dyfiastro

Hi eveyone I am seriously considering the move over to a pi and linux for the new obsy build. The PC I am currently using got damaged so either need to replace it or change direction. Having done a quick test run using a rpi3 and astroberry everything seemed to run fine apart from having a few issues with the QHY5L-IIm guide camera which I think could have been a power issue. One thing that is currently holding me back is the planetary / lunar / solar side of things. Has anyone or could anyone possibly test the new Pi 4 with a planetary camera such as the asi224 or asi178 based cameras to see how they fair?

Thanks everyone I have now decided on a removable structure. A 4x3 shed has been ordered from screwfix and should be here next week. This will be used as a base for the roll-off shed structure and should be just big enough for my needs. The shed will be braced and strengthened. I am still in the planning phase of the rail setup but will done in such a way that there will be additional precautions in place to prevent it from lifting. Room is going to be a premium but considering 90% of my imaging is done remotely from the office I am not too worries as long as everything fits in a custom park position and clears the doors.

Thanks very much everyone. in hindsight I am pretty stoked with it to be true-full, the fact that I had no idea if I had got it or not until I got the footage home and went frame by frame through the video was a bit nerve racking as well. I find that Transit Finder is pretty good for this and there is a lunar transit coming my way next week if the weather holds.

Hi everyone Been doing a fair amount of thinking and research and think I have come up with a possible solution. I have decided to go with a complete roll off structure instead of just a roll off roof. This I am able to run on a set of rails and the entire structure can be secured and bolted down when not in use. This is very much a compromise in some ways but does have its benefits being able to image down low etc... due to having no walls in the way and the cost is going to be a lot lower as well.

No Apology need, I will take a good look and see what I can find. I must admit the skywatcher 72ED did look interesting as I could use it for other imaging as well. Thanks again Mark

I have not really set any kind of a budget. I am the process of trying to rebuild my obsy as well so trying to keep costs down as much as possible. The GTi mount is one I have been looking at, the fact that it can be modified into a basic EQ mount for use with a dslr as well would be a bonus. Thanks for the advise

Hi everyone One of the things I dont have at present is a grab and go setup for imaging solar and lunar transits etc... I know the ST and EVO range are by far not the best for this type of thing but for basic imaging as a grab and go or quick setup how do they really fare? I would be looking for a mount to go with it as well, Goto is not required but basic tracking would be nice. In reality it is something that may only get used a few times a year due to doing the main of my imaging etc... from home, therefore I am really not wanting to break the bank too much. Any input, advise or alternatives would be great. Mark

Hi everyone Me and Another member and good mate Les took a trip out this morning to try and grab an ISS Solar Transit. I really do not have a portable setup at present so ended up having to jerry rig something. The wind was blowing a force 10 which really did not help This is the result, not 100% happy with it but considering its a first attempt with limited kit I will take it as a win. Need to get a portable scope setup over the coming weeks for this type of thing I think Tair 3 M42 Lens (Made in USSR), M42x1 to M42x.75 adaptor, Baader Eyepiece adaptor, ES 3x Extender, Fuji XT2, DIY Solar Filter.

Hi everyone Does anyone know of an indi driver that will work with this focuser setup? I have been using it very successfully with windows and just build another for my new 8" sct. With the release of the rpi 4 I am seriously looking at moving stuff over to a pi for control Any help would be great

Thanks everyone. I am hoping to get a chance over the coming days to have another bash at it and few other targets. I must admit last years heatwave produced my best ever shots so here is hoping.

I think common sense is the main thing here along with a good dose of patience and research. Both my Newts have been cleaned on a number of occasions but there was a reasoning behind it. the 130p got cleaned every spring before being put away for the summer and likewise the 200p got cleaning before being put away for the winter. Living about 100 yards from the beach the amount of sand and salt that accumulates over a season for me is more than enough reason to clean on a regular basis. For me it is very much a lesser of two evils, take the small chance of damaging the mirror whilst cleaning or the much larger chance of damaging the mirror over time due to salt and sand deposits. Having just aquired an old SCT and stripping that down as well for reasons that again made sense. The SCT in my case had a small amount of fungus growing on the inside of the corrector plate and had been stored for a few years. Treating the fungus was the main goal and cleaning was a part of that. If I lived further in land and my gear was not subjected to such issues I would not be cleaning anywhere near as often, however I do feel that its something that I would still do once every few years and something that is just part of owning a scope (and no different really to cleaning a camera lens and sensor).

Yes indeed, that was the year after we moved to the area.

Hi all I purchased a older Meade LX10 8" SCT from a fellow member and good mate a few months back as an alternative to my 200p. After stripping it down a few weeks back for a good clean I finally got round to trying it out last night for the first time. Seeing was terrible to the point that even attempting a 2x barlow was too much. Pretty happy with the result given the conditions and for a first shot of the year with different kit. The fact that this was also my first night of actually being able to get out with a scope at all since February was even more pleasing. Meade LX10 8" SCT, HEQ5, ZWO ASI224MC, ZWO ADC. Thanks in advance Mark

Thanks everyone. No other property got damaged so thankful of that, it happened during the night so everyone was in bed. Living on the west wales coast the obsy has withstood 60+ mph winds with no issue and even a mini tornado. What ever hit did so from a different angle and some serious force, there was lot of properties got damaged that night including an entire balcony being ripped off the side of a house just down the road. I am in the process of looking locally at options for a shed to convert.

Yes the roof was locked down the the main structure using 4 large hinged latch bolts (one on each corner). The roof was ripped from the latches and they was still in their locked positions so how it happened I still do not understand.

Hi everyone Following a devastating incident a during the last storm a few weeks back I am now investigating and looking at the possibility of building a new upgraded obsy. The roof and entire front of the obsy got ripped apart, the roof ended up in next doors garden and various equipment including scopes etc.. got damaged and scattered across the garden. I am now investigating what options I have to build a mkII version and also reduce the chance of the above from happening again. This will be a complete new build due to having the pull down the old one for safety reasons. The original design was a ROR but I am looking at possible designs that will prevent or at least mitigate any possible risk of the roof being ripped off again. The original was 7x5 but open to options. Budget is going to be a factor due to having to replace equipment etc... but want to do it right.

Had a look at their website, very nice I must say. I may well take a look at this over the new few months as an alternative to my current imaging setup. Now if they was to implement a web based control that would be something else

Ha that is a simple bit of grey / black doubled over cotton with some Knicker elestic around the outside. I have a small section of of the left over camping mat inside it and it cuts out any stray light from behind (at this point I was still setting up each night and the laptop was always setup behind it). The normal process was to take it off at the beginning of the night before imaging to allow the scope to cool and then put it on before starting a run. Now I am in the obsy, its sits on the end of the scope all the time and only comes off for collimation.

My Dew shield is a section of camping mat cut to size and lined with flocking material. Industrial sticky back velcro to connect the two ends. I have since made another for the guide scope as well. Here is a quick shot from a while back showing it.

Thanks for the reply. From what I can see the 200p secondary mirror is 52mm, so should fall within tolerance. I have been removing the Vignetting with flats and using DBE however having the secondary in effect for free, I thought it may just help a little to get better images out of camera.

Hi everyone, fantastic shots everyone is getting My 130PDS is currently in storage until next month but cannot wait to get it back on the mount and start imaging with it again. Has anyone replaced the secondary mirror on the 130PDS with a larger one to help with vignetting? I have just won an ebay auction for a 200p spider to replace the one I currently have that has kink in it. The auction also comes with a secondary mirror, I was thinking about replacing the secondary on the 130 with the spare I will have from a 200p Any thoughts on this? regards Mark

Hi everyone just thought I would share an experience over the last week that may help others. I stripped the 130PDS last year to do a few modifications. whilst doing so I had to re-collimate the focuser. Now everything was put back together and measurements all got taken using a set of digital calipers. All this winter I have been in a constant battle trying to get rid of coma, I thought it could have been an issue with the camera when turning it full spectrum but nothing seemed to solve it. Last week after taking it off the mount for the summer season I decided to give it a good clean and move the primary up slightly (instead of chopping the focuser tube). Whilst checking everything I re-checked the collimation of the focuser, this time with an older well made set of calipers I was given earlier this year. The collimation was off by a few mm in both directions. I went and got the digital calipers out and everything measured correctly. After checking both sets of calipers against a steel rule it turns out that the digital calipers are indeed out of wack. I have since re-collimated the focuser using the manual calipers, thrown the digital calipers in the bin and moved the primary up by a few mm. I will not be putting the scope back on the mount for a few weeks yet but I think I may have found my issue. I guess the moto of the story and what I am trying to get across is check your calipers.

Thanks for the reply. Yes this is what I have been finding as well and indeed the issue I have been having. I traditionally always use a Bahtinov mask but was trying to get the autofocus setup for a complete remote operation. I am at this stage not sure if the culprit is APT or the focuser. When ever I attempt to use autofocus the focus always ends up being slightly off. The only other option at present is to use the assisted focusing section and do it by manually. I would like it setup so that it can just refocus on the fly without any interaction.