alan potts

Hi Dave, I am running the PHD which was loaded about 3 months back so must be fairly new, I don't know the number but putting the latest PHD in is easy enough for me. Your right in Sharpcap is very Different. Grant said I would be fine running the 071 on USB with the 12v transformer connected, it was a question I asked as I don't actually have a Laptop with USB3 even though I have 5 of them all fairly decent high spec models for their time, their time was about 6 years ago in the best case. Why can't IT be a bit easier, Alan

Thanks Alan, After a bit of a cool down I went back for a look, I have done all you said correctly and do have the Zwo transformer connected. It also appears in Device manager. How I actually came to look at that I am not sure but I saw it whilst I was checking a problem which stopped the mount moving, I was checking to see if EQdir still had a port, which it did. Once I removed the Zwo camera from the laptop onto another laptop, it started working again. Oddly I reconnected it by accident thinking it was the guide camera and the mount was still working, strange what can happen. I then after PHD told me there was a Darks Library problem took a set of Dark files with it thinking it was the guide camera. I am sure the camera works, as I believe I have taken a set of Darks. I set it going on a 15 shot run early in the day and it said it was averaging them, to me meaning you end up with one or a stack of them. this seems to have happened. There is a what looks like a Dark frame with time stamp in the folder, that took an age to find until I noticed an icon on the Desk Top screen. I am just not very good at all at understanding what all this means, I find the whole thing very frustrating. Alan.

Thanks Alan The guy that does APT live in Sofia here. Well I have just spent most of the day in less than ideal 36 degrees trying to understand this camera and have given up. I got the various drivers loaded with issue which is strange for me but as for Sharpcap I cannot understand a thing apart from the cooling. I don't understand the way it works what so ever, and I have tried to read the instructions and give up. Even APT that I sort of know didn't do a thing, wouldn't take a picture, wouldn't cool the camera yet claimed it was connected. I have come away from a beautiful clear sky because I will do something I regret. Alan

Impossible, the only way to deal with temptation is to yield to it. Alan

S and T's pocket atlas is very good but in my opinion Interstellarum's Deep Sky Atlas is in a different league, of course it cost a bit more but worth every pound. Alan

By way of want appears to me to be a misunderstanding I do not have a IR/UV filter for my 071 camera, now I understand they do really need these but of course I am sure will work without. Now I see a fair difference in prices from the Zwo offering to IDAS which touchs almost 170 pounds for the 2 inch, I was going to go for the Astronomik as I have a few of their visual filter, this is almost 100 quid cheaper. Is it worth buying the most expensive? And are there any other types of filter that would benefit this OSC camera or indeed my Canon which I plan to mount beside on a different scope and computer? With living here it pays to get everything at once. Alan

Feel I need to consider software a bit more seriously than I do at the moment. I have a feeling Sharpcap is a free program or very cheap. I would like to get some processing software too, Gradiant Ex and a few others. At the moment I just have PS. I have a small set back with the 071 in the shape of the IR/UV filter, Flo have sent me 1.25 inch filter and said there was an adapter to fit it close to the sensor, I fee they were mistaken as the sensor is bigger than the filter and requires a 2 inch without a doubt in my view. If I'm wrong I would love to know how to fit it. Still it will not stop me learn the ropes. Alan

Very nice image you have there. Alan

Thank you for that, we are in a spell of 18 nights clear at the moment and more to come, would happily let you have a couple. Er yes keep it simple for me. I only have USB 2 laptops so that will not worry me. I am going to try DSLR and the 071 on teo scopes, but I will use another laptop for the 70mmED, just for APT. Alan.

Added some extra data to this last night but it is getting tight now to do anything meaningful with the walnut impacting the line of sight after only 35 minutes, but I have got and extra 2 nights of 5 min subs stacked in. This now is a right collection, 3.4 and 5 minutes and 800 and 1600 ISO by virtue of not knowing what I am doing. Normal gear 805mm APO Canon 40D (not for long now) This is now knocking on the door of 4 hours and shows how influence from other fine imagers that clock up 27 hours and the like have had an effect on me. Hope you like it and feel free to offer advice or just do what I have missed and tell me what you've done. I have tried to keep the redy brown colour as there is clearly a great deal of this colour in and around this target, which with more data may well come out much better Alan

Many thanks for that, didn't understand everything but at least I know what to look for. If you have time can you let me know, what sub lengths you find best and what sort of gain and other settings you use, feel it will take me a while to get use to it. The canon was second nature to some degree as I have had so many other models and understand the setting. Alan

Just dawned on me I wouldn't know what amp glow looked like and would try to stretch it. Thanks to all for help, I will try both and Just Darks as it seems as if you don't have to do them every night. At least with a cooling setable I could do them in the day if it were not too hot. Alan

Lovely image, not one I have seen before. Alan

Strange Vlaiv, I have seen many an advert claiming Coma free, dam good scopes, I love mine for visual and should get it on the mount and give it a go with a camera, fast too. Alan

I am not sure 5 seconds will be enough time to get down to the 14th mag to should Pluto, I tried it the other night with 4 minutes, and as much as I got a result and for sure Pluto would have been there, where was the question though in 1000's of stars. Keep it up and try slight longer exposures, try an get a good Polar alignment too. Alan

We lost most of May and June but at the moment we are about 16 nights on the bounce, we will pay for this. Alan

I think you worry too much, both are superb shots, I just prefer the second image but anyone would be pleased with either. Alan

Many thanks for that, in winter it can go down to minus 25 here very easily. Plus 30 is maybe rare of an evening but 20-25 would common in June, July, August and early Sept. Alan

After testing the patience of a saint getting dithering off the ground with my Canon 40D, I rather like this approach to the final image and have basically dropped Darks. Can I still continue to dither instead of using Darks when my Zwo 071 arrives which should be in the next day or so. I also wonder about the cooling as it is at least 10-15 degrees hot of a night here than England, any recommendations, even at 11pm it can be 30 degrees Alan

I contented myself with an old digital SLR for about 2 years prior to starting to guide, though this delay was not all my fault. You can get some decent results for a DSLR and many, some of which have answered here help no end with advice, and believe me I needed plenty. You will need a decnt polar alignment if you are going un-guided at first and stick to 30 seconds and experiment to see how goos you can track. Here is a half reasonable shot I have put 3 hours into on equipment that many have which will give you an idea of what can be done by even an IT numpty Alan

Nice sketches Nick, no point feeding a hedgehog out here, the local cat Mafia would eat it. Alan

I like the top one un-stretched and I feel somewhere between the two would be a winner. Alan

I will let you know, can't say I believed him when he told me what to do, the guy really is a guru, famous in these parts for getting things to work when all else fails

Just to let anyone that chipped in with words of help the problem has been sorted. And yes it was to do with cables!!! Being the self appointed problem with cables king, it had to be. I had a drink with my IT guru mate Venci, after a full run down of what we had tried, he said Unplug everything,all plugs to power of any sort, computer, transformer, camera the lot. Then take a piece of wire and an connect both pins to earth for 10-20 seconds on the plugs of each cable. Did it, plugged it all back in and it worked perfectly, and I thought he had been on the bottle. Alan.

Really, I would have thought at the cost new now they would be decent from Canon of all people, this one though is about 12 years old and is sharp for normal work, I use to have the 200 F1.8, that stopped down 2 stops would still be F3.5. Now I have a duel mount bar on route I can play around with the telephotos I have, mind you the 500mm weighs as much as a telescope as I dare say the 600mm is more so. Alan