Beginner help required with mounting ST80 on to 200P

[Whistlebare]

I need some advice...

I have a HEQ5 Pro mount with a 200P, I'd like to get into AP and I'm a little confused about setting up the ST80 / Webcam / Finderguider etc. I purchased a telrad so that I could adapt my 9x50 finderscope to fit my spc900 webcam to it and use it as a finderguider. One question though, why would i need a finderguider if my HEQ5 can track the movement of the stars? Is it so you can control it using a PC?

Also I have mounted the ST80 on top of the 200P via a 18" dovetail bar, do I put the telrad on the ST80 or the 200P and put the finderscope on the other ? I've weighed the OTA with the rings and attachements on and it comes to 12kg, do I need to add on the weight of the counterbalance weights too, so as to not exceed the max load of 18kg on the HEQ5?

Many thanks

[Whistlebare]

In addition to the above, will I need a longer counterbalance bar to achieve the correct balance? It seems that with this kit on the weights are not heavy enough to balance the scope even when te weights are slid to the end....

[WaveSoarer]

I must admit that I'm quite new to AP and I just use my EQ5 dual axis motors to track the object. It's a simple set up and reasoanbly self contained - no laptops or power cords just a set of batteries. Guiding, unlike tracking, is active. The guide camera images an adjacent bright star to the object of interest and the guide software adjusts both the DEC and RA motors so that the image of the star on the guide camera stays in the same location. In this way you can take much longer exposures, through your main telescope to which the guide camera is usually mounted, without worrying so much about the accuracy of your polar alignment or the tracking speed of the RA motor. It should all be corrected. I haven't used guiding but that's my understanding of it. If you're patient enough with setting up tracking then you can get some decent results without the extra expense of guiding but you wont achieve the same quality.

[Whistlebare]

I must admit that I'm quite new to AP and I just use my EQ5 dual axis motors to track the object. It's a simple set up and reasoanbly self contained - no laptops or power cords just a set of batteries. Guiding, unlike tracking, is active. The guide camera images an adjacent bright star to the object of interest and the guide software adjusts both the DEC and RA motors so that the image of the star on the guide camera stays in the same location. In this way you can take much longer exposures, through your main telescope to which the guide camera is usually mounted, without worrying so much about the accuracy of your polar alignment or the tracking speed of the RA motor. It should all be corrected. I haven't used guiding but that's my understanding of it. If you're patient enough with setting up tracking then you can get some decent results without the extra expense of guiding but you wont achieve the same quality.

Thanks for the info, my problem (like so many others) is that I have gone and bought all the bells and whisltes before learning the basics...The result is that you don't know where to start first !!

You any idea on the balancing of alll this kit? Will I need extra counter weights or just a longer bar?

[Freddie]

Hi, what are you using the ST80 for? If you are using a finder guider, is the ST80 for widefield? If so you are better off removing that as it is extra unwanted weight when using the 200P for imaging.

[Whistlebare]

Hi, what are you using the ST80 for? If you are using a finder guider, is the ST80 for widefield? If so you are better off removing that as it is extra unwanted weight when using the 200P for imaging.

Well I was going top use the ST80 for taking widefield pics and mod the finder with my spc900 as a guider. The spc900 could also be interchangable between finder/st80 and 200P for webcam images? When I can afford it I was going to get a QHY5 too...

Very new to all this so any help is appreciated

[Freddie]

If you are going to use a finder guider I would remove the ST80 when not in use as you don't want any unused extra weight on the mount.

You could just use the 200 and ST80. Use the ST80 to guide when using the 200 to image and the 200 to guide when using the ST80 to image. Whatever you decide to do, keep the weight down when imaging.

No need to guide when planetary imaging.

[The Sailor]

Heres a thread about that:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/174596-diy-st80-on-sw-200p/

Jim

[Whistlebare]

If you are going to use a finder guider I would remove the ST80 when not in use as you don't want any unused extra weight on the mount.

You could just use the 200 and ST80. Use the ST80 to guide when using the 200 to image and the 200 to guide when using the ST80 to image. Whatever you decide to do, keep the weight down when imaging.

No need to guide when planetary imaging.

Thanks Freddie, that makes sense...

[Whistlebare]

Heres a thread about that:

http://stargazerslou...t80-on-sw-200p/

Jim

I'll take a look, ta