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Skywatcher Synguider Stand Alone Autoguider

ArmyAirForce

By ArmyAirForce
in Imaging - Discussion

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ArmyAirForce

ArmyAirForce

Posted
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Has anyone got/used the Skywatcher Stand Alone Autoguider? ( http://www.firstlightoptics.com/guide-cameras/skywatcher-synguider-autoguider.html ). I image with a DSLR, and don't want the hassle of needing a laptop with me too. The Skywatcher guider seems to solve my problems in this respect, but I wondered if anyone here had first hand experience with it. I'm not in a position to spend any money yet, as I cleaned myself out buying the scope and mount, but was thinking of combining the Skywatcher guider with a Startravel 80 as a guide scope to give me portable guiding.

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Stephen

Stephen

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You will get mixed responses on this one, some get on with it, some just don't.

I fall into the latter category, failed to get a guide star (on an ST80) more often than not and even when it did the guiding just didn't work for me.

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Stephen summed it up nicely. When there are lots of negative posts, as there have been, and some positives (ditto) I take the view that it is not coming my way. I know a laptop may be seen as a hassle but guiding is the make or break of a session. (Focus in second place.) All in one guiders look nice on the net. Flexibility of control looks nice when things don't work as it says they will on the net... The serious imagers are not, in general, using standalone guiders.

Besides, for a dozen reasons, you will do better with a DSLR running through a laptop. Sad but true.

Olly

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FilmGuy

FilmGuy

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If you like to go light - minimum of equipment - there is a lost art called Manual Guiding. Use a regular guide scope - insert a 2x barlow then illuminated reticle. Centre a suitable brighter star and use the hand controller to keep the star in the crosshairs. This is how it was done until auto guiders became available and are ideal for the really long exposures. If your mount is well polar aligned or better yet - drift aligned and you have a good Pec training run you will find that manual guiding becomes quite easy without a lot of adjustments. This is where the 80mm f/11.4 guide scope works well. Also cheap as there are used ones around.

So it's also cheap by comparison to an auto guider, plus a laptop, cables, software is usually free, power for the laptop for extended session etc.. Illuminated reticles are typically in the 9 to 12mm range. Many of us film users still guide manually and it's no big deal to go 45 minutes in one go. Yes, if the mount is dialed in you can look up or take a quick breather. You are not glued to the IR. Once the mount is tracking and IR on the crosshairs you normally have time to trip the dslr or do whatever you need to and simply go back and forth as required.

Do I use an auto guider? Yes, as many of my exposures are 90 to 120 minutes. I also run 2 to 3 film cameras on the mount and have a lot going on, but if I were back to using one scope or lens - then I would simply manually guide. Simple and fast. My guider is an older ST-4 with the ST-6 being more updated and becoming available as used equipment. It takes a bit of learning, time to set up and calibrate, and can be frustrating at times, but works exceptionally well when you get it going.

Using a laptop and guider is also no easy task. Just ask anyone what effort it took to really understand and get that guider working properly with the software, and when things go wrong...

igor

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ArmyAirForce

ArmyAirForce

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I guess there would be nothing stopping me from getting an ST80 and manual guiding until I can afford some form of auto-guiding set up. However, with the NEQ6 Pro, can the handset on the lowest speed setting be used smoothly enough to manually guide?

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FilmGuy

FilmGuy

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I guess there would be nothing stopping me from getting an ST80 and manual guiding until I can afford some form of auto-guiding set up. However, with the NEQ6 Pro, can the handset on the lowest speed setting be used smoothly enough to manually guide?

Yes - no problem. I did it for two seasons although with a longer f/11 scope. But the ST-80 should work fine as long as you barlow. I used two cheap barlows 2x each with a short scope when conditions were good. This gave more accurate guiding.

You need to learn not to chase the seeing, as with average conditions the star will bounce around quite a bit. You will adjust to keep up, only to find it suddenly back where you started. Practise when the moon is up. Once you get good at it - do a Pec training run, and turn Pec on with manual guiding - much easier tracking. Practise makes perfect and if you get good at it there is no reason that you cannot get perfect stars.

Just pay attention to what's happening with the guide star. Don't know if the software has a "guider" setting on the HC? Some actually lock out the Dec buttons from operating - only RA. If the guide star is climbing or dropping below the IR horizontal line then you know the mount is not well polar aligned. Every time you touch the Dec button - you are causing a tad of field rotation and depending upon how many times = eggs for stars. You can practise guiding with the Pete's link - and I strongly recommend you study it well. Good guiding on your decision. It's the Drift Simulator. http://www.petesastrophotography.com/index.html

igor

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ArmyAirForce

ArmyAirForce

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Thanks. I'm quite interested in having a go at manual guiding now, and an ST80, diagonal and reticule isn't too large an investment to get started. I've had a look at the guiding link too and it all seems straight forward, so I guess it's just a matter of practice, patience and building up to longer guiding times.

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Singlin

Singlin

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Attached are a couple of pictures showing my magnifier to have a better view of the Synguider lcd screen.

I purchased a square bottome soap dispenser.

Cut the top and bottom off it.

Cut a slit on either side at the top to slide a credit card magnifier through.

Flocked the inside of it.

Applied industrial male velcrow strips to the top and bottom edge of the Synguider viewing panel.

Applied two pieces of velcro to two opposite bottom edges of the soap dispenser.

The view is fantastic even when looking from 1 meter away.

The whole contraption just goes into my Accessories box at the end of the session

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post-19057-0-56064400-1345382755_thumb.j

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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I would rather perform my own dental extractions with Mole Grips than manually guide... Other lost arts include burning at the stake, using the Iron Maiden and pushing a peanut to the top of Pike's Peak with your nose... :grin:

Olly

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FilmGuy

FilmGuy

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I would rather perform my own dental extractions with Mole Grips than manually guide... Other lost arts include burning at the stake, using the Iron Maiden and pushing a peanut to the top of Pike's Peak with your nose... :grin:

Olly

I almost got to Pike's Peak but the peanut wore out just before I reached the top. Burning a steak on the barbecue is my favourite past time.

It was many years ago when I was there - going up was one thing - coming back down with brake fade was another matter.

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FilmGuy

FilmGuy

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I've done my own dentistry ( really! ), so manual guiding should be easy.

You can drive that jeep around - and change gears manually, you should be able to guide. Burning at the stake was not an art - it was a past time. Monty Python proved that.
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FilmGuy

FilmGuy

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I've done my own dentistry ( really! ), so manual guiding should be easy.

That is a very interesting hobby site there. Visiting often - and great stuff. I'd love to do the RC thing. More later.
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