Polar Alignment Using Syscan Handset

[Tinker1947]

Nice bright Moon, hazy cloud on and off so i figure play with the Polar Alignment using the pick a star in handset option, so Sirius low in the east centred it as per the handset instructions, it then slewed about a bit, i then had to re-centre using the T-Bolt (bendy bolts) got it back in the EP, then the same the using the 2 Knobs this then gave a result of....

MEL 000.00.12

MEZ 000.00.15

Is this good bad needs doing again or ok for  a NEQ6....does seem easy to do just every thing was getting a coating of frost so may be another go tomorrow....if needed..

[JamesF]

I'd say that's not too bad.  I might want it better for long exposure imaging, but otherwise I'd probably be fairly happy.  Quite possibly you'd need drift alignment to get anything significantly better.

James

[Christopher Davenport]

Hmm I should give this a try. Where do you get the mel mez reading from after the align?

[JamesF]

Hmm I should give this a try. Where do you get the mel mez reading from after the align?

It should show you after the alignment is completed.

James

[Tinker1947]

The MEL,MEZ pop up after its finished....

to use the PA in the handset you need to do a 2 or 3 star align first other wise i wasn't getting the option to do it....i also had to do a 1 star align when it finished to get the GoTo a Star option to work....

[PhotoGav]

As far as I understand it and managed to suss out with my heq5, you need to do a fresh three star align and see what MEL & MEZ alignment error is after that to see how successful the polar align was.

It sort of works, but I never managed to get a really good alignment. I managed up to about 180s subs that were usable.

These days I have the laptop connected to the mount through the handset and use EQMod for an initial polar alignment, which, when I position polaris in a particular point in the little circle of the polar scope, gives a very good alignment. I then use Alignmaster to get an even more accurate alignment. To be fair I then guide with PHD and have no trouble with 1200s subs and haven't tried unguided, so I don't know how long I would manage unguided.

Hope that helps, but for sure, if you want to take pics, connect up and get guiding!

[Christopher Davenport]

As far as I understand it and managed to suss out with my heq5, you need to do a fresh three star align and see what MEL & MEZ alignment error is after that to see how successful the polar align was.

It sort of works, but I never managed to get a really good alignment. I managed up to about 180s subs that were usable.

These days I have the laptop connected to the mount through the handset and use EQMod for an initial polar alignment, which, when I position polaris in a particular point in the little circle of the polar scope, gives a very good alignment. I then use Alignmaster to get an even more accurate alignment. To be fair I then guide with PHD and have no trouble with 1200s subs and haven't tried unguided, so I don't know how long I would manage unguided.

Hope that helps, but for sure, if you want to take pics, connect up and get guiding!

Thanks for this, my Laptop is almost always connected to my mount.

I was thinking of using Metaguide to polar align, just have not got around to learning how yet.

Then I will use it to guide once I get to grips with it as it has more options than PHG.

I find PHG, does not work with my cam? I must be doing something wrong.

Anyway thanks for the tips.

[PhotoGav]

Ooo, don't know Metaguide, will have to have a look. As for PHD not working... Is the cam the QHY5-L? I use a QHY5-II and it works fine with PHD, so must just be a setting or driver or something. What happens / goes wrong when you try to use it?

[Christopher Davenport]

It is the same cam as yours (Full name is QHY5L II) I just leave the II off

I only really gave PHD 5min of time then gave up when it would not connect to my cam.

You right I probably need to install all the drivers for the cam.

Metaguide came on the disc with the cam and I installed it first.  

I have downloaded the newest version from here.

Metaguide has many features though which I like:

Tell you what the seeing is.

Focus - with FHWM.

Drifting for polar alignment.

Star Stacking for guiding.

Allows you to record PEC.

Lots of stuff I want to do and all in one place.

[PhotoGav]

Sounds good.

The way I have it set up is:

Installed all drivers from the disk

Plugged in camera and it loads up drivers a & b and eventually says new hardware is ready for use

I use cartes du ciel connected to heq5 with EQMod through the synscan handset (set to PC Direct mode)

The qhy5 is connected to computer with USB and from camera to mount guide port with st4 cable

Open up PHD

Set guiding to 'from camera' can't remember the exact text, but it's something like that

Click the camera button, select qhy5 from the list

Click the connect to mount button in PHD

Click the loop button and an image appears on screen

Adjust exposure and gamma to get best image

Click on a suitable star and start the whole guiding set up process

Machine whirs away and eventually says that it's guiding...

I did have to change one setting in the brain icon (click and change before connections to camera etc) it was the calibration time in ms. I changed to 2500. That's because I'm using a 9x50 finder scope and the wide FOV needs to move more to register the movement in PHD.

As for the other bits you want to do, focus, pec, polar alignment etc... I use a Bahtinov mask and live view for focus, eqmod for polar align followed by Alignmaster for increased accuracy polar alignment, pec - haven't felt the need to do this yet as guiding works really well without it. A value for the viewing would be interesting, but it's the pic results that matter rather than the value!!!

What camera do you use for imaging?

[Christopher Davenport]

I was using a unmodded 350d with limited success as my 127Mak is F11, so I could only get very short exposures and needed to stack many images without much success.

Sold the 350d and am looking at a 600d astro mod camera.  Was it difficult to self mod? (I have built PC's, but can't soilder.)

Subsequently I have purchased a 80ED with flattener and set-up a finder guider with QHY5, very similar to your setup.  (although I only have a EQ5)

While I save / decide on a camera, I have been keeping busy with some planetary / lunar imaging with the QHY5 and my 127Mak @ F22.

Taking the time to learn proper polar alignment and trying to teach myself how to guide.

[PhotoGav]

Excellent, you'll love the 80ED. The only problem is the weather...!

It was scary more than difficult to mod the 60D. If you've tinkered with the innards of a PC, I'm sure you are more than capable, there's no soldering, or at least not with the 60D. Just keep all the screws well documented and secure! I'm really pleased with the results now, compared to pre-mod. I still yearn for an Atik 460ex though... I'm saving up... The noise with a DSLR is annoying to say the least.

Good luck with the continuing journey!

[PhotoGav]

Forgot to add... Don't spend too much time trying to get massively accurate polar alignment. Use the time to get guiding working. You will need fairly good polar alignment for guiding, around a minute off seems to be fine, it certainly doesn't need to be absolutely perfect. And I really recommend using the PC to do it - I'm finding that EQMod is getting me really good close polar alignment just on its own.

[jambouk]

Whatever the Mel and Max errors are reported on the handset, the proof is in he pudding of how well the mount tracks something. I am not convinced the Mel and Maz errors are totally accurate.

James

[Christopher Davenport]

Excellent, you'll love the 80ED. The only problem is the weather...!

It was scary more than difficult to mod the 60D. If you've tinkered with the innards of a PC, I'm sure you are more than capable, there's no soldering, or at least not with the 60D. Just keep all the screws well documented and secure! I'm really pleased with the results now, compared to pre-mod. I still yearn for an Atik 460ex though... I'm saving up... The noise with a DSLR is annoying to say the least.

Good luck with the continuing journey!

Thanks mate,

I am loving my 80ED, it just seems to be a able to slice through and give such clear views, even when you up the focal length for visual.

I am still toying with the idea of a used 600d on ebay and self modding, versus http://cheapastrophotography.vpweb.co.uk/ with a baader filter for day time.

If I self mod, I might cool my EOS with a Peltier, some good tutorials on-line.

The Atik 460 is just way out of my price range, I am saving for something more like the QHY8L http://www.modernastronomy.com/camerasQHY.htm

But this will have to wait for the renovations on the house to complete.

Unless of cause I get a bonus at work and get half of it in Cash and then ...

[PhotoGav]

We can dream...

I've heard good things about cheapastrophotography, so could be a good option. What kind of price are 600Ds available for on ebay? If cheap enough, definitely worth doing the mod yourself.

Please share the peltier mod sites!

[Christopher Davenport]

To stay on the original topic, i have been playing with the EQMOD polar align function and I have found the settings on the synscan for polar.

@Photogav

Currently put a cheeky offer in on a 600d body for £200 (Usually £250 + £50 on lens). Cheap astro does his mods for £60 and £20 postage. I know it will be a challenge to do myself.  Just been watching the Youtube vids looks a bit scary!

The is this cheap dirty peltier mod  http://www.markshelley.co.uk/Astronomy/Projects/canon350peltier.html

or you can build a box or buy one http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p4824_Geoptik-Peltierkuehlung-fuer-Canon-EOS-Kameras-ohne-Umbau.html

biggest problem is regulating the peltier to a set temp with a fluctuating ambient.

@ James - The peltier project is the type of thing I am sure you must have toyed with / researched?