Demonperformer

4 hours ago, Lockie said:

When an imaging night goes wrong I always want to give up and just look through scopes instead!

Well, I guess that is better than wanting to sell-up completely.

Also, you got an additional star on the right of the pic (HD 5914 - m6.46?) - I suspect the dot at the bottom is a hot pixel as it also appears on the way-out-of-focus shots. Don't know what your exposure time was like, but I would guess that it was not particularly long for focussing on Polaris. So that would be promising.

I used to try to use my 6/8SE mount with a refractor and found that (for some reason I could never fathom - don't you just hate those?) it would only align if I put the scope into the mount facing what I always considered to be backwards. If I put it in "the right way round" it would always say it was aligned and then head off in precisely the opposite direction. Sounds as if it might be a similar problem? No guarantees, but if the same thing happens next time you try it, you could try removing the ota, turning it round and putting it back on the other way round. Stranger things have worked! [This is assuming that the "last time [you] used it" was with the SE scope, not with this one]

My result is 1:1.17

Sorry, got that wrong - it's 1:0.99.

Just had a look at the link and got a message that it is closing. Get it while you can. 

I use my old film-camera changing bag for taking darks.

Thanks, Chris.

Yes, the weather has been great here as well, but I know some parts of the country have been managing to have some clear skies.

I will continue to wait patiently for updates ....

Just wondering if you have had a chance to try this yet and how it went if you have.

Thanks.

I will follow this thread with interest - this is something I have wondered about from time to time. 

That looks like one very impressive scope. Congratulations on your purchase. Glad you are getting on well with the "skyalign" feature.

If you get no joy with an answer to your "update" problem (sorry, no idea) it may be worth trying the Yahoo NexStarGPS Group.

Wow! What a result first time out! Congratulations. 

5 hours ago, Demonperformer said:

That is MEGA-seriously tempting ....

Oscar Wilde once said* “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it” ... button pressed ...

*The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1890

That is MEGA-seriously tempting ....

Just realised there is a cooled version of the 224 - I previously assumed yours was uncooled - is this correct? Thanks.

Yes, there is a lot of detail there for such short subs. Lots of them helped, no doubt!

I am particularly interested in this, as I have just purchased a 224 and have been interested to know how long I can make useful exposures without cooling. This suggests that one answer is "plenty long enough".

Thanks for posting.

5 hours ago, Stu said:

£9 over your budget

or even £7 over your budget (not including delivery prices - not checked those!)

Good progress, Martin. I like the counterbalance idea.

Innovative and ingenious design. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for that .

I was reading your dithering thread this morning and a lot of it was way over my head, but this makes the requirements very clear for the 1600 (which is also my camera).

Thanks. That was my #1 guess, but the fact that there was another one that was a different colour made me uncertain.

Found it (the manual - all 186 pages of it!) and the USB3 is the blue one. Apparently the yellow one is an "always on" port ... whatever that may be!

Lots to learn.

New (refurbished) USB3 laptop with ZWO 224 planetary camera and CH4 filter.

All I have to do now is find a manual for the laptop online (none came with it) to work out the USB ports. I have 2 black, 1 blue (labelled SS) and 1 yellow (on the other side of the machine). And one of those 4 is USB3 and the others are USB2. I'll get there eventually ...

Ooo, just found this ... I did not know about the 12-month rule ...

[These are UK rules, don't know about elsewhere]

You may find it cheaper to get a set of the replacement bolts - about £25 IIRC - which solve the problem completely. I know spending more cash to resolve a design fault is not ideal, but it may cost more than that to return it and order something else.

There was a thread on here a few years back of someone who had captured HH with just 2 second exposures, but IIRC he took many hundreds of them. But this is probably not the easiest way to do it! 

On 29/04/2017 at 12:21, Gina said:

Maybe I need to get the new mount sorted out before proceeding with the dome. 

Don't want to 'jump' on your enthusiasm for the dome too much, but, if the NEQ6 option would require a bigger dome, isn't the mount the place to start, as you suggested above? - unless I have missed something (quite possible)? Would hate to see you put all the work into creating the dome and then come unstuck with the mount.

Gina,
A thought ... not totally compliant with your ideas so far and not fully-fledged, but might spark something ...
If you had a double sideways door, could you fit something (a rubber wedge?) to the underside of the door (side closest to dome) that would butt-up against the dome when shut, to keep the rain out, but would not obstruct opening? Don't see how this could be adapted to single door (as either only one side would be rain-proof, or the "wrong" side would have to be flexible enough to allow for opening, which could lead to it (i) not doing the job and (ii) snagging when you close the door). Does all this make sense? Not being an engineer, my desciptions may lack a little something ...
As I say, not perfect for what you have described, but may spark an idea of your own ...
Thanks.