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What is your workflow?


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Right guys I need help. What is the order everyone does every thing. I need somebody who images with a goto mount and guides. What order do I do everything? This is my guess 

-Polar alignment using built in polar scope

-Set location and time on the hand controller 

-slew to target

-open phd and do drift alignment 

-start guiding 

-Start imageing 

 

Is that the correct way to do this. Any info is appreciated.  

 

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I use an AVX mount and my process (having first set up telescope/cameras/laptop/dew heaters etc) is:

Do PA using Polemaster

2 star alignment

Focus imaging camera on bright star near target using Bahtinov mask and BYE

Slew to target and take image(s) to get framing right

Open PHD and take darks then start guiding process - check guiding graph to ensure good guiding - use guiding assistant if improvement needed. Open PHD lab.

Take sample image to check on histogram etc

Start imaging run

Check images - check PHD Lab - check PHD graphs - check cables etc etc

Peter

 

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Hi.

With my limited experience I likewise polar align with the built-in polar scope (I also take care to level the mount although some feel this is not necessary).

I use Cartes du Ciel on the PC with EQMOD to control the mount so no need to input time and location via the hand controller.

I connect the cameras in SGPro so they are starting to cool.

I slew to a target - via a small number of alignment points which are confirmed in CdC and passed to EQMOD.

I calibrate PHD so I am ready to guide - I don't drift align. I rely on taking care with the initial PA and so far my guiding has been <0.8" RMS.

I use plate solving in SGPro so the target will be correctly positioned in the field of view.

I spend far too long trying to ensure both scopes are focussed.

I set up the image acquisition sequence in SGPro and set it all off - and hope for the best!

Then the clouds roll in :(

Enjoy :)

 

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Setup 

Polar align

Balance scope (important) 

Set time and date on handset (date must be in American format so month, day, year)

Do a 2 star alignment (try to choose stars that are close-ish to your intended target. This will increase your goto accuracy) 

Fine tune focus with a bahtinov mask on the 2nd chosen star)

Slew to target 

Take test shots for accuracy and focus.

Start phd2 and calibrate then wait around 5 mins for guiding to settle in. 

Make any adjustments to phd2 settings of needed. 

Start imaging. But remembering to keep checking every so often to ensure no clouds, wires getting caught, guiding is good, focus hasn't changed or focuser hasn't slipped. 

With my guide scope I have it slightly out of focus, this will help phd2 not start tracking on any hot pixels. 

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This is the order of things for me:

Setup tripod - take care it is level

Polar align using EQMod polar align feature + polar scope

Mount scope and all accessories and do balance - at this point I make sure sensor is roughly in RA - horizontal position.

Slew to bright star, do rough focus, and then adjust OTA in RA and DEC to bring star as close to the center of frame as possible - if camera is oriented in RA horizontal (or vertical) - this is pretty easy, except one must be careful to precise move scope and predict motion due to tightening of RA/DEC brakes

Then I park to home position, fire up SGP and star cooling camera.

Next is casual model near target - slew to bright star - adjust position if needed to center it in frame, add point to model - sometimes I build 3 star model, sometimes I just add one star if I'm going to image bright target that can be seen in single 1 minute sub.

Next is PHD2 dark library, PHD2 calibration - I do this near the equator (one digit DEC is enough - like 3-5 degs DEC).

Up to this point camera should be cool, I slew to target, rotate frame if there is need (I usually shoot with RA horizontal), do precise focusing, and then I start guiding / sequence.

Next is carefully watching guide graph, biting fingernails, checking each frame for focus shift due to changing temperature, possibly pausing sequence and then doing - stop guide, refocus, realign frame (some time changing focus can move scope - I don't have very light touch it seems), start guiding, continue sequence.

At the end, I go to home position and take flats (if filter change is planed then I take flats, change filter, and repeat process from slewing to target, precise focusing ....)

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I have no possibility of any kind of permanent set-up, which means I have to set up from scratch every time.  But I am getting better - now it takes around 24 minutes.  I have to:
Move the mount outside
Attach counter-weights
Attach scope, guide scope, cameras, focuser, dew heaters, cables
Switch on power
Balance scope
Polar align
Start and connect software (Cartes du Ciel, Temma driver, Astrotortilla, Maxim, Focusmax, Maxpilote, PHD, (having had to establish which com ports actually work)
Align scope roughly at target
Re-balance 
Take scope tube caps off (I often forget this…)
Focus
Align scope precisely to target using Astrotortilla
Check one 30 to 60 second binned shot to make sure everything correct, 
Get PHD calibrated and guiding
While PHD calibrates, set pre-arranged sequence using Maxpilote

Start imaging

Go to the pub. 
 

Chris

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All of the above are great.

Personally for imaging I only ever plate solve, I don't do any alignment other than careful PA.  Once you solve and sync it sets the alignment in CdC anyway.

One thing I learned the hard way was to get rough focus before you balance the dec axis.  If you close your focuser after the session and don't set it back to somewhere near the focus point before focusing, perhaps using the measurement scale, it can make quite a difference to the balance when it extends.

Other than this I do same as most, although I do get my camera cooling fairly early on as I have it on a 10 minute cool down, and with plate solving setting up doesn't take very long at all.

I always leave PHD calibration and guiding until last, just before I'm ready to start my sequence, but I'm one of the fortunate ones who doesn't seem to have any issues with it. 

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