Dazzyt66

Same issue, that’ll teach me to keep up to date! 🤣

I used a Japanese made ‘Green Federal’ 1:2.8 stopped down to F4. It’s an old M42 with adapter for Canon which I got from eBay a few years ago, think it was about £20 😊

Have been impressed with the images people get with the Seestar with around 10s exposures even from cities - so I thought I'd give it a go from my back garden using my trusty 1100d and 135mm M42 lens! This is just 300 x 10s lights, 20 x Darks, Bias and Flats. I'm pretty happy with this from my Bortle 6 sky! Needle Galaxy is dead centre of image. Stacked in DSS with final processing in Siril. It's also the last image I've done using Ekos as I've just switched to NINA and awaiting a clear night! 🙂

You don’t need Polaris for polar alignment nowadays (various AP software does it) and if you’re only having a visual observing session accurate PA isn’t necessary anyway. If you are clearing down at the end of a session I would go for option 1 with the good south views. If it’s anything like my household the other half is usually off to bed as I’m setting up so no risk of trips - except for you obvs! 🤣

After a few years of wondering where I could fit one, I finally worked out an unobtrusive position for my mini observatory! Cost, as always was the issue for me, so I settled on patio storage as the solution! This box was £50 from Argos. Power (atm) comes from my trusty power bank, now charged and always ready for use, from my 25w solar panel (£50 from Amazon). My HEQ5 has legs removed, but is stable with ankle weights adding some extra stability too. After 3 years of use I’ve also switched from Ekos to NINA which was a dream to set up with CdC as my planetarium. I created a horizon file this morning using the horizon plugin in NINA which is applied also in CdC. I’m even using the DSLR focus plugin within NINA which works brilliantly! No full auto focus now, but that’s a small price to pay and I might convert my Astroberry focuser to a MyFocuser at some point as I already have an arduino at hand. I remote in to my old Win10 Thinkpad controlling it all using RDC. Just need some clear skies now to try it all out properly! Next stage is to add an actuator for auto open and close! Well chuffed as it all came in just over £120 including the cabling. Obviously I had the Astro kit already! 😊

Hey all, I'm just working on finalising my micro obsy box with my HEQ5 and DSLR. I can't see the whole sky with this setup (and can't from the garden anyway). So how do I go about limiting the mount movement range in Ekos to stay within my visual range but also the limited enclosure parameters? I'd like to sort this so I can do automated AP but don't want the mount to move around its full range. I know you can do this fairly easy in Eqmod, but not so sure how to do it in Ekos. Any ideas?

I think many of us over the years have worked out that forecasts are exactly that and are very rarely accurate (unless a number of sources happen to say same thing) My proven method which is always 100% accurate? I use an eyeball mk1 👁️😁

So... cannot get the 1100D to work under new install. The drivers crash immediately (both Canon DSLR and GPhoto). They are definitely seeing the camera and I have tried with and without SD and definitely is unmounted. I used my Astroberry SD and it all works fine, even without an SD card (which I never knew!!). Am totally at a loss why it should be failing under the latest Ekos/Indi/KStars... 🤔

I’m ok with all of that as it has worked flawlessly under AB, so I’m convinced the unmount/no card will sort it. I don’t think the 1100d will work without a card though.

I think I know the answer to this after some further Google work…. Unmount the camera usb drive…

Hey knowledgeable people. After years of using Astroberry I decided to install Ubuntu server with a very light desktop on my RPI. It all works very quick and I’ve installed Indi Ekos and Kstars, again all working perfectly in simulator mode. When I connect my Eqmod it works, my Astroberry focuser works, but my Canon 1100D crashes on driver load, even if I change the driver to GPhoto. It works perfectly in Astroberry, so has something changed or do I need to do something differently to get it working? Any help appreciated otherwise it’ll be back to Astroberry 😞 Daz

What mount are you using? On mine I connect direct to the mount RJ45 as the WiFi doesn’t need the handset? TBH I haven’t checked the lights as it just works…

You need to leave the foil on when you start it up - no need to reset it again. That should limit its interference from other sources and so long as you are close to it you should be able to access it as synscan_wifi_xxxx 😊

I never thought of that! The issue was driving me nuts though - and it was an easy fix in the end! 🤣

It sounds like the same issue I had. There is too much WiFi interference in your area and the dongle is resorting to its chipset default not SynScan default. The link that @happy-kat provided explains how I fixed it…. Once you can access it via the SynScan app you should be able to change the channel number to a less used one which should fix it (you may need to keep the tinfoil on until you’ve done that though). HTH 😊

Not sure if this is the right place so admin feel free to move. I’ve seen some issues with this elsewhere so thought I’d add some info here: I recently ‘reset’ my SynScan WiFi dongle with a view to selling it. Upon restart after an hour plugged in but no access, I found that the device corrupted itself so that it didn’t load as a SynScan WiFi Access Point - it shows as ESP_xxxx instead - which is the chipset default and although accessible it will not work with the SynScan app. I read that someone had to drive somewhere without WiFi (as multiple frequencies nearby ‘corrupt’ its startup) to get it sorted. This gave me an idea - I wrapped the whole thing in tin foil and did the reset again to be safe. Sure enough, after an hour it reset to SynScan_Wifi_xxxx and I was able to access in the usual way with SynScan app and would be able to configure as needed. I thought I’d mention it here in case anyone has the same issue! 😊

So, I’ve been using my HEQ5 on its tripod for AP with just my DSLR and Ekos for a couple of years now. I got fed up with it taking up so much space in the middle of the garden with full tripod which was overkill for this 🤣. I have a nice corner with great E to SE view but it has no room for the tripod. I was thinking of a small todmorden pier, but then realised I could detach the tripod legs at the top. 3 40mm waste access plugs act as feet/adjusters. Super stable but added .5 kilo ankle weights to each leg for extra stability. Gonna use an upside down bin as cover and good to go. Just need a clear night now to try out 🤞😊

I use a Bahtinov mask to get initial focus and then use the Ekos autofocus to keep things going if I’m moving between targets (you’ll need an auto focuser for this though). I struggled for ages for a good focus but a Bahtinov solves that immediately - you can Google how to make one yourself before buying one - a sharp knife and a cereal box works! Once you’ve focussed you’re pretty much done for a whole session. 😊

No rust or corrosion at all - the cover is vented underneath so airflow is there. Under the cover I keep the top of the mount covered with a shower cap (to keep insects out of ports) and then a thick towel over the whole lot to capture any potential condensation. Through wind, rain and snow it’s been fine so far 😊

You don’t necessarily need a pier - I’ve had my HEQ5 tripod and mount setup outside for about 3 years. Covered with a large bbq cover. No adverse effects. Setup time to getting first image is about 15mins. Unless I’ve knocked the tripod at some point and need to polar align again which makes time above about 30mins. I use Ekos for everything 😊

Everyone’s obsessive about something so there is no judgement here at all. If you enjoy it then that’s all that matters 👍 ps Perfect is the enemy of good enough 😊

I think this is a very interesting thread. It shows how much the AP subject is, well, subjective. For someone who lives on the outskirts of a (recently designated) city, with very modest equipment, I can only dream of making images this good. I think it's crazy how our brains drive us sometimes. Even with my 'very poor' images (compared with yours @Rodd) I get frustrated but refuse to get sucked into the money pit that is AP. Anyway, my point is, with all the variables involved with getting the 'perfect' image (from our own perspective, whatever that is), I think we may be too hard on ourselves sometimes... hobbies are meant to be enjoyable Sorry, I know that probably didn't help!

Thanks, my bad. I have a couple of M42 adaptors so I’ll check I’m using the right one for the lens. Also, the focus was done purely using Ekos - I just let it do it’s thing - so that could also have an impact. When the next clear night arrives I’ll set it all up properly with the lens stopped down and hopefully it’ll be better. Thanks so much for the feedback though. Much appreciated 😊 Daz