david_taurus83

At longer focal lengths bigger pixels are better but you can bin CCD anyway. Just bear in mind if your buying new the current resale value of those 2 cameras can be less than 50% as CMOS is surging in popularity.

Do you use Facebook? Might be worth asking on the iOptron Users Group. Plus an email to Ioptron themselves.

Can you try and flash the previous firmware?

All stacked. Orion was around 5 hours of 60s subs. Heart and Soul 6 hours of 300s subs. M13 around 3 hours of 60s. M27 was 40m of 60s! M33 an hour of 60s subs and M106 was around 5 hours of 120s subs I believe. All at ISO1600. The 5 hour plus images are captured over 2 or 3 nights.

Either Astronomiser or CheapAstroPhotography. The 6D costs a little more to modify but its a great camera once done. Big pixels, low noise. I bought mine already modified from Juan at CheapAstro.. He can be hard to get hold of via email but usually does respond in a day or 2.

I had a 600D when I first started out but the 6D is another league. All below taken with my 6D and an IDAS D2 LP filter. The Heart and Soul was with a duo band filter.

Brilliant!

Any details or pics of your homemade scope?

33 minutes ago, Backyard Space Dude said:

Thanks for your kind words everyone, that's some nice positive reinforcement! 

Yes, great idea! I think I'll be looking at upgrading the Oiii filter before any of the others, too. That should help!

Its not the filter. OIII and SII aren't as strong as Ha in most targets so the SNR is lower. That's why they look noisier.

Great image BTW!

Disable the encoders. They are only for keeping relative position if you undo the clutches and move the mount for visual use. No real benefit if your guiding and imaging.

Unrelated but I also had issues with ZWO cameras. The 1600MM (USB3) struggled with my USB2 laptop sometimes and my first 120MM (USB2) wouldnt work when I got a new USB3 W10 laptop. Once everything was finally USB3 every fault and niggle I had before disappeared.

Have you tried the camera in your older PC to see if its not actually the camera thats developed a sudden fault?

3 hours ago, Rich1980 said:

Update from retailer, they'll refund if I return it to them and reaffirming that I'll "never get a refractor telescope that is completely free of dust particles".

I've had 3 new refractors. A William Optics and 2 Altair Astros. All had spotless lenses out of the box.

1 hour ago, Rich1980 said:

I contacted the retailer who told me "We checked this scope and it’s normal to have these small particles. You will not got one that is particle free. The OTA was checked by us and it passed our standards." 

Perhaps you may invite the retailer themselves to express their standards on this very forum and enlighten us to the QA process to which this scope 'passed'.

13 hours ago, Rich1980 said:

Hi, 

I've just got my new Esprit 100 only to find what seems to be quite a bit of dust/particles within the optics. Seems to be behind the front element? 

I've spoken to the retailer and am advised it's an issue with all of them due to the manufacturing process. I've also messaged skywatcher themselves for their take on it but while awaiting a response I thought I'd see what the opinion was of other owners. 

I get that it could be common given the process involved in making it but for what is a fair old priced bit of kit I wouldn't expect it, especially to the extent it is too. 

So what are peoples thoughts? Any comment or opinion greatly appreciated. 

Rich. 

Its not just a couple of specs, which you might forgive. Its riddled! If you decided to 'put up and shut up' you may have a hard time moving it on should you decide to sell in the future.

+1 for the Startech CAT5 extender. The remote has 4 USB2 ports but i never had a problem running an ASI1600, ASI120 guider, focuser, mount, filterwheel, it worked EVERY time without fault. All COM ports stay assigned. Well worth the money.

Today I looked at my mount, lost and forlorn, in the corner, with no scope to mount on her. 😥

6 hours ago, Jkulin said:

I use Tight VNC on my workstation and I use the app on my iPhone, it has worked perfectly for years now.

I’m hoping that with new dome that I won’t need to go in the dome at all once I have worked out how to switch the pc on remotely.

Similar to Kinch I have a Foscam, but switch off the IR during imaging 

Does TightVNC need an Internet connection? I use RealVNC on my mini PC. Its free to use and I can register 5 devices but the caveat is all traffic is over Internet. Not bothered if I'm at home as can connect via home WiFi or if out and about the mini PC is setup to connect to my phones hotspot. My concern is if I find myself somewhere with no Internet connection I'll then have no way to access the mini pc.

7 hours ago, Anthony1979 said:

I use a SW 130pds,  EQ5 wirh the dual axis motors, ive got a guide scope but havent got the camera at the moment and i use either the 450d or the d3500

Does the controller have an ST4 port? If so, then you may be able to guide using PHD and dither that way. So your right, more gear needed.

Heres a good idea of the difference between a broadband LP filter like the L-Pro and a UHC.

https://www.peterzelinka.com/blog/2019/8/light-pollution-filters-for-astrophotography

1 hour ago, Anthony1979 said:

Thanks so its more equipment needed

What equipment do you already use? Like I said, you don't need a guide camera/scope to dither. Bare minimum is a goto mount, EQMod cable and a laptop/PC. Assuming you don't want to do it manually of course.

If you use APT then you don't need to guide at all. APT can dither the mount for you as long as your running EQMod.

You can but its not as effective as a mono camera for narrowband. What camera do you have in mind?

As already mentioned, thats normal. Dark frame subtraction will remove the same glow from your light frames. I used to take 15 minute Ha frames and never had an issue removing amp glow with matching darks.

6 hours ago, AbsolutelyN said:

Stunning and I really like the colours. However I don't know where on earth you are finding your clear skies .... been hopeless here recently. 

Himself and Emil @emyliano2000
have some dark secret where they are able to conjur up some clear skies while the rest of us suffer!

For the price of that JTD saddle and a triplet apo, a second mount and an ED80 would be a good alternative...

That looks great! Nice to see it on its own without the Ha of the Bat.

Out of curiosity, has NASA ever trained Hubble at this object? I think I've only ever seen 'amateur' pictures. Is this the best one to date, in the world?!

On 19/08/2020 at 22:46, MarvinZ said:

I want to do a test on this software to platesolve an image I took a wile back but cant seam to find a way to import it to APT can anyone advise. This is to test it out.

 

Thanks

You can't find a way to import the image into APT?