Synscan help!

[conspicuity]

Making slow progress (when the weather allows) but I still find getting the Synscan set up and guiding reliably a bit of a hassle and a lottery. It crosses my mind that using a second camera + laptop might have advantages. Does anyone have a view based on experience?

Thanks...

[freiform]

Hi, what do you mean by 2nd camera? How or why are you guiding with just one camera? What exactly do you want to accomplish? 

Normally, if you are guiding, you already have two cameras, one for capturing the desired object and one to make sure that your mount tracks properly (there are a few solutions that allow imaging and guiding with the same camera). 

Or do you mean simple tracking? What problems exactly are you experiencing? What equipment do you have? What do you do to set up your gear? 

Sven

[conspicuity]

Sven,

Thanks for the reply. Sorry I did not make myself clear.

Yes, I am using one camera to capture the image and the Synscan for guiding (and, to be absolutely clear, two scopes linked by a tangent mount, the whole on an equatorial mount that I have taken some trouble to polar align). I just find the Synscan rather flaky: difficult to get the focus right; the hand controller buttons are either unresponsive or over-sensitive; and the results are variable - it may stay locked on for 20 minutes and then become unstable. Setting up the imaging camera is a doddle by comparison, hence the idea that a second camera + PC for guiding might prove more viable. I don't like to solve problems by throwing money at them, but this might be an exception.

John C

[Cornelius Varley]

Do you mean the Skywatcher Synguider standalone guide camera ? Synscan is the brand name for Skywatcher's goto system.

[jambouk]

Synscan or synguider?

James

[jambouk]

Sorry, my last reply has only just registered, and CV has asked the same question.

James

[conspicuity]

Yes, I do mean the standalone guide camera. (can I put that one down to age?). It seemed like a sensible option....

Best guess: I need to be less impatient and persevere... but last time it took an age to get close to beginning an imaging session and then it clouded over   .

Thanks for your interest.

JC