QHY PoleMaster users in the Southern Hemisphere

[Dennis]

Hi QHY PoleMaster users in the Southern Hemisphere

I have just completed a (draft) copy of how I set up and used the QHY PoleMaster application and camera during 1st light in the Southern Hemisphere.

I took various screen captures along the way and have now placed them into some sort of order and I have attempted to describe some of the process steps. The document is based upon rough notes made at the time along with what I have been able to remember from that 1st light session, as I haven’t had the opportunity to run the procedure again at the telescope to verify the process steps.

Anyhow, for what its worth, here is a link to a Draft copy (DropBox) in the format of a PDF at approx.. 1.8 MB (10 pages).

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wq4wmkbmp90yhhs/QHY%20Polemaster%20Procedure%20Rev% 20B.pdf?dl=0

If you find any errors, omissions or downright untruths, please post back here and I will consider all feedback for the next update.:)

Enjoy!

Cheers

Dennis

[HarryD]

Hi Dennis

Well done to you. You have laid out a set of very clear steps to follow.
The PoleMaster is a very fine bit of gear and you have made it very easy for anyone who may be thinking of getting one.
If, like me, you set up and take down each time, the PoleMaster is a no brainer. Put one on the Christmas list.

Greg

[JimsShed]

Thanks Dennis for this clear set of instructions. Also nice tip on using an angled piece of wood to initially set the altitude.

Jim

[AstroApprentice]

Hi Dennis,
Good instructions - it's such a great little device! There's a software update available for the Polemaster. Not much different, template is a bit fancier, colours differ & some bugs fixed.

[Dennis]

Thanks for the feedback Greg, Jim and Jason, I appreciate it.:)

It’s been a while since I stepped outside for any astronomy so I haven’t had the opportunity to follow up the procedure. Before my 1st light experience I read a lot about various problems with locating the SCP in the FOV, whether the connector should be on the L or R of the mount, how brief the QHY instructions were, etc. so I decided to take notes and screen captures just in case I ran into problems.

In the end, it all went very well and everything just worked, so I thought I may as well document my experience – something to do on those cloudy nights!:)

Cheers

Dennis

[multiweb]

Great stuff Dennis. Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Dennis]

Hi Jason

I just had a look at the QHY website and could not see a released version later than V131.

I didn’t click the Beta Downloads link – I assume this would be where you acquired the latest SW?:question:

Cheers

Dennis

[Dennis]

Thanks Marc- let me know if I have got anything wrong!:)

Cheers

Dennis

[troypiggo]

Very thorough as usual, Dennis :)

Rather than your template first step, I actually used All Sky Plate Solver http://www.astrogb.com/ to blind solve where the Polemaster was initially pointing, then adjusted the alt/az knobs on mount so the blind solve gave a value of DEC pretty close to -90 (ie within a degree or 2 - Polemaster field of view is 10x8 degrees or something). Only took about 2 or 3 blind solves at about 15 seconds each.

From there, Polemaster software was as per your instructions.

[Dennis]

Hi Troy

Thanks for the feedback and the link to the plate solve SW, I must look into this, as plate solving is as yet untried by this Luddite!:)

The wooden triangle and compass are ideal for rough polar alignment in the day time when I am away from home. Ironically, the trapezium of stars in Octans is easier to locate from my light polluted suburb in Brisbane, whereas at a dark sky site, they are lost in the myriad BG stars!:rolleyes:

Cheers

Dennis

[AstroApprentice]

Hi Dennis,
I use version 132.5 downloaded from Cyclops Optics (btw, they're great to deal with).

[troypiggo]

Blind plate solving - snap to pick up, makes sync'ing etc a breeze.

Octans - for the life of me, I just can't pick it up or recognise it (eyepiece or camera image). I find in Polemaster I turn on the display template option helps locate it easier to recognise the star patterns etc.

[Dennis]

Thanks Jason.:)

Cheers

Dennis

[Dennis]

Hi Troy

At home I have 3 pads sunk into the back garden where I plonk down the tripod, so Octans is always in the FOV of the polar alignment scope and easily in the FOV of the PoleMaster.

It’s when I go portable that the fun begins, hence the wooden triangle and compass.

Cheers

Dennis

[kkara4]

Dennis, an excellent tutorial! i am going to give my polemaster first light tonight so i was trawling iceinspace for possible tutorials and came across yours. a few questions for you:

1) in step 5 and step 6 you talk about the orientation of the polemaster such that the USB connector faces LHS, and that this orientation is the correct one to use if using the Astronomical Refraction option. You mention the correct orientation of the SCP if you make the connector face RHS (ie 180 degree).
I assume however that you continued with the LHS arrangement? (also given that you enabled Astronomical Refraction option i assume you left it LHS).

2) did you find you had to adjust the focus from factory setting on the polemaster? (instructions are provided on QHY polemaster website if it needs to be done)

Cheers!

[Dennis]

Hi Krishan

My PoleMaster is fitted in the default configuration with the USB Port on the left of the mount as shown in the photos of the “how to”.

As I have 3 pads sunk into the ground where I place my tripod legs, the SCP is always very close to the PoleMaster reticule, so I have no problems identifying the Octans Trapezium in the PoleMaster on-screen field of view.

And yes – I have the “Astronomical Refraction” option selected permanently as I always fit the PoleMaster with the USB Port on the left.

I haven’t altered the focus setting of the PoleMaster as the on-screen image had nicely focused stars out-of-the-box.:)

If you have a favourite location at home, where you set up each time, I can definitely recommend that you mark the ground so that your tripod legs can be positioned on those marks – it makes set up so easy and repeatable.:)

Cheers

Dennis

[troypiggo]

FWIW I found I did have to adjust the focus on mine.

[kkara4]

thanks Dennis/Troy for your responses - i will report my findings tomorrow :)

[Dennis]

Hah! – Troy, I reckon you are a proverbial tinkerer or bush mechanic; ;) you just can’t help yourself and love having a go at tweaking stuff!:lol:

Cheers

Dennis

[kkara4]

haha - well i just packed up, and indeed i had to focus the polemaster. it was off by quite a bit - but very easy to adjust :)

during precise alignment i had a major issue. as i got towards overlapping the green and red, polemaster lost lock on one of the two stars suddenly and jumped around wildly.

i think care must be taken with the initial gain/exposure settings in this regard, and also to ensure focus is as reasonable as possible. i will need to do more experiments to determine if the exposure/gain settings were to blame for this behaviour.

once adjusted i did a second round and it went just fine, so i think the settings were the source of the problem.

[Dennis]

That’s interesting behaviour and not something I have seen before. I think I’m on Software Version V1.3.2Beta1.

What software version were you using when the anomaly occurred?

Cheers

Dennis

[kkara4]

hello Dennis, i am on the latest non-beta version as downloaded via the QHYccd polemaster website. Can't check at work so will report back tonight.

Further to this, it only happened as i was getting close to overlapping. it was just fine when they were further apart. even if i went very slowly on the AZ knobs it would lose lock at the same spot every time. so then maybe it wasnt the camera settings and something else. i did spend quite a bit of time on each step, maybe i was messing around with adjustments too long (like rotating 30 degrees and stuff).

i ended up restarting everything and trying again and it was OK but it would occaisionally twitch like it wanted to lose lock still.

[troypiggo]

G'day mate. I'm using version 1.3.1 and haven't had that issue you're mentioning. From memory I did try the 1.3.2 beta and had some other issue with it (can't recall details), so uninstalled and stuck with 1.3.1 stable.

I just checked the QHY website out of interest and looks like there's a new stable version 1.3.2 released 24/10/16. Might download that and test.

[kkara4]

hey Troy/Dennis, thats the version i installed :thumbsup:. i remember the release date it said on the version history now that Troy mentioned it.