Demonperformer

Nice going. I keep thinking about buying one of these beasts. Currently trying to learn sketchup - no point spending out on a printer before I can produce the templates for what I need!

Not sure, but my guess would be that it is something to do with the central obstruction of the mak (loss of light grasp).

Also, how far apart are your alignment points? Slight errors on close alignment points result in magnified errors as you move further away. Alignment on my SE mount got a lot better when (1) I started using a reticle eyepiece, and (2) I started using points that were significantly different in both alt and az.

Nice one, Lucas. Do you intend adding any OIII into the mix?

I could do with something like that for my 8" sct when I'm trying to get it onto the EQ6 mount.

New filter ... quite excited to see how they perform in the field (or garden ) ...

I had never used mine, but wanted to check it worked before selling it. Of course, I couldn't find the manual that came with it so went looking on the Internet and found this ... eventually.

Granted this might be of limited interest, but I had a major problem trying to find this this morning as Skywatcher seem to have decided anyone still using one of these can fend for themselves and have removed it from their website. So, in case anyone else is looking - and in case the site I found it on decides to follow SW's example - I am uploading a copy of the SW syntrek manual here so one will always be available. Syntrek manual.pdf

It's only just over six months, Gina

You had me at 'easier to make'!

HI, Lorenzo, & welcome to SGL.

Love the idea of plugging wife adapter into the mount. Ain't autocorrect great.

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.

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.