So what's your guiding setup?

[beamer3.6m]

QHY5 on ED80 guided by PHD.

ED80 side mounted with Explorer 200p

[Dangerous-Dave]

Megrez 72, ADM guide rings, Vixen flip mirror, Starlight Xpress SXV guidehead slaved off the H9. Side by Side on a Geoptik dual bar.

[MG1]

Seems off axis is becoming quite popular...does this cause much loss of contrast or resolution in refractors due to the relative loss of photon area or does it tend to sit outside of the lightpath to the sensor?

I wonder if I should consider this for my LVI and shoot it through the 132?

Michael

[MG1]

like a 400 f2.8L or a 200 f1.8L and nope that's not a typo it is the Canon 200mm f1.8L , they are both stunning lens wide open and I use them a lot for wildlife work

Mmmmmm......f1.8!

[Avo]

The QHY5 seems a popular guide cam. How would one of these compare to a lodestar, is that the next upgrade, or do the QHY5 users feel no need to upgrade.

The SX blurb refers to the lodestar as being a capable planetary camera. Appreciate the price differential is one aspect, what do you think ?

I'm looking at getting a guide cam set up and am poised to get an ST80 and take it from there, however, the guide scope option has its followers, would the lodestar be more suited at stretching the smaller guide scope capability ?

[Jessun]

I use Altair Astro's side by side mounting system, ED80 with the trusted Lodestar. An OAG seems to be next natural step, although I have never had issues caused by the current guide setup such as DF or obvious FR.

[Earl]

with my qhy6 playing up possibly dead ill be getting a qhy5

[mindburner]

hi

ST80 mounted on top of the refractor. QHY5 running PHD. Rock solid and reliable.

[NickK]

ATIK OAG and a 16ic here on 670mm f/6.38 and 1340mm at f/12.

In future I may move to a full beam splitter with the Titan to test an idea I have with post-processing seeing correction.

[swag72]

Altair Astro mini guider system, Qhy5 and Maxim.

The mini guider is great to keep the weight down, in effect a 10x60 guider, works a treat. Currently piggybacked on my Pentax 75SDHF.

[Stephen]

TS OAG, Meade DSI-C and PHD over pulse guiding

[mgirdwood]

i wouldnt call it a setup as yet as delivery is on friday - ST 80 on a SW guide Mount with an Astrolumina AL5T (and a whole heap of learning curve)

[Earl]

I have a ST80 and a dead QHY6... I have a Mammut on its way from Bern I have been using ST4 for guiding, but ill switch to ascom i think.

The Mammut and Lodestar have the same chip, however the Lodestar has a weakness with the cable sockets, but it is much smaller.

[Shibby]

I have an Orion mini finder/guide scope + unmodified SPC900 webcam.

Good enough for ~mag 8/9 stars provided well enough focused. Also guides my old mount happily with FL of 750mm.

[Zakalwe]

QHY5 on 50mm finderguider. Guiding controlled by PHD. It works, works well, and is a doodle to get working (plug it all in, click the button in PHD, job jobbed)

[reddoss]

EQ6 pro guided using a SW ST80 with a mead DSI II and PhD software. If there is one change I would like to make it would be OAG.

[Avo]

Hi reddoss

Whats the factors governing OAG over an ST80 ?

Presume weight is one issue......

[Shibby]

OAG eliminates any chance of differential between your guide camera and imaging camera. Also, you're working at the same focal length as your main scope so guiding should be more accurate. However, I hear it can be more difficult to find guide stars?

[Avo]

Is that why OAG users prefer something like the Lodestar as a guide cam for its high sensitivity ?

[mallorcasaint]

I have a Celestron C6 and a WOZ66 on a custom side by side saddle plate with a QHY5 on the WOZ guiding with PHD and an Atik 314L+ or a Meade DSI or a Canon 1000D for imaging. What I don't have are clear skies!