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stevebb

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Posts posted by stevebb

  1.  

    I have now completed a major configuration change in the observatory with addition of a Primaluce Labs Eagle 3S. (thanks to Aaran B if he is on this site)

    The whole setup now looks a lot more tidier and it is barely a 10 minute job to switch from DSLR "widefield" imaging to an additional telescope by replacing the camera bracket and adding the WO Zenithstar 73 APO.

    The main scope is currently setup for Planetary/Lunar imaging with the SkyWatcher Equinox ED120 (900mm) coupled to a Canon 60D (astro modified) + 2x barlow, Scopetronix Maxview DSLR II with a 25mm eyepiece. This combination provides a 72x magnification at f/15 with a 78° field of view. However, the Canon 60D has a "movie crop mode" which can further extend the magnification by 7x.  

    Most of my astrophotography is done using a DSLR approach as I deliver talks nationally to clubs and societies - most of which are photography based and it is easier to share the approach/workflow taken using familiar equipment. The included photo of Jupiter is only a single photo but shows a fair amount of promise (Canon 60D).

    Roll on a nice clear night as I am desperate to capture M1 (The Crab Nebula) at high magnification !!

    The DSLR on top is for guided widefield captures and this can easily be swapped out with other cameras (friends/visitors).
    Autoguiding is provided by the reliable StarAid Revolution revision B - this works an absolute treat but following a few exceptional "live-streaming" events from the developers 16 months ago it has all gone very quiet at StarAid HQ. Was hoping there might have been a software update for further goodies by now  

    The observatory is a SkyShed Pod and out of picture is an interior "drainpipe/gutter" that takes care of the leak problem at the hinges which can be a issue with this design in windy/rainy locations.

    So apologies in advance for the clouds !!

    Steve 

    eagle3s_3.jpg

    obscontrol.jpg

    jupy3.jpg

    california_1.jpg

    Rosette Nebula_LIGHT_180s_1600iso_+9c_20201219-22h36m12s723ms.jpg

    • Like 4
  2. Those of you who have a Sky ShedPod located in a an area that is buffeted by both wind and rain "may" have come across problem with water ingresss at the hinges. 

    For me, a typical UK rain shower would fill a good cup full on each side. If it was torrential with wind it could be a litre+ each side and this was a problem that needed to be addressed.  Wayne (SkyShed Pod) sent me a link to a video he had made concentrating on the sealing around the hinges in more detail. That was very kind and I mirrored exactly what was done in the video including angling down the seals so that the water will run down them. However, I am guessing the location in my garden might be a bit too windy .... good old North Yorkshire !!

    I do know some people have made covers (both cut to size and tarp) and might be considering other solutions. As we don't have a UK dealer, I made enquiries with Wayne for his purposely designed cover.  He discovered the shipping fees alone were £250 - add on customs and the cost of the cover on top and you will be over £700. So that was a total non starter.

    However, with huge thanks to @carastro, Carole shared photos of a "gutter" solution she had come across and this got me thinking along these lines.

    Rain is due within the hour, my weather station is showing winds peaking over 50 km/h so this afternoon could be a good test.

    I am sharing this in case others might be in the same situation and scratching their heads wondering what to do. All parts sourced from Amazon Grime including a flexible reducer so that only a small hole was made in the outer wall of the observatory.

    Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my Sky ShedPod and with a few mods it could be perfect for my needs ..... hydraulic dome removal solution to work on next ..... zenith blockage, what zenith blockage ;)

    Steve
    ps it goes without saying, when parking the dome it must be left in the same location at the end of every observing session

    obsdrain2.JPG

    obsdrain1.JPG

    • Like 3
  3. On 09/01/2022 at 17:39, TRob said:

    Gave Sky Recognition another try tonight while being rather overcast.

    To make a long story short. Sky Recognition / Plate Solving works. The trick is leaving the focal length field of the guide scope empty. This was also mentioned in the first webinar with Hendrik. Would have been nice, though if that info had a place in the manual. StarAid then determines the focal length automatically.  StarAidsdetermined fl was 6 mm or 4.6% smaller than what the specs say.

    Sky recognition was actually really fast even under the conditions I had today. The solution corresponds pretty well with what astrometry.net thinks.

    Off to guiding at some other day with clear skies and no rain ...

    Hi Trob,

    Many thanks indeed for your comments and it is super to meet another user on the forums  :)

    Thank you also for the tip off of this evenings webinar .... I would have missed it completely as I did not get notifications from SGL for some reason.  Glad you got the Sky Recognition working, I'm still struggling with this even using a 120mm guidescope and leaving the field blank (allowing autorecognition). If you were following the webinar just now you would have observed that my question on this was the first one read.

    Also, I have been using StarAid connected to my observatory laptop and then wirelessly controlled remotely from the house. The tracking is absolutely fantastic but I do need to sort out the Sky Recognition.

    Regarding powering the StarAid, I used a powered USB hub and provide power directly to the camera and "not" to the splitter. Are you doing it this way or are you powering the splitter directly ?

    My apologies for not getting back to you sooner.

    Steve

    {edit: Sky Recognition sorted ... user error .... I had "Scarborough" selected as my location and once I changed it to "Filey" I had a perfect solve - I will edit my review accordingly}

  4. On 31/12/2021 at 17:04, Shimrod said:

    Thanks for the comprehensive write-up. I have looked at the Staraid a few times and it looks like a useful device - its a little expensive to buy as an addition to what I already have, but it only rolls into one three devices I have already bought to do the same functions (Starsense, iPolar and guide camera). I do like the idea of having something that can do polar alignment, guiding and plate-solving without the need for a laptop. Anything to get set up quicker is a real bonus for me.

    Do you use the sky recognition function and how do you find it? Does it just give region of the sky you are pointing at, or can you ask it to centre the mount on an object?

    Good question and sadly, I still have not got the Sky Recognition to work yet after dozens of attempts. As I am typing this I am watching the StarAid webinar and raised this issue and have been asked to email Hendrick directly !!

  5. I have been wanting to write a review on StarAid Revision B for a long time because there is almost nothing out there at present. But it has been a rollercoaster of a journey so far for reasons I will get on to.

    Firstly, I understand this autoguiding solution is not for everyone. It is arguably more expensive and some would "rightly" say they are more than happy using their current setup up with PHD or using a similar solution and I have absolutely no reason to challenge this. For me, I wanted a solution that is literally "plug n play", no additional computer interface to drive it (if I didn't want it), something that once powered up will begin calibration and tracking immediately completely "hands off" and moving from object to object will pick up to 20 stars and begin tracking again.

    This is not a post to encourage the "anti brigade" or the "my solution is better than yours", this is just the experience that I have personally experienced thus far.

    staraid.thumb.JPG.40b156574f1e5e75ae2749cb1e708a48.JPG

    Above is a screenshot taken from their website. The device itself comprises a Sony IMX290LL monochrome STARVIS CMOS with a QE (75%) and pixel size of 2.9µm. It is powered by a 5 volt USB-C jack either in the device itself (requiring a powered USB for interaction with the computer together with data forwarding) or a 5 volt power bank direct to the splitter for control and either controlled over the WiFi network or just let it run standalone. 

    My own setup is a direct USB port connection from a pc in the observatory and then controlled remotely from the house 30m away with using Windows 10 Professional and an Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) session. I have experienced zero issues whatsoever and the connection has always remained stable and it has performed flawlessly. The splitter is used for ST4 connection to the mount. While this is literally plug & play, you can follow what is happening either by looking at the led colours on the back of the device (these can be reduced in intensity and even turned off completely) or connect to a phone/tablet or pc.  

    Connecting to the device is simple as it generates it's own WiFi network. I found it easy to connect directly through a browser while still able to access the internet as it is fully integrated onto my network.

    First thing you will see once connected is the menu.

    menu.thumb.JPG.3593a36b9206cf471dfa79053349f6ad.JPG

    At the bottom left, the GUIDE button is on by default and it will automatically begin calibration and guiding unless you hit STOP.

    At the very top left of the screen are 3 horizontal orange bars, selecting this will bring up the setup screen as below ...menu2.thumb.JPG.e5813a245bd1bd3fad3fef1e63ba02e0.JPG

    Fairly self explanatory but there are some parts of this that are extremely important and NOT in the manual. Select SETTINGS

    settings.thumb.JPG.f5834278701378460d3d3a793742105e.JPG
     

    Under SETTINGS you must add your location (within 20km ..... if you don't get within 20km then you WILL experience problems with Sky Recogntion) and of course date/time which "should" provide the device with the necessary information to establish your aperture of view. One of the massive head scratching moments I had was initially using a guide scope with a 240mm focal length. The focal length was too great (at 240mm) meaning a very small field of view too small and usually less than a dozen stars in view. Reading the manual it suggested a guide scope with an ideal of around 120mm. I replaced the guide scope with a 120mm and lo and behold, the field of view did not change and appeared to be fixed at 240mm. I contacted Staraid support and it transpires, thanks to Hendrick (the designer) following a recent Q&A session through a Zoom Webinar that StarAid automatically "determines" what guide scope focal length you are using and commits that to memory. Selecting "Optics" and entering 120mm vice 240mm simply does not work !!  The solution however .... remove the entry completely leaving the field blank. Restart the device and it will automatically detect and establish the correct focal length. Happy days and I can confirm this was well and truly cracked !!!  ps if Hendrick/Christian are reading this then please add comments to the user manual.

    Back on the Main menu page you have a whole list of other options. "Liveview" is excellent making it an absolute breeze to adjust focus .... I did hear a suggestion to slightly defocus to help with "Sky Recognition" as the stars appear bigger. I have not found that to be the case and I have also left the camera gain/gamma/exposure set to AUTO. It just works !!!

    "ObjectGuiding" is another feature where it will automatically find and centre on currently 33 different comets. This is outstanding, as it will actually track the comets movement so you will capture the comet and without any star trailing ...
    Objects.thumb.JPG.5ef2986120df091f424f328e8409ac65.JPG

    Hendrick did mention on a previous Webinar that he had been asked about "ISS" tracking but acknowledged that a lot of mounts would not be able to track at this speed and therefore is an option he has not progressed. There are also options for Polar Alignment and Telescope alignment but to get to this stage you will firstly need an accurate "Sky Recognition". Initially, I struggled to get the Sky Recognition to work, it failed every single time even pointing at various locations in the sky. I tried to defocus/refocus the StarAid, gone from auto gain settings to manual, rotated the StarAid to match the correct orientation of the night sky and still no success even though there are over 50 stars in view. It was only after today's webinar when the magic words were spoken by Hendrik. Your home location must be accurate to within 20km maximum. Thankfully, Filey UK was listed which is about 2km away. Selecting this and everything is now spot on.  

    However, how does the autoguiding perform ?

    At switch on, the StarAid automatically defaults to calibration as so ....

    autoguiding1.thumb.JPG.cf06b873c844f2371a660fc88f8e1f03.JPG

    It will attempt to firstly find enough stars (set at 20 max) and calibrate each axis before guiding commences on "multiple stars". This takes around 30 seconds to approx 1 minute depending on seeing conditions and worked well even close to a 70% moon ...

    autoguiding2.JPG.b2f3e1e1272bf55df5a43f85b2c6a944.JPG

    Well, it looks good in theory, but how does it work in practice and even more so on a main telescope with a relatively long focal length ?

    This is a 600 second (iso1600) raw capture of M1 (Crab Nebula) taken last night using a SkyWatcher Equinox ED120 (900mm) and an astro modified Canon 6D as the imaging device ...
    1040169954_m1raw.thumb.jpg.0484341f800ca9fcac6231f57ed47065.jpg

    This image is absolutely untouched and I am extremely happy with the star shapes. To be honest, this is the very first time I have taken an exposure at this length (10 minutes).

    I also attempted a lengthy capture of the horsehead nebula very close to the horizon (using two cameras simultaneously), after a 300 second capture on my Canon 60D it was again pin sharp but it did experience a hiccup at the 8 minute mark on the second camera. Reasons unknown but could very well have been a few clouds coming by or the mount itself bumping slightly.

    So, what are my thoughts ....

    Am I happy ?  Absolutely delighted and the simplicity of how it works. It really is "setup and go". This would make life so much easier for those having portable setups out in the field. The functionality is brilliant and it truly is plug & play. One point was mentioned in the webinar which I found interesting. When attempting a polar alignment, absolutely perfect is not required. It is actually better to leave a "little error" because the tracking at 5 corrections per second provides the mount with something to work on and will make for smoother guiding eliminating any "dead spots" / potential pauses in the tracking.

    The bad news, I will mention this briefly but recent events have TOTALLY solved this. A lot of users have opened trouble tickets and are still awaiting results even after a year. Personally, I think Hendrick and his small team have been absolutely inundated and have struggled to keep up. This is understandable especially in these difficult times. However, Christian Sasse has started running webinars with Hendrick over Zoom with an opportunity to raise questions which are answered at the end of the session. This has been an absolute game changer and it works perfectly.  

    I have heard some comments from astro enthusiasts stating that StarAid is still in "beta". A little unfair as it is much more advanced than that but there are complexities involved that the manual absolutely does not go into and it does perhaps reveal the need for other users to share any problems they might have encountered and the solutions they discovered in resolving them. It desperately needs a "user base" so we might assist the developers best we can. Perhaps a forum to capture Q&A that we can follow. I will try and document any problems I find with a potential solution to help others on the forums.

    Would I buy this again knowing the challenges I was going to encounter - probably yes. As StarAid autonomously runs in the background this will be ideal for my STEM presentations as it is one less window I need to enlarge on the screen. But the capabilities don't just stop there !

    One thing I must mention, this is not "yet" a GoTo solution. While the device itself performs plate solving through Sky Recognition and once recognised will provide true coordinates, that solution must be entered manually into EqMod or easier ... just nudge the mount controls. This is something that is being looked into though. My own solution will be to have the guide scope and main telescope in absolute perfect alignment which would hopefully mean any pointing accuracy adjustments would be minor or even unnecessary.

    These are just a few musings especially following last night which was a big breakthrough for me following the StarAid Webinar a few days ago. 

    There is also a DSLR "Image Capture" function on the Rev B but I use BYEos as I use multiple cameras and I thoroughly enjoy BYEos.

    One thing that did come out of todays Webinar was Hendrick is testing a new software patch that will allow you the StarAid to connect to two WiFi networks at the same time. ie direct connect to the StarAid device itself  (from either pc/tablet/phone) and a second connection to the internet. Now this confused me because I already have this in my setup as I can remotely control the StarAid over a Remote Desktop session.

    I have only written this guide to try and help others who may be looking for a users experience on StarAid, what it can do well and things to look out for. I am absolutely NOT stating this is the best thing since sliced bread and I have been honest and impartial in my own findings thus far. I do hope to update this topic once I have had a better play with Sky Recognition, Plate Solving and Polar Alignment.

    Best wishes everyone and please keep safe.

    Steve
    ps my setup below
    120mm.jpg.4c60c06dac454a380d77f068ddf596b3.jpg

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1
  6. Hi,
    Bit of a long shot but after re-applying  brand new neoprene seals at the pivot points of my Sky ShedPod following the latest video guide on Wayne's site, I still had about 2 litres of rain finding its way inside (all captured in buckets on either side so no damage done). It does raise the humidity levels though more than i would like. To be fair, it was of course very windy last week and guessing it was a bit of flex on the clamshell and the rain being driven in by the strong winds. But 2 litres is still a lot !

    So, plan B .... I am after a Sky ShedPod cover and wondered if anyone has one and might share dimensions or indeed, if they have one for sale ?  I am uncertain who the UK dealer might be for Sky ShedPod or even if there is one anymore ?

    I am not sure if  @carastro made one a few years ago though I could be wrong and apologies if I am Carole.

    Absolutely love my Sky ShedPod but the rain getting inside is very frustrating as it means I have taken up a bit of floor space with buckets and 5 boxes of Kontrol Krystals trying to keep the humidity levels down. My desiccant dehumidifier does a good job and can reduce the level to under 70% inside 2 hours but at 400w it is costly on the eleccy.

    Thanks for reading ....

    Steve

     

  7. Hi Alan,
    In the main, I absolutely love it though I do have a problem with water getting in at the hinges as quite a few people in this group also experience. I do know Carole has made a cover to go over the top which negates this problem - Wayne (Mister SkyShed Pod) from across the pond sells them but they are over $400 + shipping/customs etc. In fact, I had a good email exchange with Wayne last night and he shared a video build link that he had put together and it shows the application of the foam around the hinges a lot more clearly.

    Literally, one hour ago I have redone the foam (neoprene with sticky back 1" in width) and now awaiting an Amazon delivery with some fast setting silicone sealant to hopefully better seal this "trouble spot".

    Wayne did actually say in the video that this foam will need replacing now and then - I did purchase the pod 2nd hand so I guess that is fair comment.

    As it is, I do have two buckets catching the rain as it comes in - a half day of rain will catch about a cup full each side - well away from electrics and equipment but I could do with stopping it completely or I will have problems with mildew and humidity.

    Question is, would I buy another if i was setting up from scratch again and the answer is more than likely. Zenith blockage is all that stands between the "more than likely" and the "absolutely" - even with an offset mount !

    Steve

    • Thanks 1
  8. Almost there now with the Muston Observatory (MOBS), the whole assembly is now perfectly balanced and remaining jobs will be lining up all 3 scopes perfectly with each other both in pointing and orientation. Once that is achieved, the auto-plate solving provided by the StarAid "should" negate the need for a further "goto adjustment".

    Remaining job will be the cable tidy and perhaps another go at trying to fully waterproof the Sky ShedPod at the hinges (a known and very frustrating problem).

    At some stage I might be looking at a solution for sliding the dome top out of the way. Even though I purposely installed the pier "off centre", I still have zenith blockage on the Veil nebula which is frustrating.

    With a bit of luck I shall finally be doing some "Live-Streaming" for STEM and other outreach events this winter.

    The MOBS is now fully remoted back to the house and can be controlled directly either from inside the Observatory or back in the house where it is warm.

    The new MESH network (Asus ZenWiFi XT8) has seen a massive speed increase from the previous Netgear Orbi MESH which not only provides a more stable connection but faster transfer of files - and the ability to live-stream video from either of the DSLR cameras.

    It has taken a while to get to this point just a blummin shame that Covid has spoiled things (for everyone) or I would be conducting Outreach from home for the local area.

    Steve

    mobs1.jpg

    mobs2.jpg

    • Like 5
  9. Ok, to answer my own question, I have just brought it to focus on stars - just a slight gap in the clouds tonight but it was enough .... wow, it certainly did pick up plenty. Interesting it would not see any detail during the daytime !!

    For others that might be following, I did NOT need the barlow extension and it focused perfectly about 1/3 of the way in using the 60mm guide scope. The "auto settings" were quite grainy but the stars were very pronounced. I did not try guiding as it is far too cloudy tonight.

    On another matter, absolutely nothing heard from StarAid support. I did hear that they did go quiet during the earlier covid times and that they have now begun responding to tickets. Sadly, not the case with myself. There is a recent software update though (October 2021) improving plate solving/polar alignment accuracy I believe. I'm just wanting to have more faith in the company and hoping development continues that will allow the plate solving solution to progress into an automatic goto function.

    Really hope someone from StarAid is on SGL and can respond.

    Best wishes,
    Steve

  10. Just got round to the "final" (yerr right) piece of the puzzle for the observatory and trying to setup my StarAid with a 60mm guidescope. This being connected directly to the pc.

    I have been attempting to do this during the daytime using the apps "live view" but I am not seeing any detail whatsoever on the screen even while adjusting gain/exposure. I have even added a barlow (without lens) for extended reach) and no joy.  To check I was pointing accurately, I installed my ASI178MC and brought that to focus (without barlow) and then added the StarAid but it will not pick out any detail other than changes in brightness. 

    The first daft question I am wondering about is if the StarAid is optimised solely for night time and using the "live view" during the daytime might not be possible ?  I appreciate it is a CCD and it ought not to make any difference but I don't know how the proprietary software works.

    Other question, has anyone else got a StarAid or used one and if so, is there a specific back focus distance ?

    I would pull my hair out but I'm way past that point ;)

    I have also raised the question with StarAid support but already have unanswered tickets dating back almost 6 months unfortunately which is a shame.

    Regards,

    Steve

     

  11. Good morning :)

    I am in the market for a solar telescope which I will be using for live-streaming for STEM activities and have a question on connectivity to a modded DSLR. I have a choice of a modded 6D and modded 60D - the latter with the "movie crop mode". I am currently considering a Daystar Scout SS60 and looking at adding a Quark to T adapter + DS interference eliminator and I am "guessing" these would couple directly into the back of the built-in quark after removal of the diagonal. Please correct me if I have got the imaging train incorrect. I am also guessing that the helical focuser would be sufficient to bring the DSLR into focus with no addition spacers required (for this scope/T adapter).

    Has anyone done any imaging like this or can offer advice please. I also have a ZWO ASI178MC (OSC) which I know would provide better results but when I deliver talks to groups, most are photography groups and the photographers relate more to a DSLR - hence preferring this approach.

    Many thanks in advance,

    Steve

  12. Erling, many thanks indeed for your reply .... I did have a brief chat online with the developer as he was looking for a UK supplier. I have provided him with a few contacts including of course FLO.

     I know it is quite expensive but I do like the simplistic approach as it is something that will fit right in with live-streaming. Only down side will be the customs duties and shipping costs as Pieter suggests himself.

    Not sure if he would accept visitors but once our current madness is over, it would be cheaper to fly over and pick it up  lol

    Really appreciate your reply Erling and yes, your photographs look incredible  :)

     

    Steve

  13. Thanks Peter, I'm in email discussion with the chap now ... he is looking for a UK dealer but having had a positive experience with every UK astro shop I have bought from I would struggle to suggest one inparticular  lol

    That said, I have suggested a couple with  FLO being top - if anyone from FLO is reading this then  "Pieter"  will be in touch.

     

     

  14. Good morning everyone, hope everyone is keeping well through this madness !

    I am wondering if anyone has any "hands on" experience with the StarAid Revolution. I have done a search on SGL and only see Erling GP as a possible user and I have to say, his results are outstanding.  

    I have an observatory in North Yorks and hoping to go semi-retired this year then devote more time to astronomy together with STEM conducting  more "live streaming" events. At the moment, polar alignment is good but I do have to perform plate solving regularly (even after a 2 star alignment). Doing this while live streaming when jumping from object to object while educational, still interrupts the flow. Having something that will auto-plate solve, compensate, then begin multi-star guiding sounds absolutely ideal. Coupled with the added bonus as an ideal portable solution is just the icing on the cake. However, I am not actually seeing many user reviews even browsing t'interweb !!

    Now I know it is expensive and I know there are lots of experts on here that achieve the above with cheaper solutions. I love Sharpcap but I am backing off the CCD/CMOS approach as most of the hobbyists/clubs I give talks to only have DSLR's. And providing teaching/guidance on a common platform without them rushing out to get specialised gear means less grief from their partners. I have also looked "only briefly" at NINA which looks incredible but sadly, I do need to capture planetary targets also and I appreciate NINA was not designed for Planetary/Lunar/Solar in mind.

    I have also noticed a "Revision B" has come out slightly cheaper.

    Everyone has different paths and expectations and in theory, this looks the ideal solution for my situation so may I ask that any feedback/advise is based on actual user experience rather than on the feasibility. 

    Thanks again,

    Steve
     

  15. Stuart, that is brilliant, thank you so much for your help. I actually have a set of cards and have done a custom WB on my Canon 6D (from Juan)  which is coupled directly to a WO ZS73 through a full frame field flattener (works perfectly).  Stuart, thanks for your suggestion of the normal CLS filter (ie not the CLS-CCD). Should the CLS suffice completely or are there other options I might consider ... duobanded or would that be overkill.  The one that comes to mind is the Optolong L Pro.

    Really appreciate your fast answer, thanks again and a very Happy New Year  :)

    Steve

  16. Good morning everyone  :)

    I am taking delivery today of an astro modified Canon 60D that appeared for sale on another forum with the following modification originally performed by Andy at Astronomiser:

    “Rear Filter Removal with Sensor Repositioning Modification”

    I visited the Astronomiser homepage to try and better understand exactly what this modification entailed, if an additional piece of glass was added (possibly not) and the "possibility of star bloating".

    While I do understand that this filter partly removes UV/IR and colour correction, with the first filter still in place I am wondering if I still require an additional filter within the imaging train to help overcome "muddy images". Then apply a custom white balance - appreciate the raw image will be ok but I will be doing "live streaming" so want to try and keep the image close to normal. My imaging train consists of the camera, nosepiece with an Ikharos field flattener (ideal for crop sensors, not so for full frame), coupled to a SkyWatcher Equinox ED120. I did read the star bloating may or may not appear and is dependent on the quality of ED glass.


    With just a single filter replacement, would I be looking at a CLS option or a CLS-CCD or indeed something entirely different again.  I have no intention of using EF-S lenses so will be considering a clip-in filter solution.

    Main reason for selecting this camera is for the "movie crop mode" for planetary imaging and only 3 of the Canon camera's offer this.

    I did try to email andy@astonomiser but the email was returned undelivered with a "mailbox full" message and I am not sure if he monitors SGL. I was set to proceed with a brilliant online dealer that I previously bought a full frame 6D from but the 60D just appeared out of nowhere and the cheaper option might mean the "bank of wife" may still allow me to retire next year  ;)

    Many thanks for your help.

    A very Happy New Year and I hope it is a better one for all of us.

    Steve


     

  17. Happy Christmas  :)

    A quick question on the Prima Luce Eagle range of astro computers please.  Can it control multiple cameras simultaneously ?

    I have 2x DSLR's which I would like to run with Backyard EOS and an ASI178MC that I would like to run with Sharpcap. I have done a little googling to try and find a multiple camera setup but struggling to see confirmation that it can.

    I had considered other solutions from other vendors and indeed the basic Prima Luce Eagle Core and I only see 1x DSLR and/or 1x CCD/CMOS and in some instances, the latter can only be used as a guide scope.

    If the Eagle S or Eagle 3 are unable to fulfil this role I might have to go to the Intel Nuc and Pegasus Pocket Powerbox solution instead.

    Thanks for your help, this is the final stage for remoting my observatory  :)

    Steve

  18. Does anyone on here use the above filter in their setup and if so, what are your thoughts ?

    It is currently on special offer and I'm struggling  (against the "bank of wife") to justify spending £200 for the EOS XL CLS-CCD.
     

    I have a full spectrum modified Canon 6D and looking to put this on the end of the nosepiece into a SkyWatcher Equinox refractor.

    Also considering putting my Ikharos field flattener in the optical path but that now might not work with full frame.

    I have looked at a few photos on Astrobin and I must admit, it looks pretty good but is it really a bargain or a near miss ?  ;)

     

    Steve

  19. I have a leaky Sky ShedPod at the usual two spots that a few others have been experiencing (ie at the hinges).

    Followed a few suggestions and put some neoprene strips along the edge and even put silicone around the area to form a "dam/run-off" but I do live in Yorkshire and get some very wet weather  ;)

    Does anyone know of "covers" that might go over the dome, got to be neat'ish or "her ladyship" will kill me !!

    I have seen photo's of some home brew solutions but could not find an email address to chase up. 

     

    Steve

     

  20. Hi,
    I am about to take delivery of a full spectrum modified Canon 6D and know it will require a UV/IR cut filter.

    I had considered the XL size clip filter but think I will go with the 2" screw in filter instead but I am stuck between 3 filters at varying prices !

    IDAS LPS D1
    Altair Astro Premium CLS-CCD UV/IR
    Astronomik CLS-CCD

    I will be imaging both emission nebulas and galaxies and because of the latter I have ruled out both Duo and Tri band filters. I will probably save up for a set of narrowband filters at a later stage ... once the bruises have healed over after the "bank of wife" found out I require a filter in addition !

    The cheaper Altair Astro (half the cost) immediately springs to mind but I do not know if this works with a full spectrum modified DSLR (full frame). I do want to avoid vignetting if possible.

    Many thanks in advance,

    Steve

    Muston Imaging Group

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