LaurenceT

I know I shouldn't say it but fingers crossed for tonight here in Surrey......

After a frustrating couple of days when trying to fit this auto focuser: Sky-Watcher Auto Focuser | First Light Optics to my new Skymax127 I realised I was looking at the wrong Youtube video. My 127 is part of the Az Gti bundle so the dovetail bar is on a different orientation. I eventually found this Youtube video: https://youtu.be/yWQPqdAQ_ps the latter part of which related to my scopes orientation. I contacted Vasco who supplied the kit from Portugal for €35 which took less than a week to arrive, very easy to fit following the video instructions.

I have just bought this mount as part of a bundle with A 127Mak. My main use for this setup is for lunar and planetary observation and photography. I know that I can change the firmware to convert it into an EQ mount and I would like to use this mode with my very basic lightweight wide field DSO kit. Age and physical infirmity is making my use of my Skyguider pro very difficult and I'm looking for an alternative to give me remote control of the mount and guidescope/camera. I have read that the firmware upgrade means that it turns the left handed mount to a right handed one so that if I wanted to use it in AZ mode the new positioning of my Mak's RDF would make it impossible to use. I understand that the Synscan Pro app has the option to control the mount in AZ or EQ mode. If I selected "use in AZ mode" would that mean the Mak could then revert to left handed use?

Try setting a custom white balance. Edit: Sorry, I should have added a lot more but got sidetracked domestically! I have been having similar problems with my modified Sony A5000. The image in the LCD screen was a mass of swirling red blobs and I can barely see the effect of a Bahtinov mask. I have been advised to drastically reduce the ISO when focussing, use a custom white balance to reduce some of the red in the LCD. I have also read that switching to jpeg just for focussing improves the LCD image. Apparently adding an IR/UV cut filter is necessary with a fully modified DSLR, whether this improves the LCD image I’ve yet to find out as the stars have disappeared since being given this advice!

It's getting very difficult explaining to my wife why I'm spending money on a new hobby that I never seem to be doing. She thinks I've lost the plot and I'm starting to feel she is right!

We finished up at CCC site at Graffham in Sussex, bortle 4 which was promising to me but in the event the trees were so tall the sky was only clear directly above. Lovely site though, very natural and not a boring flat field.

I also bought one from there and my experience is similar.

That's how I have assembled the counter weight bracket following Peter Zelinka's advice on his YouTube channel also Ioptron mention this. I think that it's better this way for centre of gravity balance. I will check out the WO DEC adapter, thanks, I already use their wedge which is a great improvement.

Hi Noodles, Thanks for the reply. You're quite correct but when the central tongue is in the vertical position as in your photo then the polar scope is inverted and thus not illuminated. When I re-orientate the the polar scope by rotating the RA axis to illuminate the reticle then the tongue is inverted. As you suggest, the only solution I can see at the moment is to add the equipment after polar alignment when I can re-orientate the mounting bracket.

Just setting up my new SkyGuider, The reticle is only illuminated when the scope is orientated so that the reticle is at the vertical position, no problem there but then the mount for the DEC bracket is upside down and the DEC bracket can't be mounted. There is a solution according to Ioptron and that is to disassemble the polar mount assembly and re-orientate it but in doing so the manufacturers warranty is voided although they kindly supply a pdf with full instructions on how to do this. I suppose I could always polar align without installing the DEC bracket and once aligned loosen the clutch and turn the RA axis by 90 degrees to the correct orientation and then very carefully install the bracket and then mount the camera and scope. My previous tracker mount the Ioptron SkyTracker had a removable polar scope but that one also had the reticle upside down and I had to perform minor surgery on the scope to re-orientate the reticle. I'm feeling a bit miffed about this at the moment. I've messaged FLO about this, looking forward to their solution.

That astro week looks interesting, I'll give them a call later. As an absolute beginner my knowledge level is a bit basic to say the least so I can look forward to learning more.

I did a search for dark sky campsites and this one came up which is not that far from us: https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/west-sussex/petworth/graffham-camping-and-caravanning-club-site/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_content=Graffham&utm_campaign=google_places so we've booked it for 3 nights next week in the motorhome.

Having been very disappointed in the past with filters I'm inclined to go with better quality glass but I know that costs money. I've singled out two filters, one clip-in and the other a normal screw-on filter, my choices are somewhat limited by having a Sony APSC full spectrum modified camera. https://www.cliftoncameras.co.uk/stc-clip-astro-ms-filter/brand-fitting/sony-aps-c https://www.harrisontelescopes.co.uk/acatalog/explore-scientific-filter-77mm.html

Thanks for your reply, I like the cooking analogy. I can't find any details that a light suppression filter will also block IR and UV, I would be ecstatic if that were the case. Do you have any further information?

I think that you're correct, if it wasn't for the increased depth afforded by Sony version I wouldn't have been able to attach the teleconverter.

Thanks for the very useful replies, I shall be investigating using a UV/IR filter. Why would a clip in filter be better than a screw in front mounted filter? My processing of this image would have fairly "agricultural" when compared to the large amount of processing of astro images I've seen people doing. I come from a background of many years wildlife and macro photography where the post processing required is minimal compared to astro pp. I'm learning Affinity to be able to post process more effectively. I'm so glad I found this site, it's a very useful resource with helpful members.

I've just bought this tripod collar from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08KLP1Q8Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Fits perfectly without the need for tape with easy access to the aperture ring. Apologies if it's been suggested before.

Just dipping my toes into astrophotography and so my knowledge and experience is very limited, last night was the first time with my astro modified camera. Gear: Sony A5000 full spectrum astro modified camera Samyang 135mm f2 Ioptron Sky Tracker Pro Bortle 5 area (Surrey) 20 subs, 2 minute exposures, stacked in Sequator and processed in DXO3 and Lightroom 6, no darks etc. Target: Vega The first image was flooded with red light, I was expecting that. I'm showing here the final processed image. I know that Vega is supposed to be a blue star when viewed with an unmodified camera, is my image what I can expect with a full spectrum modification?