Penguin

Thanks for all those hints. I redownloaded and installed the missing solvers and plate solving seems to be working fine again now. Currently imaging the Pacman nebula (I hope, can't see anything looking like a nebula in the raw images at the moment!)

I've downloaded PS3 and ASTAP (there was already an installer for ASTAP in my downloads folder so I think it is what I previously used but it just seemed to have disappeared). I've also updated APT (from 4.2) to the latest version (4.3) while the laptop was online. I'll give it another go the next time the sky clears enough so I can see some stars. So that'll probably be in a few months time .

Ah, now that I look, I see it doesn't have a 'Near' solver set. That's weird! It definitely used to have one. I set it to PS2 and it started working again, though slower than it used to. That worked for an hour or so and then started timing out on every attempt. So I've given up on that session (what a frustrating pastime this is!) and come inside to download a few more plate-solving options.

Hi All, PointCraft in APT has generally been fab with my 450D and SW-250P on EQ6. A few months ago I acquired a 2nd hand QHY163C and this is the first night I've been able to use it. I entered all the configuration for the new camera into APT but after PointCraft has slewed to the target and taken it's first image, I get the error "PointCraft Error: Can't start solving". The only thing I'm thinking is maybe I need to download some different star charts for the different FOV etc? Or is there anything else I need to check?

Now I've been offered a QHY163C for £300. I am very tempted by this, to my limited knowledge it seems like a bargain. Any thoughts?

Yes, I take your point there. All I'm finding in my price range of up to £300 second-hand is planetary cameras, with a very small field of view. I'm not having much luck here! I may have to phone a retailer for suggestions, which I don't want to do since I'm after second hand.

This is brilliant, thank you so much. I knew there were tools for this sort of thing but hadn't got to grips with them. So I think something from ZWO with a similar FOV to my 450D is what I want. I have a couple of barlows for smaller targets (assuming they'll still get focus), and now . I'll keep looking on AstroBuySell etc.

I gather that the ASIair doesn't talk to Altair cameras, and as that's likely to be my next purchace, maybe I should be looking at the ZWO options.

Thanks guys, I've now had another look on AstroBuySell and I see three OSC CCD cameras in my price range: ZWO ASI 178MC Altair Hypercam 183C Pro ZWO ASI385MC Which of these do you think would be a best match for my Skywatcher Explorer 150P? I'm most tempted by the Hypercam but to be honest I haven't even Googled the others!. I'm most interested in deep-sky: clusters/nebulae/galaxies though I know that even those three have different characteristics an one camera will probably not be great at everything!

Thanks. I've skimmed a couple of review pages and I saw mention that the 183c is designed for refractors. I have a Skywatcher Explorer 150P, which I believe is F5, so is the 183c suitable?

My unmodified 450D has recently died (camera is fine but the USB socket seems dead as the laptop can't see it. checked with multiple laptops and cables so its the port on the camera that's at fault). So I am looking for a new camera with a stingy budget of below £400. Fortunately, I'm quite happy with 2nd hand! I'm not sure if I should go for a dedicated Astro or another DSLR. I have no filter wheels so would prefer one-shot colour. I tend to image deep-sky, though I'm not very good at it and don't really want to specialise, which probably makes decisions harder! I have seen a used Altair 183c for £300 and a Canon 2000D also for £300. What would you knowledgeable people recommend? Is there such a thing as a reasonable jack-of-all-trades device in that price range?

Thanks, doing a bit of Googling, which I should have done before bothering you guys, all the sites point out the longer focal length and smaller field of view and some say this rules them out for deep sky but other say they are quite versatile (possibly with a focal reducer). I currently have one of the small guide scope/guide camera kits from FLO so that would be going on it, so not an OAG. What is Differential Flexure? what is it that is flexing in this scenario. Likewise mirror shift, is this just the need to regularly collimate? I'm happy doing that with my 150P, is the process much different with a catadioptric? My imaging camera is an unmodified Canon 450D so pretty basic. I might go to an ASI colour CCD at some point. Sounds like they could be a good choice, I'd like to be able get in a little closer to the Crab and Ring nebulae for example, and the planets. But I'm not intending to rush into things!

Hi guys, I'm after a little advice on what sort of OTA I should go for. TL,DR: Advice wanted on the best type of used OTA at around £500 to go an EQ6-Pro for mainly deep sky photography. I have recently bought a second-hand EQ6-Pro and am currently trying to sell my HEQ5-Pro + Explorer 150p to recoup some of the EQ6 cost / fund a bigger OTA. I fancy an 8" Schmitt or Maksutov but not for any good reason other than that they look cool! What are they each good for and what are the downsides of them? I don't think I should go for a refractor as they would be too long for the proportions of my observatory. I'd expect to have around £500 to spend and I am very much thinking of used rather than new. Should I stick with a Newtonian? I mainly do mediocre photography of galaxies, clusters and nebulae. but would also be interested in Jupiter, Saturn and Mars.

I didn't measure the Dec axis at the time but I'm pretty sure it had a thin part at the top that the gear was on, then a shoulder and then a thick part, so the thick part was probably 4.9. I'm thinking that mine may have been the one where SkyWatcher ran out of the old stock of motors and moved to the new ones, hence why mine has one of each. I've sent the motor back to Rother Valley and they will pass it on to Rowan who say they will machine up a part to make it all fit, FOC. So top marks to both companies for customer support.

Oh poop. Thanks, I'll see what Rowan Engineering can do for me.