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Old 09-04-2019, 09:59 PM
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xelasnave
Gravity does not Suck

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Who needs guiding?

Out playing around because there are clear spots but really cant nail anything so I extended exposures to see how decent the tracking is on the heq5... I cant believe it but its running five minutes ...no guiding...and the stars are reasonably round..you can notice a slight oval if you blow it way up...took a great deal of time getting PA and balance.

Shame I cant get a target that is not going in and out of cloud.

Anyways its nearly totally blacked out now in my tegion of interest so it will be another early night.
Alex
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  #2  
Old 10-04-2019, 05:55 AM
Startrek (Martin)
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Alex
Are you imaging with your 8” f5 or wide field with the ED80
It does make a huge difference
With my new 8” f5 and EQ6-R I spent time on balance and PA and I can only expose to just over 1 minute or so and start to get eggy stars in the off axis region.PHD2 is my life saver !
Your balance and PA must be almost perfect ( only a few arc seconds of error ) to expose for 5 minutes with round stars
Good on you , great work !!!
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Old 10-04-2019, 07:04 AM
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xelasnave
Gravity does not Suck

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Hi Martin
Thru the 80 mm☺
With the cloud shutting me down I had to think of something positive☺.
When my eq6 is set up it will run unguided easily but it took a lot of years to get it so good.
But I dont use it when travelling.
Alex
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Old 10-04-2019, 10:08 AM
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Icearcher (Chris)
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For me, guiding makes a massive difference.

The sw star adventurer has quite high periodic error and polar aligning is quite clunky.

Without it, I can get a little better than 30 sec subs at 400mm focal length and even then, I would still loose a bunch of subs.

With guiding, I was getting 180 sec subs over the weekend and didnt have to throw away any (60 total) due to guiding errors (lost one due to a cable moving and bumping the mount)

I haven't pushed mine to its limits yet but I have read that some people are getting 10 min subs with guiding on the SW SA.
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Old 16-04-2019, 02:51 AM
TareqPhoto (Tareq)
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Once i add guiding i don't know when or how then i will laugh doing 5-10 minutes exposures, for now i still suffer or struggle with balancing OTA for 8" F5 and also no guiding as i don't know the setting and not sure which setup of guiding to use.
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Old 16-04-2019, 06:10 AM
Startrek (Martin)
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Tareq
I have an 8” f5 newt and use PHD2 with my Orion 50mm mini guide scope with helical focuser and ZWO ASI120MM-3 ( don’t use the USB2 camera there are issues, use the USB3 mono camera )
I’m guiding now around 1 arc sec error with 5 minute exposures ( depends on seeing conditions )
PHD2 is very easy to use , it’s all in the set up and reading the manual thoroughly
My settings are -
2 sec exposures
RA Aggressiveness 75
RA min mo 0.2
DEC Aggressiveness 90
RA min mo 0.2
Max RA duration 2500
Max DEC duration 2500
I created a bad pixel map and dark calibration , so I’m guiding almost immediately when I connect
Guide scope Focal length of 162mm
Guide camera Pixel size 3.75

I can strongly recommend PHD2

Good Luck
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Old 16-04-2019, 08:43 AM
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xelasnave
Gravity does not Suck

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I find the mount does 2 minutes unguided with no problems which suits me fine given the conditions...I am deleting more than I capture cause of fog or cloud. The guide camera is in place and I have instaled the latest PHD but just have not bothered with it cause the cloud would have it going off all the time..so I am very happy the mount runs so well without guiding engaged.
One day I will get clear sky and five minute guided runs take subs in all bands take darks lights and darks for the lights ... one day☺

Alex
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Old 16-04-2019, 08:51 AM
TareqPhoto (Tareq)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Startrek View Post
Tareq
I have an 8” f5 newt and use PHD2 with my Orion 50mm mini guide scope with helical focuser and ZWO ASI120MM-3 ( don’t use the USB2 camera there are issues, use the USB3 mono camera )
I’m guiding now around 1 arc sec error with 5 minute exposures ( depends on seeing conditions )
PHD2 is very easy to use , it’s all in the set up and reading the manual thoroughly
My settings are -
2 sec exposures
RA Aggressiveness 75
RA min mo 0.2
DEC Aggressiveness 90
RA min mo 0.2
Max RA duration 2500
Max DEC duration 2500
I created a bad pixel map and dark calibration , so I’m guiding almost immediately when I connect
Guide scope Focal length of 162mm
Guide camera Pixel size 3.75

I can strongly recommend PHD2

Good Luck
I don't have Orion 50mm mini guider, i do have either ZWO 60mm helical focuser or Skywatcher ST80 with 2" Dual speed Crayford focuser.

The camera i was always using is QHY5L-II-M, i saw many on Astrobin using it so that i bought it, but it is USB2.0 camera, so you think it is not good for guiding and i must use USB3.0 camera then i will move to ASI290MM then, this is more sensitive and it has 2.9 pixel size.

I will try to use those values or settings you posted, i hope it will work, but is it like fixed or constant for any setup once i mentioned with guide scope and camera? Or i have to change the setting of those above every time i use different guide scope or camera?

I use PHD2 since 2017 when i started because i know it is the one, but i know PHD2 isn't the issue, so i hope i can get the setting correct and use another camera, maybe that will fix everything for me, with wrong setup and wrong setting i will always have issues, and i think no one told me to better use USB3.0 camera as it sounds it is not an issue, and i don't know why creating a bad pixel map and dark calibration, if it will help then fine i will do it too, but i think i don't know how to do it.
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Old 16-04-2019, 09:50 AM
Startrek (Martin)
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In regard to the ZWO USB2 guide camera all I’m saying is that I had trouble connecting to it ( not that it’s a bad camera ) I read on some forums that it had an issue connecting to PHD2 so I bought the USB3 camera and it connected straight away
My guiding settings work for me but may not work for you and your seeing conditions , they are a starting point for you or a guide
You need to read up on PHD2 and view a lot of you tube clips on guiding to get an understanding
You have to set up PHD2 according to your guide camera and guide scope
Creating a bad pixel map and dark calibration allows your guide camera to lock onto a guide star quickly and commence guiding otherwise you have to sit there and wait for a calibration to be done each time you connect PHD2
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Old 16-04-2019, 12:29 PM
TareqPhoto (Tareq)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Startrek View Post
In regard to the ZWO USB2 guide camera all I’m saying is that I had trouble connecting to it ( not that it’s a bad camera ) I read on some forums that it had an issue connecting to PHD2 so I bought the USB3 camera and it connected straight away
My guiding settings work for me but may not work for you and your seeing conditions , they are a starting point for you or a guide
You need to read up on PHD2 and view a lot of you tube clips on guiding to get an understanding
You have to set up PHD2 according to your guide camera and guide scope
Creating a bad pixel map and dark calibration allows your guide camera to lock onto a guide star quickly and commence guiding otherwise you have to sit there and wait for a calibration to be done each time you connect PHD2
Ok, thank you very much!
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Old 16-04-2019, 06:41 PM
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leon
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Alex i respect your efforts but you will die at your post, have a break man.

You need a good sleep

Leon
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Old 16-04-2019, 09:35 PM
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Gravity does not Suck

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Alex i respect your efforts but you will die at your post, have a break man.

You need a good sleep

Leon
Thanks for your concern Leon but I am ok really. I get at least 6 hours sleep a day sometimes even eight.
When outside I take long deep breathes to keep up oxygen levels and never rush so I don't have high blood pressure...Apart from the legs I am a very healthy person.

If I did not push myself I would not get things done as it is all too easy to feel tired and lazy and avoid doing stuff...actually I think I don't do enough..I still have not got around to doing any gold panning or fixed that new little boat I picked up recently.

My attitude with astronomy is there are so few times you get what with the weather so if its clear I try to get out there until about 3 am which still gives me a good sleep if I lay in until 9 or 10.

And I enjoy it so much... even my poor results please me..I look at what I did right and ignore the bad points..one day it will come out perfect.

alex
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Old 17-04-2019, 06:36 AM
TareqPhoto (Tareq)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xelasnave View Post
Thanks for your concern Leon but I am ok really. I get at least 6 hours sleep a day sometimes even eight.
When outside I take long deep breathes to keep up oxygen levels and never rush so I don't have high blood pressure...Apart from the legs I am a very healthy person.

If I did not push myself I would not get things done as it is all too easy to feel tired and lazy and avoid doing stuff...actually I think I don't do enough..I still have not got around to doing any gold panning or fixed that new little boat I picked up recently.

My attitude with astronomy is there are so few times you get what with the weather so if its clear I try to get out there until about 3 am which still gives me a good sleep if I lay in until 9 or 10.

And I enjoy it so much... even my poor results please me..I look at what I did right and ignore the bad points..one day it will come out perfect.

alex
Exactly my attitude and my way in astronomy/astrophotography, and i am even worse, i don't go out in every clear night, it is not about how many i am out, but it is about how good i did of those times i am out, last year or before last year i was going out like every clear nights, i didn't improve or got better results, so it was like a big waste then, so what i did now is, i relax a lot even if it is clear nights out, i go out when i have very specific idea in my mind, i try to manage it as best as i can, then see how it goes, most likely they are not bad, so i relax after that and build upon those last images i did and i don't rush again once it is clear again outside, i know people keep going out every night and their results didn't tell much anyway.

Also, if i am not in mood or tired or headache, then astronomy is the LAST thing i will think about, i don't force myself to go out only to satisfy people ion the net telling them i am "OUT EVERY NIGHT", they don't care, as long i show them result nice one even if it was like 1 night per 6 months then that is all matter.
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Old 17-04-2019, 08:06 AM
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Camelopardalis (Dunk)
Drifting from the pole

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Alex, I'm with you, nothing beats sitting out under a clear sky on a nice night with the scope whirring away

You've been progressing well with your imaging, so don't give up on the guiding
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Old 17-04-2019, 09:22 AM
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xelasnave
Gravity does not Suck

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Thank you Dunk.
I have not given up on it but I think it is funny that now that I have it I find short exposures acceptable for my current level of incompetence.
What I am about I guess is getting the mount to work as best as possible before I use auto guiding every session.
Certainly it would not work with the current weather as it would be incapable of holding I guide star I bet.
I am starting to think even with polemaster pa could be better...I am starting to think one neefs to include a drift referencing stars above and either side but close to zenith..I suspect atmospheric refraction may leave polemaster a little off..What do other think here...I always seem to end up with a slight drift North and all I can think is polemaster is corrupted by astmospheric tefraction...now if that is the case I expect the ploemaster camera sees the csp a little higher than it is..how much I wonder..that must be understood and capable of calculation by someone who knows what they are talking about.
But that should mean stars would drift South??? Mmm maybe my stars are drifting South and I correct for a North drift ..thats why things get worse???☺☺☺.
But what has got me flummoxed is the counter weight..still working on this...but pointing East I seem to get the best results with the counter weight bias hugely to the East...It may be the mount or I am yracking at solar or lunar rate and the compensation is because of something like that...anyways not having auto guiding running is helping to get the mount doing its best by itself. .at least thats my story☺...but I balance the gear but after a capture have to move yhe counter weight to a position that it really should not be...

My eq 6 I had near perfect. ..I sweare it could go 10 minutes ..I think I will bring it up here and leave it up here...the main problem is not being in the one place ...
Alex
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