If things will get too heavy for one mount, the latest Losmandy mount could be a nice match for the FSQ.
Agreed and already considered exactly that...in the end it was dollars not to mention the need then to have another setup outside the dome, inconvenience, dew, setting up, packing up etc or building another observatory. So if it all bolts together and operates as currently planned it will be an excellent rig...IF!
I know the photo of it all mounted up is gunna look pretty impressive! even if it can't move!
Agreed and already considered exactly that...in the end it was dollars not to mention the need then to have another setup outside the dome, inconvenience, dew, setting up, packing up etc or building another observatory. So if it all bolts together and operates as currently planned it will be an excellent rig...IF!
I know the photo of it all mounted up is gunna look pretty impressive! even if it can't move!
Mike
Since when shifting a few kg became an issue for the strong Mike?
That guy in your attached picture is Markus Ruhl and he is not much smaller than that exaggerated doctored image actually...here is an undoctored pictureof him.
Anyway...still don't want to be setting up and packing up an imaging rig again
I had no problem with my FSQ EDX3 and Proline although I have read that many have had issues over the years. I think each EDX version has been to correct that so EDX4 should be the best for this.
I had no problem with my FSQ EDX3 and Proline although I have read that many have had issues over the years. I think each EDX version has been to correct that so EDX4 should be the best for this.
Hope so H, at least the seeing wont be such a limiting factor and can't wait to see the whopping great field come down for the first time
Mike
You'd be surprised. It's been my experience that these refractors are so sharp they are quite difficult to keep in focus for an extended period of time. When you nail the focus you can clearly see variations in seeing over time. Even at 500mm FL. Can't use a reducer on my old Q so I don't know if that still would be an issue at ~300mm. I found mine to be impossible to focus manually with the standard focuser. I had to get a micro-focuser. I'd always overshoot somehow. Then I had to get some kind of temperature compensation and profile the scope over many nights to get a good ratio absolute position vs. temp. Works well but it's not perfect. Beginning of the night when temp drops rapidly it doesn't seem to be linear. Once you're past that around 22:00 when everything settles then it's ok.
Yes you need to refocus every 1C change in temp. Easy now with Sky X temp compensation. I use it on the Honders and it works well.
I think also for an FSQ/Proline combo it would be good to master drizzling to get rounder stars. PixInsight does that and other software is offering that now.
You'd be surprised. It's been my experience that these refractors are so sharp they are quite difficult to keep in focus for an extended period of time. When you nail the focus you can clearly see variations in seeing over time. Even at 500mm FL. Can't use a reducer on my old Q so I don't know if that still would be an issue at ~300mm. I found mine to be impossible to focus manually with the standard focuser. I had to get a micro-focuser. I'd always overshoot somehow. Then I had to get some kind of temperature compensation and profile the scope over many nights to get a good ratio absolute position vs. temp. Works well but it's not perfect. Beginning of the night when temp drops rapidly it doesn't seem to be linear. Once you're past that around 22:00 when everything settles then it's ok.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gregbradley
Yes you need to refocus every 1C change in temp. Easy now with Sky X temp compensation. I use it on the Honders and it works well.
I think also for an FSQ/Proline combo it would be good to master drizzling to get rounder stars. PixInsight does that and other software is offering that now.
Greg.
Cheers Marc and Greg, all things I have been expecting to assess and deal with as needed I am with the scope all the time, so I am not expecting focus checking to be any more annoying than having to turn the dome every 30 - 40 min
No problem then. I used a Robofocus on my FSQ. You have to ask for the custom bushes that fit the FSQ focuser spindle. It can accept a temp compensation sensor.
At my dark site temps tend to fall for the first few hours then stabilise and then drop very slowly and bottom just before sunrise.
You can focus using the microfocuser but I found with mine at least if you try to lock the focuser it shifted the focus so I would half lock it which didn't shift the focus. This was before I got a Robofocus.
I automate my focus runs with FocusMax called by CCDCommander and issue a refocus every 30 minutes (usually at the end of every 30-minute narrowband exposure).