APT confusion

[nickarp2000]

Hi all just getting back into AP after around a 6 year break.
I have an ED80 Pro with field flattener ZWO OAG 21mm spacer and a main imaging camera Asi585mc and an original ASI120mm guider. All mounted on a Cem60 (non EC version).
Tested everything in daylight for connection and spacing and all was good with both cameras.
Using Apt but really struggling to get my head around it.
Polar aligned with i-polar.... All good
Now this where the issue starts.
I have ATP for platesolving and capture but really don't know what to initially set the 585mc to in order to focus properly. I just can't see anything on the screen!
Do I set it to Bulb and loop the sequences or is it another setting.
Once focus is achieved do I then go to a target and platesolve using goto++ system.
I am finding it's turning my brain into spaghetti at the moment and it's too dammed cold to be outside fiddling around with no real concept of the procedures.
Sorry for the long post but if you could just either give me some knowledge or point me to some info that would be great.
Thank you

[Aramcheck]

When you say you've tested it in daylight, presumably you have already got the scope into focus on a distant object?

Assuming that is the case then once polar aligned, and with the focuser at approx. the right distance, I take a short 5-10s exposure in bulb mode & adjust the histogram to show the stars. Then I adjust the focus sligthly & repeat until you've got it reasonably close - as you get closer to focus fainter stars around polaris will become visible & you use the zoom function to finte-tune.

Once it's very near focus I then go back to the full view, slew to a bright star and then use the GoTo++ system. I've found that using APT with ASTAP and blind solving is the quickest/most reliable. The GoTo++ will take exposures at whatever settings you have in camera section, so I tend to leave this at 10s.

After you've located the bright star, then you can refine the focus further with Bahtinov mask... (I don't use the APT Bahtinov Mask tool - just manually check & if need be reduce the exposure time to 1-2s... Don't forget to remove the mask afterwards though!)

I've been using APT since I started about 3 years ago. Since moving to WIndows 11 and replacing the DSLR with a dedicated astrocam (ZWO ASI2600 MCPRO) it's become a bit more unreliable.

Cheers
Ivor

[nickarp2000]

Thank you. Your workflow makes sense. I presume by your last comment that you have moved or are moving over to another program such as NINA? Which to me appears equally difficult ☺️. I need to do some serious studying! 

[bottletopburly]

Apt is really simple , most programs use ASTAP for platesolving, be aware Astap doesn’t like trailing stars so 4-6 sec exposures work better, make sure you set focal length in tools menu or Astap will not solve anything, try pointing at mars or Jupiter to find rough focus as if your out of focus you should be able to see some sort of shadow on screen so you can focus in on stars ,once focused hold shift and press Goto button in gear tab this brings a box up at bottom you can send mount to celestial equator then take an image and platesolve don’t solve near Polaris.