Autoguider and Guide Scope

[Stub Mandrel]

I've made my own guidescope, only time will tell if it works. 50 x 136mm, primarily for use with a 130P-DS (580mm effective FL with CC)

 

[Yearofthegoat]

44 minutes ago, carastro said:

I know nothing about statistics, I just do what works.  The skywatcher finderscope on your 150PDS will work OK as a guidescope, I had one and that's what i used.  No need to buy a guidescope and worry about how to mount it.  Just need a guide camera and the relevant  finderguider adapter.

My 150PDS came with a 6x30 finder - but I read elsewhere on here it isn't suitable for guiding. Also, I couldn't find an adapter to attach a camera anyway.

[carastro]

Oh gosh, no, I didn't realise it came with a 6 x 30 finder.  

I must admit I use my SW finderguider from another scope because it already had the camera fitted.  But in any case the foot size is the same, so if you can get hold of a 9 x 50 SW finderscope that can be used as a finderguider, nice and light, cheap and no problems mounting it. 

Carole 

 

 

Edited May 8, 2017 by carastro

[Stub Mandrel]

Astroboot has some 9x50 finders

[Gerry Casa Christiana]

4 hours ago, carastro said:

I know nothing about statistics, I just do what works.  The skywatcher finderscope on your 150PDS will work OK as a guidescope, I had one and that's what i used.  No need to buy a guidescope and worry about how to mount it.  Just need a guide camera and the relevant  finderguider adapter.  

If FLO can't help I know a retailer who does them but as they are Sponsors of this site I should not post up another retailer.  

Image I did with it.  Bright stars are a bit squiffy as the focusser protruded into the  tube too much as it was the 150P version.  N.B.  These are 900sec subs, so you can see the guiding was OK. 

Carole 

Yes your absolutely right I just had trouble getting the adapter as mine is 30mm in diameter. 

Thats a great picture. What is it? I wouldn't mind trying that myself but it looks like you used h alpha and sii? I don't have any filters like that yet. 

Gerry 

[SonnyE]

Beautiful Image Carol!

I can only hope to achieve such results. But I keep working at it.

[carastro]

It's Melotte 15, the centre of the Heart Nebula and yes is it narrowband.   You can image it in broadband too, though not so sure if it is so defined in LRGB.

Carole 

 

 

[ollypenrice]

When using the Skywatcher finderscope as a guider, what do you do about the single spring loaded 'finger' which works in opposition to the two nylon alignment screws? This is a nifty arrangement for making a finder easy to align but it's the last thing you want on a guidescope, which needs to be rigidly mounted to avoid differential flexure.

Olly

 

[Stub Mandrel]

51 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

When using the Skywatcher finderscope as a guider, what do you do about the single spring loaded 'finger' which works in opposition to the two nylon alignment screws? This is a nifty arrangement for making a finder easy to align but it's the last thing you want on a guidescope, which needs to be rigidly mounted to avoid differential flexure.

Olly

 

Substitute a stronger spring. The spring itself isn't the issue as long as it is strong enough to always overcome the weight of the guidescope - once you have added on the extra weight of teh camera.

[ollypenrice]

21 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Substitute a stronger spring. The spring itself isn't the issue as long as it is strong enough to always overcome the weight of the guidescope - once you have added on the extra weight of teh camera.

Hmmm, spring loaded guidescope?  Not for me. Didn't they make a version without the spring?

Olly

[spillage]

I would use araldite or poxy resin. Think that would stop any movement. 

[Stub Mandrel]

4 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

Hmmm, spring loaded guidescope?  Not for me. Didn't they make a version without the spring?

Olly

Obviously not an engineer ;-)

Two rigid supports and a sprung one are potentially more reliable than three rigid supports in this application.

If there is no give in the system at all, temperature changes could potentially allow the guidescope to come loose, whilst a suitably stiff spring would guarantee to keep it secure against the two fixed points.

[ollypenrice]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Obviously not an engineer ;-)

Two rigid supports and a sprung one are potentially more reliable than three rigid supports in this application.

If there is no give in the system at all, temperature changes could potentially allow the guidescope to come loose, whilst a suitably stiff spring would guarantee to keep it secure against the two fixed points.

Not an engineer by profession but I don't use guide rings either, for the reasons you imply. I use fixed tube rings, bolted down hard.

Olly

[Gerry Casa Christiana]

Just to say to all that last night I auto guided for the first time. I do have to be honest though and say it took me 3 hours to work with PHD2 and then the line graph jumped over all the place. Not sure if it was right but I managed 4 subs of 420 seconds of the Markarian Chain and the stars seem perfect. Hopefully it's right. The only problem I have now is meteorites! Anyway I hope that guiding is not always going to be long winded. Thanks for all the help. If you know of the settings for PHD2  let me know. 

 

Gerry 

[bobro]

12 minutes ago, Gerry Casa Christiana said:

The only problem I have now is meteorites!

Kappa Sigma Clipping stacking in DSS can take care of planes, satellites, meteorites etc - see my post of April 27th on page :

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/279039-the-eq3-dso-challenge/?page=13

 

[Gerry Casa Christiana]

Does that mean I need to choose Kappa Sigma Clipping for lights or just Bias and Darks?

 

Thanks 

 

Gerry

[Stub Mandrel]

25 minutes ago, Gerry Casa Christiana said:

Does that mean I need to choose Kappa Sigma Clipping for lights or just Bias and Darks?

 

Thanks 

 

Gerry

Use it for lights only, unless you have a lot of bias/dark frames.

[SonnyE]

On 5/17/2017 at 10:36, Gerry Casa Christiana said:

Just to say to all that last night I auto guided for the first time. I do have to be honest though and say it took me 3 hours to work with PHD2 and then the line graph jumped over all the place. Not sure if it was right but I managed 4 subs of 420 seconds of the Markarian Chain and the stars seem perfect. Hopefully it's right. The only problem I have now is meteorites! Anyway I hope that guiding is not always going to be long winded. Thanks for all the help. If you know of the settings for PHD2  let me know. 

 

Gerry 

It does get faster as you become more confident in your mount. You are learning each time. Tiny steps, small adjustments as you go along.

I'm usually up and running in 30 minutes or less. That is with a 2 Star alignment + 4 more calibration stars. 6 Stars has worked very well for me all along. (Celestron AVX mount) I go the extra mile for the assurance I've done as much as I can to eliminate human error.

The graph in PHD2 can be "adjusted" with the x, y, and Settings. One of the first things I look at in a PHD post is what somebody has those settings at. With an x = 400, and a y = 16, anybody can get a 'flat line'. But it's BS.

The bitty-bobbity, boo, is reference. A steadier more bulls-eye in the target window tells me more.

But even with jittery indications, great images can be gathered. The proof in the pudding is how long an image can be gotten with fairly round stars.

Just be patient, and do the best that you can do. Sometimes I have spent my entire time working at the alignment. Doing over and over, learning.

If I can do it, anybody can. (19 ea - 600 second images. Comet Johnson C/2015 V2)

 

[gutaker]

@Gerry Casa Christiana How did you manage to mount the miniGuideScope onto the 150/750 tube? Have you replaced your finderscope? I've just ordered a combo QHY miniGuiderScope and QHY5L-II-M and would like to get some knowledge before I get it?

Thanks!

[Stub Mandrel]

On 20/05/2017 at 16:30, SonnyE said:

The graph in PHD2 can be "adjusted" with the x, y, and Settings. One of the first things I look at in a PHD post is what somebody has those settings at. With an x = 400, and a y = 16, anybody can get a 'flat line'. But it's BS.

You can also make great guiding look crap by setting Y=4 🙂