Recommendations for standalone/remote imaging?

[Thalestris24]

Hi Gazers!

After quite a long hiatus, I may be back in the game! Having settled in a new (to me) flat I'm looking at possibilities for astro imaging again (I miss it!). Unfortunately, I'm still on the second floor, now have double glazing, and am even nearer to the brightly lit city centre, as well as having lots of local artificial light   On the plus side, there's a possibility of carrying my EQ3 Pro downstairs and it might be possible to set up at the back of the flats.  I won't know until I try, and that will only happen if there's ever a clear night! I'd still only have a limited view of the sky which would be roughly WNW to nearly North. Again, on the plus side, I'd be able to see most of the Meridian/Zenith. On the downside, no Horizon - buildings all around. So not ideal, but at least it would be outside. I don't know if I'll actually be able to see Cassiopeia / the pole star - I'll probably still be limited to brighter stars cos of the light pollution. Next time it's clear I'll pop out and have a look and see what I can see. So Polar aligning may be a problem though it never stopped me before! 

Sooo... I'm thinking in terms of setting up standalone i.e. with a dslr/without a computer or, maybe, remotely via wifi. I think the mount would be in the region of 35-50 feet away from my living room or could be a bit closer from the kitchen I've looked at the Synscan wifi module - could work, but I'm not sure about running up and down the stairs to keep an eye on things. Any thoughts on that? Also looked at the Staraid Revolution B. On the face of it, it would do a lot of the functions I'd need - albeit at a price! Might be worth it, though. Not sure what view of the sky it needs - anyone know, had experience? I'd also need a lightweight battery. I've powered the EQ3 with a Chinese DC1298a '9800mAh' battery before. I still have a couple of but not sure whether they can still hold a decent charge. One seemed to charge ok, the other charged a bit too quick... I'll try them out when I get a minute. They are only about 250g each and were quite cheap when I bought them in 2014/15, but they're a lot more expensive now... So I could be looking for an alternative lightweight, but hopefully rugged, 12V battery   This mobility scooter battery is only 1.5kg and looks like it would last longer than me! https://ecotreelithium.co.uk/product/12v-12ah/ Thoughts?

Thanks for any responses

Louise

[Zermelo]

Louise, I'm not competent to offer advice on your imaging questions, but it's good to see you online again and I hope you find a solution that lets you carry on in your new environment.

Edited March 27 by Zermelo

[bomberbaz]

16 minutes ago, Thalestris24 said:

Hi Gazers!

After quite a long hiatus, I may be back in the game! Having settled in a new (to me) flat I'm looking at possibilities for astro imaging again (I miss it!). Unfortunately, I'm still on the second floor, now have double glazing, and am even nearer to the brightly lit city centre, as well as having lots of local artificial light   On the plus side, there's a possibility of carrying my EQ3 Pro downstairs and it might be possible to set up at the back of the flats.  I won't know until I try, and that will only happen if there's ever a clear night! I'd still only have a limited view of the sky which would be roughly WNW to nearly North. Again, on the plus side, I'd be able to see most of the Meridian/Zenith. On the downside, no Horizon - buildings all around. So not ideal, but at least it would be outside. I don't know if I'll actually be able to see Cassiopeia / the pole star - I'll probably still be limited to brighter stars cos of the light pollution. Next time it's clear I'll pop out and have a look and see what I can see. So Polar aligning may be a problem though it never stopped me before! 

Sooo... I'm thinking in terms of setting up standalone i.e. with a dslr/without a computer or, maybe, remotely via wifi. I think the mount would be in the region of 35-50 feet away from my living room or could be a bit closer from the kitchen I've looked at the Synscan wifi module - could work, but I'm not sure about running up and down the stairs to keep an eye on things. Any thoughts on that? Also looked at the Staraid Revolution B. On the face of it, it would do a lot of the functions I'd need - albeit at a price! Might be worth it, though. Not sure what view of the sky it needs - anyone know, had experience? I'd also need a lightweight battery. I've powered the EQ3 with a Chinese DC1298a '9800mAh' battery before. I still have a couple of but not sure whether they can still hold a decent charge. One seemed to charge ok, the other charged a bit too quick... I'll try them out when I get a minute. They are only about 250g each and were quite cheap when I bought them in 2014/15, but they're a lot more expensive now... So I could be looking for an alternative lightweight, but hopefully rugged, 12V battery   This mobility scooter battery is only 1.5kg and looks like it would last longer than me! https://ecotreelithium.co.uk/product/12v-12ah/ Thoughts?

Thanks for any responses

Louise

I use one of these Celestron Lithium 13.2 Ah LiFePO4 Powertank Pro | First Light Optics not cheap but holds a lot of juice and is reasonably lightweight at 2kg.

I am now using a 150p quattro, hem15 atop a skywatcher tripod Sky-Watcher Tripod for Star Adventurer | First Light Optics with asi air and ZWO cameras and can carry the whole set up out as one. Not sure I would like to carry it all downstairs though.

The tripod is very light so I put the powerbank on the utility tray to add stability.  Using this setup I track circa 0.6-0.8.

Not sure whether any of this is suitable to your needs but there as an idea.

Edited March 27 by bomberbaz

[Alan White]

Welcome back Louise, the bug never lets us escape, astro is in the blood.
Super to see you in a new location and champing at the bit to get set up, good on you.

I too am not knowledgeable on the dark arts of imaging, so unable to comment, sorry.

[Thalestris24]

5 minutes ago, bomberbaz said:

I use one of these Celestron Lithium 13.2 Ah LiFePO4 Powertank Pro | First Light Optics not cheap but holds a lot of juice and is reasonably lightweight at 2kg.

I am now using a 150p quattro, hem15 atop a skywatcher tripod Sky-Watcher Tripod for Star Adventurer | First Light Optics with asi air and ZWO cameras and can carry the whole set up out as one. Not sure I would like to carry it all downstairs though.

The tripod is very light so I put the powerbank on the utility tray to add stability.  Using this setup I track circa 0.6-0.8.

Not sure whether any of this is suitable to your needs but there as an idea.

Hi Steve

Thanks for the info. Not sure how you run a Quattro on a tripod?? - I must be missing something... The asi air is pricey compared to the Synscan WiFi and your battery seems overpriced compared to the one I was looking at! My eq3 pro is just about manageable for little old me! I dug it out of the cupboard the other day and set it up with a dslr and Samyang 500mm f8 lens (slow...) in the kitchen. I can't do anything with it there apart from a dummy alignment and checking it's tracking ok.  I've also got a Takumar F4 300mm on another canon dslr which is lightweight and might be quite good. 

Cheers

Louise

[carastro]

Great to see you back Louise.  I live in a very LP location and find Narrowband works well.  However this may be beyond your costs.  

I am wondering whether one of these new Smart telescopes might be your answer.   I have been watching members of my society with the Dwarf 11 & Seestar Telescopes.  They are getting some reasonable results. 

Several are taking them abroad with them.  

Pros:

Built in camera, finds your target, polar aligns itself not sure if it needs polaris. 

Light.  

Cons: 

Maximum exposure length 15 secs.  

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/zwo-seestar-s50-all-in-one-smart-apo-telescope-tripod.html

https://dwarflab.com/en-gb/products/dwarf-2-smart-telescope

Edited March 27 by carastro

[Thalestris24]

35 minutes ago, bomberbaz said:

I use one of these Celestron Lithium 13.2 Ah LiFePO4 Powertank Pro | First Light Optics not cheap but holds a lot of juice and is reasonably lightweight at 2kg.

I am now using a 150p quattro, hem15 atop a skywatcher tripod Sky-Watcher Tripod for Star Adventurer | First Light Optics with asi air and ZWO cameras and can carry the whole set up out as one. Not sure I would like to carry it all downstairs though.

The tripod is very light so I put the powerbank on the utility tray to add stability.  Using this setup I track circa 0.6-0.8.

Not sure whether any of this is suitable to your needs but there as an idea.

The pic helps! But what mount is that? How does it work? It looks a big load on something small...

Here is my little EQ3 Pro on custom aluminium legs, with Canon 550d and mirror lens, and, down below, the little blue battery and the 300mm Takumar on another Canon : Of course, I still have the heq5 pro but it's much too heavy for me.

 

[Thalestris24]

4 minutes ago, carastro said:

Great to see you back Louise.  I live in a very LP location and find Narrowband works well.  However this may be beyond your costs.  

I am wondering whether one of these new Smart telescopes might be your answer.   I have been watching members of my society with the Dwarf 11 & Seestar Telescopes.  They are getting some reasonable results. 

Several are taking them abroad with them.  

Pros:

Built in camera, finds your target, polar aligns itself not sure if it needs polaris. 

Light.  

Cons: 

Maximum exposure length 15 secs.  

Hi Carol - you're still here! Great! I have narrowband filters etc but don't know whether I'll be able to manage long enough exposures. Just posted a pic of the old EQ3 Pro. I can fit a single filter inside the Canon/ Takumar. It's all one step at a time at the moment. Can I get a basic remote  system up and running and guiding? This is the first step

Louise

[carastro]

Fingers crossed. 

[bomberbaz]

20 hours ago, Thalestris24 said:

The pic helps! But what mount is that? How does it work? It looks a big load on something small...

 

It's a HEM15 louise, very capable little mount which carries quite a good weight with no need for counterweights. iOptron HEM15 Hybrid Harmonic Drive Equatorial GoTo Mount (without iPolar) | First Light Optics The lack of needing a counterweight up to 8kg I think is one of the things that really attracted me to it, Down side, pricey compared to eg EQ3 but it suits my purposes.

[Thalestris24]

4 minutes ago, bomberbaz said:

It's a HEM15 louise, very capable little mount which carries quite a good weight with no need for counterweights. iOptron HEM15 Hybrid Harmonic Drive Equatorial GoTo Mount (without iPolar) | First Light Optics The lack of needing a counterweight up to 8kg I think is one of the things that really attracted me to it, Down side, pricey compared to eg EQ3 but it suits my purposes.

Ah right, I didn't understand your original post as I'd never heard of it! It looks a neat, lightweight package, - relatively portable, especially compared to my heq5 pro which I struggle to pick up even on its own. Price isn't too bad, considering. I'm contemplating buying a StarAid Rev B standalone autoguider which is priced around £800... However, Flo says it's 'unavailable' so not sure what the situation is with it. It doesn't seem to be a 'big seller'. Maybe there's an alternative out there?

Louise

[Elp]

49 minutes ago, Thalestris24 said:

alternative

Zwo Am3 would be the equivalent, Am5 for larger payload. Ioptron do larger ones hem27, their HAE have harmonic drives on both axis like the zwo ones (so no balancing in both Ra and Dec required), higher up the budget you've got Rainbow RST which has been on the market for years before HD flooded the market, Pegasus NYX and the new player on the market Warp Astron with their servo HD drives WD17 and WD20.

Once you've used a HD mount, you'll wonder why you ever bothered with a traditional EQ mount, especially if you need to carry it out and back in.

Edited March 28 by Elp

[Thalestris24]

25 minutes ago, Elp said:

Zwo Am3 would be the equivalent, Am5 for larger payload. Ioptron do larger ones hem27, their HAE have harmonic drives on both axis like the zwo ones (so no balancing in both Ra and Dec required), higher up the budget you've got Rainbow RST which has been on the market for years before HD flooded the market, Pegasus NYX and the new player on the market Warp Astron with their servo HD drives WD17 and WD20.

Once you've used a HD mount, you'll wonder why you ever bothered with a traditional EQ mount, especially if you need to carry it out and back in.

The AM3 is expensive! But I'm not in the market for either! I'm more interested in any equivalent for the StarAid which FLO says has been 'discontinued'. They didn't say if that means just discontinued by FLO, or discontinued by the maker,

 

Louise

Edited March 28 by Thalestris24

[Elp]

13 minutes ago, Thalestris24 said:

StarAid

There's one available (customer return). And you think the mounts expensive? You can achieve similar with a camera and computer controller either pc or on board computer.

30mm guidescope £50,

Zwo 120mm guidecam 150 odd,

Zwo asiair mini 215 odd.

All the above put together, also much cheaper if buying used, you'll also need 12v power either battery or a mains adaptor. No PC required, control via app. Note an Asiair is only compatible with zwo products barring the mount which they support a lot of brands.

If you don't want to use an Asiair you can source a raspberry pi 4 or 5 and load astroberry (free) or Stellarmate (paid) onto it for even less outlay.

Edited March 28 by Elp

[Thalestris24]

39 minutes ago, Elp said:

There's one available (customer return). And you think the mounts expensive? You can achieve similar with a camera and computer controller either pc or on board computer.

30mm guidescope £50,

Zwo 120mm guidecam 150 odd,

Zwo asiair mini 215 odd.

All the above put together, also much cheaper if buying used, you'll also need 12v power either battery or a mains adaptor. No PC required, control via app. Note an Asiair is only compatible with zwo products barring the mount which they support a lot of brands.

If you don't want to use an Asiair you can source a raspberry pi 4 or 5 and load astroberry (free) or Stellarmate (paid) onto it for even less outlay.

The ASI mount is quite a bit more expensive compared to  the Ioptron one that Steve has and posted about - that's all I was comparing to. Yes, FLO is advertising and also mentioned they had a return going at a discount in their reply, but I don't want to buy something that's discontinued. Ideally I'd like a standalone setup that will work with my EQ3 pro and portable, and which partly automates a lot of functions. I'm an old lady so can't carry much - do read my op, it explains where I'm at. I might try the Synscan WiFi - at least it's quite cheap so if it doesn't pan out, it's not much to lose. I just set up the EQ3 pro with the 300mm F4 Takumar, Canon DSLR and qhy miniguider with an Altair Astro GPCam. I need to be able to control everything remotely from my 2nd floor flat i.e. via wifi or, ideally, change it to be standalone.

Louise

[Elp]

You could test out APT or NINA and see if it works for you. If it does you can then use a mini pc mounted on the rig and connect to it over WiFi.

I've been using asiairs for over four years having tried astroberry previously. It took all the faff out of setting up and automation I can concentrate on acquiring images. I can also control it from an upstairs room with my phone (again I wanted it simple, no traditional computer).

Whatever you decide, go for what works for you as there's multiple ways of doing it.

The mount, I know, I went for a hem15 over an am3 as couldn't justify the additional 500 or so.

[Thalestris24]

19 minutes ago, Elp said:

You could test out APT or NINA and see if it works for you. If it does you can then use a mini pc mounted on the rig and connect to it over WiFi.

I've been using asiairs for over four years having tried astroberry previously. It took all the faff out of setting up and automation I can concentrate on acquiring images. I can also control it from an upstairs room with my phone (again I wanted it simple, no traditional computer).

Whatever you decide, go for what works for you as there's multiple ways of doing it.

The mount, I know, I went for a hem15 over an am3 as couldn't justify the additional 500 or so.

I used to use APT but then switched to Sharpcap. At the moment I don't know if wifi will work between my flat and downstairs, and outside. I think I'll I'll try the Synscan wifi module first as it's cheap and is a low power device. If it has to be remote then setup will be a bit of  faffing around (polar alignment etc.) though, as I say, I'd prefer standalone if I can get it! It's mainly about not having to carry too much down two flights of stairs, through the security door and then back up again. I really want a single journey to take everything. I'll just have to try things and see, I suppose.

Louise

[AstroMuni]

Louise, if you want the luxury of sitting in your room and imaging on a low budget then the RPi is the way to go. You can purchase an RPi for less than £100 and get either a free build such as Astroarch (astroberry has stopped providing updates hence didnt recommend) or Stellarmate ($59) which comes with an app to run on your phone or tablet. If you dont have a computer I would suggest getting a tablet and connecting to the RPi with browser. Its possible to do this with a phone but I find the screen is too small. I use the HEQ5 pro with the RPI and have been using this combo for a few years now.

[Elp]

2 minutes ago, Thalestris24 said:

I really want a single journey to take everything

This is one of the reasons I've kept my setups so they fit into one bag, tripod in hand. Totally understand. It's so frustrating at times I might even consider a ZWO Seestar for total hassle free imaging within it's limitations.

[Thalestris24]

4 minutes ago, AstroMuni said:

Louise, if you want the luxury of sitting in your room and imaging on a low budget then the RPi is the way to go. You can purchase an RPi for less than £100 and get either a free build such as Astroarch (astroberry has stopped providing updates hence didnt recommend) or Stellarmate ($59) which comes with an app to run on your phone or tablet. If you dont have a computer I would suggest getting a tablet and connecting to the RPi with browser. Its possible to do this with a phone but I find the screen is too small. I use the HEQ5 pro with the RPI and have been using this combo for a few years now.

Thanks, but I've got too many computers already!

[Thalestris24]

6 minutes ago, Elp said:

This is one of the reasons I've kept my setups so they fit into one bag, tripod in hand. Totally understand. It's so frustrating at times I might even consider a ZWO Seestar for total hassle free imaging within it's limitations.

I've previously spent a ton of money and years trying to image through an open window. Had some success but it was very limiting. Now that I've moved there is a small possibility of carrying a limited amount of stuff downstairs. It might still not work very well for me but  I'll give it a go.

Louise

[Ags]

Welcome back Louise! It might not be what you are looking for exactly, but I recently invested in an ultra portable setup based on the HEM15 and AsiAir Mini. Both are really impressive and the Air would be my recommendation for armchair imaging. Coupled with a small scope and guidescope and a lightweight tripod, the setup is an easy lift. The Air can do all sky polar aligning so you may not need Polaris.

[Thalestris24]

25 minutes ago, Ags said:

Welcome back Louise! It might not be what you are looking for exactly, but I recently invested in an ultra portable setup based on the HEM15 and AsiAir Mini. Both are really impressive and the Air would be my recommendation for armchair imaging. Coupled with a small scope and guidescope and a lightweight tripod, the setup is an easy lift. The Air can do all sky polar aligning so you may not need Polaris.

Hi Ags! Yeah both of those were mentioned above. The thing is I've already got so much equipment and I don't really want to add even more to the pile! I'm only in a 1 bed flat so don't have a lot of room. I really want to be able to use the eq3 pro (pictured above) which I can just about manage to carry. Having said that, I'll have to try and see if I can carry it down the stairs and back up again,,, If that's ok, and as I said, I think I might try the Synscan wifi first and see how I get on and if I can get reliable wifi communication ok.

Louise

Edited March 28 by Thalestris24

[bomberbaz]

7 hours ago, Thalestris24 said:

Hi Ags! Yeah both of those were mentioned above. The thing is I've already got so much equipment and I don't really want to add even more to the pile! I'm only in a 1 bed flat so don't have a lot of room. I really want to be able to use the eq3 pro (pictured above) which I can just about manage to carry. Having said that, I'll have to try and see if I can carry it down the stairs and back up again,,, If that's ok, and as I said, I think I might try the Synscan wifi first and see how I get on and if I can get reliable wifi communication ok.

Louise

have a spring clean out sale Louise, but first spend sone time figuring exactly what you want then gear yourself around it, I will give you my pre-requisites that led to my choices.

• Lightweight overall
• Able to carry good payload mount (without counterweights, refer to point one) and also lightweight itself (only 5kg)
• Reasonable aperture (150) and suitable for suitable for spectroscopy
• All in one system able to operate via tablet/phone
• Simple to operate

I am no expert, anything but however my setup allows me to do what would be unthinkable a few years back, especially to a novice such as I. Given what you say, I feel points one and two above should be of particular interest to yourself. Not sure about the rest but that was important to me.

Oh and my powertank is Lithium/Ion type, much better in cold weather and no charge memory issues.

Cheers

Steve

Edited March 29 by bomberbaz

[wimvb]

Nice to see you here again, Louise. After reading your op and some of the response, I'm still somewhat confused. You write that you're interested in the synscan wifi module to control your mount. With that a standalone autoguider. What will you use for camera control?

As an alternative to the Staraid, there are the Lacerta Mgen autoguider, the Skywatcher Synguider, and the Celestron Nexguide. (I have no personal experience with any of these, although I did look into the Lacerta many years ago.) The Lacerta is the more expensive option. Otoh it seems to have a better track record. It deserves to mention that it was the first autoguider to incorporate multi star guiding, even before PHD and Ekos.

There are other options for you. The easiest is the ASIAIR, but that is limited to certain equipment. Next are Stellarmate OS, and Astroberry. Both run off a Raspberry pi, and require a minimum of set up/tinkering.Any Raspberry Pi solution will require a 5V power source. StellarMate OS, including the app, costs about 50 $, while Astroberry is free, but lags in development. The StellarMate comes with an app that installs on an iPad or similar android device. Both can be used with a webreader such as chrome. There is also the StellarMate X, pre-installed on a fanless computer. This comes with internal power ports and dew heater outlets. Finally, you can have a small fanless pc, such as the Mele Quieter, with your setup, and run ASCOM on a windows machine.

The downside with all these solutions is that they require a stable wifi connection. Although, once you have set up your imaging sequence, they all run stand alone, if you want to. Of all the options mentioned, I only have experience with the StellarMate and Astroberry. Once set up, these systems just work, and keep on working, even if you lose the wifi connection.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited March 29 by wimvb