barkis

Our moon is a wonderful body and one can never tire of observing it, whether with naked  eye, or  with binoculars or telescope.
Under the right seeing conditions, and a good instrument, some breathtaking scenes can be enjoyed. Many superb images of our neighbour have
been created by SGL lunar imagers, and rival some taken by larger Observatories throughout the World.

Of course the Moons gravity has an influence over the earths Ocean Tides too. Solar Eclpses too are a joy to see.|
It seems also that humans are getting closer to visit the moon and stay for periods of time to do deeper studies of it's make up.
Finding water there is  an essential  task.
Ron.

Thanks for the link Alan. it's not that I am looking for a camera, 
just curiosity is all🙂.
Ron.

I know I have been out of touch for a while, but surprised to see Atik Cameras are no longer
operating. Unless I am looking in the wrong place.
Ron.

Hello Ken. Sorry to here you are having problems with your Mount.
 I Have just won a battle with my Eq6 Pro mount  equatorial.
I had some good advice from several members to try and rectify a fault that I believe wasn't due to the mount
at all. I had read that some folks had issues with Windows11, which I had loaded on a new Asus Laptop.
I bought a used Dell Laptop from Ebay with Windows 7 professional loaded.
Re loaded Ascom and the other requirements, and my rig was brought back to life.
If your setup was OK  with an older phone, perhaps your new phone could be harboring a problem.
I'm not familiar with Alt Az rigs, but I hope someone on SGL will be able assist you.
Best Wishes.
Ron.

After  long time head scratching trying to get my Observatory kit up and running, I finally
succeeded yesterday.

I tried GS Sever instead of EQMOD, but no success there either, my computer just froze on me.
Reading through the Ascom diagnostic Prog. it stated there was only one fail, but  I couldn't 
pinpoint what the hell it was 
There was some info about that windows 11 was known to kick some programmes into touch,
so  I bought a used Dell laptop from an Ebay seller for £54.  lt was loaded with Windows7 Professional
I installed Ascom 65, Eqmod, Equascom Driver, and Lo and Behold, success .
I'm happy as Larry, but I would like to get to the bottom of why it is Win11 is failing.
I've no Idea why my Asus Laptop is failing to accept the software but I will continue to investigate for the
reason, safe in knowing that at least the system is up and running via an older computer.

I'm afraid I have been absent for a short time for reasons I won't bore  the forum with, but I've popped in for a look see at these ~
competition Images. I'm dumfounded by the fine  quality of all I see here. I congratulate all the   Contributors  to this Cometition. 
I think Martin will find it difficult  to choose a winner.   😀
Ron.

On 15/06/2023 at 16:17, barkis said:

Hello folks.
                   I need some advice on updating my Mount Firmware.
I am having to use  USB EQ Direct   method, but I need some advice  regarding this  procedure. I have the Firmware  File 
placed in a folder with a  SYNSCAN  label,  but I need to direct it via. Com Port 4.  I presume the file will need opening before I despatch it 
to  my Controller, and on to the mount Card.

It is the latter part of this operation I don't understand, so If anyone can help here, I would be grateful.
Best Wishes all.
Ron.
 

 

Panic off, I've managed to suss out how to load the Firmware. I was thinking I needed a bit
of  hardware, but thankfully the FW Loader is  a software upload.
The old brain has slowed somewhat, but I managed to nudge it awake  😁.

Hello folks.
                   I need some advice on updating my Mount Firmware.
I am having to use  USB EQ Direct   method, but I need some advice  regarding this  procedure. I have the Firmware  File 
placed in a folder with a  SYNSCAN  label,  but I need to direct it via. Com Port 4.  I presume the file will need opening before I despatch it 
to  my Controller, and on to the mount Card.

It is the latter part of this operation I don't understand, so If anyone can help here, I would be grateful.
Best Wishes all.
Ron.
 

Just returned myself after an enforced layoff. When one has blended with SGL, and bonded with the fine people
who populate it, then it is  just like seeing your family after a long absence from home.
Welcome back, and I hope you  can resurrect the work you enjoyed so much before.
Ron.

3 hours ago, Paul M said:

Hi Ron,

GS is Green Swamp Server, a funny name for software that can be used in place of EQMOD.

It gets rave reviews, but if EQMOD is what you've used before and nothing else has changed then it should continue to work. It's just an alternative interface between ASCOM and your mount control software.

There is a lot of info on the Web about GSS on the Web. I don't use it so can't offer much help in that regard.

 

Thanks a lot Paul, your explanation has given me a better insight, hopefully I can get my
setup up and running again. 🙂
Ron.

32 minutes ago, Stu said:

Welcome back Ron @barkis, great to see you back on your feet again. Stu

Thanks for the welcome Stu. It's been a long journey back to better health, but  
in spite of the problems the NHS are having to cope with, they got me back on my feet.
and it's  great to be back on SGL, which also great therapy.
Best Wishes.
Ron.

Just had a thought having seen software that may or may not be inviolved in the changes that have taken place in my absence.
Software prog. l have seen called GS Server  may be required to be installed.   I'm totally in the dark on this ,
but taking notes of what information other members have kindly given me.

Ron.

Just a thought here, If you are adjusting collimation screws, be careful you don't lift the mirror too far, as you will
probably  have retaining tabs fitted that prevent the mirror tipping out of it's cell.  If too much pressure is put on 
the mirror, it can suffer some distortion that would drasticly affect  your imagery.
Worth mentioning, although  collimation usually calls for only minute adjustments.

Welcome to SGL john.

Ron.

On 23/05/2023 at 20:13, M40 said:

Hello barkis and welcome back. As you are not using the handset, are you connecting to your pc with an eqmod cable plugged into the handset port? As such you will need both the eqmod and ascom drivers. Some while ago I made a note of a youtube video which I found useful and it may help blow a few cobwebs off..... have a search for beginers guide to setting up and using ascom to control your astrophotography gear by Hogarths astrophotography. I had a quick look and it showed where to find drivers from. Hope it helps and all the best.

Many thanks for the advice, I appreciate your input, and I will  have  a looksee in beginners guide as you say.
Ron.

3 minutes ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

Hello Ron glad you are okay. I cannot help with the query  but just wanted to say hello. 

Cheers Mark.    I'm delighted to be back.

17 minutes ago, Steve said:

Hi Ron. Hope you are well 🙂

So Nice to be back Steve. I am so pleased with the welcome I've received from members.
My previous appearance was very short, as I was hit with a worsening of my post Op. problems, and other complaints.
Much better now though.   
I'm trying to get my setup up and working again, but so many changes in the software have taken place, 
and my older brain is struggling🙂.
Ron.

14 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

Hi Ron, what a pleasure to see you back. I'm useless on the IT side and love mounts with handsets! They really are easy to use.

Olly

I wish I was as useless as you Olly.
You are among imagers elite.
 🙂

Hope so Alan, I'm out of touch after a longish layoff, things have changed so much..
Hopefully I will  get an answer soon.  I have a hand controller that was supplied with the Mount, but I have nevr used
it.    Thanks for your reply though.

Ron.

11 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

http://skywatcher.com/download/software/

15 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

http://skywatcher.com/download/software/

Hi Wookie, Thanks for the Listing, but my mount has no usb Connector on  board, and I use a planetarium for my astronomy, I  plug the mount into my Laptop and choose targets from my Starry Night Programme.  Not sure If the list you provided  has a suitable download. I do appreciate your help Mate.

Ron

Hello again to all SGL members and  Staff.

I did return some time ago, but  I have  suffered some setbacks which rendered me 
house bound, and an invalid for all intents and purposes.  However, I have delved back into my Observatory,
and set about re-commisioning my setup.
However, things are not the same as when I had everything in place a couple of years ago, and I have hit a few snags.

My scope is still on the mount as I left it, but I need to feed all the extras with up yto date drivers.
Unfortunately I can't locate the Mount Driver, as it in no longer residing where it used to be online.
My Mount it the Skywatcher EQ6 R Pro, and 
 

Enjoy your stay on SGL. You'll find an answer to any question you might have here.
Just ask away
As a side note, your team Walsall are playing our side Carlisle United in the FA Cup second round on Saturday.🙂
Ron.

Hi Colin, let us welcome you to SGL. 
I'm afraid your present budget falls a bit short for the setup you are hoping for.
Perhaps you should reduce your specifications a bit, and  put the tracking ingredients on the back burner
for a while, as that can add a lot more money to the bill.  You might consider a  F5 Newtonian reflector as a first
scope, mounted on an Alt. Azimuth mount wit slow motion manual controls. A tripod can come with the telescope.
You could get advice from First Light Optics, who sponsor SGL, they can be reached from within this Forum,
right at the top of the front page.  Just click on the Header, and you will reach the site, lots of goodies there. 
You can also look at used equipment markets,  you can get some good deals from those. However, before
committing any money to any purchase, seek advice from the membership on the forum to ensure 
you potential purchase is a sound one.
Best wishes, and enjoy your membership of SGL.
Ron.

Wonderful Lunar images here, and so good to see that our Moon is still, and hopefully will remain
an exciting, and rewarding subject for AP's.  It's orbit around earth, offers it up for many angles striking its  surface, and therefore 
numerous light and shadow changes across the rugged surface, offering exciting targets for cameras to capture.
I  congratulate those who have submitted the many terrific Images in this thread.
Great  stuff, and I look forward to more.
Ron. 👍👍.

Astonishing results from a phone, but we know how versatile these devices are when in
the right hands.   Well done, great stuff . 

Ron.
 👍

My Asus Laptop was updated to  Windows version 10, and subsequently to version 11.
Unfortunately it resulted in me losing most of my Astro files. Ascom is now Ascom Alpaca, and part of Github.
I have been trying to  get my Skywatcher EQ6 Q Pro mount driver downloaded,  but I can't find it listed.
Is the old Ascom platform now extinct ?  
I there is something about Ghost Drivers, but I need to be advised on how to get what I need to get computer control
of my telescope again. 
Hope someone can point me in the right direction.           
Ron.