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DaveS

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Everything posted by DaveS

  1. DaveS
    Ooh, is that the Neo-Achromat, quasi Petzval design? I've often considered that for NB imaging though I think it would have too much CA for LRGB work.
  2. DaveS
    Seriously, as has been said don't spend a penny on hardware until you've bought, and read *thoroughly* "Making Every Photon Count* Here; http://www.firstlightoptics.com/books/making-every-photon-count-steve-richards.html AP is so counter-intuitive it's very easy to spend a silly amount of money, only to find you have to go back to the beginning and start again. Then again, even when you do know, it's even easier to spend a silly amount of money .
  3. DaveS
    I have a Pulsar pier (The one in the video) and TBH the lack of adjustment doesn't bother me. I made sure the mounting block it was going on was reasonably level and after that it was a first iteration with the Eqmod PA tool then drift align in PHD2. TBH I need to give it a few more iterations of drifting and then a 3 star alignment, when we have a clear night with little or no Moon. Yearh, right
  4. DaveS
    Nah, you just need more (And longer) subs
  5. DaveS
    Well, I dunno about that, I never could get on with alt-az, right from the off, seemed daft to push a 'scope around in two axis when you need only do one. And now I've turned to the dark side there's no going back.
  6. DaveS
    Here's mine. Megrez 90, 621mm fl on HEQ5 with ST80 guide scope
  7. DaveS
    The Baader MPCC will force the focus tube too far in as well when used with filter wheel and Trius 694.
  8. DaveS
    Thanks Louise. It's looking as though it'll be a while till the next clear night. Hopefully I'll have time to learn.
  9. DaveS
    Well I've downloaded and installed Astrotortilla. Now to work out how to use it
  10. DaveS
    I think I'll have a look at Astrotortilla, though AA5 is supposed to do plate-solving, if only I could find a star-map for it.
  11. DaveS
    Yeah, got a lot of work to do. I've a RDF on my Megrez but it won't fit the 130 unfortunately, something more to buy. I'd hoped to get away without adding counterweights, but I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and put some lead on the rig. Something like M44 has a nice field of stars and is well placed ATM so might make a good target for testing flatness of field. The PA could do with a tweak I think as the guide graph looked pretty horrible.
  12. DaveS
    Yes, I'm using a Baader MPCC. I think part of the problem was down to my haste and, yes, laziness. I'd been using the Baader L filter for my first trials the previous night, then switched to the Astrodon Ha for this image. The first trial exposure had looked OK so I went ahead with this run. In hindsight I should have slewed to Betelgeuse and touched up the focus with my Bahtinov mask, but I'd been faffing around so much and I wanted to get this run in and the kit put away before turning in myself that I skimped the final touch. I set up not long after I got home from work about 5.30 or so but it was turned 9 o/c before I had M42 in the field and was ready to start imaging. Most of this delay was due to actually finding my target what with meridian reversals and not having any kind of finder on the 'scope. I think a few more adjustments need to be made, along with fitting a finder. If I do fit a finder I'll also need to add some counterweights to the tube to balance the camera and filterwheel.
  13. DaveS
    Real First Light! After much faffing around I managed 12 x 240 sec subs of M42 through 3 nm Ha Unfortunately the focus was a bit off, probably in my haste as my imaging time was slipping away and didn't take time to slew to Betelgeuse and refine focus with the Bahtinov mask. The stars are a bit soft and I see some doubled diffraction spikes. When the moon moves out of the way I'll be having a go at some of the brighter galaxies, ones that I might stand a chance of imaging through this horrid orange murk.
  14. DaveS
    I had first light with my 130 P-DS last night, but nothing to write home about, just getting focus and stuff. Did get an image of the moon, but so near full it's not worth posting. May have another go tonight if it holds clear.
  15. DaveS
    *picks jaw up from the floor* Words fail, totally.
  16. DaveS
    Oh my word!
  17. DaveS
    I found Astro-Baby's tutorial, very clear so I've bookmarked it. It's been decades since I had to collimate a newt (My home-built 8" f/8), the turorials refreshed my memory, so I'll be giving it a proper go. But imaging will have to wait until I get the USB socket of my SX filter wheel repaired.
  18. DaveS
    Oh, dear! It's still clear here but I'm imaging with my Meg 90 ATM, first light will have to wait until later in the week after I've had a chance to collimate it. I've been reading up on the procedure but can't find any good tutorials. Did find some videos but the guy waffled so much I gave up.
  19. DaveS
    Mr Fed-Ex has just been and delivered my new baby
  20. DaveS
    OK, I'll be sure to check that out. Would have expected better from Baader though TBH
  21. DaveS
    Thanks Rob, those figures are just what I need. I went for the MPCC after reading most of this long thread with people saying the MPCC was parfocal but the Skywatcher wasn't
  22. DaveS
    Well, I've been to FLO and ordered a 130 PDS, a MPCC and two Bahtinov masks (For the 130 and Meg 90). I already have a Premium Cheshire collimator, so fingers crossed!
  23. DaveS
    Many thanks for your replies guys. Lots to think about, but pushing me towards the "buy" button as I've seen nothing that could be a deal breaker for me. I'll weigh my imaging train, but it shouldn't be too heavy. As a note, I've been running my rig with the WO 0.8 F/R IV and binning 1x1.
  24. DaveS
    I'm seeing enough from this little jewel to give me a hankering, especially at the price, something I could buy on spec, so to speak. So what are the gotchas? OK, it needs collimating, but how bad is it? I remember collimating my old 8" newt,which was a pain and it was f/8 to boot, not f/5. Am I really going to have to collimate before every session? If yes, and it's going to take an hour or so then forget it, there isn't that much imaging time to waste, especially during the week when I turn in at 10.30. Star spikes I'm aware of, just have to decide how much I dislike them, and If I can live with them. How bad is the focuser? I know it's a crayford and thus suspect as it doesn't have the robustness of a R&P. The crayford on my Meg 90 is a disaster as it cannot pull the camera in on its own. I have to give it a push. If the Skywatcher is anything like that then I'd have to replace it, and a Feathertouch is 21/2 time the price of the bare OTA . I'll need a coma corrector obviously, and I think I'd go for the Baader given the comments I've seen re: the Skywatcher one. So it could go from cheap 'n' cheerful to quite serious very quickly, and I just want to know what I'd be letting myself in for.
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