New G2-8300 and other bits and bobs

[kirkster501]

Hi all, I gave up with the QSI idea as they are no longer available new and they are rarer than hen's teeth on the used market from anyone reliable and so I bought a Moravian G2-8300 + Astrodon LRGBHa (3mm) +OAG + Lodestar x2.  Got it all set up and working and capturing 100 x 20 minute darks at -30C.  I am also awaiting an adapter that Ian King has sourced to allow it to connect my FSQ85 + reducer at the correct distance.  I am aware of some issues that folks like @gnomus and others have had with the FSQ and the bigger CCD chips.  This was never an issue to me even at F3.9 with the Atik 460 but it will remain to be seen what it is like with the bigger 8300 chip.  I know Sara's is fine so fingers crossed.  I am hoping that I don't have to get a new focuser like Barry had to do.

I must commend Ian King for the amount of time he spent with me over the QSI and now the G2-8300.  He was never pushy for sales and even recommended me NOT to get stuff.  A top guy is Ian in my experience.

My scopes and mount are all over the Obs floor at the minute as I am re-rigging the USB and power and remounting the capture PC on top of the FSQ85 and I have not had much time to do that now it's dark at night. So hoping I don't miss too many clear nights.  Hopefully will have something set up tomorrow.

The build quality of the Moravian surpassed my expectations, it is a really nice piece of kit.  There was something about this camera before I bought it that I thought a bit "lower" than the QSI, a bit more Mickey Mouse than the "proper" QSI that I originally wanted and budgeted for.   However, now I have seen and felt the Moravian and started to use it, I was very wrong in that assumption; it is very well machined and the electronics build quality and attention to detail is superb. Let's hope the software is as good but so far, 20 hours into dark capture, no issues at all. The cooling at -30C has not missed a beat. One observation is the darks appear to be noisier than the Atik 460 chip but, eh, that's what darks are for.  Hence me taking so many of them to make a master dark.  A process that i will repeat every six months or so.

The SIPS software also looks excellent and very powerful.  I may look into this further. It appears to do Autofocus, plate solving, dithering and other stuff too.  I am getting increasingly frustrated with SGP lately and its freezes and hangs.

Quick question please guys?  With its mechanical shutter, how do I do a "live view" on a remote TV aerial etc so as to get the both the G2-8300 and the Lodestar focused please?

 

[swag72]

Good to hear that you got the Moravian and are happy with it. For focus I just run frame and focus in SGP.

My Moravian us currently boxed up and booked for a courier back to the Czech Republic for an clean to the underside of the sensor glass where I have a large smear that is affecting my image. Looks like it didn't like the 12 months in a box!!

Ill speak with Ian about the adapter he's doing as I'm not entirely sure I have mine right.