Celestron SCT 8" CG5 Mount Cannon 450D and Meade DSI 1 Setup

[prbirdo]

I am trying to piece my cheap as chips rig together to get some decent images. Ive aquired second hand over the past couple of years bit by bit.

Celestron 8* SCT with bobs knobs (good old bob)100 quid (Had to clean it up alot but the Optics are good.)

CG5 mount 200 quid of old scope. [Further reading has left me thinking this mount is quite limiting but I want to see what I can get out of it]

Cannon 450D unmodified with 120 quid (auto focus does not work.. not a problem) + Astronomik filter + APT software its brill!

Celetron Radial Guider 100 quid

Polar alignment scope

Bit of luck

I have been aligning the scope up and correting the motors slight deviations using the radial guider. My eye hurts.

Im planing to use a meade DSI 1 as an auto guide. But cannot find the best way to set this up. my initial plan is to attach the DSI to the Radial Guider inplace of the rectile eye peice. Will this work? . The mount does have an autoguide input.

I want to use PHD software.

[prbirdo]

Hers to answering my own questons http://www.celestronimages.com/details.php?image_id=9484

However How do I connect up my CG5 mount to PHD software? That is my big question.

[Yoddha]

Hi Prbirdo!

Thanks for the kind words for APT!

I don't have experience with Radial Guider... For the other question, take a look here

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/CG5/message/794

You have to use a serial cable like the one described here - http://www.nexstarsite.com/PCControl/RS232Cable.htm

Plus Serial->USB adapter and plus ASCOM driver.

Once you have all that you will be able to make connection to the mount in PHD. The connection to the DSI in PHD is easy These are the needed things to start the game named guiding

[prbirdo]

Heroic !!! Spot on, cheers