The Comedy of Autoguiding

[Specman]

Glade you got it sorted! I'm up to my knees in the soft brown smelly stuff myself with this autoguiding so hear where your coming from! I'm running the HitecAstro EQDIR adapter though, not the handset, on a HEQ5 with the QHY5t camera to ST-4 port, though I'm considering running through ASCOM. I've spent hours at it, not running yet!!

[Guest]

Glade you got it sorted! I'm up to my knees in the soft brown smelly stuff myself with this autoguiding so hear where your coming from! I'm running the HitecAstro EQDIR adapter though, not the handset, on a HEQ5 with the QHY5t camera to ST-4 port, though I'm considering running through ASCOM. I've spent hours at it, not running yet!!

At least you're struggling now and not in the autumn/winter viewing season

Here's a couple of things I noted that stood out and might help:

1. When mine didn't work after installing the Celestron drivers for PHD (if you're using that?) I checked the task manager to see if the driver was running - it wasn't - once I fired up this driver it was ok.

2. Another peculiar thing - advice is to select a Celestron Nexstar 5i (or something like that) when selecting the mount/scope in PHD - that didn't work but when I selected "Synta Skywatcher Mounts" at the bottom of the list - it worked.

3. If you do try the handset don't set it to PC Direct - no need.

4. As I'm using the handset I'm not plugging the camera into the st-4 port, however, make sure you've downloaded the latest driver for the QHY5 - although I'm sure you already have - it should've come with the camera.

Hope that helps and good luck.

David

[Guest]

Having purchased a QHY8 cooled ccd camera I took my first (and so far - single ) shot with it in auto guide mode using the QHY6 as a guide camera.

It's not great but it shows what a good job PHD guiding is doing and that everything is ticking over - for at least this 5min exposure anyway (see below)

I don't have any proper processing software yet so could only use gimp freeware - but I'm really happy with the guiding now.

Hope you're all ready for the oncoming dark nights!

Happy guiding

David

[Guest]

I think this ones a bit better - played around with it a bit more in gimp - and used QHY8 as a camera setting with bayer drizzle instead of GBRG which wasn't the problem - bayer drizzle was what was needed

Anyway - better stop gassing about image processing in a guiding thread - sorry

[Specman]

I think this ones a bit better - played around with it a bit more in gimp - and used QHY8 as a camera setting with bayer drizzle instead of GBRG which wasn't the problem - bayer drizzle was what was needed

Anyway - better stop gassing about image processing in a guiding thread - sorry

You have certainly nailed the guiding I think and certainly caught the ring nebula. I cheated, I took several short exposures unguided and stacked them, no more than a dozen pics but its a start. No darks! No lights! No flats! i just jumped in with both feet and every used a remote shutter release and counted the exposure time off the back of the camera Just a good polar alignment that night I guess, beginners luck!

Trouble is weather has been dire in August and I'm still not sorted for the new season.

Clear skies!

Mark

[Guest]

Thanks Mark

Things have moved on a little bit since that picture I took with the addition of Nebulosity and a light pollution filter - but of course now the clouds blanket the sky!

Your shot looks fantastic

David