SStanford

That's really helpful, thank you all. After further consideration I think a good approach would be using the USB3 hub as recommended by @Budgie1. As much as I would like the StarTech system the extra distance provided is not a necessity at the moment. I can operate the scope comfortably within 5 meters; within 10 meters I'm able to operate from my desk with plenty of extra length. As USB2 is more reliable over longer distances, I'm thinking of the 10m USB2 extension cable here plugged into the USB3 hub. @teoria_del_big_bang, in your experience, do you think this would cause any connectivity issues?

Thanks for this, you're setup has me thinking that it would be better for me to reduce the hub size and add the heaters to the extension. It would certainly save a few pennies! @Budgie1 Is your 10m USB cable USB2 or USB3? Are you able to link which one you recommend? I should note that all images taken on the DSLR won't be stored on the camera but stored directly to the computer (will probably add a USB connected external hard drive to the laptop at a later date). Would this not necessitate a USB3 cable?

Hi Adz, Welcome to the forum. That's a lovely scope!

Hi Damian, welcome. I too have my eyes on the ED72! Have fun.

Welcome to the forum. Nice bit of kit, an achievement just to get your hands on one with current supply issues!

Hi All, I have a couple of questions regarding an appropriate USB hub for outdoor use. I have my eye on the USB hub here and the USB A to USB B 5 metre cable here which will allow me to operate my mount and cameras on the balcony from the comfort of my living room. My concern is that the 5 metre length of the USB 3 cable will cause connectivity issues, does anyone have any exprience with this? I'll be connecting the following to the hub: Canon 450d ZWO ASI 120MM Mini USB 2.0 Mono Camera EQDIR USB Adapter for Sky-Watcher EQ3 Pro COOWOO Lens Heater (here) To keep the hub close to the OTA I'll need to set up power supply as close as possible, therefore outside. I've done a search on Amazon for Driboxes and I believe the one here would be best for simply housing the 3-way extension lead. Does anyone have other suggestions for keeping power supplies protected from the elements? S.

Having followed this tutorial, I have a question regarging new profiles when using scopes of a different focal length/cameras with different sensors. Is it as simple as dowloading the new files on the ASPS wizard using the new specs and create the new profile on APT or is more required? Is there any further action for PS2 or are the files dowloaded as described sufficient? I also notice that in ASPS settings (via the toolbar) there are details it considers "critical", are these also being updated accoridng to the profile used? S.

Hi all, With the ongoing stock shortage it's going to be sometime before I get my hands on my desired scope for my ideal setup. I'd like to make the most of my current scope until stocks replenish and so I have a few questions about Flatteners and Reducers. I currently have a Celestron Inspire 100az (details here), a Canon 450D and a EQ3 Pro (synscan). As I understand, the 660mm focal length makes the scopes FOV too narrow for a mount such as the EQ3. Am I able to add a reducer to bring the focal length down to a level that would be suitable for this mount? If so, can someone provide some guidance as to which reducer would be the right choice? This brings me onto my next problem; I can achieve focus with my Canon 450D DSLR in the Celestron 100AZ but by only using the supplied diagonal (here) and my 2x Barlow (here). I have tried using the 68mm extension tube that came with the T-ring and adaptor (here), inserting this directly into the scope but cannot achieve focus at all. In addition to a reducer, what else do i need to add to the OTA to get focussed? S.

I certainly hope so! Aston, have you considered the second hand market? There is a "wanted" section on the board.

Welcome to the board, Incredibly cool gift!

Hi Frank, welcome to the forum.

Fantastic tutorial, thanks for this. Have worked through now so just waiting for the skies to part to test in APT. Thanks for this. Decided to use the platesolving method within APT as mentioned above.

Fantastic tutorial, Thanks very much! Just need some clear skies now to test out.

Hi All, I've had some success with EQMod over the last couple of days and am now looking to get as accurate star alignment as I can. I understand that platesolving is a great way to centre and correct with star alignment and have been following the tutorial shown here. Annoyingly, I can't open AstroTortilla despite uninstalling and reinstalling I'm always presented with a dialogue box stating: "The logfile 'C\program Files (x86)\AstroTortilla.exe.log' could not be opened: [Errno 13] Permission denied: 'C:\\Program Files (x86)\\AstroTortilla\\AstroTortilla.exe.log'". I've tried to run this as administrator from program files which gives me the following dialogue: "See the logfile 'C:\Program Files (x86)\AstroTortilla\AstroTortilla.exe.log' This file does not exist. Has anyone had this issue before? I've run a search on Google for the error as outlined below but I can't see anyone else has had this specific error.

Welcome!

Welcome and Merry Christmas! Let us know how you get on. I'm interested in a Rpi build (at a later date) so would be interested to hear details of your project.

Thanks Malc, joined the group now. I will be using the mount for imaging; will be connecting my DSLR and aligning using APT. Useful that alignment stars are kept on the system! My setup is on a fixed pier (here) on my balcony so hoping I can reduce setup time with further alignment.

Thanks Cornelius. Was able to install, set up and use go-to on Stallerium; Success! Also fortunate was clear skies which I was able to use star alignment and for observing puts the stars in the 20mm eyepiece. Quite a bit of variance when moving to another star despite 4 star alignment but I put this down to inaccurate PA, I'll resolve this when I get my hands on a guidescope and use drift alignment in PHD2. Very tricky getting the star in the centre of the eyepiece using slew controls on EQmod! Lots of back and forth. Big step forwards though, giving the go-to command on Stellarium is very satisfying!

Hi again, I've bought and received the cable that connects to the Synscan module to my computer but am struggling with the software! the the tutorial here it tells me to download the latest version of EQmod but the only available option for download is the "ASCOMAD", I can't see any of the files required to connect the mount, including the "EQMOD_toolbox.exe". Can anyone guide me to where I can download EQMOD for Windows 10 that will allow me to connect the mount to my laptop?

I had a very similar situation. Seems I'm the only one in the house who cares about seeing Saturn's rings or Jupiter's moons...

For getting acquainted with the night sky "turn left at orion" it's a great start and an easy read. I recommend "Star Walk 2" as a fun GPS enabled app too.

Thanks both. Seems I'll be biding my time a while before any of these bits become free. I'll be sticking quite a lot on the wanted section!

Welcome to SGL Mozza, lots boards here to compliment your studies!

That's excellent, thanks! Looking at reviews I can't see any reason why not to go for the OVL.

Hi Rod, Welcome to the forum! We all like to save a penny 😉. Are you interested in observing or astrophotography?