Go Back   IceInSpace > Beginners Start Here > Beginners Talk

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread
  #1  
Old 25-05-2018, 06:03 PM
xelasnave's Avatar
xelasnave
Gravity does not Suck

xelasnave is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Tabulam
Posts: 16,866
Mistakes and things going wrong.

When I think of the things that catch you out it seems we get a never ending list.
Here are a few things.
Never assume if left over night your polar align is still good.
I have had my tripod sink a little and although great one night the next night you wonder why you have star trails.
Power..I thought my battery was charging from the solar panel yet it was not functioning.
So chech the battery before starting with a multi meter.
Last time out I was caught out and lost 20 minutes because the mount stopped...I thought the battery had charged from the panel but not enough for a full run.
Always check anything that depends on a screw to hold it in place...
Check your focus regularly as it can go off..if using a dslr blow up your image and just dont look at the unenlarged screen and think that it looks ok...a blow up will show how focus is now and not after.
Make sure after playing around to put a fresh battery in the camera.
And make sure you are charging the next one.

I could think of many more but I wonder if someone else has something that has bitten them and ruined a good run.
Alex
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 25-05-2018, 08:09 PM
Wavytone
Registered User

Wavytone is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Killara, Sydney
Posts: 4,147
Well, I can confess one night I packed everything into the car and drove to the observing site.

Everything, that is, except the OTA.

Thankfully it was only 5 minutes to go back and get it...
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 26-05-2018, 09:23 AM
ZeroID's Avatar
ZeroID (Brent)
Lost in Space ....

ZeroID is offline
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Auckland, NZ
Posts: 4,949
I think I have had most of those happen at one point or another. Thankfully these days I get most of them right ,.... most of them, .. most nights.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 27-05-2018, 08:58 AM
rally
Registered User

rally is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 896
Having had lots of interests over the years and experiencing the same sort of stupid mistakes and omissions with all of them, I have detailed checklists for almost all of them, as they involve packing and travelling.

The checklists include - what gear is needed, what jobs have to be done in preparation, what things need to be checked, stuff to be bought etc
Might sound anal but if you are travelling a 1000kms to do something, or you have an event that starts at an exact time - competitions, camping, diving, kayaking, hunting, astronomy, 4WD driving etc then this can save a lot of heartache.
I will never forget that night dive I did in freezing southern waters in the middle of winter with half a wet suit !

The lists have evolved over a lifetime of mistakes and trial and error and are fairly complete now - doesnt mean I use them absolutely but a quick rundown check is often all that is necessary to make you realise you would have forgotten something important !
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 27-05-2018, 01:44 PM
xelasnave's Avatar
xelasnave
Gravity does not Suck

xelasnave is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Tabulam
Posts: 16,866
Yes lists actually work.
I do it that way with the gear going north...even have staging areas...transporting freight is what you are doing.
I also like to run mentally through a day from start to finish visualising the cup in my hand and tea bags approach...oh take a comb for example...simple things can uncovered this way...

Here is a tip...

If your motor on mower chain saw genny etc wont start for no reason the reason will be a wasp has filled in your exhaust.
Alex
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 27-05-2018, 02:10 PM
OzEclipse's Avatar
OzEclipse (Joe Cali)
Registered User

OzEclipse is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Young Hilltops LGA, Australia
Posts: 1,177
I have a procedures list that I use for solar eclipse photography. Each solar eclipse I photograph is 1-2 years apart and only lasts for a few minutes. No room for errors.

As the years pass equipment gets replaced but I find it useful to go back to my procedures each time then adjust and add to or improve on them before (during testing) and after each eclipse.

These procedures cover camera operation, daytime solar alignment, operations of my travel mounts etc.

Last eclipse, I shared the Pentax K1 portion with Brad Le Broque and Peter Patonai both of whom use the same camera as I do.
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 27-05-2018, 03:25 PM
xelasnave's Avatar
xelasnave
Gravity does not Suck

xelasnave is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Tabulam
Posts: 16,866
The more practice the more good luck you have☺
And a plan B and a plan C.

Alex
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 05-06-2018, 09:41 AM
sil's Avatar
sil (Steve)
Not even a speck of dust

sil is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Canberra
Posts: 1,474
Don't forget to remove bahtinov mask before imaging.

Check cables dont tangle and tighten during slewing, secure them where suitable so they dont grab onto thumbscrews.

(Related to cables) accept laptop will hit the concrete at least once.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 05-06-2018, 05:37 PM
Benjamin's Avatar
Benjamin (Ben)
Registered User

Benjamin is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Moorooka, Brisbane
Posts: 906
Auto Focuser not plugged in or forgetting to reverse its direction on my refractor. Forgetting the battery - it was a nice little visual session. Plugging too much into one battery - mount kept failing as a result. Not disabling Windows updates. Not placing the filter wheel at an angle that won’t hit the mount before a Merdiain flip. Trying to plate solve stars that were behind trees. Screwing on the accessory tray too tight on my Heq5 meaning I could barely make Azimuth adjustments. Forgetting to collimate. Forgetting to focus... arghh... it’s a never ending list
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 05-06-2018, 08:23 PM
AndyG's Avatar
AndyG (Andy)
No. I am a meat popsicle.

AndyG is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Townsville
Posts: 598
Quote:
Originally Posted by ZeroID View Post
Thankfully these days I get most of them right ,.... most of them, .. most nights.

So, they mostly come out at night... mostly?
Attached Thumbnails
Click for full-size image (sorry couldnt help it.jpg)
37.1 KB42 views
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 08-06-2018, 01:19 PM
ZeroID's Avatar
ZeroID (Brent)
Lost in Space ....

ZeroID is offline
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Auckland, NZ
Posts: 4,949
Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyG View Post
So, they mostly come out at night... mostly?
Sometimes ...
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 08-06-2018, 01:35 PM
xelasnave's Avatar
xelasnave
Gravity does not Suck

xelasnave is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Tabulam
Posts: 16,866
Well my latest.

Put the 8 inch on the heq5 for the first time with similar counter weights as it used in Sydney on eq6 but the scope is too heavy here as I think the bar is shorter.

And the polemaster softeware does not recognise the camera but my netgear device to connect to the net has gone bust so I cant at this stage uninstal and download the softeware again...unless I can use my phone by hot spotting it.

Alex
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 08-06-2018, 04:49 PM
kens (Ken)
Registered User

kens is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 314
Have you got the OTA oriented so the camera is underneath? That moves the centre of mass lower. Just make sure the camera is securely attached first.
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 18-06-2018, 11:24 AM
Oddity (Andrew)
Registered User

Oddity is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Sydney, NSW
Posts: 83
Some beginner learnings

- Read the manual. Follow EVERY STEP. Don't skip forward to the interesting bits! Don't assume ANYTHING!
- Don't mount your scope "backwards" on an alt-az goto mount
- Always use an illuminated reticle for alignment if you want precise tracking and gotos
- Don't trust stock 2" to 1.25" adapters. Definitely don't use a 1.25" collimation tool in a stock adapter, nor a 1.25" illuminated reticle. Get an auto-centering adapter or parallelizer.
- Always check EVERY SCREW for EVERY STEP in your setup EVERY TIME.
- Don't rush your setup because it's getting late or a bit of cloud cover is coming in. You'll forget a step.
- Double check your tissue box before cleaning a lens... Those aloe vera boxes sneak themselves into the shopping trolley on occasion, even if you don't normally buy them.
- ALWAYS assume it's going to be colder at the site than what you think. It probably will be, and you'll thank yourself later for being surprisingly prepared for a change.
- Batteries run at lower voltage in the dead of winter - expect to need extra power sources if you run a lot of powered items
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 19-06-2018, 01:45 PM
jbdave (David)
Registered User

jbdave is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 64
Only last week I drove 2.5 hrs up to the country to visit the in laws and take my set up, only to forget the minor item that allows the mount to be powered - the cable.
Luckily I had two mounts, so all was not lost
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 24-06-2018, 02:04 PM
Wavytone
Registered User

Wavytone is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Killara, Sydney
Posts: 4,147
Last night was nicely set up, and after an hour or so my monster mak had cooled nicely and the seeing had settled down around 8-9 out of 10, I decided to do what the previous owner hadn't dared touch in 10 years - tweak the collimation just a tad to get it spot-on. Centred on Spica at 300X, defocussed a tad and unscrewed the cover off the back of secondary - this scope is a RuMak, not a Gregory Maksutov.

My AZEQ6 was set up in altaz mode and, being somewhat lazy I'd forgotten to do up the opposing screws that lock the azimuth of the mount.

So, while tweaking one of the collimating screws behind the secondary the mount shifts in azimuth. Bugger.

Screwed the az tight and to redid the alignment sequence.

10 minutes later and back on target, followed by another 10 minutes of tweaking the secondary,

With the collimation nailed spot-on it really showed what is possible when the scope sticks ALL THE PHOTONS smack bang where there should be. What this also showed in comparison with 2 other scopes side by side is just how the optical performance suffers when photons are not going where they should be, either as a result of poor collimation, poor seeing, or inferior optics.

Fair to say that in 40 years I've never seen Jupiter or especially Saturn as well as last night.

Last edited by Wavytone; 24-06-2018 at 02:16 PM.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +10. The time is now 09:32 AM.

Powered by vBulletin Version 3.8.7 | Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement
Testar
Advertisement
Bintel
Advertisement