Mach13

Okay thanks for posting here you guys.... it helped me alot I had the same led blinking 3 times after a firmware failure,, have to say Skywatcher support was next to useless... I really thought i'd bricked my unit 🫣 but after reading here i realised that I after my initial firmware failure using wifi method i was trying to use the skywatcher usb adapter (i recently bought) with the same firmware loader....when i really needed t o download the NON WIFI loader.. When I used that together with the Skywatcher Usb Adapter it worked a treat Happy days... truly relieved KUDOS to those that keep at it..

Hmmm 🤔 I'm wondering if the answer for this topic is the same response to how many guitars does a guitar player need? Ans: Just one more! 😅 At the moment I have more guitars than OTAs but I'm defo building an accumulation of additional' bits n pieces 🙂

Thanks Rusted, yep I like the idea of daytime viewing and I appreciate your comment and the inspiration. I've also seen reference to Baader Continuum filters.. do these make much of a difference in terms of viewing and or imaging?

Thanks as always for the prompt and detailed yet balanced response Vlaiv. 👍 So white light solar imaging would be a good economical place to start.. Don't think I would go DIY on a filter as the consequences of getting it wrong are too worrisome, but if that's all I'd need then that's not too bad. Will give it some more positive thought.

Hi folks I like the idea of solar imaging, but its brand new territory for me. I know nothing other than safety concerns about the need for filters of some type. So before i get too curious about it..... I thought i'd ask... Will a Skymax 127 and DSLR and or ZWO 224 cut it? If so what kit would I need beyond this? an estimate of costs would be cool

Great tip thanks

Interesting topic, and some really useful info here... I managed to get the image below of Jupiter recently but found focus a real pain... more luck than judgement. Keeping it on the sensor is also a phaff but just about doable when I take some time to get Goto mount setup properly-ish BUT now i have a DIY motorised focuser MOD I'm hoping for better things..

So I finally managed to mod install a focuser for my SkyMax 127 What I Bought 1x SkyWatcher Auto Focuser kit 1x GT2 200 mm x6 mm 2 mm pitch drive belt 1x GT2 6mm wide 60 tooth pulley with 12mm bore 1x GT2 6mm wide 20 tooth pulley with 6.35mm bore I used the small bracket that came with the focuser to slip right in between the dovetail mount and the OTA.. its a snug n tight fit.. just put some Gaffa tape on it to protect the OTA No screws needed!! Also made a felt washer out of some spare pads to go behind the OTA focuser If I need to do a major focus change I will just slacken the grub screws to the motor pulley and manually set to approximate focus then retighten for fine tuning... Now just need some clear skies VID_20211001_114336696 1.mp4

Hmm plate-solving 🤔 Not really looked into it... Thanks will have a think about that.. In the meantime i'm ok finding things now for imaging... The flip mirror and the illuminated reticule are amazing aids

Have to say the illuminated reticule eyepiece is a real lifesaver when paired with a diagonal flip mirror.... now I just need an auto focuser motor (on order) Jupiter BEST 22_17_26_pipp (2).bmp

thanks for the comments to date.. been a great help I've also come across illuminated reticle eyepieces, anyone use tried them for this purpose? They don't seem expensive if they safe alot of aimless sky searching

Some great tips here thanks.... esp on video settings and IR cut filter... I've already ordered a shield and dew heater together with a power pack as I'm always finding something will inevitably run low on power just as things start to get interesting.. so for me worth the investment in terms of the number of times I actually get a clear sky + objects high enough to see + getting enough heads up to be ready in time and not chasing my tail to get set up..... as winter is on its way i'd rather be prep'd Appreciate your comments... very helpful

Thanks ..... think I will have a play on astro tools to see what else i can come up with... 👍

Thanks.... I've ordered a flip mirror , but will defo give that a go in the meantime... not sure why i didn't think of that, but then i often find myself in a (slightly panicky ) race against time to find and lock on before the neighbour's chimney pot, (and various trees) get in the way 🤣 he wont move it so i have to move location... 😅 Perhaps if i line up on the top edge of the red dot... (Saturn doesn't show through mine) that will be a useful reference point.... will try it tonight if a get a chance... 👍

Ahah that seems a very useful tool for my needs... Just found one and ordered it.... Whoop whoop! Thanks so much!

Ok so I had my very first opportunity to see what I could see of Jupiter and Saturn yesterday evening. I have a Skymax 127 (AZ mount) with an ZWO 224 and a red dot finder. I found it incredibly hard to locate the little beasties on my viewscreen (Laptop) Once I had them aligned as best i could with the red dot, I found myself just blindly moving the synscan up down and about in the hope id see it pop onto the screen view... I have a few obstacles around my garden which make for having to relocate from time to time, so view finding became a bit of a curse... I had all sorts of trouble with dew (I've now ordered a heater, power pack and shield for that) so some lessons learned and I might try a 2x barlow to get a bigger and hopefully clearer image, but that makes me think view finding is going to become even more difficult.. Re images i got (which i'm pleased with considering the difficulty I had) I haven't bother stacking the image below is just a single frame of each but i'm hoping for better things once my dew heater etal arrive.. If i get another chance anytime soon Any tips on view finding folks?

Great topic choice! I'm new to anything astro but lovin it... Captured this with 8-9 shots, on my Nikon D7000 through a Skymax 127 then stacked n processed this week... am gonna give it another go as I didn't set the camera 'mirror up' (which I learnt about today).. so will see if it means I'll get a sharper set of images... I find the mineral moon idea fascinating..

My attempt at a Mineral Moon effect

Thanks. much appreciated... Will keep at it..👍

DSC_5468_lapl5_ap87834.bmp b.bmp Thanks so much for your comment.. so i went for a DSLR.. steep learning curve on how it to use it but finally started to get images I like... this is from Sunday 18th July 21 the full image is 46mb... 😅

So ... I've been playing peek a boo with the moon this morning as I found there was a possibility of it being visible in the lovely bits of blue morning sky .... and it was... periodically But then found I had no idea what my camera settings ought to be for daylight shots once i'd got myself setup on my scope..😂 Can someone give me some pointers? Pleasey 🤩 I'm using Backyard nikon on my laptop EDIT OK I had a bit of (non moon ) blue sky to play with so I tried to work it out for myself. The attached photo is of what I THINK is going to be getting something useful when/if the moon comes back from its hiding place.. So the settings were Shutter 1/1600, Aperture f14, ISO 1600... To my untrained eye that looks to be a reasonable starting place.. but What do you think? Is this me being on the right track ?🤔 I've saved these settings in the app to recall them next the moon pops up in daylight (maybe tomoz) Would you believe there's a whole window full of blue sky -just where the moon isn't... Where the moon is is just a white out of bulbous spoil sports..😤 - I bet you would believe it!🤣