it please?. Regards Steve

Well my i7 desktop updated and running like a guddun but my Lenovo i5 laptop is very sluggish since the 1903 update. Thinking of doing a fresh win 10 install on it, ran malware bytes and didn't show anything and nothing seems amiss with msconfig so maybe a fresh install would do it?. Steve

I also have Affinity and find it an excellent tool for every day shots but have to say I am a bit uncertain about post processing in general. Let me explain what I mean 😋. Give the same raw/jpeg/tiff to two different photographers and I vouch you would get two different processed images so which is the correct one? or does it indeed matter from an aesthetic point of view?. Coming from a spectro background over processing an image can actually introduce artifacts that were not there in the original image and show incorrect features. But if a pretty picture is all that's required then no probs. Just my twopennuth 😋 Steve

Cheers for that Alan I'll delve a little deeper 😏 Steve

Keep trying with my laptop and desktop pc`s but they both say up to date with 1810??. The Microsoft web site says ` Windows 10, version 1903 is available for any user who manually selects “Check for updates” via Windows Update for all devices that do not have a safeguard hold. ` So presumably both mine do have a `safeguard hold` whatever that is??. Steve

Tried the update assistant and it still says mine is up to date with1809 and not yet ready for 1903 ???. Must be waiting for some drivers or something else to update? Steve

I'm still getting updates for 1809??

Deep sky planner https://knightware.biz/dsp/index.php Been using it for years, excellent backup, highly recommended. Steve

I have the BN's and had them for years! Steve

+1 for the Leica 8x42 binos Steve!. I have a pair of these and also a 77mm Leica televid apo scope which has the best optics I've ever used. The first time I actually saw colour in stars was with this!. If Leica ever made astro scopes mmmmnm...... but oh dear the price 😳. Steve

Nice review Diego, is this http://www.carinasoft.com/voyager.html the Voyager software you refer to please? Oops no it isn't found it thanks!

I seem to remember having a problem like this some time ago and it turned out to be the eqmod cable (that's if you are using eqmod of course!). If you are using eqmod can you uninstall/reinstall it? Just a thought. Steve

Thanks for that, don't think field rotation would be much of an issue although I gather it can be used in an eq mode? Steve

Hi guys A bit out of the loop regarding what's available for the smaller setups and wondering what folk would recommend for the following. I have an NEQ6 in my observatory with a brand new spare tripod as I have it permanently mounted on a pier. While away from home I'd like to use my smaller ED80 with my dslr with a smaller guide scope and ASI ccd for guiding and I'd like a goto mount with eqmod capability for these. Bearing in mind it would have be semi portable maybe something smaller than an eq5 ?. I read about an eq3 but the tripod not up to much which is were my spare tripod would come in but any other recommendations please?. Cheers Steve

Cheers and thanks BTW Louise ( don’t think I know any more ?) Steve

It seems the world and his wife now live in a land dominated by acronyms, could I respectfully request that the beginning of any post that the postee give a quick run down on his or hers upcoming acronyms. FWIW HTH I think and WTH is NV?

Thanks for that Ian, I had to reinstall SpectrumLab as it froze when I installed the MetScat_Comprehensive_v7.USR file? I had to ctrl alt delete to stop it. Not sure what's going on with Spectrumlab yet but I'll keep at it? Regards Steve

Hi Ian I can`t seem to find the `Tune to Graves` or `Tune toTest Beacon` buttons as you suggest if changing the install directory which I did. I actually installed Spectrum Lab to my D drive. I am getting a good signal using the default Sky at Night files and using a Funcube Dongle plus. cheers Steve

Noticed on the news today that a father of a child who had lost an arm had made 9 different artificial limbs for his son with his 3d printer, how cool is that !!. Can there be a more useful 3d project ?. Steve

Hi Guys Been reading most of these replies and having a few smiles along the way as I think I have the `t shirt` with all the problems encountered by folk dipping their foot into the Linux pond. Been a Linux user on and off for years sometimes loving it when everything works then you update something and it all goes t!?s up. Burnt the midnight oil on many a night trying to get hardware to be recognised and my laptop has nearly been turned into a frisbie more than once in the observatory ?. My obs laptop has Kubuntu and Windows 10 on it. Kubuntu is a Linux OS with a KDE desktop which feels and looks more like a Windows screen and also is the OS of choice by the Kstars/Indi writer (his name escapes me at the mo!) Having said all that my desktop is running Windows 10 which I use for photography and other stuff, Yes Linux has post processing software but I`m more familiar with the Windows apps and to be fair apart from the infernal Windows 10 updating fiasco I get on pretty well with it. If I was asked how to get into Linux I would suggest (Indeed the way I learnt Linux) using an old laptop/desktop preferably with nothing on the hard drive , get one of the monthly Linux mags which contain dvd`s already for installing so you don`t have to prepare a disc (which really isn`t hard when you`ve done it a few times) pop the disc in the pc and just go for it so it matters not if the pc breaks/packs up whatever and if you get it wrong, reformat and reinstall again and so on. Strange as it may seem but the more things go wrong (and it will!) the more you actually learn. When Linux is working fine there is nothing to compare it but as a born twiddler I often stop a perfectly good system by altering or needlessly updating files but Linux doesn`t take over your system for updating like Windows so its just down to choice. Don`t know if that helps anyone but it worked for me ?. cheers Steve

Ah right yes sorry Chris I remember you giving me that info on another thread and I made a note to check that software which I'll do now ?. Thanks again Steve

Thanks for the additional pics Chris, can I ask what software you use to design and print these with please. All part of my 3d education ?. Cheers Steve