Wael Hassan

On 08/04/2021 at 12:15, teoria_del_big_bang said:

Silly question maybe but how are you initiating the images - via laptop and usb cable or other method ?

I made a profile on phd with mount HEQ5 and camera zwo 120 mms ....i use usb cable with my Windows tablet 

This is an example of the doubled stars I have now.

On 01/04/2021 at 23:39, malc-c said:

If you run the tool box (C:\Program Files (x86)\EQMOD and run EQMOD_Toolbox.exe) and then under the set up select "driver setup" a configuration window appears

Top right is a box - Mount options - Change it from auto to custom by clicking on the dropdown list arrow. - Then click the spanner

Leave the entry in the RA and DEC dropdown boxes blank.  For both axis In the total steps enter 4608000.  In the worm steps enter 25600 - leave tracking offset as 0  

Click OK and Ok 

Thanks alot.... i did all the stwps as you said but i got very noisy guiding too.... i started all over again to find where the problem is and here is my findings:

1- i disconnect st4 cable and rely only on the usb , when i dud that i start to see the RA blue curve in the guiding.

2- There were significant changes in the peaks of RA curve so i checked on the eqmod and ascom setup...i disconnect the ascom toolbox and reconnect the mount from the profile of phd then i discovered that the mount was not tracking in the eqmod interface so i clicked on sideral tracking.

3- Things become so better and the RA and Dec curves have peak between +6 -6 on PHD guiding ...i tried to take image for 6 minutes exposure it gives me nice round stars but its problem is that the stars are doubled...they have no trails but they are two stars near each other by very small distant....thats my problem now with guiding .

18 minutes ago, malc-c said:

 If for any reason this isn't the case then there is an option to set the values from the prerequisites page for each mount into EQMOD as a custom setting http://eq-mod.sourceforge.net/prerequisites.html 

Thanks alot for your followup and great help.... i browse this link and find these values.... Where i should put these values and how could i use them please? 

Hello, I just started astrophotography and i have two questions... Is there a max exposure time after which there will be no added data to the image? i.e If i take a 7 hours exposure to orion nebula , then if i take 10 hours there will be more data and details in picture... so at what exposure time there will be no data added more and will be useless to take more exposure for the image? The second question: i took last night several images for Ic 4606 but i needed to change the battery so i lost some time and i stop the guiding then the orientation of the stars changed a little and i could not return to first orientation.... so how could i solve this problem during stacking ? Or the stacking app has a feature to aligh the images to one orientation ?

On 28/03/2021 at 21:53, malc-c said:

The confusion I'm having is the mention of ST4 cables but reference EQMOD and pulse guiding.  I've always used USB for the camera connection, a USB EQDIR cable and EQMOD to control the mount, and have PHD2 set to "HEQ5/5 ASCOM"  for mount settings.  With EQMOD set up as per the link above (other than my QHY5 selected as the camera rather than simulator".  I've used an ST80 and now the 9 x 50 Skywatcher finderscope as guidescopes and whilst my guiding graphs are not as perfect as some with modern small pixel cameras, the tracking has always worked and the resulting images have had nice round stars.

Yes this is the strange thing in my connection thats why iam asking why phd not work until i connect both st4 cable plus the usb cable between mount and pc....i used profile for st4 cable and put the mount " on camera" but phd didnt work...i make another profile and put "Skywatcher heq5" on the mount then connect the usb cable but phd didnt work also....it worked only when i put the st4 cable beside the usb cable.

On 28/03/2021 at 21:31, Budgie1 said:

So, you have EQMOD setup to use pulse guiding, what is in the connections pop-up window in PHD2 for the mount connection? Is it set to "On Camera" or "HEQ5/6 ASCOM"? You haven't said which mount you have but I'm guessing Skywatcher of some kind because it says HEQ5/6 in the EQMOD setup. 

 

Iam using skywatcher eq 35 ....my main scope is Redcat 51

On 25/03/2021 at 01:40, Budgie1 said:

What mount, scope and guide scope are you using and how is the guide scope connected, is it on the finder shoe or on top of the main scope? 

Have to checked the balance of the scope on the mount in RA & DEC? This is best done once all the kit is on the mount (cameras, cables etc).

Where in the sky are you pointing to do the calibration? You should be aiming towards the South and low in the sky, somewhere towards Orion would be quite good to get you started.

Also make sure to create a Darks library (under the Tools menu) so PHD doesn't try to calibrate or guide on a hot pixel.

Iam using xwo 120 mms guide camera and ASI guide scope 30mm of 120mm fical length.... i discovered that the mount were not tracking even when i switch sideral tracking in the eqmod app... also the autoguiding isnt good until i put the st4 fable with the usb cable to the mount...yes both of them must be connected sothat the autoguiding become better ....i dont know why is should put both ...i should only put st4 or the usb but they didnt work lonely

4 hours ago, michael8554 said:

Welcome to the Lounge

The PHD2 message says "Calibration was completed".

This means PHD2 was able to move the mount in RA and Dec.

How well it moved RA and Dec is questionable  - "RA/Dec axis angles are questionable"

The way RA and Dec guiding graphs are zooming off in opposite directions is usually a sign that during Calibration RA and Dec were not moving at 90 degrees to each other.

I don't have EQMOD but the screenshot suggests you were at Dec 90 - pointing at Polaris ?

Post your PHD2 GuideLog.

You'll find it in the PHD folder, check the date in the filename.

Until you get a good Calibration, trying to guide is pointless.

Also read this:

https://openphdguiding.org/phd2-best-practices/

Michael

Thanks for this valuable info... i found very strange thing ...i clicked on tracking option in the hand control of the mount and once i did that the autoguiding starts .... but after a few seconds it gave me a significant deviation away from guide star again....so situation now is that the phd read my mount but it cant make suitable cotrection for it ..... i made very precise polar alignment by sharpcap by the way 

57 minutes ago, skybadger said:

Check you haven't got auto Guiding  turned off ? PhD supports monitoring as well as guiding.

Hi Skybadger ;

In the first attached photo it shoes that there is Guiding at the lower left of the picture... is this what is supposed to be or you mean something else? 

Hello, I am still having problem with PHD in autoguiding.... i can move the mount with EQMOD direction keys so there is no connection problem , Aldo the guide camera is connected to sharp cap and PHD withiut any problems . The only problem i have is between the mount and PHD , The mount didnt recieve any signals from PHD during autoguiding so it doesnt move also when i try to use the manual guide in PHD there is no movement at all.