Demonperformer

Nice start.
(1) Make a small 'dew shield' for the guider - rolled-up thin cardboard should suffice.
(2) Stability can be added to a mount by hanging something (bag of sugar?) directly underneath it (it pulls the centre of gravity downwards).
(3) Try sharpcap - it will either work or not with your camera and costs nothing. After struggling for years with PA, I am a great advocate of the polemaster, but that is not cheap. You would also need to consider that, if you really get bitten by the AP bug, you are going to upgrade from the EQ2 at some point (really, you are - and on that basis, IMO don't even think about upgrading the motor on the EQ2). You would then need a new adapter for it to fit the new mount.
HTH

On 04/11/2016 at 11:56, Gina said:

Another possibility might be to run KStars/Ekos locally and save images to micro SD card then take the next day to transfer the data to the indoor desktop Linux Mint machine ready for processing.  I might look into some of these possibilities later but ATM I would prefer to spend my time capturing images (weather permitting) and processing data.  Plus getting to grips with PixInsight.

Could you save onto a stick using one of the usb ports and then process directly from that? Don't know how much longer that would take to process compared to an internal drive and how that would compare to the time involved in transferring your original data - I have always done mine from a usb drive, so maybe I'm just used to that speed and would be amazed if I ran it from an internal.

12 hours ago, feilimb said:

Hi Gina

FYI KStars / Ekos 2.7 is now available on multiple platforms, including Windows natively. I have setup Indiserver myself recently on an Odroid U2 (an ARM based device similar in ways to the Raspberry Pi) but it should now be possible to use the 'client side' ie. Kstars & Ekos on Windows.

Details of the release are here:

http://knro.blogspot.ie/2016/10/kstars-270-is-released.html 

Does not seem possible to run it on a 32-bit windows machine, however.

Gina, Are bias frames temperature-dependant? I thought one set of bias would apply to all subs, but maybe I'm wrong?

Actuially, clicking on the link you have "Installing the INDI library full edition" takes you to the page where you click on "Daily INDI library".

Gina,

Click on download to open html page. Scroll down tot he bottom and click on Raspberry pi. Click on "Daily Inid Libraray". Under Data column, click on download and a dialogue box will open, asking if you want ot open or save.

HTH

At least you managed to get a couple of hours last night ... a couple more than here.

Which would appear to contradict the previous post, saying it isn't supported. I hope the reply you have received is correct. I must say I am finding the entire process to be a minefield (and that is before I have even started on the "linux" bit). Makes me wonder if it would have been simpler to have fitted a powered usb hub instead ... but then, I would not have been learning so much about my system if I had done that.

I did wonder, when I saw this the other day, if you had seen it (I think that's the one you've got?).

Good to know my thinking is in line with yours.

When using EQMOD, my mount is very tempramental if I try to attach it through a different USB [like it refuses to find the mount at all], so I was thinking I would stick to specific USB ports for everything. If linux programs are not so "sulky", all to the good.

That's interesting.

My thought was to have the mount running from one of the usbs on the pi (as the mount has it's own power supply) and to use the other usb on the camera for the QHY5Lii, operating as a guide camera (as that draws its power through the usb port).

One could also argue that there is a ‘bit of a gap’ between the 55mm (14°) and the 135mm (7.2°) … or even the 400mm (1.9°) and the 1000mm (1.0°). Don’t you just love it when other people are willing to spend your money for you?

Wow! That 45mm lens will get some chunk of sky. Should give some great results.

I think the aim is to keep the camera from sending data faster than the USB system can handle.

There, I can't help, I'm afraid. I have only done it in the capture programs.

If you are running USB2 (which the RPi does) it seems that the USB turbo setting needs to be turned WAY down (like to about 40). The 'hanging' problem seems to be a common one with this camera on USB2.

HTH

Process of elimination.

The Ha is great, but what's caused the "splodge" in the upper left of you OIII sub - don't remember seeing that in previous OIII subs you have posted? Was it on all of them?

5 hours ago, Gina said:

who says the minimum temperature is -30C

What we really need is someone with access to a walk-in freezer, who can test it in really cold conditions ... or maybe we will get those conditions outside ourselves in a couple of months ?

Do you have the synscan version or the syntrek version?

Thirty quid will be nothing compared to it being ripped off again, falling into the observatory through the hold and being battered around by winds trying to get back out again ...

5 hours ago, Gina said:

I shall need to sort out the mounting as this has a bayonet mount.

I know you like making your own , but, if a canon bayonet mount sounds like a lot of trouble, there is an adapter for canon lenses onto the 1600. With your mechanical aptitude, I'm sure you would not run into the sort of problem I managed to create:

8 hours ago, Gina said:

Whilst this image is far from perfect, it does show the relative positions of the DSOs in Cygnus.  Near centre are the NAN and Pelican, and the Cygnus Wall.  Just above centre left is the Cygnus Loop and top right IC1396.  The Crescent Nebula is also in there - very small - about 7 o'clock from the Cygnus Wall towards the bottom right of centre.

Not only the relative positions, but also the relative brightnesses, the veil being very faint in comparison to NAN/Pelican complex.

1 hour ago, ChrisLX200 said:

I can think of a lot of words for it - Amazing isn't at the top of the list though.  My gear and I sat outside for 3 hours last night in the expectation of the clear sky forecast by both Met and CO, of course there was only solid cloud.

ChrisH

Been there, done that, T-shirt being printed ...

Well, I've got zeroes across the board until midnight. And zero is about the size of the gaps between the clouds at the moment!

Good! With the breeze here coming from the west, that gives me a little hope the skies might clear a bit later.