Stuart1971

One question I would like to know the answer too, Dark Flats or Bias frames, or both, I have only been calibrating with Darks, flats and dark flats with this camera, should I be using bias instead of dark flats or as well as…? Also what exposure to use with bias, I know it’s supposed to be the fasted the camera will do….but that is what…??

Thanks, again much appreciated, I guess it was not a good first target really, but hey you live and learn….

Thanks, yes I was not sure what impact the moon would have, but thanks for the comments much appreciated, I might try the those gain settings too with the same 5 min subs.. What sort of length exposure would you use with your settings…?

All defaults in APP…?

So managed 40 x 5 min subs in high gain mode and gain 0, and this is what I managed, still very noisy, so not sure where to go next, also,it was almost full moon while shooting this…would dithering help…?? Or a different gain setting….? Or just more data.. I still can’t shake the feeling that my old CCD would have done better and cleaner image with the same amount of subs, and yet everyone raves about these IMX571 sensors….🤔🤔

Thanks, Yes maybe a tad…👍🏼

So this is my second or third image with this camera, but first I wanted to show, Pac-Man Nebula, I want some constructive C&C, still trying to nail down the best gain setting, this was HGM and gain 0 offset 30, 3.5 hours of 5 min subs, under a very dewy moonlit sky, with Idas P2 LP filter, with Tak FSQ85 on EQ8 mount. Stacked and calibrated in APP with darks, flats and dark flats, then moved to affinity photo for some tweaking Still very noisy, but is it ok for just 3.5 hours….🤔🤔 comments please…but be nice…😂😂 this one was before a bit of star reduction in APP, as it’s a busy part of the sky…

Good, glad to hear it….best thing you will have ever bought…👍🏼

Yes my mistake, I was thinking the drift was the same in all the images, but was forgetting it will have moved hence the longer drift lines….👍🏼Sorry

That is a lot of drift for 60 second exposures even at that FL, so yes you PA is not good at all and needs to be much better….on my EQ8 with an 8” SCT with 2.5x power mate so 5000mm FL I get a small bit of drift in a 2 min sub, but only small, PA done with pole master on a permanent steel pier…👍🏼

Yes, I got the same response, so I guess we are all wrong, and all is good with the driver….🤔🤔

See my post above, just had this exact same issue…so it’s still around, and no one at SX bothered as I have asked….just have to use the native driver and all good….👍🏼

Hi, I just posted a thread about this exact issue, with the X2 lodestar, I know this is an old thread but I solved it today by using the native SX driver in PHD instead of the ASCOM one, and now it’s perfect. I had exact same star shapes as you the last three times I went out imaging, and was driving me mad, but mine was through a straight guidescope and not an OAG…swapping to native driver solved the lot, see here for before with ASCOM and after with native drivers…and both with same settings too…😮 ‘I assume you solved your issue the same way, or was yours something else…

The problem was solved by not using the ASCOM driver and using the native one….who new….🤔🤔 This is the image now with native driver….what a difference….

None of what you have mentioned here, needs anything more than the i5 PC that you have, I do all that and more on a mini i5 intel NUC that cost £135 second hand, and with a bigger 500gb SSD and 16gb RAM I bought extra it was still under £200 and it’s more than good enough to run a full imaging set up two scopes, the latest QHY268c camera guiding and plate solving all runs flawlessly with all the latest software, I even to the stacking on it with Astro Pixel Processor, no need for i7 or anything like that at all, it’s just pointless…..👍🏼

Ok, all sorted, it’s the SX ASCOM driver that’s the issue, just realised that the camera is natively supported in Sharpcap so tried that and it’s perfect, then switched to the ASCOM driver in Sharpcap, and it was the same as before in PHD2 with awful stars, so went back to native driver and all good…. I have been telling them for a while as SX that the driver needs updating…as it’s not been for over 10 years…anyway cheers for all the help….👍🏼

Looks bad on the dimmer stars too, almost like the scope has moved a fraction during the image, but it has not as it’s rock solid and on a side by side mount with my imaging Tak FSQ85 and that’s perfect…. Yet the brighter star just look split, as opposed to having a twin….🤔🤔🤔

Straight through guide scope with lodestar X2, no OAG, I have tried 2 cameras and rotated both camera and the scope and it makes no difference….🤔🤔

Here is a bigger image and if you zoom in on stars you will see the doubles and splits….

Would it be anything to do with needed and IR / UV filter on, but I am using a mono SX lodestar X2 with no filters..??

Ok so first time guiding with this Tak FS60c scope only ever used for visual, and I have an issue, the stars are doubled and trebled in the images from PhD2, see image below, I have ruled out any vibration, flex, the guide camera, and makes no difference which way the guide scope is rotated, also don’t think it’s any tilt either…. ‘It looks like the stars are split into three parts almost like I have a mask of some sort on the scope, the smaller stars are doubled like they have a direct copy next to them…it’s really weird. not a great image and it’s a bit out of focus to show, but when in focus it’s actually worse as the two gaps top and bottom are bigger and more pronounced….

Yes, very involved, easy for you, almost impossible for me….😂😂 just one question based on out chat from a few days ago…. I am hoping to be out tonight and doing 5 min subs, in your opinion based on what we spoke about would I be better using mode 0 and gain 30 or mode 1 and gain 0, as I am edging towards the later….🤔

Hmmmm, now I’m confused, which is the correct graph 🤔🤔 is 7.5e or 5.5e the highest read out noise….?? Also the highest read out noise for mode #1 is different too….

Just a heads up….. make sure when you start using, you know which is the adjustable power output and which is the always on 12v one, they are close to each other, as the way I have my UPB mounted I can’t see the labels, and nearly got them wrong once and plugged an RPI4 into the 12v always on power instead of the adjustable one set at 5v….😮

@david_taurus83Have you seen this ad for a Pegasus UPV V2 as new for sale on ABS… https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=182160