3 More questions..

[Osiris777]

So anyone who saw my first light post is aware that I feel like I'm swimming in the deep end of the pool, with only you folks as my life preserver haha!

1) I tried, unsuccessfully last night to attempt using my guide scope for the first time.  I have the ASI120 and the WO 50mm guide scope (the red/white one with the connected dovetail and rotolock).  I put the camera in and tightened the rotolock, but realized I have no idea how much back focus and also as importantly where to measure back focus from.  The cam came with a couple extenders of varying size, and obviously I have quite a bit of distance the cam itself can travel while still staying attached.  When I connected to the comp, I got the drivers and had it running in phd (also my first time using PhD), I adjust the gain/brightness/whatever the word is, until it was light enough that I def should have seen some stars, and couldn't see any, so I assume I'm just incredibly out of focus.  Any help here?

2) Should I get a red dot/telrad/holographic site to put alongside or above somewhere to help with alignment? Or once I get the guide scope functioning will that work to help with alignment?  My problem is that after polar aligning, and I slew to a star for the first of the 3 star alignment, I can spend literally 20-30 minutes just guessing which direction the mount needs to go to find the target star as I can't see it in my live view on the camera.

3) I connected the cable from guide cam into mount, and then other end into comp.  I still had the hand controller connected, but when I opened PhD, it recognized the camera and mount.  I wasn't sure if something was messed up, since I assumed I'd need to plug the mount directly into the pc to recognize it? (I may be insane, but could it be recognizing it via the connection through the guide cam??)

Thanks for the help folks, I'm praying I have everything sorted out in time for the next new moon in a couple weeks!

[rickwayne]

1) Establish a rough guide-cam focus in daylight first,  either with a sheet of paper held behind the guide scope or just waving the guide cam back and forth. Then you'll have some idea where the camera's  sensor should lie.  You  can also do the fine focusing with the camera in daylight, probably easier than with stars though stars are perfect for the very last refinements.

2) Plate solving. I am saying, my dude. 🙂 Absent that, yes, an el cheapo red-dot sight is a real boon compared to looking at the  feed from your camera and trying to figure out WTF. If you upload an image to nova.astrometry.net (assuming that's  an option for you in the field), you can overlay an RA/DEC grid, get exact coordinates, and even see a map of where the frame lies in the sky.  Because PLATE SOLVING! Honest.

3) "The cable" -- are you using on-camera guiding (aka ST-4)? Is the cable one of the small phone-jack-connector types, RJ-11 or RJ-10 on each end? Your description is unclear to me, I'm afraid -- if  you connect a cable from guide cam to mount, that would appear to be two ends -- for most cables, that is in fact the maximum number of ends 🙂. So I'm not sure where the "other" end came from that  you plugged into the computer. You should know that there are two ways to connect guide cameras. One is to plug an ST-4 cable from the camera's dedicated guide port into the mount's dedicated guide port, and then have another connection from the mount to the computer. Another is to eschew  the camera/mount connection and have one USB  cable from the camera to the computer, and another USB or serial cable from the mount to the computer. The latter is usually called "pulse guiding" and is preferred, but certainly by no means mandatory or vastly  superior.

[Osiris777]

18 minutes ago, rickwayne said:

1) Establish a rough guide-cam focus in daylight first,  either with a sheet of paper held behind the guide scope or just waving the guide cam back and forth. Then you'll have some idea where the camera's  sensor should lie.  You  can also do the fine focusing with the camera in daylight, probably easier than with stars though stars are perfect for the very last refinements.

2) Plate solving. I am saying, my dude. 🙂 Absent that, yes, an el cheapo red-dot sight is a real boon compared to looking at the  feed from your camera and trying to figure out WTF. If you upload an image to nova.astrometry.net (assuming that's  an option for you in the field), you can overlay an RA/DEC grid, get exact coordinates, and even see a map of where the frame lies in the sky.  Because PLATE SOLVING! Honest.

3) "The cable" -- are you using on-camera guiding (aka ST-4)? Is the cable one of the small phone-jack-connector types, RJ-11 or RJ-10 on each end? Your description is unclear to me, I'm afraid -- if  you connect a cable from guide cam to mount, that would appear to be two ends -- for most cables, that is in fact the maximum number of ends 🙂. So I'm not sure where the "other" end came from that  you plugged into the computer. You should know that there are two ways to connect guide cameras. One is to plug an ST-4 cable from the camera's dedicated guide port into the mount's dedicated guide port, and then have another connection from the mount to the computer. Another is to eschew  the camera/mount connection and have one USB  cable from the camera to the computer, and another USB or serial cable from the mount to the computer. The latter is usually called "pulse guiding" and is preferred, but certainly by no means mandatory or vastly  superior.

1). I just realized whenever I was trying the guide cam in the daytime, I don't think I ever adjusted the exposure down... I assumed it was just "too bright" when I took the lens cap off and assumed it needed to be dark to use it DOH!🙈

2) Ok I think you are making this plate solving sound extremely attractive to me now lol

3) I just realized.. my brain must be mushing up from the weekend. "For most cables, that is in fact the max number of ends" LOL!  I believe I just had the USB-whatever that mini connector is into the guide cam connecting the cam > pc.  Then, a phone-jack type, RJ.... something?? that connected from cam guide port > mount guide port. Mount wasn't directly connected to PC at all, it just has the synscan controller.

 

[rickwayne]

If you have a gain control in the software for the guide cam, you can adjust that down too for use in the daylight (but remember to kick it back up for use at night --  ask me how I know 🙂

I've never  actually guided with ST-4 but yes, that does sound correct.