Merlin66

This is an Urban Myth! All the suppliers who manufactured Petzval designed refractors ( TV, Takahashi, Williams Optics) have all replied in print that their refractors are 100% safe to use with a Herschel Wedge. I use a TV Genesis (100/500 Petzval design) with a Herschel wedge for all my white light imaging. Never had any issue in the past ten years.

Have you checked out the Onstep IO group? They seem to be pretty active and helpful. https://onstep.groups.io/g/main

Fabio continues to give excellent support to Astroart. The latest update SP6 has just been released: Version 7.0 SP6 - March 03, 2021 ------------------------------- * New feature. Remove gradient adaptive with parameter. * New feature. Cut borders for images downloaded from the camera. * New feature. Normalization for all methods of image stacking. * New feature. Sync for rotators under ASCOM 6.5. * New feature. Script commands for domes. * Improved. Compress star filter multicore. * Improved. Faster pixel operations in scripts. * Improved. Telescope park and tracking status is shown. * Bug fix. Some AVIs could not be opened in 64 bits. * Bug fix. Ring median filter could not be stopped correctly. * Bug fix. North and South poles could not be plate solved. * Bug fix. Script command Guider.WaitStar might crash the script. * Bug fix. Profile did not work well if one point outside the image. See http://www.msb-astroart.com/ and below for further details: https://www.astroart-forum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=581

KEJ, The 8” OTA will sit nicely on a HEQ5. I’ve used all the Meade SCT’s , 8”, 10” and 12” I never found a good solution to using the x3.3 reducer. It was originally designed for use with small webcams.

Steve, Download John’s BASS Project, it will do everything you need to do. It also has an extensive users manual. Recommended

You could add BASS Project to the list. It works very well with SA Spectra.

The Baader Solar filter has no connection to the US. Thomas Baader and the Baader company are German.

I’ve had this occasionally when I’ve calibrated PHD too far from the equator.

I had similar issues with my ATiK 314....just died.... the s/h replacement then also died following a fan failure. Two failures in the space of six months......bumma!!

Yes, a PC with a bit of grunt helps.... I use AS! to process my solar videos, the attached screens shows my settings. Decide when viewing the quality graph which quality level/ number of frames you want to stack. select an AP size (I use 48 for full frames and 24 for ROI). click "Place the AP grid", and Stack...... Notice I also click the sharpening button - this gives a good first approximation of what minimal tweaking might achieve - a good guide and starting point. Use ImPPG to do the final "improvements". HTH

About 10am AEST on the 26th Feb.

What bandwidth? Solar is 0.3A Ha bandwidth.

Here's my version of the large prom. SM60 DS on the ED80 and ASI 1600.

Vlaiv, Getting good Ha narrowband flats for solar imaging is still a "black art"...............

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/700403-pattern-noise-with-asi178mm-non-cooled-with-h-alpha-imaging/ I work at 1x1 binning and the background “pseudo Bayer matrix” is an issue when solar imaging.

Have any users had issues with FPN with these cameras? There’s a lengthy thread over on CN. Just google for sample images. I returned an ASI 183MM and replaced it with an ASI 1600 for my solar imaging. Looks like the ASI 178MM has the same issues. Any comment/ feedback??

Does this also apply to the SWED80pro which had a FPL53 element??

Rasper, Did you solve your problem?

Hmmmm, doesn't look correct to me. Your -1.566 longitude should be showing as 1 deg 34 min E At the moment it's set for somewhere in the USA!!

I have the older version NEQ6PRO. One of the benefits of the latest mount is that it effectively has a EQDir module built into the mount. you can use a standard printer USB to connect and bypass the handcontroller. EQmod should see the connection (I think you have to set a higher Baud rate) and your off and running. I use EQMOD with CdC to run my NEQ6PRO, C11, spectrograph set up.

I use the HEQ5 and NEQ6 mounts. For the past ten years I've used a car converter - 120W, 12V to 15V. Works very well for me. The SW mounts can safely take 15V, no issues.

On my NEQ6 mount the central bolt is a M12 x 1.75. HTH

As Alan says at the home position the Dec should equal your latitude. Do you have the correct lat/long values entered???

Don’t Panic! Just position the scope pointing to the pole, with the counterweight straight down. This is the HOME position, which the electronics use at startup. Then power everything up. Should work OK.