Guiding question

[MylesGibson]

I'm going to start getting into guiding soon I hope. I use a Celestron AVX mount. If I have a guide scope and guide camera, can I just plug the camera into my PC and the ST4 guide port into the autoguider port on the AVX, then load up PHD2 and guide from there? Or do I need to connect the mount to the laptop too?

[teoria_del_big_bang]

If you are using the ST-4 cable connected from guide camera to mount then you do not need to connect mount to laptop. You can use the hand set to control the mount. 

Steve

[MylesGibson]

9 minutes ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

If you are using the ST-4 cable connected from guide camera to mount then you do not need to connect mount to laptop. You can use the hand set to control the mount. 

Steve

So I just need the guide camera connected to the laptop with PHD2 and the mount to the guide camera, then just control the mount like normal with the hand controller and let PDH2 do the guiding?

[teoria_del_big_bang]

Yes, if using the ST-4 cable between the camera and mount that will work. There are other methods to guide without the ST-4 cable that do require the mount to be connected but with the ST-4 cambe you do not.

You need to select the driver for the guide camera and also select "On Camera for the mount"

Not sure what guide camera you are using below shows a ZWO ASI camera.

With the camera selected, On Camera selected and none for aux mount click on connect next to camera - does it go from red to green ?

     TO    

Then click on connect next to Mount, 

Does that go from red to green ?

    TO    

If so then so far all is good and everything is connected.

For the ZWO cameras I have there seems to be two drivers you can use either an ASCOM driver or the ASI native driver that should be available as well.Both seem to work on mine. For other cameras may be the same I do not know.

And if you go to the very bottom of the list you should have:

Either seem to work on mine so no idea if one is better than the other.

Steve

 

[MylesGibson]

@teoria_del_big_bang thank you very much for that! I don't currently have the guide scope yet, but I have a ZWO ASI290MC that I'll be using for guiding. I'll make sure to follow this when I'm able to give it a try!