thekwango

@Elp - stunning images and thank you for sharing. i know next to nothing about astrophotography so i can only imagine the time and effort put capturing it. if i had an ounce of your dedication (and those like you) i'd be a very happy stargazer!! 

Wow, that’s gorgeous. I find something rather hypnotic about staring at beautiful image like that. One can easily get ‘lost’ in the image and their own thoughts and contemplations. 
 

but as the wife says, maybe that’s just me 😂

That’s an awesome first image. You must be well chuffed. Congratulations. 

3 hours ago, Alan White said:

Be pleased for those in Exeter of course

i'd be pleased for no one - if i'm under cloudy skies., so should everyone 😋

It’s threatening windows of clear sky here…….still undecided if it’s worth hauling the scope out for. Wife thinks I’ve lost my marbles as I’ve been ‘looking out the blinds every 5 minutes for the past 2hrs’

I’ve been told to either sit down or get out - though she put it much less politely 😂

was looking promising earlier here on the north Antrim coast.....it does not appear that promise will hold up 😞

1 hour ago, happy-kat said:

Using the WiFi dongle which I picked up SH and use the pro version on my virtuoso v1 and get point and track but the mount's firmware does not support eq mode

Interesting, I have had the mount connected to my laptop via the cable and didn’t see any different/new options available on the desktop app other than those already available on the handset. Admittedly that was a while back so maybe the app has been updated or the mobile app is better supported. 

18 minutes ago, Elp said:

Is it the same mount though? You could possibly update the firmware and get the new features within the synscan pro app? I'm not 100% though.

no, unfortunately it's not the same mount. at least as far as i can tell from my limited knowledge and research

34 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

In altaz mode and the synscan wifi dongle they've nearly the same capability for altaz limited imaging

The dongle can come up SH makes for a better price, otherwise it would probably make the idea pants

 edit

The synscan mount from memory doesn't have freedom find which the azgti does have and the synscan mount  might not have the same ports and maybe different weight capacity

i did in the past look at the wifi dongle but at 65 quid i thought it was far too expensive for what it was and i'd still be left feeling like i was missing something by not going the whole hog and replacing the entire mount (these upgrade itches are bloody hard to scratch!) 

capacity wise, i think this older model was/is limited to 4.5kg with the azgti rated at 5kg so not a huge difference but ultimately every little bit helps i guess? i think what is attracting me more is the additional functions such as point and track etc (point and track sounds right up my lazy street!) which my current mount doesn't appear to have. 

of course all of the above could just be me trying to justify an unnecessary purchase to myself 🤣

54 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

Depends on future desires, I'll just comment that the skywatcher synscan dongle can be used on the synscan mount which I think you have if it was the connection to a mobile you were after

future desires, that's a list that will likely never see an end!!......i think i mentioned in my other post i'd like to at some point delve more into dso imaging but for now i just want to focus more 'locally' on the solar system. i like the synscan mount i currently have but i just figured the ease of use and flexibility of the azgti might be beneficial......i nearly bought the SW127/azgti bundle 3 years ago, until the scope i have popped up on ebay for a steal, so it might just be my heart leading back towards the original mount 😜

afternoon to all the azgti owners......i'm just about to hit buy on this mount to replace the original mount my 6year old SW 127. any one done the same that would care to comment on the sanity of that - is it a worthy upgrade?

i'm also going to be throwing in a telrad finder scope (hate the current one i have) and a Talentcell rechargeable power pack, curious if any one knows does the power pack come with the relevant cable to connect to the mount or should i get one separately? 

9 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

re  you using any driver for it like ascom?

I haven’t actually looked into drivers if I’m honest. Just figured if it didn’t work with a specific piece of software it was a limitation of the camera rather than the software. 

yea i've tried reducing the resolution to 1280x720 but still don't get the option to select ROI. have tried FC but it doesn't 'see' the camera sadly. 

57 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

Looking at the sensor size, pixel size and image dimension size it's not bad

From what I've found on searching the AR window can be removed increasing IR response for using a IR planet filler

Can you use the breaser in sharpcap and can you do a ROI and can you record video in raw or ser mode with your bresser?

 

i can use it in sharpcap and record output in avi or ser but i don't get the option to select ROI - i've had a google previously but was never able to make that option appear. i should also maybe mention the camera will only give me ~10-15pfs when recording, frame rates literally get cut in half when it's put onto the scope (maybe that's normal?)

50 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

hat is the model of your bresser?

think this is the one here i have. 

https://www.bresseruk.com/Microscopes/BRESSER-MikrOkular-Full-HD-eyepiece-camera.html

17 hours ago, Elp said:

a 485 will be better

while it would without doubt be better, it's also more that double the price of 224 and thrice the price of the 120 which currently puts it outside my budget sadly. 

16 hours ago, happy-kat said:

That's a great first image. Before jumping in with the 120mc it would be worth comparing specifications as that 120 might not be much of a jump from what you have already.

cheers, while not technically my first image - it's the first one i've not dumped in the bin!! i'm actually struggling to make sense of the specs for the bresser, 120 and 224 in order to compare them. much googling and head scratching hasn't overcome my own stupidity yet 😆

when comparing initially, i had been going off the very scientific rule of thumb that with the 120 or 224 being at least 3 times the price, they'd surely be at least twice as good - makes sense in some dimension, surely 😂

Not sure, I’ve been looking at YouTube videos of the 127 paired with the zwo asi120mc which I’d like to aim for so guess the 150-200 quid it goes for?

To be honest zwo are about the only brand I’ve looked at so happy to be pointed in other directions. 

55 minutes ago, Elp said:

If you're going to do DSO AP I don't think the skymax is the way to go due to the long focal length

Ah yea, I know she ain’t the best for dso. But to be honest that’s something way, way down list of priorities - probably shouldn’t even have mentioned it in my op to be fair.
For now I just want to improve on my scopes planetary and lunar imaging capabilities and maybe when I’m a bit more knowledgeable about the actual sky I’d like to dabble (I like that word!) with some of the more attainable dso’s but as I say that’s not a priority for now. More a ‘be nice to try’ at some point really, if that makes sense. 

15 minutes ago, Elp said:

The azgti is great, I use it the most and have got great AP results. You have to watch what you mount onto it though. You'd need to autoguide to get the best results.

most that will be mounted on it will be the scope, cam and new finder scope which i think should still be within the 5kg capacity of the mount? 

forgive me but what do you mean by 'you'd need to autoguide to get the best results' - i thought the azgti was a goto, therefore autoguides itself (again, forgive me as i'm still learning, especially the terminology used!)

hi all - now that i'm finally getting to use my scope i'm thinking about 'upgrading' some parts of it. i've been having great fun looking at the moon, jupiter, mars etc and taking some images, badly ..................(see below lol) 

current setup;

Skymax 127 - probably 6 years old (bought used 3 years ago)

Bresser Mikrocular - cheapo cam which has given me no end of fun (and stress!)

standard eye pieces that came with the scope

so while i've been having fun, i know the bresser cam isn't the best but was a cheap way to dip my feet in the water to see if i wanted to image the planets and now my toes are damp i'd really like to get them soaking wet  😂

my thoughts.......

i'm thinking the 1st 'upgrade' is to replace the Bresser with something from the ZWO range - i'm thinking the 120mc? 

32mm plossl - for no reason other than i see them recommended in a lot of other threads 

replace the existing finder scope - i find it to be a huge pain to get it properly set up (to much bending and squinting) - no set idea what to replace it with though so advice most welcome, maybe a RACI of some flavour?

as funds allow i was thinking to 'modernise' the mount by getting the Sky-Watcher AZ GTi WiFi Alt-Az Astronomy Mount - i know it's not a proper dso scope but might try my hand at it so thinking a better mount/goto thingy might help. though i believe i'd also need to order a wedge(?) and flash the handset software?

am i nuts, am i barking up the wrong tree, am i wasting my thoughts and money - i've thick skin so happy to be laughed at and mocked if the above is a recipe for disaster 😆

and lastly, my most recent effort using the bresser - i like it, most probably don't lol

2 hours ago, tim r said:

Looks almost identical to my 1st go last week . I’m a bald 54 with same response.

it really is such a buzz when you bring that first sighting of Jupiter into focus and see it's banding etc. it's been quite a few years since something made me grin so much!

been spending some time with the skywatcher 127 AZ Goto i bought second hand over 3 years ago and left it gathering dust for most of that time..........finally managed to grab semi usable vid from the cheap bresser mikrocular camera i had mounted. no idea what i was doing in PIPP/AutoStaakert/Registax but got this at the end 😄 absolutely awful in comparison to the other images on here but made me smile like a big bald 47 year old kid 😂

edit: not sure yet how to insert images!

nothing like be late to the party.........first, my apologies for what turned out to be a post and run thread, where has the nearly 3 years gone!!

got the telescope i mentioned above and got as far as setting it up once (maybe twice) and having a play but then 'life' got in the way.......a house move and several lockdowns later and i've finally had a chance to have a proper play with the scope over the past couple of weeks. 

i've looked at the moon in all it's glory (the terrible pic in my profile is all my own - and i'm damned proud of it lol) and stared with wonder at recently jupiter (i actually felt a tad emotional when i finally got jupiter focused to the point i could see the colour bands!)

so i'm back again, for good this time and will no doubt have many more questions going forward

another big big thank to all those who originally posted and helped nudge me down the correct path - my wife does not thank any of you though as the utility room is now my scope storage room 😂  

just thought i would update this for anyone interested. after much himming and haaing my mind was all but set on the Sky-Watcher SkyMax-127 AZ GTi until a 2nd hand Sky-Watcher Skymax 127 SynScan AZ GOTO popped up - managed to bag that for £225 - decent price i think (assuming the scope is in the advertised condition) 

All being well should arrive Saturday!

3 hours ago, dannybgoode said:

Yep you can download the app. It’s simple but very functional. Particularly if you have an Android device it’s dead straightforward to use a third party app instead but it is possible with iOS also. 

3 hours ago, happy-kat said:

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/299564-synscan-app-function-list/?tab=comments#comment-3281919

How to put into emulator mode on mobile device.

perfect, thanks for that ?