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Old 30-04-2013, 09:34 PM
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PRejto (Peter)
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Rylstone, NSW, Australia
Posts: 1,397
Hello Greg,

Thanks for all the feedback. Much appreciated. First though, I guess it wasn't that clear in my earlier post that I am guiding with an ONAG, so no guide scope at all, and hopefully zero flexture. But, previously I have only guided (successfully!) with an 80 mm f6.25 scope. So, this is my first attempt to guide directly through the TEC140. My camera has a barlow on it but the guider does not see the barlow....thus I'm trying to image around f14, or .59 arcsec unbinned. I think next time out I will just bin 2x2....

To answer your questions. Yes, I have good PEC, and I am aligned within 2 arcsec in Altitude and 7 arcsec in Azi...

My biggest problem with the ONAG so far has been to get good focus on the guide camera. I think I'm close, but it isn't too easy to make fine adjustments. I read contradictory things about focus...some say a bit out isn't a problem, others (like Wodaski) say you need absolute focus (which I agree with if you want to see dim stars). I'm beginning to think my problems really were with seeing the last time I was out. Next time I will try longer exposures to average out the seeing, and I may try disabling guiding in declination.

I appreciate your comments about the 3 way switch! I had an issue just two days ago...I homed, slewed and tried to plate solve and just ran into a brick wall. I wasted more than 1 hour unable to plate solve. Finally I went out to the mount and noticed that one of the knobs on the 3 way switch was not completely seated properly. I re homed, slewed and everything was normal. My fault to not seat the switch properly, but it does illustrate how sensitive it can be.

Thanks again for the help.

Peter
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