nephilim

I think I may now need a 3rd now 🤣 I find having an extra monitor such a time saver, its so much easier than having to either swap between windows or having 1 window smaller etc. Aswell as my astronomy work they also work well for my outdoor hobbies such as mountain biking, hiking, climbing etc where I use 2 screens for planning & plotting routes & navigation. For the very small cost (Very very small when it comes to AP gear 😬) I think its definitely money well spent.

Happy New Year. I would like to thank @FLO & several members of SGL for helping me get rid of around 3k & still counting over the last 4 or 5 months 😁 But on a more serious note . It's great to be getting back into this after 7 or so years away. Having been on furlough since March, this forum (and my mountain biking 😁) has been a godsend to take my mind away from what's going on in the 'real' world. Plus another mention to @FLO whose customer service & fast deliveries have kept to the same fantastic standard all the way through the year & who have consistently & very quickly answered all my emails when I found myself a bit lost when it came to what would work with what etc. All the best Steve

Re: Processing tutorials. If you have a desktop pc then I'd recommend buying a second monitor, this may sound a daft over the top purchase but I find mine invaluable for following tutorials step by step (I do use it for alot of other things aswell though. You can pick them up second hand very cheaply, starting at around £20-£30. AP has a very steep learning curve & for me anything that makes it even just a little easier is worthwhile 🙂

Won't the dithering option using ASIairs guiding software get rid of satellite trails. You can also do calibration frames with it aswell.

@Adreneline That looks a very nice & tidy set up. I've recently bought the Samyang 135mm lens which I'll be using with the ZWO 533, guiding with the Evoguide 50ED & ZWO 120mm-s all mounted on the ES EXOS 2 PMC 8 so I'll be well within my weight bearing capacity. I do have the option to power straight from the mains at the front of the house but for the back (North West) i'll be further down the garden & using my Celestron LiFePO4 powertank which will easily see me through an evening session. I will be getting a scope later on in the New Year, again light weight & looking at the WO GT 71 or 81. Steve

Happy New Year to you too Adrian & fingers crossed for a speedy delivery. Clear Skies Steve

Thanks for all the replies. I've now bought it. It's out of stock just like everything else at the moment but the month or so wait will give me plenty of time for reading up on it 🙂

@Adreneline Thanks for reply Adrian, everything I've heard so far is very positive more or less. I think your comment regarding expense is correct, 10% of final set up cost is more or less the same for me. Anything that makes for a more streamlined session can only be a good thing. All the best Steve

Thanks, I'll keep you in the loop when I'm finally up & running, it'll be a couple of months as I've still the 533 to buy. I know what you mean about the weather, I'm in Killinghall at the moment so not very far from you. I'm heading back to Cumbria in a few days where I'll then be trapped a its gone into tier 4. Although that means plenty of free time research & practice. All the best Steve

Ive already got the ZWO asi 1200mm-s for guiding & my main imaging camera will be the ZWO 533MC-Pro, I'd also read about AAP camera compatibility issues but as mine will both be ZWO it made sense to use the AAP rather than Stellamate (although i'm not sure if Stellamate is easier or harder to figure out when it comes to ease of use.) Im in no way tech savvy so it hadnt crossed my mind to build my own Raspberry Pi, just the thought gives me a headache.

Thanks for the info (we need more Steve's in this thread though 🤣) I'll be using it mainly at home but also taking it into the middle of nowhere & will be pretty much right next to it during those sessions, I will get a repeater though. As you mention, it's not cheap so I wanted to be 100% sure about it's capabilities.

@StevieDvd Thanks for the reply. I emailed FLO in the end as I'd had no answer here, Grant confirmed what you have also said. That's good to hear, I was going to use my laptop but having seen the reviews of the AAP it looks a far better suited piece of kit. I'm going to watch a few more tutorials today & more than likely buy it later today although there's is a wait on it of a few weeks, I still have to buy my camera though so I'm in no hurry 🙂

Another good point thanks. There seems to be too many cons with this.

Ah, that doesn't sound good although I don't have a dome. I think I'll stick with piggy backing

Can anyone tell me if there are any disadvantages using a side by side set up for AP? I'll be using the Samyang 135mm lens paired with a ZWO Asi 533MC-Pro on one side & on the other side for guiding a Evoguide 50ED & ZWO Asi 120mm-s. I'm thinking that it would be tidier as I could strap my ASIair Pro (this is a potential purchases but I've not bought it yet) to the centre in between the 2 camera systems. Also would I need the 11" standard bar or the 7"? This is what im looking at mounting them on. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adm-vixen-type-v-series/adm-v-series-side-by-side-mounting-system.html

I'm looking at getting the 533 & ASiair Pro & guiding with ASI 120mm-s, from the YouTube reviews I've read the 533 can be powered by the ASIair (unless I've misunderstood) I'll also be powering my mount with it (it has 4 X 12v outputs) I'll then be powering the ASIair with a Celestron LiFePO4 powertank. I can't help regarding dew heater straps for the 533 but I'll be using one on my Samyang 135mm lens which I'm using also.

Someone..... Anyone?

As you know, I'm at the same stage as you more or less & finally nearing the end of getting the gear needed to start (I dont think i'll ever be at near the end of everything i'll want to get though 🤣). For me, taking the images isn't just about how beautiful these objects are, its also to do with the challenges of taking them. I also love the idea that the photons of light needed for these images to be made will have set out many many years ago & travelled through space to finally arrive on my cameras sensor. I find that fact quite mind blowing. So to answer your question, these images are for me really 🙂

Very good point @vlaiv

F4 will gather more light quicker than f5 so I'd say yes although if you want to also observe with the scope then an f4 is less forgiving with cheaper eyepieces than f5

Yes. Usually if you look at the maximum weight carrying capability of the mount (I think yours is 18kg) then half that for imaging so that would mean 9kg for everything, scope, camera, guide setup etc. The 18kg maximum refers to just observing.

Hi, I'm looking at getting the above to control my imaging sessions but I'm not 100% sure about the WiFi set up. From what I've read it acts as it's own WiFi hotspot. Does this mean I can take this to and use it in an area where there is no public or private WiFi signal? I have the Explore Scientific EXOS ll mount which also has its own WiFi hotspot & I'm able to use it anywhere & was wondering if the ASIair is the same type of set up before I press that 'buy it now' button. Tia Steve

Great minds think alike 😀

I'd say out of the 3 that the newtonian reflector would be the best. If you were looking for a refractor you'd ideally want an apochromatic rather than a achromatic, have a look at this https://starizona.com/tutorial/imaging-with-a-refractor/#:~:text=Above%3A An achromatic lens usually,focus point%2C causing chromatic aberration.&text=Apochromatic refractor lenses are designed,two) reach the same focus. I'd personally go for a small apo, they are lightweight, with good colour correction, William Optics do a good range such as this https://www.firstlightoptics.com/william-optics/william-optics-zenithstar-73-ii-apo-2019.html or Skywatchers 80ED. For a reflector on an HEQ5 I'd be looking at one of Skywatchers PDS ones such as the 130. Also keep in mind that a refractor needs a field flattener & a Newt needs a coma corrector

This is also a good free app for phone or desktop. Although if you do download it to your phone make sure that first you go into your phone settings & switch on app permissions for location & storage otherwise the app wont work. https://edu.kde.org/kstars/