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I have just acquired an Air Pro. it seems it does not come with a power supply. I had been powering my ASI294MC Pro with a cigarette plug to mains female adaptor. Is it Ok/safe to power the air with this connector, and the power the camera directly from the air with the supplied cables? thanks

Ok, if I go with your setup, I will need to buy the rings and bar I linked to on AMAZON. But I see in your setup TWO additional fixtures? There is a WHITE clamp attached to the SVBONY bar and rings, and the white clamp sits in ANOTHER silver clamp? What are those parts, and where can I get them? Many thanks

Yes, I prefer for the rings to be connected and firmly attached to each other. Isnt there an option where there is a bar with two rings that can CLAMP directly onto the green dovetail bar, so as to avoid the silver clamp you are using above?

Hi everyone i have a SW 80ED, just like the one in the attached image. I am planning to use the 9x50 finder scope as the auto guider with a 290MM Mini. I want to avoid using the finder bracket, as it’s on the side, and messes up the balance of the scope, and it does not really fix the finder shoes very well. I have one of the newer SW green 33.5cm dovetails which has 4 holes along the shaft. Can I use it on TOP of the scope and bolt it to the two holes which are on top of the stock rings of the ED80? If so, can you please advise 1- what bolts to get and size exactly, and ones that will not protrude and mar the OTA? I suppose I need to know the SIZE and THREAD PATTERN of the bolts? Do they thread through the dovetail as well, or are the dovetail holes just plain holes with no thread? 2- please advise what exact SIZE rings to get for the 9x50 finder? Preferably white? I was advised to use the Svbony rings attached below, but I think those are made for the finder bracket? many thanks for any help. woild be great if you have the setup I have in mind, to show some pics.

oh...it only works on PC, and not on my iphone. Also have to choose Russian first, then translate option.

I saw it a while ago. Translation did not work for me

Perfect!! Got it...I have focus... Can you please advise settings of the camera? Gain Offset etc? Many thanks!!!

Thanks Michael The sun is a RARE commodity these days... Is there another way? And if I need to extend the camera farther back, what sort of an adaptor would I need? I have already used the one that came with the camera. Many thanks

Is this how the camera should be connected? I am trying to focus on a chimney from my window. Its about 1/2 a mile away? I am using LIVE VIEW in APT, and cannot achieve focus at all? I have threaded the objective as FAR OUT as possible, but I am totally out of focus.

Thanks, will try it

would this work? https://www.amazon.co.uk/AKORD-Plumbers-Thread-Plumbing-0-075mm/dp/B004CS9ZWA https://www.amazon.co.uk/Loctite-K97870-Henkel-Sealing-Multi-Colour/dp/B0083TWKIK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=pipe+sealant+cord&qid=1614008855&sr=8-1

Afternoon knowledgeable members! About to take my first steps with guiding. Have been using a SW 80ED on an AZ-EQ6 Pro and 290MC Pro unguided. Just bought a 290MM Mini, and plan to use it with the stock SW 9x50 straight through finder. I had bought a while ago the C-adaptor that screws into the back of the finder scope. Today as I was testing the setup, I found that there is SOME PLAY between the adaptor and the finder scope, and I can manually rock the guide camera. It is minimal, but I guess this is unacceptable for guiding as the camera slews? Is there any way I can make the connection more stiff and solid? The adaptor screws in but is a little loose? Not sure if the problem is with the threads on the adaptor, or on the scope. Also, there is no HARD STOP. The adaptor keeps screwing all the way into the finderscope, and can keep going till it falls in on the other side of the thread. Thanks Ah, also, what is the focal length of the SW 9x50 finder scope? And how can I test focus during the day? Any basic advice would be MUCH APPRECIATED!!

Thanks for that... Which dovetail did you fit on top?

I have been imaging unguided the past few months, and would like to try and improve my setup. Scope is the ubiquitous SW ED80 Pro. I would like to use a 290MM Mini with the stock SW 9x50 finderscope. Would like to avoid using the finder bracket, and attach the guidescope to the TOP of the ED80, for better balance. Can you please point me in the direction of rings and plate that would fit on top of the ED80? I would prefer an option that does not require drilling holes in the plate etc... Thanks

Hello everyone I've been using a SW ED80 with the dedicated FR, giving an effective focal ratio of f/6.3 I've struggled with imaging larger objects, like M31 or nebulae like the California or IC 1805. They would just not fit, and my trials with mosaic have been terrible, as I have not learnt plate solving yet, and do not have a guiding set up yet. I've been considering an upgrade, for a lower f ratio and wider field scope. I was thinking of the Esprit ED100, at f/5.5, which appears to be a good scope. I have looked on astronomy tools and I was surprised to see that the FOV of the Esprit is SMALLER than that of the ED80? How is that possible? Is it because the magnification is more? Shouldn't f/5.5 have a wider view than f/6.3? Can you please educate me? Many thanks

I see...that's interesting... There's nothing straightforward in this hobby..

With regards to the L-eXtreme, I had a look on Astrobin... I saw this: Heart Nebula with L-eXtreme filter This cant be right? The stars have almost disappeared from the image? I know that's a characteristic of the filter, but isn't that just too much? Sure, the nebulosity seems to be enhanced, but where are the stars!!?

Thanks Vlaiv So, for emission nebulae should consider IDAS NB2 or L-eXtreme For the rest, a general LPS like the L-Pro or LPS P3? Just to avoid getting myself confused, are the general LPS filters similar to the UV-IR filters like the Baader ones?

Thank you for your kind words... Yes, I'm eager to get back. Carrying the AZEQ6 and setting up was out of the question when I was recovering... As for the filter, can you please expand? DO you mean the L Extreme is a better option for Emission nebula than the LPS V4 that I already have? With regards to galaxies and reflection nebulae etc.. what do you advise? Like I mentioned above, I have really bad LP in London

Hello everyone After jumping head in last May into this wonderful new hobby to me, I suffered a bicycle accident, fractured ribs, followed by COVID, so had to drop the whole hobby for almost a year! I'd like to get back, but I think I forgot everything I've learnt last year! So, as the title says, which filters have you used with said camera, with good results? I currently have the ZWO 2" filter drawer, and only have the IDAS LPS-V4. I gather it is good for Emission nebula? What about refelection Nebula and planets? Can you please provide suggestions for a good LP filter for Galaxies? Any other filters you suggest would be great as well? I live in Central-ish London, Zone 3, so LP is bad. Have you tried Ha filters on this OSC at all? My setup: SW ED80 + 0.85FR, ASI294MC Pro, 2" filter drawer Many thanks

and here is the mosiac. I followed a tutorial on Light Vortex. I think the result is POOR. Possibly because the top part of the mosaic is from an inferior quality image, and obviously my skills are lacking...

Also am considering investing is a short FL wide field APO. I feel that the ED80 + mosaic is too much work!!

Yes, definitely! Every imaging session is like going to school!!

Just completed processing the second set of images of the heart nebula. Still following Light Vortex's tutorial on mosaic, on how to combine the image from the first set. This is how the second set looks like: 23 subs @ 240 seconds. Unfortunately 17 more subs were discarded, as there were some tree branches in the way!! WBPP and processed in PI. Please let me know what you think... Still taking very early steps in processing...and imaging for that mater!

Thank you for the tip. I have actually seen on that website a guide on how to do a mosaic. I am following it now just as a fun project. Will be interesting to see how it comes out. With regards to my equipment: Mount: SW AZ-EQ6 Pro. I bought this in January. It’s the newer version with the USB on the mount head. Scope: SW ED80 + FR 0.85 & Celestron C11 XLT. Software used: APT for image acquisition and DSS or PI for the rest. Currently my setup is as follows: I have 2 windows laptops connected via team viewer. One is connected to the camera and lives in the garden on a bench. I control the laptop from inside the house. Initial setup is as usual: Ipolar for precise PA, then 3 star alignment using the mounts handset. Usually my 3 stars are Arcturus, Vega and Capella, in that order. Arcturus is almost always very slightly off centre, as it’s the first star. Once I centre it, Vega and Capella are dead Center. Every time. Leave the scope printed on Capella, focus using bhatinov mask, try Bhatinov grabber in APT, and usually give up as it’s never stable. Then pick a target on the handset, check live view on APT. If it’s a galaxy, it’s easy framing. With nebulae, it’s a struggle. Start the imaging, and go inside and monitor using the other laptop. Now if the garden laptop can connect to the mount as well, that would be great, but do not know really how to set that up? When I bought the mount in January, I experimented with EQMOD and Stellarium and CDC. Sorted the COM port, baud rate etc. CdC worked ok with the mount, but Stellarium was very very temperamental.