SPC900 vs. QHY5 for guiding

[atmenterprises]

After not being able to find any guide stars last night with my SPC900 (not LX modded), I was curious if anyone has had any experience with the QHY5 and how it performs against the SPC900 with guiding? Is it more sensitive?

I'm not talented enough to do the LX mod on my SPC900 but it's been a great planetary cam as-is. Just need to figure out an upgrade path so I can guide successfully with PHD.

[rfdesigner]

The QHY will be more sensitive. however, lets try and get you a guide star on your SPC900 first.

The trick is to point the guidescope at a VERY bright star. Then make sure you're focussed. When you're out of focus the stars can be so bloated and dim you won't be able to see them at all, so you need a bright one the first time.

Having picked up the dim out of focus disk of something like Sirius.. then you can bring that to focus. Once you've got focus, then you can go hunting for guide stars where you want to image.

Derek

[lukebl]

The QHY is a lot more sensitive than the webcam as you can do longer exposures, and has a larger sensor and field of view from which to choose stars. However, I successfully used a webcam for guiding a long time before I got my QHY5. It just takes a bit of patience to find a suitable star, and you need to be able to adjust the position of the guidescope (i.e. by having it in adjustable guidescope rings) to increase the chances of finding a star.

[Rustysplit]

I am using a lifecam cinema hd in a finderguider with PHD and so far it has worked a treat, and this is in far from perfectly dark skies. As Derek says, focus is the limiting factor. Get that nailed and you should be fine. I for one am glad I did not shell out big bucks on a qhy5 or similar.

[kirkster501]

QHY5 is very sensitive and idiot proof. Even I sussed it out I tried SPC900 guiding and gave up with it in frustration - I could never seem to find a star with it although others seem to get it to work. All the same, ever since I got my QHY5 I have never looked back. Highly recommended for guiding.

[Bizibilder]

I also used an SPC900 for my first guiding attempts with success, i'm glad to say - the problem is finding a bright enough star to guide with (and focus). The QHY5 has solved that as i have yet to not find a guide star in the fov.

[IanL]

I have guided successfully with a non LX webcam. That was using an f/10 SCT as the guidescope with a piggyback DSLR and lens for imaging.

It can be done but your choice of guidestars is limited to very bright ones. Probably spent 30 mins an image getting one. You would do better with a faster f-ratio scope but still limited choice.

Since moving to a QHY5 and an ST80 (fast scope) finding a guidestar is not a consideration. Just point and shoot.

[Aenima]

I'm hoping to use my 9x50 finder with a spc880 as the cam, though at this point its still just a 'hoping to' situation.

This is mainly due to the weight factor of my mount and the cost factor of the qhy5 type cams.

I was wondering if you'd made any progress with your set-up and could give any feedback as to the spc900 as a guidescope camera?

Regards

Aenima

[atmenterprises]

I'm hoping to use my 9x50 finder with a spc880 as the cam, though at this point its still just a 'hoping to' situation.

This is mainly due to the weight factor of my mount and the cost factor of the qhy5 type cams.

I was wondering if you'd made any progress with your set-up and could give any feedback as to the spc900 as a guidescope camera?

Regards

Aenima

Last night was the first clear night I'd had in a week or more, so have not had the opportunity yet. I didn't even bother to drag the web cam out last night. But I'm going to try a suggestion made earlier in this thread to point the guide scope at a bright star and get focus with the SPC900 then hold focus while pointing to an area of the sky I want to image and see if any stars can be found as guides.

[edjrgibbs]

Thought I'd revive this as I've recently traded my SPC880/900 in and bought a QHY5. They are incomparable in terms of sensitivity as far as I'm concerned. The QHY5 is amazing where as I struggled with the SPC. I am however having significant issues with PHD and calibration. One more thing to work on. Pitty that guidedog doesn't support the QHY5 as controversially I much prefer it. Simple, quick, easy...