Mikey0368

I'm planning on targeting smaller galaxies over the winter with my Skywatcher 300PDS and was wondering if I should consider a different camera. I'm currently using a ZWO ASI294MC Pro, is there a better option out there that I should look at? For example, here's a comparison from astronomy.tools against the 183 and the 533.

I've come across another problem with EQMOD. If parked horizontally, when I launch the program the mount springs into action but doesn't move, it just makes a really uncomfortable sound and judders a bit. I don't send any commands to the mount, it happens as soon as EQMOD is started. I can get round it by parking it normally at the end of a session, disconnecting the eqdir cable, connect the handset, slew until the scope is horizontal and turn it off. I then do the same in reverse when starting and allow it to find the home position itself before connecting the eqdir cable again. Turn the sound up when playing this video......... I'm pretty sure that the mount is fine and it's a compatibility issue with EQMOD. One other annoying thing is that I've had to buy an additional counterweight to balance the scope with all of the kit on it. Why sell a mount that can cope with a heavy scope but fail to provide sufficient counterweights?

I've sorted it by simply disabling Mount Limits in EQMOD. Seems to be happy enough now.

I have a new Sky-Watcher CQ350 and it's set up in the lounge just now while I check a few things out. I haven't been able to get it to work correctly with EQMOD. The attached pics show what happened when I tried to slew to Neptune, I got the Meridian Limit warning and when I parked the scope again after that it ended up pointing in completely the wrong direction. I've tried deleting the .ini files in EQMOD and setting it up from scratch but that hasn't sorted it either. Can anyone suggest what I could try next? It works perfectly well with the SynScan handset so I'm confident it's a setting in EQMOD. I know I could try GSS but I'd rather stick to what I know just now. Also, ASIair isn't an option as I park the mount horizontally at the end of a session and ASIair doesn't have that feature.

Anyone on here got one of these? I'm seriously thinking about getting one, instead of an EQ8, to put my 25kg SW 300PDS on. Presumably they're as reliable as any other Skywatcher mount? I've also noticed that the price on the SW website is quite a bit higher than FLO are charging. Is there a price rise coming?

I like a challenge 😆 .......... Jupiter at 8.27am on 7th July from Edinburgh, accompanied by Europa on the left and Io on the right. Taken with a StellaLyra 8" Classical Cassegrain and ZWO ASI224MC with ZWO 850nm IR Pass filter. Captured using FireCapture, stacked in AS!3 and processed using Registax6 and GIMP. I've taken daytime pics of Jupiter before but this is the first time I've managed to get any of the moons. I was surprised to see them!

Thanks all.

After a session I often find that the mount doesn't return to the Park position, it's close but not where it started from. The attached pic shows my mark at around 88 and it started the evening right on 90. Is that backlash? Just to confuse the issue it doesn't happen every time!

Nice one, cheers for that.

I took this picture of Jupiter around lunchtime the other day and I was wondering if there's a filter out there that would help bring it out a bit more. I was using a ZWO 850nm IR Pass filter and it definitely gave a better outcome compared to pics taken without it. I know I'm never going to get a great daytime pic but I'm interested to see how good I can get. It was captured by taking a 30s .SER video in FireCapture which was stacked in AS!3 and processed using Registax6 and GIMP.

I have NINA set to Park after an imaging session but is it possible to tell it to Park in a defined position that has been set in EQMOD, rather than just to the Home position? Thanks.

I'm going to spend a bit of time PEC Training the mount tonight, does it matter where I'm pointing when doing it? I know that PHD2 likes to calibrate within 20 degrees of the celestial equator and I'm wondering if PEC Training has a similar thing. Thanks.

I've had a similar problem in the past and it only happened when I had a gamepad attached to the usb hub, even when trying a different gamepad. I don't get any problems at all when no gamepad is connected so I don't use one now.

Cheers for that. Saves me wasting any more time on it!

I was just about to come on and ask a similar question. I have an image of January's full moon taken using the ZWO IR 850nm Pass Filter, will I be able to process colour into the picture or does the filter stop that?

I like to try and mix it up a bit sometimes and not just go for the usual suspects. This is ARP 273 at a distance of 300 million light years, taken on 5th December 2021. It's made up of two interacting galaxies, UGC 1810 and UGC 1813. It's thought that UGC 1813 has passed through the bigger UGC 1810. Taken with a SkyWatcher Explorer 300PDS on a SkyWatcher EQ6-R mount, ZWO ASI294MC Pro, 71 x 120s exposures in NINA, 50 x darks, dark flats and flats, stacked in APP and processed using StarTools. I haven't quite cracked guiding with this set up yet and I'm hoping to sort out a permanent home for it which will allow me to get the balance spot on without having to bring it all in again at the end of the night.

Thanks all. I think I'll just keep adding to it with 240s exposures at Gain 120 and will hopefully get 3 or 4 hours tonight. Its size is about 3 degrees across, similar to Andromeda which just fits into my FoV, so I'm assuming I'll get all of it in one frame and not need to do a mosaic. Astronomy.tools isn't being very helpful with this one..........

Not a mosaic, just wherever NINA decided where it would be when centred.

It might also be worth adding that I used APP to stack the flats and calibration frames and then StarTools to process it. A friend has tried processing the .fits file in Pixinsight this morning and hasn't had much luck either.

Cheers folks. I should have mentioned the filter right enough! It's an IDAS LPS-D3 that I'm using. From the answers above I suspect I just need to add more data. It's to be clear for a while this evening again so I'll hopefully get a few more hours.

I got 47 x 240s at the Spaghetti Nebula earlier in the week but the results are very faint. I know it's a faint target but I was hoping for better! I'm using a ZWO ASI294MC Pro and SW Esprit 100ED. Do I just need more time on it, or longer exposures, or higher Gain (currently 120)? Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks.

I'm wondering if there's anyone out there who has both versions of the ZWO EAF and notices a difference in performance? I have the older 12v version on my SW Esprit 100ED and it works perfectly. I've been using the new USB powered version on a StellaLyra 8" Classical Cassegrain and I use it along with the Hand Controller. It only works when I press the Fast button and it won't move at all on Slow but as I just use it for the Moon and planets I've just run with it. In the last couple of days I've put that EAF on a Skywatcher 300PDS Newtonian and it's even worse. It'll move a bit then beep furiously at me as it's stuck. The USB is plugged into a powered USB hub and the focuser on both scopes moves well manually (when the EAF isn't fitted) so neither are particularly sticky. I'll be taking the 12v EAF off the Esprit to try it on the 300PDS to see if that makes a difference but I don't feel that I should need to do that. And if it does work I'll then need to see if the USB version works on the Esprit. Has anyone had similar problems with the USB version?

It looks like I've got it attached to the 8" CC successfully using a 16mm M4 screw and 3 washers. It's working with the manual controller, although the screw can't be too tight or "slow" doesn't work, so hopefully it'll be ok in NINA and APT. I got the pack of M4 screws from Amazon.

Did you ever get an answer to this? I bought an EAF for mine recently but I'm having trouble attaching it, although FLO have suggested a longer M4 screw and they tell me that another 8" CC owner has successfully fitted one. Or can anyone else help? Meanwhile I'll see if I can pick up a longer M4 screw.

Thanks folks, I'll give it a miss then. I'm just being picky as I have a Polemaster anyway, but as I move the mount round the garden I tend to use the polar scope first.