my method on guiding

[Daniel-K]

HOW IM GUDING WITH MY SETUP

i have decided to write how i managed to get guiding with PHD and my equipment.

hi im Danny and i thought i would wright how i got guiding first time and hope to beable to help others who are just starting guiding like me.

here is a list of my equipent:

HEQ5 PRO SYNSCAN

SW 200P

ST 80 guide scope attached by a dovetail on the tube rings

QHY5 attached to the st 80 via an80mm extension tube to get focus

A cannon 500d

st4 cable for the auto guider port and usb.b cable for power from the laptop to the qhy5.

ok so after polar alignment and 3 star align i get my object in the middle of my DSLR's screen and focus once im happy with that i fire up PHD.first i selct my camera acsom v5 in the dropdown menu( i use ascom to driver to run the qhy5 through phd, ascom is a free download a bit confusing at first but you get to grips with it soon enough) you may need to install the lastest qhy5 drivers if you cant see the qhy5 in the drop down box. next i click properties and move the gain to 90% click ok.next i change the exposure time of the qhy5 to 2.5 or sometimes 3.5 and move the gain slifer over to the right.now its time to take a dark simply cover your guide scope and click take dark next to the brain icon.this will get rid of most of the hot pixels so your not guiding on a hot pixel and take a 4 min exposure and wounder why its not guiding.then i click the begin looping button and hopfully you should see some stars. at first try a part of the sky that has some bright stars e.g i started on m42 because it has bright stars.so on m42 i have 5 stars to choose from on the screen click one and the click PHD button next to the stop button.PHD will now hopefully begin to callibrate you mounts motors. it goes through a north west south ans east routine and finaly after about 2 minuites in the bottom left corner it should say guiding. this is my way i guide and i manage 5 minuites no problem other membeers who have been doing it longer please feel free to give tips on how to improve this method i have only been guding 3nights but thought i would share my method and hopefully help fellow new astrophotgraphers get on there feet.

tip:if you havent got guide scope rings like me and cant get a guide star try turning the camera round in the draw tube this is what has just happend to me while wrighting this.

Peace out

Danny

[Tinker1947]

Thank you for the write up very interesting for me and i am sure a few other's.

[Daniel-K]

no problem i know how annyoing it can be.