Help please. I can't find anything with my Meade DSI II.

[Belcher]

Hi. I put the scope out early to cool down, then I left it and returned later. Messed about a bit with my Celestron planetary imager and did some moon work and Jupiter with no problems. I then tried a 15mm and a 7mm wide field with filters and pointed at M42. I could clearly see the nebula and the 4 stars in the centre. I then popped in the Meade DSI and that's where my fun stopped. I couldn't find where I was, I really struggled to get focus, and could see ****** all really. Also, the preview kept going crazy and looking very noisy resembling a huge star cluster all over the screen.

What am I doing wrong. What is the Meade equivalent to in eyepiece size terms. Is it perhaps busted, or is it user error? It is picking stuff up because I pointed it at the crescent moon (but obviously got a whitewash!)

I also don't like the software that comes with the Meade and find the preview way to slow. Anything else better that will play nicely with Meade?

Cheers

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[JimStan]

You sure are asking some of the same questions I have about the Meade DSI cameras. My experience is that a 17mm eyepiece coupled to a scope of 1400mm FL gives about the same FOV as the DSI 1 camera . I understand that the DSI II and III have slightly larger sensors, so they must have somewhat larger FOVs as well.

I get about a quarter of a degree ( half the width of the moon ) using the DSI 1 on the ETX-90 , which has, as I mentioned, around a 1400mm FL.

I agree that the preview is very unsatisfactory, and the image does NOT stabilize if there is any motion of the scope whatsoever. I am working on adapting an older 200mm telephoto lens to the ETX-90 clock drive and seeing if that combination will allow for most DSO photography. Otherwise, I am going back to the Nikon camera and 500 mm / F 4 lens that I have on ( hopefully ) long term loan. I would love to discuss this modification more, either off the forum, or perhaps in the "equipment" portion .

Jim S.

[Belcher]

Thanks for the info. I am currently going with the thought that perhaps it is the software I am struggling with more than the camera. I have therefore downloaded a working demo of Maxim DL. Seems OK, but yet to try it on the scope for real. Anybody have any experience of this application?

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[ncjunk]

Maxim is a nice bit of software i started using it after first trying the meade software.

I now use maxim as the basis for my cameras, focusers and filter wheel.

The meade software is the most unfriendly bit of software i have used for a while. I recently used the qhy software with my qhy8l and it just connects and works.

It could always be worth trying the dsi on the moon, thats what i did with mine when i started.

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