SyedT

I have a second-hand Avalon M-Uno and cannot fault it. Most nights I'm guiding at an RMS of 0.4 or less, and this is with an FSQ85-EDX/Edge HD 8 + Esatto microfocuser + reducer + filter wheel + camera + MiniPC + Pegasus hub + guidescope. I do have to use counterweights for balance, but less than would usually be needed due to the single-fork design. Another bonus is that you don't need to do meridian flips (but have to ensure that the rear of your imaging train has sufficient clearance; this can easily be achieved with declination counterweights if you need to move your train further forward, see the image below). Two caveats are that the maximum recommended imaging payload is 20 kg (yours is 15 kg which it will handle easily), and that since the mount is belt-driven it will always require guiding (i.e. unguided imaging isn't a recommended option). Belt drives are also more susceptible to windy conditions, but I'd imagine that would be an issue across the board. I do have the Synscan version of the M-Uno which was basically plug and play for me as I'm used to EQMOD. I think these have been discontinued and now only the StarGo versions exist; haven't used that so not sure about it. I've previously owned an Avalon Linear which performed very well; I'm still in touch with the new owner and they seem to be enjoying a similar performance.

Hi all, I previously posted about using this guide https://darkskies.space/pixinsight-starnet-cuda/ to try and speed up Starnet, but then have realised that there's an added bonus of it speeding up Pixinsight overall. It only works with NVIDIA GPUs, but has cut down Starnet's star removal time from 3 minutes to 30 seconds as an example. If you've got an NVIDIA card with CUDA compatibility, I'd definitely recommend this!

Yeah, I only received it in February so it's well within warranty. Repair would be free of cost as it's clearly a manufacturing defect, but I'll hopefully get a replacement instead.

Yep. Just something to keep an eye out for. If it starts to suddenly play up it's probably not you!

Just my luck! Changed over to the Edge HD 8 for galaxy season, and the 268M gave up. Connecting fine but no image download and no cooling. QHY support suggested the cooling board needs to be replaced. Contacted Bernard at Modern Astronomy who has been incredibly helpful and is trying to push for a replacement camera instead of repair as the timeline for repair is fairly lengthy. Back to the trusty Atik 490EX it is!

Absolutely. Bortle 4 helps, but just like there's no substitute for dark skies, the same applies for integration time. I reckon once you start hitting 3 hours or so, the nebulosity will start showing up a lot more easily!

Cheers all, really appreciate it!

Thank you Scott. I admit it can be very difficult to extract the nebulosity. The 268M is a wonderful camera and its sensitivity has helped me a lot, and the FSQ85 speaks for itself in terms of star tightness and sharpness. It's well worth having another go; how much integration time were you able to get?

Thank you Danny, I really appreciate that. Certainly wasn't expecting anyone to say it's the best they've seen! The stars I have to credit to the Chroma filters. Even for LRGB only they are well worth investing in, as I find that they keep stars fairly tight. Cheers!

A significant number of subs were gathered during either a waxing/near full moon so I almost didn't process this image, but I really wanted to have at least one complete image of M45 before it disappears for the summer. It was very difficult to bring out the faint background dust in view of the gradients (which is what I really wanted to achieve), but I've given it a go. It's not as clean as I would like for it to be, I think I need more subs (but isn't that always the case?!). I have to say that the colours appear different depending on whether I look at them on my IPS monitor or laptop screen. Would appreciate any feedback with colour adjustment as I usually struggle with this. Equipment: Takahashi FSQ85-EDX Takahashi EDP Flattener 1.01X for FSQ-85EDX QHY268M QHYCFW3-M-US Chroma LRGB filters Esatto 3” Robotic Microfocuser Tecnosky 70 mm Guidescope & Lodestar X2 Avalon M-Uno Pegasus Ultimate Powerbox Intel NUC Mini PC Acquisition (all @ Gain 0 & Offset 30 in High Gain Mode): L: 125 x 180s = 375 min = 6h15min R: 42 x 180s = 126 min = 2h3min G: 29 x 180s = 87 min = 1h27min B: 39 x 180s = 117 min = 1h57min Bortle 5, SQM 19.75

Thought I would try a lunar mineral composition. I have to say that being able to do this is a massive bonus. I know it won't be as good as e.g. a 290MM/MC, but considering that this is primarily a DSO camera, it's pretty good! Taken at a resolution of approx. 1600x1200. 3,000 frames for each RGB channel, 50% selected in PIPP, then best 25% stacked. RGB channels aligned using PI's FFTRegistration script, RGB image created in PS followed by Curves and Saturation adjustments and blending in of an L layer with Luminosity blend at 50% opacity.

Thought I would try a lunar mineral composition. I have to say that being able to do this is a massive bonus. I know it won't be as good as e.g. a 290MM/MC, but considering that this is primarily a DSO camera, it's pretty good! Taken at a resolution of approx. 1600x1200. 3,000 frames for each RGB channel, 50% selected in PIPP, then best 25% stacked. RGB channels aligned using PI's FFTRegistration script, RGB image created in PS followed by Curves and Saturation adjustments and blending in of an L layer with Luminosity blend at 50% opacity.

Time to go back to a refractor?

A used (almost new) ASI 294MC-Pro has come up on AstroBuySell: https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/propview.php?view=171091

Bortle 5 locally, but quite close to skyglow from a Bortle 6/7 city centre area which is where the Pleaides are now. The LP removal tool in AstroPixelProcessor helps a lot with tackling this, but invariably I do end up having annoying gradients!

Yes, the filters are very good, I fully recommend them. They're 36 mm so there's clear vignetting present but it's easily tackled with well-exposed flats.

M45 - Pleaides Cluster: 49x180s (2h27min) Luminance, calibrated and stacked with background LP removal + minor cropping.

M45 - Pleaides Cluster: 49x180s (2h27min) Luminance, calibrated and stacked with background LP removal + minor cropping.

No worries. I'm also using the 1.01x EDP Flattener which gives an overall FL of 455 mm.

First proper test run on Markarian's Chain. QHY268M with Chroma Luminance filter 36 mm + Takahashi FSQ85-EDX - 13*120s + 49*180s (total integration time 2h53min) @ binning 1x1 in High Gain Mode @ Gain 0 + Offset 30. Processed in APP: Below is a raw vs calibrated sub (bias + flats + darks + bad pixel map): Bias frames seem to work very well, so no need for dark flats!

Got lucky last night with some clear skies after work, so I thought I might as well! Want to capture 10 hours in Lum as a minimum. Glad it's sorted!

Sorry about the delay, work has kept me busy! You're lucky to have Bortle 4 skies, that will really help in terms of capturing fainter details. In terms of cameras, you can try one of the ZWO or QHY colour cameras. I'd personally start with a colour sensor simply because of your budget, as with a mono camera you'll then need a filter wheel and filters which will increase costs considerably. Two websites to use to make your decision would be: https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/ and https://astronomy.tools/calculators/ccd_suitability The first one will allow you to match various cameras with your scope and see what different targets will look like. The second one offers a way to check whether sampling will be adequate, as undersampling can lead to blocky stars, and oversampling can effectively reduce your field of view. The ZWO 294MC or the QHY 294C are ones to consider. Although brand new they are over your budget, used ones do pop up from time to time.

Finally a successful test run! I've been wanting to capture Markarian's Chain for quite a while, and this is a good start for me. Really liking the field of view that this sensor gives me with the FSQ85, and I'm sure the 1.01x flattener is helping in terms of star distortion and field flatness. QHY268M with Chroma Luminance filter 36 mm + Takahashi FSQ85-EDX - 13*120s + 49*180s (total integration time 2h53min) in High Gain Mode @ Gain 0 + Offset 30, processed in APP: Below is a raw vs calibrated sub (bias + flats + darks + bad pixel map): It seems that there's no need to use dark flats, which is great!

SDK update may help. Did you have the 268M connected to a program when you opened this up? I noted that when I have the 268M connected in SGPro and I open up the settings, that box is greyed out. It will only let me change the mode after disconnecting the 268M in SGPro.

Hi there, Welcome to the hobby! It would be good to know what equipment you currently have, where you image from and what night sky targets you have in mind. Cheers