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Guiding with Astroart 5.0


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I want to move over to using AA5 for guiding instead of PHD Guiding. The reason for doing this is to allow me to use 2x2 binning with my QHY5 guide cam, which I hope will make the QHY5 more sensitive and make the guide star move less as there a lot of movement with the long focal length (1480 mm) of my setup (I am using an OAG).

Also, this setup will allow me to use dithering since I already use AA5 for image capture.

I have been unable to try AA5 guiding for real due to our glorious weather but I am trying to get as far forward as I can. To that end I have a couple of questions.

Does the guide cam have to be aligned to the RA/DEC axes?

When I screw my QHY5 onto my OAG the final position of the camera is not adjustable, it just ends up where it ends up. I have gone to huge effort to get the guide cam the correct distance to be in focal at the same time as the main imaging cam and would not be pleased at needing to change this distance.

How do I get 2 cameras to operate in AA5?

On the 'Setup' tab of AA5's CCD Control panel there are 'SETUP' buttons for 'Imaging/Guide camera' and 'Extra guide camera'. However, the 'SETUP' button for the 'Extra guide camera' is always greyed out so I am unable setup a second camera.

The 2 cameras I am trying to setup are a QHY5 for guiding and a QHY8L for imaging, both using the ASCOM driver. I have tried setting one camera as 'Simulator' but the second camera is still greyed out.

If I start two instances of AA5 then I can set up the QHY5 guiding and the QHY8L imaging, but I don't think I can use dithering like this.

Cheers,

Chris

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In the AA manual it recommends up to 30 degree misalignment with RA-Dec

You may have a conflict between the two QHY camera drivers.

I published a doc recently showing how this could be over come...check out the threads for "using two Atik cameras"....it's also on the Yahoo Atik forum - same issues.

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Thanks Merlin66,

When you had trouble using two Atik cameras were you able to use both cameras if you used two instances of AA? I ask because I was under the impression that you could not get both cameras working with two AA instances. Since I am able to get both cameras working at once with two AA instances I assumed it was a different issue.

Though it could be a related problem because both cameras are selected as an ASCOM camera in AA with a further pop-up window being used to select which camera is used.

Thanks,

Chris

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi

as I have got the same problem with two cameras not working simultanously (both ascom driven) QHY-8L and DMK21BU618 b/w among AstroArt5.0 I would be happy if you can tell me how to modify the dll`s as you wrote.

thx

Stefan

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Hi

Yes in my case i use a ALCCD QHY-l CDD for imaging and a DMK 21 video grabbing CCD for guiding. Both cameras use ASCOM drivers. Can it be the same problem ? It is possible to activate both cameras in Astroart 5 but when i try to use the DMK to shoot a picture for guiding AA5 always uses the imaging camera although On a certain place in AA5 you can set a dot, which camera you intend to use.

Very complicated

Thx for helping

Stefan

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Stefan,

If both cameras can be seen and configured using the "Setup" screen, then I don't think the issue is with the drivers.

In the "Focus/Guide" screen are you selecting Camera 2 as the guide? What happens when you're in this screen and press "Focus" button?

Have you downloaded and read through the AstroArt Guide manual?

Page 82 gives details.

HTH

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Hello HTH

You are right, both camera can be handled and the setup is possible. When I press on FOCUS (in advance I set the dot to the guiding camera) a picture of the guiding camera now is made and opens. Sometimes this seems me not to work when I have connected already the telescope. When I wait with connecting it seems to work that pressing FOCUS and GUIDE activate windows. I read the manual but it is not too redundant especially on this processs concerning the timing (I mean what comes first and what comes later). I try it further on and will inform you

thx a lot

Stefan

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello HTH

yesterday I tried again. In the moment there is always the same problem: DMK (guide camera by special video driver offered at AA5.0 website) works well; QHY8L CCD (image camera by Ascom driver) does work correctly alone without the second camera ; but when or after I have integrated the DMK CCD the QHY8L seems to be dead because pushing the start button (to make an image) does not work.

I use Ascom Platform 5b and QHYL8 driver 2.3

thx Stefan

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Hi

Now I am a little confused by your question. Okay I describe you what I do: In AstroArt 5.0 in CCD plugin I get a window with several proposals to choose from, simulator, Ascom, canon, video. I chosse ascom, then another windows opens offering me several choices among them QHY8Lsensifif...., this is the original driver I downloaded from QHY webpage for my camera. I choose this, then I can configurate my camera, you know offset and gain etc. That is all working well. Actually I dont know why ascom generally is needed. It seems to me like a kind of interface. Nevertheless both cameras dont work simultanously in one AA session.

Greetings Stefan

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Stefan,

I thought all the camera suppliers used ( and had versions for AstroArt, Maxim etc) their own camera drivers rather than through an ASCOM interface. Obviously I was wrong.

I'm not sure I can help further...

I would have say the ATiK as Camera #1 - do all the settings etc and a trial exposure to verify; then set-up Camera #2 as the guide camera (in my case) QHY5 again do all the settings and select camera #2 and press "guide/ focus" to take a shot (If you just press the "start" button then an exposure from camera #1 is taken)

HTH

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