EQ ASCOM navigation tips

[8324689]

Good morning would anyone have any tips or links for manually navigating using the N S E W in ASCOM ?

 

There must be a logical  good way of doing it I've searched and can't find anything. 

 

when I'm trying to get a star in the reticule of sharp cap it takes me a long time - there must be a simpler way understanding the movements.  

 

Thanks

[alacant]

23 minutes ago, 8324689 said:

manually navigating using the N S E W

Hi

My immediate reaction was to say 'plate solve' but I then saw 'manually'.

Before I discoveded the above, I made sure that the guide telescope was well aligned with the main telescope, slewed to the target and then used a keypad's 2 4 6 8 keys to centre first in the former at say x64 and then finer adjustments, maybe x4 at the main telescope. Orient the keypad so as to mimic the moves when you press the keys. The slew rate can also be changed at the keypad.

As you can see, I packed my keypad away some years ago. When you've tried plate solving, you never go back!

Cheers and HTH

Edited April 23, 2020 by alacant

[8324689]

Thanks for this so usually I plate solveand polar align in sharp cap

Because I do not have a finder or telrad I'm finding it really difficult to make sure I'm looking at what I think I am looking at. 

I would use the reticle in sharp cap but it takes me ages to get it into the centre. 

 

Hopefully tonight if I can get out early I can use Venus. But it is still fishing in the dark. 

I have ordered a dual finder shoe so I can have my guidecam and finder. 

 

Please advise! And thanks 

 

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by 8324689

[alacant]

2 minutes ago, 8324689 said:

I plate solve

Ah, OK. So after you have solved and synchronized with the actual fov, you should then have have the option of slewing to and centering your target; no need for a finder.

Sorry, I don't use sharpcap so can't help with other than a general description.

 

[8324689]

Thanks so Stellarium will just know exactly where I am after plate solve? ? 

 

[8324689]

I suppose I should platesolve using my DSLR as my guidescope and DSLR or not aligned together

[alacant]

2 minutes ago, 8324689 said:

I should platesolve using my DSLR

DSLR attached to main telescope, yes. No need for the guide telescope to be aligned.

[8324689]

That is a ginormous penny drop!!! 

 

Thank you !!!! 

[8324689]

Does anyone want to buy a dual finder shoe !? 😂😭

[alacant]

3 minutes ago, 8324689 said:

ginormous penny drop

LOL, yeah. I can see now where you're coming from.

Hopefully things just got a lot easier:)

Cheers

[8324689]

Sorry  just to be clear  -will Stellarium just know exactly where I am after plate solve? ? 

 

will sharpcap talk to Stellarium and say Scope1 is in x position ? 

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Only if you've installed the full Ascom package and the individual applications are all talking to each other & the mount....

[8324689]

1 minute ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

Only if you've installed the full Ascom package and the individual applications are all talking to each other & the mount....

Thanks

 

Ok so I have ASCOM platform installed and SC and Stellarium .

Sync and slew seemed to work last night even though I didn't fully understand as above. 

 

So should be good !? 

Just trying to be as prepared as possible for tonight

 

Thanks again 

[Dr_Ju_ju]

Hopefully you are running the latest version of Stellarium 20.01,   push F2 to open the Configuration window, then select plug-ins, toward the bottom of the list is the "Telescope Control" plug-in.

Under options put a tick in 'Load at startup', click on configure, but if nothing happens re-start Stellarium. After you click on configure, a 'Telescopes' window will open, where you then click on Add, where you can then select Ascom under 'Telescope Controlled by:'  scrolling down the lower window to Ascom settings, click 'Choose Ascom Telescope' then select your Ascom telescope port, after clicking OK you should then be able to 'Connect' to your mount....

This will then allow Stellarium to drive your mount to wherever you want....

[8324689]

thanks for this yes I've been able to do all that it's just whether the plate solving in sharpcap talks under the hood to stellarium 

[8324689]

I think I will be good! Thank you

[8324689]

Good morning,

I plate solved last night with Sharpcap.

 

Starting in the direction of Polaris then shifted RA 90 degrees - got excellent alignment and then undid the clutch back to home/Polarisish direction - got excellent polar alignment with dslr. 

 

Earlier in the same session I did the same and tried to slew to Pollux but scope went to an incorrect, almost directly looking overhead, place. 

 

From then on Stellarium would think the Scope was at Pollux  but it was not  it was pointed at north/polaris......

 

I then checked in Cartes Du Ciel and the same thing happened. Physical scope @north and CDC thinking it was at Pollux

I had tried restarting ASCOM and it seemed a bit better

 

My sequence generally was 

Everything closed -> Open ASCOM Toolbox -> Open Sharpcap and Polar Align -> Open Stellarium

 

Opening EQASCOM Run seems to always get in an infinite loop trying to open but never does.... I just access what I need through ~Toolbox (windows 10).... Latest versions of all software 

 

Thanks!

 

Edited April 25, 2020 by 8324689

[8324689]

After that I messed with the COM setting and now the Mount is not recognised 😑. Im sure Ill fix this though....

Edited April 25, 2020 by 8324689

[alacant]

11 hours ago, 8324689 said:

Starting in the direction of Polaris then shifted RA 90 degrees - got excellent alignment

Good. So now eqmod knows exactly where the telescope is pointing.

 

11 hours ago, 8324689 said:

then undid the clutch back to home/Polarisish direction

Now eqmod has no idea where the telescope is pointing...

???

 

[8324689]

Errrr ......yes you are totally right of course

I'll try slewing from there 

 

Thanks again 

[alacant]

37 minutes ago, 8324689 said:

I'll try slewing from there

Yep. HEQ5: once the clutches are tightened, they STAY tightened until you tear down.

Use the setting circles to set the Polaris -home- position so you don't have to fiddle each time. One solve near your target should be fine for alignment.

Cheers

[8324689]

3 minutes ago, alacant said:

 

Use the setting circles to set the Polaris -home- position so you don't have to fiddle each time. One solve near your target should be fine for alignment.

Cheers

I'm sorry just to be clear - as far I know I just thought I put the mount facing north.  10 plate solve.  move it 90 degrees plate solve. 

I did not think I was supposed to necessarily see Polaris in home position

 

[Dr_Ju_ju]

No, you face the mount north and then Polar Align, this is basically a mechanical process that aligns the mount to NCP (North Celestial Pole), when complete, you 'lock up' the mount with weights down and the OTA pointing toward Polaris, note it won't be exact.

You then connect all the software and devices together e.g. Stellarium\CDC, Sharpcap etc. if you've got everything configured properly, you can then drive the mount using CDC\Stellarium then within Sharpcap, assuming you've configured Plate Solving (not sure it can), whatever you do don't undo any clutches....

[alacant]

2 hours ago, 8324689 said:

10 plate solve.

?

Point the telescope toward polaris with the couterweights down. Lock the clutches and polar align the mount. Do not release the clutches again until you have finished imaging.

Plate solve somewhere near your target. Now plate solve again to centre your target. Most software will do this last stage for you.

HTH

 

 

[8324689]

Ok so I did not know I had to install all all sky plate solver. But I have now. 

there is still a large offset between where the telescope thinks it is in stellarium and where actually is in ASCOM. 

 

Pls see photo