Simon Dunsmore

Hi Folks Could any of you wonderful people tell me what thread is on the Skywatcher 72ed focuser. Looking to add one of these. Wondering if it will fit??? https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/baader-2-clicklock-clamp-m54.html Thanks Simon

Hi Andy, Thanks for your reply. Looks in theory that this would work. But this is a different bit of kit to the compression ring and looks to be discontinued. I'd still be interested to know if any has used the compression ring with the OVL. Thanks again Simon

Hi Folks, I'm a little concerned about securing the image train on my Skywatcher 72ed. I have a ovl field flattener, zwo 533mc and spacers. The stock fitting is pretty poor. I looked into a baader clicklock but, a. These don't seem to come with the right thread and, b. They're really expensive. I was wondering if anyone has experience fitting the ovl into one of these? I read somewhere that the tapered nose of the flattener may cause the compression ring to not grip?? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/astro-essentials-2-inch-compression-ring-adapter-for-sky-watcher-newtonians-and-72ed-refractor-m54.html Any other suggestions welcome! Thanks in advance Simon

Hi Folks, Quick question, has anyone had the antenna mod completed on their ASIAIR Pro? If so, who did the work and how effective was it? Spotted a service advertised through eBay Premier Technical Services. Thanks Simon

Hi All, Huge thanks for all your replies and advice. I think I'm going to take a look at Affinity, for the price it has to be worth a try and doesn't require to higher spec to operate it. Thanks again Simon

Hi Folks, Quick question, has anyone had the antenna mod completed on their ASIAIR Pro? If so, who did the work and how effective was it? Spotted a service advertised through eBay Premier Technical Services. Thanks Simon

Thanks Alan, Can I ask if there are any online tutorials that you would recommend for Affinity? As a total noob, it was the abundance of you tube tutorials that got me thinking about Photoshop. Cheers Simon

Hi Folks, Hoping you thechi types may be able to help. Can I ask which version of Photoshop would work best for processing astrophotography images? Would Photoshop 2021 elements work? Thanks for your advice Simon

Here's a version edited by someone who knows what they're doing

Thanks for all your advice. So here is the edited version....with colour! I appreciate that it's got a way to go, but at least it has colour. Any suggestions welcome. Thanks for help

I really hope so.

Brilliant thanks so much for your time. I'll try that. Hopefully that will do the trick

Sorry, total noob. I'm not sure what that means. I selected the image files and then stacked them before saving and then opening in gimp. Did I miss a step. Sorry for my ignorance.

Hi Folks, Quick question, still trying to get to grips with post editing the images I've stacked. I recently purchased an zwo 533mc pro camera and on Friday managed to gather 90 minutes of data. (The Pliedies) I stacked them in deep sky stacker and followed a you tube tutorial on Gimp. However , the image seems to only be in grey. I'm not sure if it's a dss issue or my incompetence with Gimp. Shouldn't there be some blue nebulosity in there? Thanks for your help Simon

Quick update, picked up a used skywatcher 72ed. Bargain! Can I ask if a field flattener is 100% needed with this scope?

Nice image! What equipment other than the 130pds are you using?

That's a no go then

Hi Folks, I just spotted this little scope with ED glass for under £250. Any one have any experience with imaging with it? Bresser Messier AR-102XS ED Hex Focuser Thanks!! Simon

Hi and thanks so much for your helpful and detailed reply. I appreciate your thoughts about spending a little more now to save more in the future. I presently have the funds for a new camera and used pc, but maybe I'll try and locate a used camera as well. That way it would free up a little more cash for the computer. Thanks again Simon

OK, so after a little more searching I found this one, looks good on spec, I could always upgrade the graphics card at a later date I guess. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Workstation-Quad-Core-i7-2600-3-4GHZ-16GB-RAM-1TB-HDD-Windows10-Quick-/154586723403?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Hi and thanks so much for your detailed reply and suggestions. This computer stuff is really out of my comfort zone so I greatly appreciate your input. I've got a better idea of what I'm looking for now. Thanks again Simon PS I'm in the UK

Hey Folks, After reading all your comments, I'm considering this set up. What do you think? It's a quad core with 16gb ram and a 2gb graphics card. Cheers Simon https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fast-Gaming-PC-Computer-Bundle-Intel-Quad-Core-i5-16GB-1TB-Windows-10-2GB-GT710-/143299555698?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Thanks for the reply. Not being very IT saved, some of these terms are little confusing but I'm sure I'll work it out! Thanks Jamgood. What software are you running?

Thanks Jamgood. What software are you running?

Hi Folks, I could do with drawing on the corporate brain. Operating on a very tight budget, I'm in need of a desktop set up for editing. Not being overly savy with computers and only having £200 to spend. I've found a deal for a reconditioned set up. 4th gen i7 processor, 16gb ram, 1Terabite ssd. Would this work? I'll be using Startools. Thanks for the help Simon