Had enough

[Wirral man]

Going to sell the whole blooming lot sick of issues.......really getting on my nerves 

[RayD]

Just now, Wirral man said:

Going to sell the whole blooming lot sick of issues.......really getting on my nerves 

I feel like that almost daily, but when it works it is a total treat.  Bear with it mate, the imaging season is here, so hopefully it will all start to work.

[heliumstar]

What's wrong?

[upahill]

Hopefully someone can help fix the issues - feels like its part of the hobby sometimes doesn't it?

Worth the hassle in the end though when you get out and have the good nights Keep at it!

[Demonperformer]

Been there.

If you sell in the throes of frustration you will probably end up regretting it. At the very least, allow yourself time to get a bit of perspective.

As regards your issues, approach them methodically and don't try to solve everything in one go. Remember: what's hard by the yard is a cinch by the inch.

Now, let us help: What's the first problem?

[ollypenrice]

I've got to the point where I expect it all to work when I turn it on and it usually does. I'm useless with all things IT but I did reach that point - which means so can anyone.

Olly

[AstroNowt]

5 hours ago, Demonperformer said:

"Remember: what's hard by the yard is a cinch by the inch."

 

I think you are showing your age        

You need to be down with the kids with 'Whats murder by the metre is manageable by the millimetre"

[Wirral man]

Sorry guys I just blew my lid last night!!! I am using the apt beta 3.56.3 and thought it had the new auto meridan filp but from what others have said it doesn't yet ? However I cant get the scope to flip once ascom starts saying meridan limit reached then phd2 starts going off the wall, I issue a goto command but it just wont flip?

Plus last night I got setup and everything working perfectly then windows 10 decided to update itself, so setup yet again then clouds came in so waited until they cleared as soon as they do clear I get the meridan filp so packed up and went to bed...

[barkis]

I've been tolerant with myself for years now, kidding myself I'm just taking my time.
Most of my Issues are lack of knowledge, and the seemingly complicated bits of software that combine
to make this Imaging malarkey work. 

I thoroughly enjoyed observational Astronomy, and mostly away from home in freezing cold places
around the County.  However, joining SGL several years ago, 11 in fact, and becoming aware of the tremendous 
Images being produced by many of the forums members, both male and female, I started to get the bug.

To cut this long story down a bit, I ended up build my own ROR Observatory, and kitted it out with all that is required to
possibly emulate some of my peers on SGL, It was a long job, and putting the  necessary software in place, and coming to terms
with some of the vagaries that beset one when fiddling around with it, I have finally  beaten it into submission.

This winter season will hopefully give me a chance to celebrate by producing something that will give me some reward for 
the patience I've had over the  time I have spent with it all,  I've highlighted patience, because it really is a prime requirement
if one is to enjoy this way of life we call astronomy, both Imaging, and Observing,  because to my mind, that's what it is, a way of life,
not a 10 day trial, but a commitment.   

So don't you dare throw the towel in young man, Persevere, and with a bit of tenacity, and help from the many knowledgeable
members here, you will triumph. 
I will add a little to the above account of my reasons, I'm a lazy git too ?.

 

[Wirral man]

I wish I lived in a area where I can setup a permanent rig it would save a lot of hassle  but it's not a option for me as I dont want to wake up one morning to find all my gear missing, I think my best option is to try a different capture product ie sgp as apt is really frustrating me.

But I wont give in I will yet try again!!!

[Davey-T]

Don't expect everything to work every time as something will always suddenly decide to stop working for no reason when it worked OK previously.

Switch off WiFi if you don't need it while imaging and try out any new software in the daylight.

Dave

[heliumstar]

2 hours ago, Wirral man said:

Sorry guys I just blew my lid last night!!! I am using the apt beta 3.56.3 and thought it had the new auto meridan filp but from what others have said it doesn't yet ? However I cant get the scope to flip once ascom starts saying meridan limit reached then phd2 starts going off the wall, I issue a goto command but it just wont flip?

Plus last night I got setup and everything working perfectly then windows 10 decided to update itself, so setup yet again then clouds came in so waited until they cleared as soon as they do clear I get the meridan filp so packed up and went to bed...

Hey Wirral, update to Win Pro. Cheap on ebay. You'll decide when to update!

[tomato]

It's only a suggestion, but I would get a moral boost by picking an object that you can image on for 3-4 hrs without the meridian flip and any other stuff that makes it more complex than it needs to be.  Then you can process some data and produce an image, that is a real moral booster in my experience, even if it turns out to be less than perfect.

I also set up and take down each session, and my Western hemisphere is blocked off by a porch and a 3 storey townhouse, so even if I did meridian flip I can only image on for about another 30 mins or so, then I'm imaging guttering. I have been back into this lark since 2014, and have not felt the need yet to get to grips with an integrated software package, my priority is always "Get some data!"

 

Clear Skies

 

Steve

 

[ollypenrice]

Anything I can do manually I do manually. Focus, flip, framing. Since 99% of failures are due to software I find it makes sense.

Olly

[Macavity]

Lower the bar a bit? I find I am quite happy with "holiday snap" images
of DSOs. The fact that *someone else* can produce a masterpiece too.
Embrace your mediocity / failure? lol. As an idea, I think there are a LOT
of objects that rarely get imaged at all... You could be "one of the few"! ?

A blast from the past: "Computers should Work... People should Think"? ?

[Peter Drew]

I was fortunate to be born with two decent eyes. Good enough for my astronomy.    ?

[Adreneline]

3 hours ago, Wirral man said:

I think my best option is to try a different capture product ie sgp

Hi.

I use SGP and it is not totally devoid of problems but on the whole it is reliable once setup. I tried APT but I just couldn't get on with it.

I always meridian flip manully. I've found if my PA is good and I've gone through a 3-star alignment type process with CdC then when I flip I'm always very close to the target and a few jogs with EQMOD get me spot on. I compare with a pre-flip image (the 180 image flip button in SGP comes in very handy).

WIn10 updates can be a pain but to be fair (in the grand scheme of things) they don't happen that often.

For me the biggest frustration of all is clouds - where do they all come from?!

When the gods are against you and it all seems not worth the effort I find a good sized glass of Rioja does the trick!

HTH

Adrian

 

[geordie85]

4 hours ago, Davey-T said:

Don't expect everything to work every time as something will always suddenly decide to stop working for no reason when it worked OK previously.

Switch off WiFi if you don't need it while imaging and try out any new software in the daylight.

Dave

This is very true. Last night for me is a perfect example. I set up as I always do with all the same cables into the same ports and the same routine. But for some reason, eqmod would not connect to my mount. I tried uninstalling and re-installing. Changed the settings, deleted the INI files as suggested but nothing worked. 

Swapped my eqmod cables (I have 2 as it never hurts to have a spare) and hey presto, eqmod connected and away I go. 

Set up this afternoon to try and find the problem and the old cable connected first time without any problems. No updates have been done as I don't connect my imaging laptop to the Internet. 

 

[emyliano2000]

I feel your pain. Since I bought my 10" quattro all I get is headaches so whenever I'm planning to use it I have a box of nurofen plus by my side. ?

I nearly kicked into my neighbour's garden once.

Software wise, I've been lucky not to run into many problems.

 

[ollypenrice]

1 hour ago, emyliano2000 said:

I feel your pain. Since I bought my 10" quattro all I get is headaches so whenever I'm planning to use it I have a box of nurofen plus by my side. ?

I nearly kicked into my neighbour's garden once.

Software wise, I've been lucky not to run into many problems.

 

It should be made clear on the box that the Quattro is a kit.

Olly

[Stu Wilson]

On 19/10/2018 at 00:47, Wirral man said:

Going to sell the whole blooming lot sick of issues.......really getting on my nerves 

I was really like that 8 months ago.

Spent a fortune going down 2nd hand ccd route and camera turned out to be knackered..... after sending it to Hong Kong for repairs everything is brilliant.

At the time I was so disheartened but bear with it. Work out what's wrong and it'll come together ?

[michaelmorris]

I feel your pain.  It is especially frustrating when there so few clear nights. 

My experience has been that the majority of problems seem to relate to cables and hubs.  Invest in high quality cables (Lindy or Startech) and hubs and carry a complete set of spare cables and a spare USB hub as well.  It is also worth investing in an EQMOD cable that uses the new FTDI chip set as this avoids most of the problems with Windows re-assigning it to a new COM port. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-cables-leads-accessories/lynx-astro-ftdi-eqdir-usb-adapter-for-sky-watcher-eq5-pro-heq5-syntrek-pro-az-eq5-gt-az-eq6-gt-and-eq8-mounts.html

Also, it might worth investing in a can of ACF-50 to help reduce the risk of USB drop outs in damp conditions

 

[Galen Gilmore]

Yep, happens to the best of us.

Even when I manage to get some decent exposures, it usually amounts to nothing after stacking and processing.

[tooth_dr]

1 hour ago, Galen Gilmore said:

Yep, happens to the best of us.

Even when I manage to get some decent exposures, it usually amounts to nothing after stacking and processing.

So true.

[noah4x4]

I felt the same until I bought Hyperstar.

Now I no longer wrestle with an infernal wedge; no fiddly polar alignment; no need for guiding. I can produce in 20 seconds an image that takes six minutes without it. Fantastic FOV. What is there not to like?