spillage

If you are using the handset then you would do a two or three star alignment after you polar align. You can then pick your target from the list in the handset and it will slew to the target and start tracking automatically.

You are thinking of guiding where you use an additional scope and camera or oag. This uses software to be more precise. Tracking will move the mount to keep up with the rotation. If your polar alignment is out then the tracking will be off and cause trails. Have you have seen an explanation involving the earth with a large pole going through it N to S.

Hi Eikie

I am sure there should be an option in the handset the adjust the brightness of the polar scope. I would first of all make sure you polar scope is properly aligned during the day. There are a few youtube videos showing you how to do this and then if you have an android phone install synscan init and this will show you where the polar star should be positioned. Hope this helps.

M31 is a very large target and I would suggest M42 if that is possible as a first target or just any area of the sky to start with. I would take a few shoots at different exposure times and see how far you can push it before star trailing starts to happen and then just run as many as possible shots as you can. Maybe 15,30,45,60,120,180 seconds.

Polar alignment is really important especially as you are not guiding.

can I ask what software are you using to run the sensor analysis and smart histogram?

You could use some wooden support posts on the outside to support the sliding roof. If the floor is that bad I would cut a square out large enough to dig out a .5m x .5m square as a base for the mount.

I would try and keep the old building and make the roof ror.

I have a quattro and use the baader cc and it seems to work okay for me. Do not though that as the cc is attached to the image train as soon as you remove you camera and place it into another scope not adjustment is needed. Its just the spacing from the sensor to the cc.

Switching my gear from the quattro to the 130pds makes not difference. Just note that the baader cc will not reduce but the skywatcher one will.

On 18/11/2019 at 22:59, WanderingEye said:

I will always want a replacement, or refund...that is your right

I am sure that you do have to accept a repair if the purchase is after 30 days as you must give the seller the chance to fix it.

You could depending of your situation build a cheap block U shaped wall into the slope to support half the dome and then dig out the other half and use this to back fill inside the wall construction. I am sure this has a specific name buts its been a while and I have forgotten the name.

I think its best to keep the covers away from the kit. Using a wooden frame over the kit with a cover over that helps and leaving a good gap at the bottom allows a good air flow.

Cheers for all your input. I think as I have some time off this weekend I will recheck the backlash and might strip off the scope and wiring and do a clean install. That is the only issue with not having a nice large dry and well lit scope room to be able to work in.

In APT you set the ADU level needed and it runs through different exposure times. I use a light box and I need to add or remove sheets of paper to adjust the light strength to make sure all the filters are able to reach the ADU set.

If you use a filter wheel it runs this for every filter then throws out a the exposure times and you then just add the amount of frames to be taken. It normally takes a few minutes.

I have never used sharpcap but I would suggest you try different settings and see how they effect your finished image.

I do not take bias frames and used dark flats which I  use in DeepSkyStacker along with flats and darks.

Sorry I should have mentioned this. I am using phd2 but both scopes use a st80 for guiding and I have ran off a new set of darks and ran calibration. Guide assistant just grumbled a bit about my dec backlash so I might do some adjustment on the backlash if possible.  

I will apologize now as I have no access to any data.

Having used my quattro 8" for several months with it guiding very well (normally around .7" I decided to change back over to the much lighter 130pds.

The mount is on a pier with a belt mod and polar aligned as usual. Stupidly I thought guiding would be a breeze with the lighter kit. Apparently NOT.

It now resembles what I can only describe as my attempt to write my name with an etch a sketch and I have been luck to get guiding at 1.5". Dec being the worst.

Would you say this was just due to balance or should I consider stripping down the mount. By the time I get home from work its dark so its a real pain to work on the mount and so far my weekends have been taken up with other things.

Have a look here it may still be okay running a win 7 driver.

what software are you using to get you flats and what ADU?. I find using APT and setting ADU from anything from 15 to 25k.

I have always used second hand st80's for guiding. I find that a cheap plastic barlow can be used to give you enough back focus, although I now use a couple of metal extensions that screw directly into the focus tube to stop any movement. 

I used a metal bar and elongated bolt holes so I could adjust the scope left and right and washers under the scope to adjust the angle. Then made sure it was all bolted down tight.

I never bother using the unpark option as sgp throws up a message and I click ok. I will use eqmod to park the scope though (just habit).

I would slew to your target and when it fails then just run calibration in phd.

If you have a permanent set up you only need to run calibration once unless you move your guide cam or scope.

Yes remove the st4 and just use usb from now on.

Yes that should be fine. I would suggest it might be worth hiding you locations shown in eqmod as this is an open site. (Just a precaution).

I would ditch the handset and use one of these.

If you are not connecting the guide cam via usb to your pc you should choose on camera. I would go the guide cam to pc route.

There are also a couple of free donwloads that add a lot more objects in the custom list. One I think is the burnham list and there is another but cannot remember the name. 

2 hours ago, WanderingEye said:

There is one now here, for £3.5k

I really am contemplating this one and messaged the seller. But getting that kind of purchase past the boss is a hard struggle. Even she has noticed that we have not  had a clear night in an age. I don't think selling my two neq6's would get me near enough.

Great looking bit of kit and not jealous at all 😵.  Glad to see your really doing your best to sell it. We really need all the MK1 users to upgrade to the MK2 and then maybe us mere mortals will get the chance to buy one of these mounts even if it is a MK1. 😜

I thought VAT is paid when it hits the UK. Once its paid they then release the goods on for delivery.