dd999

Thanks everyone - clear skies again tonight, so fingers crossed!

15 minutes ago, laudropb said:

Using the auxiliary coder is supposed to decrease the accuracy of the go to. It enables freedom find, but I think it’s worth a try. Also making your last movement when centring an object  a move to the right and up does make a slight difference in accuracy.

I will give this a try and set this on. Tonight will be my final night of trying before sending it back - it's worth a try as the mount really looks as if it has potential. Usually the app forces the move up and to the right before confirming position anyway, so hope this part is already covered, but will check.

I have noticed on the Synscan app that 'auxillary encoder' is switched to off. 

Someone above mentioned it should be on. 

Could this have anything to do with the issues I'm facing? 

It just seems that the manual corrections I'm making to centre the object in the eyepiece aren't being remembered for the next goto or when I go back to the same object on the same night 

39 minutes ago, rob_r said:

 

My AZ GTI mount does this sometimes too, I concluded it was due to low power. How are you powering it? Via batteries or a power tank? I have a 12v power tank and my mount started drifting down as the power drained.

It was the first time it ever did this and I think it was because it still had old coordinates stored from the last session (the distance the scope moved would make sense between where I was last and where Acturus would have been). 

I am running though on batteries. I did think power but considering each slew put the same target in exactly the same spot time and time again (just not in the 25mm eyepiece dispite the manual adjustments to center) made me think it wasn't this. 

I even hit goto on an object, manually centre and hit confirm. Then 2 mins later if I goto the same object I'm on it takes me back to where it originally thought the object was - not where I have manually centered and confirmed it is. 

Tbh it's never been accurate from the day I bought it

After many positive notes on this mount, I tried again tonight - and feel a night wasted again! I'm pretty convinced this one is faulty. Being a gadget fiend and all-round tech geek, gizmos like this don't usually phase me - but this one has me stumped!

I started the night this time with a North alignment. Pointed the scope exactly North using a compass and made sure the scope was level. I chose Arcturus as the first star and off it slewed. To start with it pointed to the ground (i.e. below the horizon!). Persevering, I hit the reset alignment button on the Synscan app, pointed the telescope back to north (and levelled) and started again. This time it took off and was relatively close to Arcturus. Not quite in the 25mm eye piece field, but close. I manually directed Arcturus to the center of my view and hit confirm. Off it went again, this time to Altair. I was hoping it would have been in my 25mm eyepiece, but no it was just outside again. I manually corrected this, and with Altair in the center of my view I hit confirm. OK, now ready to go!

I went to M13 (Hercules cluster) and again although not in 25mm field of view (which was a little frustrating), it was again just outside. Stayed on M13 a while before heading over to Jupiter - again not in field of 25mm view, so manually centered.

I decided to test this out - and literally just went back and forth between Jupiter and Saturn. Each time the mount not remembering my manual correction to center the planets - and each time it took me to the same place it 'thought' the planets were originally. I thought the point of the manual correction is to teach and show where objects actually were. No matter how many times I centered the view on Jupiter, and went to Saturn (and centered) to then go back to Jupiter and be outside my 25mm field of view again.

The tripod was level, and I used the suggested SynscanInit app to make sure I have the right position stored in the Synscan app - which I do.

I don't know if this photo will come out ok to illustrate, but after around 4 or 5 times back and forth between Jupiter and Saturn (and manually centering each time), this is the view from the red dot finder - with Saturn to the left and slightly above - after hitting goto towards Saturn for about the 5th or 6th time! Surely it should be more accurate than this or am I being over-demanding on this mount!?

49 minutes ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

In my experience, pointing the telescope north and level is required for all the alignment modes... Also make sure the Synscan app has location permission. It's not automatic, you have to set location permission yourself via the phone's app settimgs.

Another tip, always finish an alignment with a right and up slew. Don't worry about swapping eyepieces during the alignment process, just get the object centred in the 25mm. You can adjust the position in your shorter focal eyepieces later as required.

 

 

Thanks - I have given permission to Synscan for location but I'm going to give all these a try on my next session - fingers crossed it'll be tonight if these clouds play ball

3 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

OMG i have this exact set up lol . To be honest both scopes are quite new to me so i can't give you too much advice .. but with the short time ive been able to use them (pesky clouds) they are an absolute delight . i changed the visual back on the skymax 127 to a 2" one .. and i bought an ovl FF for the 72ed as i intend to try imaging ( again!!) . The 72ed gives very good crisp ( although small) views of planets but its main purpose will be for imaging . I used the skymax last night for viewing Jupiter ... the seeing conditions were far from ideal but it still gave me a great view .

Wow small world!! Lol

I'm used to viewing Jupiter on a 130p so not sure how the views compare - but I love how small the Skymax 127's are. 

Yes I was planning the ovl ff for the 72ed too. I hear they're pretty much a must, especially for imaging. 

Be interesting to hear how you get on - well when we finally get some clear skies! 

This is the problem I have. Currently I have the 130p (4kg) with dslr (also the Canon 600D at 1kg) and then accessories such as 2xbarlow - and I think I'm pushing the 5kg payload to the max!

I love the 130p, but I think I need to go smaller, which is where the idea for the SkyMax 127 came in. Being 1kg lighter should help - although interesting to here you have that exact same setup, and the AZ GTi can sometimes struggle a little even with that combination.....although I am about to turn in to an EQ mount with counterweights, so that may help.

Thanks for post, useful to know!

8 minutes ago, laudropb said:

If you are using the North level alignment then the scope must be level to begin with.

No, I always use the two star alignment. Will this also require a north level alignment and a level scope to start?

Just now, banjaxed said:

As  previously mentioned the OTA has to be level and pointing north. Have a look on YouTube for the Astronomy and Nature review on this mount as he explains it very well IMO.

Thanks - I will take a look

9 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

The one i had which was faulty was due to the motors or gears slipping rather than an alignment issue ( freaked me out to see my little z61 and dslr "falling" albeit fortunately still attached to the mount ). These are great little mounts but , like anything there can be problems . I hope you get this sorted . 

Must have been a heart in mouth moment!

Thanks!

5 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

I've had a couple of these mounts ... three actually ! one was faulty , the other two were fine . After looking at your photo , do you not have to have the scope level at the time of alignment ,

If you were using the mount in AZ mode ? I only used mine in EQ mode so if im talking rubbish please forgive me .

I've not heard of this. I guess as once you select your first star you have to slew manually to go find it, I'm not sure it would make a difference - but happy to try anything at this stage!

And yes using in AZ mode atm (waiting on my counterweight and bar to change to an EQ mount).

I have heard there are some faulty models out there, so if the location update doesn't help - and we run out of things to try lol - I may have to contact the retailer as this could be one of the faulty ones

25 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Sounds like the typical,problems you get when the location and date are entered in thebwrong format. 

This app will give the correct info.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.RapidoDroid.synscaninit2&hl=en_GB

I just downloaded this app. I opened it - and went to open the Synscan app to see the settings there, and the Synscan app popped up a message to say 'Location updated' ..... maybe my location settings were not as accurate as I thought!

The Synscan app now matches the coordinates in this Synscaninit app ...... I'll have to wait for clear skies tomorrow night, but perhaps this location update may solve the problem! Thanks  

9 minutes ago, Owmuchonomy said:

Usually this mount is extremely reliable.  Can you let us know what scope you are using please (focal length).  Also, you mention you point the scope North.  Just to confirm if you are doing a North Level alignment via the Synscan Pro App the scope should be level and pointing to true north not magnetic north.  Just to be sure can you post a photo to show us which side your scope is mounted when pointing North.  Thanks.

Yes sure - it's a Skywatcher 130p scope .... so focal length is 650mm

I did read that even if you begin with a two star alignment it's 'best' to have the telescope pointing North before you start. Maybe this isn't needed.

Here is a photo I've just taken, which matches how I would start the night. The house in the background is to my north

Before speaking to the retailer this was purchased with, I want to see if anyone's experiences with the AZ GTi goto mount. I have used this a number of times now, all seemingly with the same result. The goto accuracy is appallingly shocking. I mean really shocking.

I set up the telescope (on the correct side) and point the telescope North. I carry out a two star alignment (this is usually Altair and Dubhe - but I've tried other combos). I then manually centre whichever star is first - first with a 25mm eyepiece, then swap to a 10mm to really fine tune the centre. After first star is confirmed, it slews off to find the next - which is generally not in a 25mm field of vision. I then manually centre (mainly using a red dot finder) and confirm to the AZ GTi once it's centred in my 10mm eyepiece. The Synscan app shows it's now aligned and ready to start.

At this point even finding anything bright such as Jupiter or Saturn is a challenge. It will not slew it close enough to view in a 25mm eyepiece. I have to use a red dot finder to manually bring it closer, then once it's centred I confirm to the app again.

Last night I went from Jupiter to Saturn - and again it was far enough out that it wasn't visible in my 25mm eyepiece! Which is crazy considering how close these two objects are in the sky atm..... once though I'm centered it tracks the object pretty well even in a 10mm eyepiece for at least 10-15mins.

I level off the tripod at the start of the night, and have made sure date, time and coordinates are accurate. It's becoming really frustrating. 

Since buying the mount last month I haven't upgraded any firmware, and just using the Synscan app to control (tried both Synscan and Synscan Pro).

Does anyone have any other suggestions before I contact the retailer as a possible faulty model?

I've recently been on a bigger spending spree than I'd care to let on to the other half - need a few tricks up my sleeve to manage that one.

I currently have a 130p and a SW 102 ST. After having bought my first goto mount - the AZ GTi (and turning this in to an EQ mount) and my first dslr - I want to start combining these together, and make a start at some basic budget astrophotography. If this works well I may end up selling the lot and invest in a much more stable mount like the HEQ5, but we'll call this stage 2.

On my shopping list is an Evostar 72 ED. This, I've heard better for DSO's. Ordinarily I'd keep the 130p for planets and lunar but of course I can't properly focus a dslr on the 130p - I've tried with a 2x barlow which works to some degree but I can probably achieve better.

I was considering a SW Skymax 127 for planetary and lunar imaging - alongside the 72ED for DSO's visual and imaging. Is this worthwhile - or can the 72ED get me most of the way there on it's own?

The big objective for me is portability and weight due to the 5kg payload of the mount. I want to be able to fit as much as I can in my large army rucksack and carry out and travel when I need to - which is why I'm ruling out the 130pds at 4kg and considering the 127 Skymax at 3kg (?)

Would love to hear other's thoughts!

53 minutes ago, Ags said:

Up until now the comet was approaching Earth so that offset the dimming from receding from the Sun. But now it is getting further away from both the Earth and the Sun, so it will dim much more rapidly from now on.

That's what I was afraid off. Looks like our best views of Neowise are behind us - at least for the next 5-6,000 years 

Based on current mag decreasing assumptions - is this still looking likely to be visible (relatively clearly) in 10x50 bins this time next week?

It's for a specific event 

It was the jpg's I was trying to attach

I also took some of the same DSO object as in the first image at 10sec sub at 800 ISO and also 1600 ISO but all images no matter exposure time or ISO increase saw almost the same identical photo

This image was taken near Vega so quite high in the sky

I was going to attach the 800 ISO and 1600 ISO 10 sec sub images as reference - but each time I try to add to the post I'm getting a '-200' error on this forum (?)

1 minute ago, happy-kat said:

My thoughts are try with a camera lens no telescope. The use of the barlow does inject demands on tracking as it exposes trailing quicker. Even with what you are using now I would expect around 10 seconds to be possible. Aim for targets in the East or West between 25° and 50° degrees. Make sure the telescope is balanced and the tripod legs are not fully extended and it's not windy. Ideally don't use higher than iso1600 I think for the 600d

Some good points.

I have tried just the untracked dslr with lens and tripod (no scope) route - this was my best Andromeda shot a couple of nights back - after stacking a number of images and post processing in PS.

Well actually it is a driven mount. It's a goto and was tracking (and quite well) but it is an ALT AZ mount - not yet an EQ - which is why I kept my subs to 1.3 seconds. Perhaps 1.3 seconds on a driven ALT AZ mount is still too much, so at that focal length I'm just seeing a blur of white and colours instead of detail?

There is a long thread on here around DSO no EQ challenge, and seems people were getting good results. I've tried to replicate but must admit hit a bit of a disaster and looking for a few pointers 

14 minutes ago, Seelive said:

Given that Saturn is at a declination of about -20 degrees, then during your 1.3 sec exposure Saturn will have moved about 18 arcsec.  Given that the SW130P has a focal length of 650mm and you are using a x2 barlow, then the movement of Saturn at the camera sensor will be 0.115mm.  Assuming that the Canon 600D has a pixel size of 0.0043mm, then Saturn will appear to have trailed by about 27 pixels.  Given that the rings major axis diameter is currently about 42 arcsec, then the rings will only have with a width of about 62 pixels.  A driven equatorial mount will certainly help, but don't expect too much from a single exposure, and you will probably need to shorten the exposures rather than lengthen then.

Thanks for the reply - but actually Saturn (considering my limitation on equipment and mount) I was quite pleased about. This one was stacked exposures of around 1/20 sec at ISO 200 I believe. I was just showing this as a comparison against the DSO just to show the camera can focus with the barlow on a 130p, and the 130p can image with a dslr etc....

It's more the DSO image on the first post I have the biggest issues with and feel I'm doing something wrong (?)

Just as a comparison (if this helps in anyway) - here is a photo of Saturn I took using the exact same setup (although 1/20 shutter and 200 ISO) the night before. Some stacked images involved and post processing in PS

I have recently started off in a very beginner way at astro-imaging. Although I put in more research hours than I could count against quality and budget, I probably in hindsight would have taken a different route.

In any case, working with what I have, I have tried two nights in a row at some basic dslr astro at DSOs, both nights yielded the same results. A big pool of light mess (as you'll see in the below image). This is just one 2 second sub. Although I took a number of short subs with the intention of stacking, of course adding multiple big pools of light together, creates an ocean of big light mess.

Equipment used:

• Canon EOS 600d (un-modded);
• AZ GTi mount (in ALT AZ mode whilst waiting for my EQ wedge to arrive - hence the very short subs);
• Manfrotto 055 XPROB Tripod;
• SW 130p scope (yes this is the 130p not the 130pds but I'm using a 2x barlow for the ability to focus);
• 2x Barlow

I completely understand my equipment is pretty basic but I thought I'd see at least the resemblance or outline. I took a similar short sub with my mobile phone connected to a 10mm eyepiece with similar results. I created short 2 second subs in ISOs 800, 1,600 and 3,200 but all look pretty much the same.

Is this just the equipment or am I doing something very fundamentally wrong? - My worry is that even when my EQ wedge arrives and I turn the mount in to EQ - and take longer exposures - I'd still end up with a big pool of light mess!

This image is 1.3 second sub at ISO 3,200 (RAW version also included)

IMG_3472.CR2