kirkster501

Tearing my hair out with this problem, same tonight and wasting multiple precious clear nights. It is a silvered mirror on the OAG and the thing is mounted as solid as a rock. I just cannot think what could possibly cause such a problem, but a problem there is.... The guiding is all over the pace because PHD just not see a circular star, it sees both the main star and the mirror of it that seems to fade in and out, so the "centroid" is a oblong and PHD cannot be sure what it is guiding on. All my drivers are the recent ones etc. Going to try a different guide cam, back to the trusty QHY5 that has worked perfectly for years.

Yes Dave, appears to be but i will recheck it. Will look into painting it black on the back though as per Zakalwe's suggestion.

Thanks guys. Could someone send me a acreenshot of the ascom driver you are using please?

Guys, what ascom driver do you use for your lodestar x2 and which guider do you select from th3 drop down in PHD2 please?

Thanks, I will check into that. Another theory is that I have done much of my tinkering in rubbish skies. Last night was a quite misty and murky and not an AP night at all and I was playing with the OAG, hence this issue. Could the fading in and out of the "double" star be atmospheric in some strange way? I need a clear, reasonable night to test this.

Hi all, Following my "half moon" stars thread. I've noticed a strange "double" star effect when guiding with my OAG. This is a FSQ85 scope with Moravian OAG, G2-8300 camera and Lodestar X2 all properly balanced on a MESU 200. So this is a reasonably high specification rig (more so since also have a full compliment of Astrodons too.) There is the main body of the guide star as expected. However, there is another version of the star either above or below the main star. This "second star" sometimes disappears. It's really weird. Sometimes the "second" star comes in above, then fades out and appears below the main star. It appears on all stars so that rules out genuine double stars. However, the images on the main G2-8300 are absolutely fine and focused perfectly without this doubling, so this is something to do with the OAG or Lodestar. My TEC scope (double mounted side by side on my rig) guides perfectly without this "double star" effect. The guiding graph looks rather poor and since I am within 8 minutes of PA of the pole and with a MESU mount, I'd expect it to be a bit flatter. I think PHD is trying to lock on to this transient "star" sometimes and it then wrecks the guiding. It is mill-pond flat with my TEC scope with its Atik OAG. I am focused properly. Bare in mind the "half moon" stars I discussed on my other thread. Any thoughts guys please? I plan on swapping the guidecam to see if that is causing this effect. Pics as below. Thanks for looking. Steve

My thoughts too. I love this wide-field stuff very much. However for only a bit more money could pick up a good used HEQ5 and that will be more versatile and allow me to get my C9.25 on it for planetary. Accepted that it will be less portable but that does not bother me really. The SA looks a great piece of gear though.

Can be very cloudy in the canaries In winter. Been three times to lanzarotte in the past five years and nearly every one of the 21 days was cloudy, a few glimpses of stars ( always nice to see Orion overhead) but very overcast. I do hope for clear skies for you though.

Why make a snap decision Steve? Why not dither for six months? In all seriousness I had made my mind up to get the QSI a while ago and was awaiting the funds. As soon as I got them and pressed the go button QSI stop selling them for reasons we all know.

Yes indeed. Thanks. I'm looking into that option. Another thought is to go with the a 16200 chip camera and maybe upgrade the scope to the FSQ106 with its larger imaging circle since I don't think the baby-Q will cut it with a sensor that size. That starts getting very expensive since the delta to upgrade my 85 to the 106 will be in excess of £1500 on the used market - and that's before I bought the camera/filters. I was also going to go with the Astrodon filters 31mm filters with the 8300 chip options but that starts getting pricey at the 2" filter sizes. Decisions, decisions....

So after all the work and saving to get the QSI 683 I can no longer get one. Back Square 1.

Kevin Nelson who was the founder of QSI (he's now at Google) and Don at Astrodon both have said to me that 31mm are better at that fast ratio - i.e. faster than F3.8. You can use 1.25 but there will be more vignetting. Yes flats will help with that but if you can afford to go with 31mm then you should do so. And that is from people who really know. I know that Sara Wager uses 1.25 at fast ratios just fine as just Steve Richards. And if they use them then rest assured it will work. But if buying new then why not got for 31mm and reduce that vignetting? The cost delta is very slight.

I asked Astrodon himself this question. He suggests that anything faster that F3.8 you get the 31mm. Good flats will help if you do use 1.25 but the 31mm are better. And that is from the man himself.

I think the focus drifts slightly with the blue channel with the TEC on Baader filters, fractional but it does drift off a little. I think the FSQ85 is parfocal with LRGBHa from Baader. When I get it I am thinking of stuffing the QSI683 with Gen2 E series LRGB 31mm Astrodons and also a Astrodon 3nm HA. The Astrodon LRGB's are double the cost of Baaders but what the hell with an expensive new camera. This all depends on my tax return this week and if HMRC are kind to me......!

I am keeping my 460, as you have suggested Olly, for use exclusively on the TEC and small galaxies. I do not have the flattener Olly, I don't think I need the flattener though with the small chip of the 460? A flattener would imply spacing issues again..... I did the maths on this prior to ordering the TEC last year and I -and Yuri - said it was not needed with that small chip. Sara, I spoke to Ian King this morning and, exactly as you say, he has a customer adapter for use with the FSQ/QSI. I think i am going to sell some premium bonds (that have won jack all in seven years) to buy the QSI (I think). Ask me in a hour's time and you may get a different answer!

I'm also going round and round this loop too. One moment I am going for QSI the next the Moravian, then back again. And now I got looking into the QSI690 as well to make it more complex! Indeed why not the G3-16200.... Doh! MI G2-8300 gets a very good press and looks a fine package at a reasonable cost. But a little monkey is on my back saying get the QSI and spend the extra and get what you really want right now Steve.........! How would a QSI or MI connect to the FSQ 85 reducer anyone know? I asked Ian King today and waiting for him to reply but wondered if anyone knew?

I am in the same place Dave. Money ready to go on a 8300 chip camera (QSI for me I think though) but I feel it a bit extravagant at the moment given the sky conditions of late. I have to think hard and question if that sort of outlay can be justified as I hardly use the stuff I already have.

Many thanks guys, I understand. I will have a go next time we get a clear night.

Hello all, please would someone kindly advise how to align camera in RA and Dec? Olly has suggested this is good imaging practice, but I confess I am not sure why or how? I take my framing sub at the beginning of the imaging run to get the subject the way I like it. So how, from that image, can I orientate the camera in said RA/Dec??? What is my reference to do that from the acquired sub? Thanks,

I have made the decision to keep to refractors for AP. Sure, for very small objects I may not get the ideal image scale but there is enough in the sky to accept that "limitation" I think. I have a C925 and a 12" Dob for visual. However, I do all lunar visual, and sometimes Jupiter, through the TEC as above. It is an astonishing scope for that, just as Olly told me it would be.

Fabulous! I considered one of those but went for the TEC in the end. It was a long wait! That horizon view is great, wish I had that.

Thanks Steve. it is a very fine visual scope as well. Best views of the moon I have ever had are though this scope and a Nagler 17mm. The contrast is amazing. Aperture is not everything!

TEC 140 on MESU 200

I also received mine yesterday. I am going to do a thread as to how I do the metalwork to mount it with the MESU Supplied plate. Can't believe how heavy it is! @harry page Bern drove the short distance up to Nottingham after dropping yours off in Stamford. Not really had chance to do much with it yet - the metalwork starts tomorrow

Even if you are guiding during your exposures you will still get field rotation if you are a degree off the NCP - which you will be if you are aligning the mount on Polaris.You need to be much more accurate than that. Even for visual, with the F10 FL of the C9.25 objects will not be in the FoV in your Goto's if you Polar Aligned the scope on Polaris. I have a C9.25 myself and can tell you this for a fact.