QGvide

[sologuitarist61]

Have used my QHY5 for guiding OK but now want to try imaging through it, so thought I would try QGvideo which is on the software disc I was given.

When I open it isn't obvious what you do and in what order to achieve an image, and all I get is a grey square and no actual image. Does anyone know where I can find a manual that will tell me what to do once I have everything connected?

I have tried the internet but cannot find one - just lots of chat links about it, which although might be helpful, I will have to wade through interminable post to find anythin g useful.

Help please. :huh: :huh:

[RikM]

I use QGVideo with my QHY5 for solar imaging but don't have a user manual or anything. I just randomly press buttons until it works. I only have it on the lappy though which is flat out of charge so this is going by my aged (and slightly inebriated tonight) memory.

• Connect the camera or it won't even open
  
• One of the drop down menus give you the option to 'set capture folder location' and 'file prefix' or something like that.
  
• Adjust the view zoom to 50% or you can't see the whole field.
  
• Drop the exposure slider or click on the little number pad to bring up a box and enter the exposure time (for solar imaging through a white light ST80 and loads of secondary filters I use 25 - 30 ms
  
• Adjust the gain slider (or click the pad) so as to just under expose the image (for solar I use 25%
  
• Click on the button where it says count and you can either enter a set number of frames or change it to seconds and set a clip length. (for some reason I can't get it to take more than 500 frames or run for more than a minute or so. If I set it longer it just records multiple shorter avi's in sequence.
  
• Click on AVI to start recording. It changes to a red symbol while recording and you can click the red symbol to stop if you need to, like if there is cloud or something.
  
• Go and find your avi file and stack and process.
  
• Post a fantastic image on SGL
  

That's what I do (well up to no. 8 at least). Hopefully someone with more knowledge than me can chip in and help us both out?

Does work though

[sologuitarist61]

Hey thanks Rik will try that later. It seems silly to me that there isn't a 'How to use' bit under the 'Help' menu. Like you I pressed button here and there but nothing much seemed to happen, so gave up in the end and put he thread on here. At least now I have a starting point to work from, thank you

[x6gas]

I am afraid that the software for the QHY cams really let them down - after all you can't use these things without software to drive them so it's as important as the hardware and QHY have a bit of a poor reputation for their software, documentation and support for third parties (e.g. SDKs). This is just what I've heard but is borne out by my own experience with my QHY IMG0H.

FireCapture http://firecapture.wonderplanets.de/ is great and now supports the IMG0H but I am not sure if it also supports the QHY5.

Also not sure how SharpCap http://www.sharpcap.co.uk/ will do - you'd need to use it via the ASCOM driver...

[RikM]

I am afraid that the software for the QHY cams really let them down - after all you can't use these things without software to drive them so it's as important as the hardware and QHY have a bit of a poor reputation for their software, documentation and support for third parties (e.g. SDKs). This is just what I've heard but is borne out by my own experience with my QHY IMG0H.

FireCapture http://firecapture.wonderplanets.de/ is great and now supports the IMG0H but I am not sure if it also supports the QHY5.

Also not sure how SharpCap http://www.sharpcap.co.uk/ will do - you'd need to use it via the ASCOM driver...

I couldn't get Sharpcap to work with it, but it could just be that I haven't found the right button yet. When you go into select the camera, it doesn't even see the QHY5 as Ascom camera or otherwise.

[sologuitarist61]

I am afraid that the software for the QHY cams really let them down - after all you can't use these things without software to drive them so it's as important as the hardware and QHY have a bit of a poor reputation for their software, documentation and support for third parties (e.g. SDKs). This is just what I've heard but is borne out by my own experience with my QHY IMG0H.

FireCapture http://firecapture.wonderplanets.de/ is great and now supports the IMG0H but I am not sure if it also supports the QHY5.

Also not sure how SharpCap http://www.sharpcap.co.uk/ will do - you'd need to use it via the ASCOM driver...

I couldn't get Sharpcap to work with it, but it could just be that I haven't found the right button yet. When you go into select the camera, it doesn't even see the QHY5 as Ascom camera or otherwise.

Thanks guys will give them a look anyway :smiley: