Polemaster on a Star Adventurer

[daveangie0110]

Hi All,

 

Please help, i have just purchased a Polemaster to be used on my Star Adventurer can anyone with this setup please give me a idiots guide on how to set the polemaster up and get it tracking.

The way i set up my Star Adventurer now, is i do a rough polar alignment then i attach the L bracket then the camera, then i move the camera to roughly where i want to image in the sky, i then do a proper polar aligment, then i fine tune position of my camera, but as you are well aware everytime you want to image something different you have to loosen the clutch and move the camera to a new position and this normally knocks it out of alignment.

Can some one tell me when setting up the Star Adventurer with the Polemaster should i go straight in and do the polar alignment first then attach my camera then position my camera on what i want to image ? 

Thanks

[Aidan]

I have only just got myt Star Adventurer, but have been using Polemaster on my larger mount for a while now.   I've managed to do one PA so far on my SA setup due to weather at the moment, next clear night will be my first attempt at actual imaging.

Alot will depend on your tripod, but i would suggest that you get your camera lined up with your target as much as you can before doing a Polar Alignment with the PM.    In my case i am using a Manfrotto 55 aluminium tripod and although quite stable, if i can avoid moving too much anything on the mount after a PM then it can only help.

As long as you are careful, you should be able to move the camera around to a new target without disturbing the PA too much.   

Rgds

Aidan

 

[SteveNickolls]

Hi,

I haven't a PoleMaster for polar alignment but use the polar scope that came with the SA mount and I'd advise polar aligning with your camera already attached to the mount so you don't knock or move the mount out of alignment when fitting the camera in the dark. A good tripod to hold the mount and equipment is essential. I never got on with the supplied wedge and prefer instead to mount my SA on a spare Celestron heavy duty alt-az tripod as it is then so easy to use the tripod controls to position Polaris quickly and accurately. Incidentally I've never had a problem subsequently adjusting the ball head holding the camera to point in the direction I want to image. With a ball head arrangement you don't have to loosen or tighten the mount clutch.

Good luck experimenting.

Cheers,
Steve

[Davey-T]

I shouldn't have thought you needed a Polemaster for the SWSA given the capabilities of the mount re focal length and imaging time the built in polar scope is perfectly able to achieve a good enough PA , I can do 30 secs at 300mm f/4 to 15mins at 24mm at f/2.4 with mine.

Dave

[daveangie0110]

Hi, I use my old Nexstar 6SE Tripod as it is very stable, I use the L bracket for my star adventurer as it has the conecter on it for the polemaster, but what I don't know is if I should polar align it first without anything on it or should I put the camera on the L bracket roughly get it into position on what I want to image the polar align it using the polemaster.

[Aidan]

Load up your Star Adventurer with the imaging camera, its lens etc.. Then do a Polemaster Alignment.    Doing it this way will minimise any addtional movement you have to do to the imaging camera.  

[Davey-T]

Have you tried using the built in polar scope ? I think the best thing about the SWSA is the fact you can just grab and go imaging with no laptop or other stuff, just set it up level PA it with the camera attached and off you go, the batteries last forever so no power pack needed.

If you leave the illuminator in position you can check that Polaris is tracking round the circle and tweak it if not.

Dave

[Jkulin]

I use my polemaster on my SA when travelling and for widefield imaging.

Set everything up including plugging in your laptop, follow the prompts exactly as per the polemaster software, its a bit tricky as you have to manual slacken the clutch, but if you don't tighten it tight then you can undo it without moving the tripod.

Last month I was 30 miles south of Le Mans in France with perfect dark skies, I took the liberty of pushing it a little too far at 7 1/2 minutes unguided and got tiny trails but I reckon if I would have kept it to 3-5 minutes then the very tiny trails would not have been visible.

The attached was taken at ISO160, F2.8 for 450s on my Nikon D800 and Samyang 14mm lens, if you zoom in you'll see what I mean which I feel is not bad considering it was unguided for 7 1/2 minutes on a light weight carbon tripod in the middle of a windy field.

[Jkulin]

When I mean set everything up I mean everything including the L Bracket, camera, polemaster, laptop, everything and then start the QHY Polemaster software and connect, make sure you are perfectly level and point as near as dammit to North, once connected set Polaris in the centre of your screen and follow the prompts, its dead easy as long as you don't knock the tripod and anything else, make sure switch it on after alignment to the star on the dial.

Oh and make sure you have fresh batteries and they don't run out half way through like mine did and I had to leave everything in the field and walk back to the Gite.

Edited July 13, 2017 by Jkulin

[daveangie0110]

4 minutes ago, Jkulin said:

When I mean set everything up I mean everything including the L Bracket, camera, polemaster, laptop, everything and then start the QHY Polemaster software and connect, make sure you are perfectly level and point as near as dammit to North, once connected set Polaris in the centre of your screen and follow the prompts, its dead easy as long as you don't knock the tripod and anything else, make sure switch it on after alignment to the star on the dial.

Oh and make sure you have fresh batteries and they don't run out half way through like mine did and I had to leave everything in the field and walk back to the Gite.

Thanks, once it's polar aligned I will have to undo the clutch and move the camera so I can image a certain part of the sky then re- tighten the clutch but won't this know the alignment out ?

[Davey-T]

Depends how wobbly your tripod is, you're aligning the polar axis not the camera.

Dave

[Jkulin]

No prior to polar alignment I aim my camera via the ball head on the tripod into the area I want to image, I've only used it for the MW and not with a long lens or scope for DSO etc. so can't comment how easy it is to align very finely.

I don't touch the clutch at all once polar aligned and just swivel the ball head with the camera attached if I need to align or position my camera better.

I remotely fire the shutter using Backyardnikon so that I don't inadvertently knock the alignment.

Hope that helps?

[daveangie0110]

4 minutes ago, Jkulin said:

No prior to polar alignment I aim my camera via the ball head on the tripod into the area I want to image, I've only used it for the MW and not with a long lens or scope for DSO etc. so can't comment how easy it is to align very finely.

I don't touch the clutch at all once polar aligned and just swivel the ball head with the camera attached if I need to align or position my camera better.

I remotely fire the shutter using Backyardnikon so that I don't inadvertently knock the alignment.

Hope that helps?

Thanks for this, I will be using the L bracket0

[Alien 13]

The key to stability with the SA and lightweight tripod is to keep it low to the ground, this is easy if your camera has a flip out screen and you have a right angled camera viewfinder you can hold against the polarscope,  tethering and using Polemaster would also let you keep it low. The addition of a camera ball head used with the L bracket is very useful for framing wide field shots.

Alan

[woldsweather]

I have a Polemaster I use with my EQ35PRO mount. I have just got a Star Adventure. I didn't think the POlemastrer fit this? The hole in the mount is too small?