SteveNickolls

Local light pollution level, atmospheric conditions and the waxing Moon phase won't help. Last night if you are in the UK we had the Jet Stream over part of the country. All will help degrade your image.

Cheers,

Steve

Tonight with all the snow today I put our lights back on. If they cheer someone walking up or down the avenue it will have been worth it.

Cheers,

Steve

Maybe watch this video from Martin to aid in decision making?

Cheers,

Steve

Hi, sorry to hear your problem with the CG-5.  I have a 15 year old CG-5 AS Go-To if that is the same or similar model to your own. You may well be right on the source of the issue but things you may additionally wish to try first are-

Using a different power supply and power cable to the mount. I have used a Celestron and SkyWatcher 7AHr power tank successfully in the past without power issues.

Checking proper connection into the mount's power in socket, this can work lose over time creating intermittent connection.

The mount has a known build problem of developing a faulty on/off switch. I had my mount rewired by a local repair shop by passing the on/off switch.

Trying a different hand controller if you have one.

Take off the housing to see if either of the boards show signs of electrical damage or if the wires are damaged or have been caught in the housing, the internal design of the mount enclosure isn't the best and trapping can easily happen and the boards can become wrongly seated.

Maybe there are spare boards available on the Internet, or possibly someone is selling their mount for spares?

I hope you do resolve the issue, please do post with what happened.

Cheers,

Steve

I'd always suggest starting off in a cost effective way to see if astro-imaging is for you. Many would lead you to spending thousands of pounds just to get the basics when this is not at all the case. We can do nothing about the weather of course but depending on mind set many hours can be spent for example building a barn door tracker for next to nothing allowing you to explore how EQ mounts work, so a lot in this hobby is in the doing. However you don't need an EQ mount to take images an Alt-Az mount will give you that for a fraction of the price of an EQ set up and do see the 'No EQ Challenge' thread for much, much more on that.  

I think you have to accept the weather as part of the (cough) conditions under which you accept to pursue the hobby and yes months can pass between imaging sessions and it is frustrating. Telling people in the UK that they might get on average 30-40 decent nights per year to image won't help product sales of course but we need to go into the hobby with eyes wide open. Astronomy has been a great release this year with the virus about and lock down conditions in place; in fact you might consider astronomy heaven sent as an outlet under such conditions. Depending on personal interests much can be done to extend the range within this hobby-take up solar work for example or build a DIY meteor detection system from parts from a DIY store. You could explore the remote imaging sites such as Slooh or follow SGL's own IKI observatory thread. There are many aurora sites online to view displays too. Short of moving somewhere abroad I can't see our weather improving any time soon.

Chin up it will get better.

Cheers,
Steve

17 hours ago, Louis D said:

I guess it's no surprise then that Moonraker Telescopes is based out of the UK.

At least owning that telescope would take up the many hours of free time we get in the UK keeping it all looking all shiny and new with 'Brasso'- 

All those tiny corners and grooves demanding a polish before the tarnish sets in once more. We have little else to do here while waiting for the cloud/rain/snow/fog to clear away. By then of course it will be June and the night sky too light for imaging under. Sigh. 😷

Cheers,
Steve

Really depends on what your imaging interest(s) are and other factors such as your local light pollution and whether using a modified or unmodified DSLR etc. I've found a clip-in 12nm Ha filter from Astronomik to have given my hobby a great boost when imaging with a modified Canon 700D and lenses (see my galleries). I've found the 12nm version allows me to manually focus objects (it's made more difficult with narrower filters) for imaging sessions and produces pleasing images of nebulae.

Good luck on whatever you do proceed with.

Cheers,
Steve

Hi, before you do anything I'd suggest looking at the 'No EQ Challenge' thread to show what can be done with an Alt-Az mount- you really don't have to have a great heavy mount to start to image with. You do  however need to have a set up that allows you to get outside and observe and image as you have found out.

I don't know what your sky is like in your part of Cornwall or your chance of getting to a dark site. To have a dark location is a prize indeed and might not cost you anything. I usually suggest an Alt-Az mount as a means of testing the water so to speak as astro-photography can get very expensive really fast. If you do go down the Alt-Az route for starters the book, "Astrophotography on the Go" is a great read-

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/astrophotography-on-the-go-book.html

It's getting a bit old now as many new mounts have come out in the intervening years but still a very worthwhile read, I'd actually say a bible for Alt-Az work.

A SkyWatcher Star Adventurer is also a good starter mount but it's more an imaging platform but is EQ in operation.

Good luck researching and in your future endeavours.

Cheers,

Stdve

To tide you over while you decide you could employ hand or foot warmer sachets attached to a diy lens hood (plant pot cut up and lined with black sticky backed felt).

Good luck.

Cheers,

Steve

4 hours ago, valleyman said:

BTW, f you are using iMac or Windows PC then the ASIair App can be used by downloading some software called Bluestack.

That's really good to know valleyman, thanks for the heads up. 👍

Cheers,

Steve

Thanks everyone for your replies, it's looking like 2GB  should be fine for what I'd put the device to. I'm pleased my understanding of what the ASiair Pro does and my tablet will do are right. Thanks greatly.

Cheers,

Steve

Just signed, but at 289 signatures it will need a lot more to sign to get the government to even respond to it, here's hoping.

Thanks for the heads up.

Cheers,
Steve

Hi, 

I’m looking into purchasing an ASiair Pro device sometime next year but was a little disconcerted at finding the recommended RAM on an Android tablet to control the device is 4GB of RAM or more. I have a relatively new Samsung Tab A but with 2 GB of RAM and had intended using this device to interface wirelessly with the ASiair Pro. Will it be able to operate with the ASiair Pro however, hence this thread to gain insight from members already using the device?

My only other previous experience with wi-fi control has been with my Eagle Core unit which creates a wi-fi hot spot allowing a Windows 10 laptop, Apple or Android device to access and control the proprietary Eagle App installed on the Eagle Core; thus it is the Eagle Core which undertakes the imaging and guiding with the DSLR’s SD card holding the imaging data and the tablet used for convenient connection to oversee the processes. I had perhaps wrongly assumed that the ASiair Pro held enough on board RAM (4 GB itself?) to undertake the various functions-imaging, guiding, plate solving etc. allowing the Apple or Android mobile or tablet to act as a controlling device but not of itself requiring any great system RAM overhead. I am left wondering if this not the case also with the ASiair Pro?

I have contacted FLO our sponsors and they have promptly replied and feel I ought to be able to get by with a 2GB RAM tablet, not hearing many problems from customers.

Before planning any further I would be interested to learn of any other members having successfully used their ASiair Pro devices with tablets having 2GB RAM installed and found this sufficient?

I'll finally take the opportunity to also wish everyone a safe and merry Christmas and a better New Year.

Cheers,
Steve

I've already too many ways to observe and image the night sky but I can't buy a clear night with the guarantee it will remain clear. So my Christmas wish is for some clear, dark nights which won't cost anything.

Cheers,
Steve

Thanks for this Jon, every best wish for your future imaging.

Cheers,

Steve

12 hours ago, JonCarleton said:

I'm getting used to a new camera (ZWO 178MC)...or more like "not getting used to" the camera. 

Thanks for posting Jon, I've very recently purchased the ASI178MC and am interested in the gain setting you used for M42. Did you use the online SharpCap tool to determine the local sky electron rate? The low read noise and high QE of the sensor really does help with Alt-Az imaging.

Every best wish for you imaging with the camera in the future.

Cheers,
Steve

Hi Kevin to SGL. Every best wish for you in this hobby.

Cheers,

Steve

Although slightly off subject I see that PLL have released news of a v4 of their Eagle product range. The Eagle Core remains in the stable of available devices though which is good news for future firmware support and feature enhancement.

More from here at PLL-https://www.primalucelab.com/astronomy/computer-and-software/eagle4-advanced-control-unit-for-telescopes-and-astrophotography.html

The site mentions December 9th as the date of availability although our sponsor FLO have the series for order-here's the link to the Eagle 4S model buy I think if they are showing the 8GB-Eagle4-S model at the price of the plain Eagle 4.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-cables-leads-accessories/eagle4-advanced-control-unit-for-telescopes-and-astrophotography.html

the model is currently out of stock with a 10-15 working day timescale for availability.

Cheers,
Steve

Thanks for this heads up. Do you know the particular (I presume Win 10) update involved?

Hope you can both resolve the problem. MS do seem to break more than they mend or protect with their updates.

Cheers,

Steve

Hi kunene, if you are going to add a PLL dovetail clamp on top of the Eagle Core to take a dovetail on the OTA it has a pre-drilled hole to accommodate the protruding 1/4" screw so it doesn't hit the OTA. 😀

Cheers,
Steve

2 hours ago, kunene said:

Do you know if that screw on top is removable? 

Thanks 

I have never tried to remove the 1/4" screw but would think it was not meant to come out since that could mean it might work loose sometime in use and PLL get blamed. You could drop an email to PLL, do let us know the reply if you do.

Going back to the 61 mm app at 2 kg  weight thats less than I've attached to the top of my Eagle Core in the past with no issues.  In the printed manual page 80 when talking about fitting a guide scope on top of the Eagle Core using a pair of rings it states, "...the guide telescope should not exceed 3 kg in weight to avoid flexures." I'm not at my main pc listing all the measured weights of my PLL accessories. But I will post them ASAP.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Steve

P.S. The clamp weighs 314g and the PL 140 mm dovetail bar 185g.

1 hour ago, kunene said:

Do you know if that screw on top is removable? 

Thanks 

I have never tried to remove the 1/4" screw but would think it was not meant to come out since that could mean it might work loose sometime in use and PLL get blamed. You could drop an email to PLL, do let us know the reply if you do.

Going back to the 61 mm app at 2 kg  weight thats less than I've attached to the top of my Eagle Core in the past with no issues.  In the printed manual page 80 when talking about fitting a guide scope on top of the Eagle Core using a pair of rings it states, "...the guide telescope should not exceed 3 kg in weight to avoid flexures." I'm not at my main pc listing all the measured weights of my PLL accessories. But I will post them ASAP.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Steve

45 minutes ago, kunene said:

Who uses Primalucelab clamps or other clamps? 

Hi, I bought a PLL dovetail clamp when I first ordered my Eagle Core and have used it to hold various parts for imaging such as this accessory from Teleskop Express-

https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p9891_TS-Optics-Telephoto-Lens-and-Camera-holder-with-Vixen-style-dovetail-bar.html

It would certainly hold a guide set up on a dovetail bar.

49 minutes ago, kunene said:

What I am contemplating is mounting the Eagle Core directly on the dovetail bar  and then mounting the 61mm Apo onto of it. I guess it should work that way. 

 

I would think that should be fine, do you know what tbe 61 mm scope weighs?

Cheers,

Steve

🤣 Well I’ve bought 5 more of them after being so impressed with the first one I ordered and will give them away as Christmas presents this year. In these difficult times it’s brilliant that I can get to save so much money not buying £3,000 telescopes especially with Christmas so near. Whenever it’s cloudy or raining always think how much money you will have saved not being able to get out with your cumbersome £3,000 telescope and expensive heavy mount. Observations and observatories become a thing of the past with one of these little scientific wonders.

I managed to attach the monocular *scope to my barn door tracker and mobile using some spare aluminium bar and gaffa tape and got 180 seconds sub exposures with no star trailing even under the cloudiest skies. I did find I had first to take the shiny ruby lens coatings off, they easily peeled off quickly in hot water and using a pan scourer  so no worries there.

The monocular*scope is truly miraculous in that it can be used anywhere in the whole world, by people of all ages and by both right and left handed people, it has that definite universal appeal. Very handy for travel too, just put it in your pocket and travel, anywhere especially valuable if you can’t use it indoors. I haven’t  yet tried balancing one in each hand to make the most of stereoscopic viewing potential but who knows with some further imagination and some sticky tape what might yet be possible.

In fairness I can’t vouch for the images in the ad as I didn’t see the people or the blue tent when I looked through mine and I so desperately want to see a lovely bluebird one day but perhaps not likely at night time. 😂

Caveat emptor!

Yes while it was good at the time to get a detailed printed manual with my Eagle Core it does need to show what the current device can do so I'd vote for a pdf manual available to download online. PLL wouldn't have to print (at some cost) a substantial manual.

Cheers,
Steve