david_taurus83

Hi. Are you trying to open EQMod on it's own? If so it doesnt work that way. You need to use another software to "call up" EQMod. Download Carte du Ceil and use the telescope settings to set up and connect to the mount. EQMod should then open up via the planetarium software. Make sure all the COM port settings are correct and your location is correct across all platforms.

Just bear in mind voltage drop depending on the length and resistance of the cable you will use. At 13.8v output on my PSU I'm reading 12.5v at the mount after 15m length of 1.5mm cable.

That doesnt sound that much when you factor in the depth of whatever focuser your using. You could measure the distance between the mirrors and then from the secondary out the back of the OTA and tally up where the focal length lands.

Yes you need an M8 to M12 adapter. Like this below. Or B&Q stock 1m lengths of M12 threaded bar and you could cut to suit.

Have you asked Altair?

I have the 30amp Nevada linear version. Tis a heavy beast and it has a fan for cooling so gets quite noisy. It's by the back window that's left ajar when I run a cable out to the mount. I opted for that one as I had read that the switched supplies can induce noise though that may not be an issue at all. It has variable voltage selection. I wanted that feature as I can increase the voltage if I get too much voltage drop from running through a 15m 1.5mm cable.

Just looked through the bumf on PHD and it makes reference to binning if the camera supports on chip (hardware) binning. CMOS cameras dont support this but I dont know if PHD has been updated since this was written.

https://openphdguiding.org/man-dev/Advanced_settings.htm

Just thinking about the binning again Adam, when I tried I'm sure my guiding RMS doubled and I couldn't figure out why? Does CMOS binning truly create a super 2x2 pixel and does PHD read it correctly? Have you tried 1x1 on the OAG?

Might sound silly but did you change the focal length to 1200mm in PHD? I tried binning my guide camera on my small setup before but it also gave questionable guiding results so I stuck with 1x1.

When you start up the scope will never point at Polaris as its offset from the celestial pole. Are you clicking on Polaris and then trying to sync? If so, that's why it's not working. Try slewing to a bright star, Mizar, for example as it's a double and easily identifiable. It will not likely be centred at all in the FOV. Find it and centre it either in an eyepiece or live view on the camera. THEN, click on it in CdC and hit Sync. The EQMod coords should now match the star coords.

Hi Craig. Nothing wrong with a DSLR. Most of us start off with one. I did, then moved to a cooled mono camera with filters but now I'm back to a DSLR again! Their just so versatile!

I've seen this before on a similar thread. Pretty sure it was condensation frosting up on the sensor. Does that camera not have the tube attachment on the side to recharge the dessicant or did you have to remove the front?

The main benefit of clip filters is you can use them with some camera lenses. Are you going to use camera lenses? 2" mounted filters are far more versatile. More choice, can work with any camera, come up second hand, easier sold on if you fancy a change. Are you looking to do normal colour imaging? If so, as already pointed out, a UV/IR cut filter will reduce star bloat while letting through all the other wavelengths. If you have local light pollution then a good quality CLS-CCD filter will work as they also block out UV/IR. If you want to isolate narrowband wavelengths, then there are duo-band and tri-band filters that pass Ha, Oiii, Sii while blocking out most broadband wavelengths. Most of these are available as 2" mounted filters but choice is limited with clip filters.

For normal imaging a simple IR/UV cut filter on the end of the 2" nosepiece will do the job OR a good light pollution filter. A good quality Ha filter will block out UV and IR anyway.

Drift aligning requires a guide scope and camera connected to PHD. I'm guessing if your asking your at the beginner stage so drift aligning might be a bit advanced. What mount do you have? If a Skywatcher or Celestron then the handsets should have a polar align feature that doesnt require you to even see Polaris.

Sharpcap is a much better program for high speed frame rate imaging. For lunar, solar or planetary work then Sharpcap is what I'd use. APT is more focused for long exposure DSO imaging.

Do your flats first before you start taking lights. You can reuse the bias files from previous nights. Darks should only be used if they are the same temperature.

Fantastic!!! You should be really proud of that! I know I would!

I have never seen halos or bloating like that before. What do the individual subs look like?

Hope the weather works out for all that's going. This is the 3rd star party in the last 6 months that's not worked out for me. Local astro club was a washout in October (went to that one), SGL SP was cancelled weeks later and now this!

I'm having to bow out of this meet now unfortunately. Cant take the car away from the family this weekend and there are going to be stricter controls on movement put into place shortly. I have paid for my pitch but will not look to reclaim so it shouldn't have any bearing on number of bookings. Hope you all have clear skies!

7 minutes ago, Skyline said:

I do wish ZWO bring out a dedicated piece of software for imaging capture for their dedicated cooled astro cameras, similar o what Atik offers. APT is getting on my nerves.

I've never had an issue with APT. I keep coming back to it after trying others. It's a bit clunky, needs a lot of manual input but it works..

Any issues I've had with ZWO cameras has been USB issues. USB2 and USB3 didnt work well for me. Until I switched everything to USB3, cameras and PC, then it all worked fine.

How many people are actually still thinking of going given the current status of the country? I have no problems going personally, but unfortunately, it is likely the casualties from Covid19 will be into three figures in the UK by the weekend, and my wife will be far more concerned. Despite the government saying it is too early to take the kind of action we are seeing elsewhere in Europe, it would not surprise me if they brought forward similar actions here this week. Thoughts?

Hi Alex. Incredible image! It was also your first take on it last year that convinced me to buy a Canon 6D! Great camera!

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/331573-orions-belt-and-sword-with-the-esprit-80-and-canon-6d/?tab=comments#comment-3610234

How has it performed since your first adjustments? I had a brand new AZEQ6 that was fine at first but after 6 months or so it developed a bit of slop in the Ra axis so needed adjustment. Was fine again afterwards.