Portech7

Yes I've read a few posts about that 🙂 Cheers all, sounds like a good upgrade, so thank you.

Cheers John, every penny helps in this game 🙂

Hi all After some advice please. Anyone upgraded a SW EQ3-2 with this tripod? it states its compatible with EQ5, HEQ5 AND EQ3-2 mounts. I don't want to buy another setup as my EQ3-2 pro mount is actually very good, stable and smooth following a strip down and grease, but the tripod legs do let the team down slightly as they can flex a tad. The current tripod is ok when extra ballast is added but for £109 the upgraded tripod appears to be a good cheap upgrade on paper. I think I'm sold on them, but still worth a double check. https://www.365astronomy.com/SkyWatcher-Heavy-Duty-Tripod-for-Skytee-HEQ5-EQ5-EQ3-2-Mounts.html

Hi all Whats opinions regarding astronomy equipment insurance? I've noticed that as time goes on I'm buying more and more bits and bobs and I had a scary thought regarding replacement costs if the equipment got stolen or damaged some how. I've seen a few astronomy equipment specific insurers which cover at home and away with theft, accidental damage and so on, and was wondering if anyone has had experience with any or has any recommendations. Cheers😁

Warm welcome from South Wales David 👍

Learn something new everyday😁

Hi all As I haven't got the luxury of being able to have my laptop indoors when using it for imaging I've been thinking of ways to mod the screen so it can be used outdoors and doesn't harm night sight. So I tried using some thin matt red translucent plastic (used to be a plastic envelope of sorts) which I cut to size, then stuck some velcro to it and too the laptop screen rim. Being velcro the tint can be easily removed or reapplied as required. I find it works well. Being an envelope it is double layered and if cut well I found i can lift one layer up (if needed) whilst still having some red tint albeit thinner. I tried acetate but I found it didn't work as well. The bit of reflection on the image is due to the camera, can't see any where near as much with naked eye and the screen is very clear to see. Probably not suitable for everyone but I find it a nice cheap and cheerful fix so far😀 .

Perfect, thanks Nigella😀

Hi Nigella I was thinking that would be the way forward or at least a 1st step. Thank you, much appreciated😀

Hi Flood, warm welcome from South Wales (uk) 😀. I found a height adjustable bar stool at my local charity shop. Cost £15 and it is perfect👌. May be worth a try if you have anything local to you.

Hi Nikki, warm welcome from South Wales (uk)😀

Hi all Quick question, today I was trying to image the sun, but I was unable to get a full shot in my cameras FOV. Visually I could see the entire sun in my FOV but on imaging I could only see around 50%. I have been able to capture a full image previously but that was using a basic Sony cybershot on an eyepiece mount. Same scope and mount as below. Q: should I be able to take a full image of the sun with my new camera setup? If so, do I need any equipment such as a focal reducer? Setup: Scope: 150p newt (f5) on EQ goto mount with solar tracking. Camera (new): Altair Astro 290c. Filter: Seymore solar class B glass solar filter. No Barlow etc, just camera direct into OTA focuser. Excuse me if this is a daft question, I'm still learning 😀

Hi all Cheap telescope cover, use emergency blanket. Only a £1 or 2 on popular auction sites and weather proof within reason😀

Thanks Michael, Adam, very useful guidance and user experience which vastly helps. I wasn't sure how much superior the USB 3 is over USB 2, but sounds like it is worth the extra. Cheers Both 😀

Hi All Apart from the ZWO being USB 3 and the Altair being USB 2, is there any major spec difference or user experience differences? Prices seen: ZWO ASI224MC Colour : £249 (Includes wide angle lens for meteor showers) Altair Astro GPCAM V2 Colour (IMX224): £189 (Full Package, includes the wide angle lens for meteor showers etc) Reason I ask is that I was originally working to a budget of £100-£150, but i've been a tad lucky and can stretch to a better spec camera than the ZWO ASI 120MC I was heading for. The ZWO is £60 dearer than the Altair and I'm wondering if its worth the extra or not.

Perfect. I asked because I already have one, so that's great 👌👌😀😀

Hi Quick question, with goto etc, does anyone use a car booster pack (with relevant 12v, USB etc sockets) instead of the branded power tanks? Cheers😀

Hi I've decided to go for the ZWO ASI 120MC-S USB 3.0 Colour Camera. Slightly more than I wanted to pay but after much research it appears a really good starter. I also like the idea of the 150 degree wide angle lens it comes with as it can be placed outside pointing up to the sky and image above without the scope, so I found this a nice point which I didn't initially consider, but can definitely see me using it a lot. Cheers for all the guidance and comments as your experience really does help the novice astronomers out. 😀

Hi all Just looking on line and seen this T7 camera, think its a copy of the ZWO as mentioned by vernmid. Spec copied in below:CMOS chips: Aptina AR0130CSCMOS Size: 1 / 3 in. Effective pixels quantity: 1280*960 Astronomy requirement is fast, full real output, much longer exposure, these three elements, high resolution can not be achieved. Pixel size: 3.75umFocusing range 20 mm to infinity Depth of field: 50 mm to infinity Scintillation control: 50 hz or 60 hz Readout type: Progressive Scan Shutter: Electronic rolling shutter Exposure time: 20us-1minSensitivity: 2.7 / LUX. The SEC (under the condition of 550 nm green lighting)Scintillation control: 50 hz or 60 hzSoftware compatibility support: Windows98, WindowsME, Windows, Windows xp, Windows 7,Windows 8, win10 and Mac OS, Linux.Single frame capture storage formats: BMP, FITS, RAWDynamic capture storage format: AVIWorking temperature: - 5 ° 60 °Storage temperature: - 20 ° 60 °Working humidity: 20% RH 80% RHStore humidity: 20% RH 95% RHPower consumption: < 0.5 WMaximum frame rate: 1280X960@35FPS 1280X720@46FPS 1280X600@55FPS 1280X400@80FPS 960X960@46FPS 1024X768@54FPS 1024X600@69FPS 1024X400@101FPS 800X800@66FPS 800X640@82FPS 800X512@102FPS 800X400@108FPS 800X320@158FPS 640X560@98FPS 640X480@113FPS 512X440@123FPS 512X400@135FPS 480X320@165FPS 320X240@215FPS 2X2Bin:640X480@35FPS5FPS

I do like the idea and ease of use I've read with the ZWO etc. It maybe the best thing to start from, I can always progress as time goes. Thanks for the help all 😀👍

I'm Bridgend area. I'll keep looking, there are others out there, in fact its quite a busy market for second hand cameras so I'm sure something will turn up.😀

I've found a Canon 10D which comes with the remote shutter switch, charger, battery and a few other bits, for £99+£8 shipping. Is this worth trying?

Hi All I'm sure this is a very popular topic, so please excuse me for asking again if it is 🙂 I'm really wanting to start getting into astrophotography and I am unsure what type of camera is best to go for. I have around £100 to work with which I know isn't much in the whole scheme of things but its what I have. I might be able to stretch to a little more if its worth the extra. I have a standard digital camera which I've managed to take reasonably good images of the moon (mounted to eyepiece), but I'd like something which is a bit more all purpose, so reasonable deep sky and also planetary, if possible, if not at least good planetary. I'm also in the process of reading 'Making Every Photon Count' to gain further knowledge but I thought I'd ask advice too. I'd also prefer something which doesn't require a masters degree to understand 🙂 I've heard good things about Celestrons Neximage and ZWOs etc for planetary. Maybe I should start here to gain experience, then expand into deep sky imaging as I progress and learn. I'm probably asking too much with the budget and my lack of experience, but any advice welcomed 🙂 My scope is a SW Explorer 150P on an EQ3-2 mount. I have installed an auto focuser (found this to be a great upgrade for observing, to help limit vibration), will be getting tracking motors too. It may not be the most elaborate set-up, but I've had great planetary views and some awe inspiring deep sky views with it, so it would be good to see what I can photograph (If possible).

Just cleaned my 150P primary mirror for the first time. Was worried, but it wasn't that bad and didn't take long either but being very careful is paramount. Nice and shiny now.

Hi Ripochet, that confirms my thoughts as the 2" extension with the twist lock did work but I didn't like how far I had to rack it in to get focus. I'm still new to astronomy and learning as I go. I have found it very useful for collimation which is worth its money just for that purpose. Cheers 👍👌