Synguider through Finderguider problems...

[simon84]

Hi Andy, if its any help when I had my ST4 and QHY6 the EP came to focus about 12mm further in from where the camera was, so you might be able to go backwards and focus the EP, wind the focuser out 12mm, set the ring and then swap out for the synguider and hopefully you should be somewhere close to focused with the synguider. Might be worth a try.

Everynight this year that has been clear and that I have managed to get outside in the garden something has happened that has stopped me in my tracks, this form continued last night as I sent the scope around to the double cluster, I then walked round to the EP and then promptly hit the deck because my two prolapsed discs decided it would be the right time to hurt me....lol. Ahwell.

Good luck with it though, I'm sure if you stick with it you will get the result your after.

[AndyUK]

(Psychobilly - I think I read somewhere on the web that there was already talk of a new version coming out with a screen on the handset as opposed to on the back of the cam itself(?)... but that might have just been hearsay... As I've got nothing else to compare this with (having had no previous experience of guiding whatsoever), I'm sure I'll get used to the GUI... (well, let's face it - I'll have to... or maybe I'll give SlySi84 1st grabs on a 2nd hand one )

SlySi84 - Thanks very much for the tip... To be honest, I've never tried using a parfocal ring before either (so this will be yet another first) but I'm pretty sure I understand the concept. I'm REALLY sorry to hear about your problems last night though - I hope you're doing something (seeing someone) about it?

[Psychobilly]

Pick a nice bright star to setup the parafocal EP and take your time doing it i find a 12 reticule EP is handy as it gives approximately twice the FOV of the Synguider and the inner reticule circle is roughly the same FOV...

Got bored so I am playing about on the lathe making an adaptor for the Celestron 8x50 after all...

Adaptors Finished ...

Set of Custom Guide Rings for it next I think...

Peter...

[dmahon]

How does anyone think the following products would work with the Synguider to guide an Equinox 80? I am considering that combination (the alternative is a QHY5, but at present I am leaning toward doing away with the laptop).

TS Optics 50mm Sucher & kompaktes Teleskop mit 1,25" Helical Auszug - geradsichtig

TS Optics 60mm Sucher & Großfeld Refraktor mit 2" Helical Auszug - geradsichtig

Pity that the attachment is not Vixen (Skywatcher compatable) however they do sell 50 and 60mm vixen compatable 6 point ring mounts seperately - for about £60!

[Psychobilly]

A Boring few hours in the Workshop...

Fine focus is using the adjustment on the front element of the Finder.. the EP was already parafocal with the Synguider so I could get a rough position for focus before machining the adaptor..

Need to make some shorter Nylon tipped screws for the Guidescope rings if the setup works ok...

Dont know when I will get a chance to try it...

Peter...

[simon84]

Looks good Peter, hopefully you should be able to achieve focus with it. I have a corrected finder with an illuminated EP in it which I swapped out for my Meade 9mm reticule but I need to adjust it to allow it to focus.

Andy, I've got a team of docs helping me out and drugs coming out of my ears to try and cope with the pain I'm in but I have "grafters disease", probably comes from having always worked from the age of 11, just cant stop trying to do things. Its bizarre though, I set the NEQ6 up on a fully extended tripod, nothing, walk round to look through the EP and I end up floored....lol.

Cant win.

I might be up for a bash with a Synguider if you have no joy, I have a nice QHY5 finder guider that I could trade with you if you fancy having a go with it? Serious offer by the way.

[Psychobilly]

Hopefully?

It does achieve focus

[simon84]

Excellent stuff.

[AndyUK]

Thanks again for the tips, Peter - I'm now eagerly awaiting the trip back home tonight to get reunited with my telescope. It was another (frustratingly) lovely starlit evening last night - I'm just hoping the clouds keep away when I get home so I can try using the Synguider on the ST102...

I wish I had your DIY skills as it would save a small fortune(!), but I'll be very intrigued to hear how you get on with using the synguider with a finderguider, as I'm still of the belief that stand-alone's and finderguiders aren't that too well matched (oe maybe it was just me struggling on the first attempt?).

Andy, I've got a team of docs helping me out and drugs coming out of my ears to try and cope with the pain I'm in but I have "grafters disease", probably comes from having always worked from the age of 11, just cant stop trying to do things. Its bizarre though, I set the NEQ6 up on a fully extended tripod, nothing, walk round to look through the EP and I end up floored....lol.

Cant win.

I saw your setup mentioned in your signature and, with the back problem, I assumed that you must have an observatory...! Hope they get it sorted for you soon (speaking as an ex-back pain sufferer caused by trying to bowl too fast when I was somewhat younger).

I might be up for a bash with a Synguider if you have no joy, I have a nice QHY5 finder guider that I could trade with you if you fancy having a go with it? Serious offer by the way.

I hope it doesn't come to it as I really wanted to be "laptop-independent", although I must admit my future ideas hadn't incorporated the weight of the ST102 on my CG5. It would have been a bit of a squueze, but I was hoping to one day get a 200PDS on the mount, and with the ST102 as guidescope, I think I'd be staring down the barrel of an EQ6 (which I certainly hadn't budgetted for!)... But if I can't get it to work on the ST102, I might well be very interested in a swap (or even a temporary swap just to see how we both get on...)

[Psychobilly]

Clouded over lastnight so haven't had a chance to try it... I added a length of dovetail to the rings so it will drop straight onto the side by side bar for testing if it work it will be bolted to the center of the bar to free up one of the clamps...

I did focus up using the parafocal EP and have plenty of travel left on the front element of the finder... I had based the adaptor length on the front element being at the middle of it's travel

Peter...

[simon84]

Peter whats the difference in distance between the parfocal EP and the synguider, is it about 12mm?

Andy, if you fancy a temp swap I'd be up for that, it would certainley let me find out if the Synguider is an option for me.

It is nice being laptop free but there are so many advantages to having one and as I have my shed with a bench only 15 feet from my pier I've got plenty of room to setup the computers. The vice gets in the way sometimes but I wouldnt be without that...lol.

I did start off laptop free though using the Synscan controller, Canon 1000D with timer remote and ST4 Autoguider. Its a nice way to do things and I do sometimes just run the guiding on a small netbook and go back to the handset, especially now that with my Lakeside focuser I can just goto a pre-determined point and I know that the camera is then focused.

I'm just about to start converting my second guide scope but this time have bought a 2" to 1.25" EP adapter which has a T thread on aswell. This will just be inserted into the end of the tube of the finder and secured in place. I will then use that for the Synguider if Andy wants to swap for a while.

[Psychobilly]

Not sure if i quite understand the question Sly... There is no difference between the parafocal EP and the Synguider thats the whole point?

[simon84]

Sorry mate, didnt word it properly. If you had no parfocal ring then you would have two focus positions one for the EP and one for the synguider, just wondering what the distance is between the two. Obviously you then use the parfocal ring to set that distance so they both focus at the same postion. Just wondered what that distance was.

[Psychobilly]

That might depend on the EP used ?

[simon84]

Yes, that would make a difference wouldnt it....not got my thinking head on today.....Worzel must have that one today.

[Psychobilly]

No worries... keep takign the tablets ... hope they are bring at least some relief...

[simon84]

That they do mate, that they do, but they leave me in a right ol' pickle upstairs in the thinking dept.

[AndyUK]

Hi Peter - Just got home and, surprise, surprise it's cloudy...

I'm still very interested in how your synguider works with your finderguider, although it seems to me as though you've probably got over the hurdle that I came across and that's the ability to add a parfocal eyepiece to the finderscope - Okay, so it will still "only" have a 50mm aperture, but at least you'll be confident that it's in focus. Whilst writing, I'd just like to note that if I can afford it, I'd like to emulate you in using a dual mount, but I'd envisaged using one clamp for the guide and the other for the imaging OTA - Is the intention to attach an imaging OTA to each clamp?

Sly - I'lll certainly get back to you on a possible temporary swap, as I think it would be a very interesting exercise to compare the 2 types of guiding (stand-alone vs PHD). However, I'd obviously first like to get some experience with the Synguider working first... And it looks as though for me, that may well (unfortunately) involve having to go through the expense of certainly buying guiderings and then either a dual mount or dovetail and 100mm rings to really be able to try it out. HOWEVER...

I'm just about to start converting my second guide scope but this time have boughta 2" to 1.25" EP adapter which has a T thread on as well. This will just be inserted into the end of the tube of the finder and secured in place. I will then use that for the Synguider if Andy wants to swap for a while.

If I'm reading this right, like Peter, you're also able to skip the focsuing problem that I'm struggling with - Sorry to be a bit obtuse, but are you talking about an eyepiece holder that has a thread that can screw into the finderscope? If so, PLEASE tell me where can I get one of those! I think I could then use an eyepiece, and using the helical focuser on the finderscope, bring it to focus and insert the parfocalised synguider nosepiece. I highly suspect that it still wouldn't be as good as using the ST102, but it would certainly resolve my possible weight issue...!

But even when I do get it to work, as I said at the top of this post, I'd still be interested in at least seeing the difference with laptop guiding, even though my power requirement may mean it's not really an option at this time... I'll keep in touch!

[MikeWilson]

Psychobilly - Ouch. I hope your back sorts itself out in time. Back pain can be particularly unpleasant (I'm not currently suffering but I've had painful twinges in the past) and I hope you're seeing a good doctor about it!

Largely AndyUK's experiences have put me off using a finder/guider with the Synguider. I have therefore ordered an ST80, a Synguider and the various mounting bits and pieces (not the expensive guide ring set), including another dovetail and a clamp. I guess it's safe to say that the ST80 is lighter than Andy's ST102 but I'd really rather have gone the finder option. Who knows what the future may hold - if it came to it, I'd use PHD+cam and a laptop from home but due to the nature of living next door to a commercial estate, a business park, a golf course a new housing development and an airport - I really need to get away to darker skies to get some real imaging done. Once I know what I'm doing and have located a suitable site, of course. (Or gotten into narrowband imaging?).

Anyhow, this kit should be with me tomorrow and I'm looking forward to getting out there to use it. Hopefully it will all be fairly straightforward affair, plugging it all together and hoping for the best.

Like AndyH, I have my eyes set on a future 200PDS and I'm concerned that with the ST80 guidescope, synguider, DSLR and counterweights that I'll be getting closer towards the limit of my HEQ5PRO. Or will I?

I hope Skywatcher release a decent lightweight carbon fibre 8" scope - ideally with a lightweight mirror

[AndyUK]

Hi Mike - As you say, there's a lot of similarities between our requirements and constraints...

I hope Skywatcher release a decent lightweight carbon fibre 8" scope - ideally with a lightweight mirror

I'm not sure if you've seen this, but checkout this link http://stargazerslounge.com/sponsor-announcements-offers/114910-new-skywatcher-kit-incoming.html

[EDIT - Ah, I see you have seen that link...!]

I think my weight concerns are worse than yours as my CG5 max payload is stated as 12.5Kgs whereas the HEQ5 is stated at 18kgs. I'd be seriously pushing the max on mine, and I know that FLO etc note that the bigger reflectors act like a sail and have an uncanny knack of picking up any breeze that might be about, so my future plans for a 200 plans may already be scuppered (maybe in a couple of years time when the EQ7 hits the streets the second hand market will get flooded with unwanted EQ6's? I wish...!)

However, with your ST80 weighing a whole kilo less and the HEQ5's extra 5.5Kg capacity, I'd reckon you should get away with it (but don't take my word for it!)

[Psychobilly]

If the forecast is right... and thats a big if ... I will do a quick test tonight...

Peter...

[AndyUK]

Cheers Peter... and I'll be testing too...!

[simon84]

Morning Andy, get yourself over to scopes and skies astroboot website, just googling that will bring it up. Have a look through there, there are a few 2" to 1.25" adapters with built in T threads. You will need to increase the diameter of the adapter a little bit for a nice snug fit. I'm going to try some PTFE tape to start with and go from there.

Let me know when you would like to try out the QHY5 finder/guider, not a problem if you dont want to as having a massive change of heart over here at the moment and have a cunning plan that involves some major changes.

[AndyUK]

Cheers Sly - Is this what you mean? Again, maybe I'm being thick, but it doesn't seem to have a male thread at the bottom, only a female (presumably for attaching filters)? I think what I'm after is something like the top half of a 2" barlow (lens removed) with a 1.25" adapter. I've got a 2" barlow on the way soon (hopefully!), so I'll have a look to see if I can fit that somehow (maybe I might still need to incorporate the modern astronomy adapter after all), but if I am being thick, please let me know...!

Let's see how things go with the possible swap - If all goes well next time out, then at least I'll know it works with the 102, but the frustrating thing for me will be waiting to get the extra £130/£240 together to actually use it for real guiding and imaging. I guess in the interim I'll just have to struggle as I did before...

[simon84]

That looks like the fella, on some you might need to reduce the overall diameter to get it to fit, some rough sand paper might be enough, I'm sure I read someone doing it like that before.

The adapter in the barlow would work for putting the EP in but it wont have the male T thread to pop the synguider onto.

Let me know as and when you would like to give the QHY5 a try, but to be honest if you get that adapter you should be ready to go with the synguider.

I'm having another go at visual for a while with a 12" dob and will be putting the AP gear away until a time where I know I will be able to image for the whole session instead of folding up and falling on the floor in a heap....lol.