Advice on Asiair autoguiding

[Sterrenland]

Having recently bought a SW ED80 and a SW HEQ5 Pro mount I now want to get my autoguiding set up.

For autoguiding I'll be using the original Zwo Asiair with a Zwo ASI120MM Mini attached to a Zwo Miniscope finderscope. The main camera I'll be using is a Canon 650D.

I'm sure that once I've been through the procedure a few times it will seem like second nature, but just have a few questions:

1. Am I right that at the start of the session I just set up the mount and scope as usual and PA it roughly by eye using the built in polar scope? From reading various threads, etc. there seems no point doing a Synscan star alignment as the Asiair will be doing its own plate solving/PA.

2. Once the mount/scope are polar aligned and all the cables from the DSLR, autoguiding scope and mount are plugged in to the Asiair I can go ahead and switch everything on? After entering the scope/camera details into the relevant sections of the software I can then follow the instructions for PA and plate solving?

3. Do people tend to do away with the HEQ5 hand controller for their Asiair guided sessions? I've heard it complicates everything. What is the procedure for keeping the handset in the hardware chain?

4. Is it possible to select targets from within the Asiair software (albeit a reduced selection, say, compared with those offered through the handset) or do you definitely have to have Sky Safari installed?

5. To extend wi-fi range into the garden I'll probably have to use an electrical socket plug-in wi-fi extender. Are there any issues using these with an Asiair module?

 

Any help or advise for autoguiding for the first time would be very welcome. If anyone has a run down of the procedure they use that would be amazingly helpful. Thanks in advance.

[KEJ]

Hi

I just received my ASIAIR Pro yesterday, so had a quick setup and play in the kitchen.

1 That is also my understanding.

2 Again that is my intention.

3 Don't have one - unsure.

My setup is having the AZ-GTI mount (EQ-Mode) then using a guide scope/zwo camera(guide) and Nikon DSLR(imaging). 

When testing using the ZWO or the DSLR as a main/imaging camera, all pictures taken went through to the Apps, either on my iPhone or iPad(wifi).

4 I selected various objects from within the ASIAIR App and it all seemed to function correctly and move the mount and camera to the correct positions(approx as indoors/no polar alignment) and the DB (Database) in the App has more than enough objects for me(without using SkySafari) although I do also intend to try and configure that at a later date.

5 No experience myself, but I know other people have used them.

Sorry doesn't really help that much.

[Robindonne]

Well i use it some months now and all i know is when asiair is connected through the handcontroller, you need to do a standard polaralign, then 3 star alignment beforE asiair talks to your mount and your good to go(to).  This procedure is necessary to build a communication between the mount and the asiair (and perhaps skysafari if you have it, i can tell it works really great) 

Im waiting for an eqmod cable to arrive.  the eqmod cable replaces the cable that goes from asiair to the bottom of the handcontroller in the standards setup.

Unplug the handcontroller from the mount, dont need it anymore!

 When the Eqmod-connection is made direct from asiair To the handcontroller input (the input on the mount that says “handcontroller”), you can basically skip all the “Traditional” pa en star-alignment. 

When the eqmod connection is made, and the asiair settings are changed to “eqmod” then the communication works direct.  So no need to do a 3 star alignment before asiair speaks to the mount.  
 

asiar helps you do a polaralignment using the maincam.  And helps you do a staralignment by platesolving instead of aiming and aligning to 3 stars.  
 

oh and yes asiair has its own goto database.  You do need to be connected to a mount. After the connection you can choose a target, asiair slews to the target and checks if its centered by taking pictures.   
 

i do have problems sometimes when using my c8.  The fov is so small that platesolving wont work all the time

 

okay i just wrote in a translated way to realize the op has to translate back to the original language.  
 

succes ermee😉

Edited June 17, 2020 by Robindonne

[KEJ]

I have the EQ-Mode cable as well.........just need the weather to try it all out.

[KEJ]

I finally took mine out and it worked like a dream, I am really impressed with the ASIAIR Pro.

I took 21 X 3min exposures(Nikon D3300 crop camera), not up to the standards of some of the people of here, but I was pleased(Fig1).

In addition on the ZWO website, I found some information that enables SkySafari Plus to also work with the complete setup(Fig2) and I appreciate that the ASIAIR Pro has its own DB, but the SkySafari interface is quite nice and its another option.

 

Fig1(M51)

 

 

Fig2(SkySafari settings)

Edited June 29, 2020 by KEJ