Help with guiding - metaguide

[ChrisV]

I've got guidescope and an ASI290MM. Just trying to get it going with a CGEM mount.

Downloaded metaguide and tried to get it running, but no luck. Metaguide can't find the ZWO camera, it just comes up with the computer's camera.

What am I doing wrong. The camera is fine as I can use it with sharpcap on the computer.

Thanks, Chris

[Iain.k]

Hey Chris,

I have the same set up, however I use PHD2 and it finds everything perfectly. Could give PHD2 a try if you can not find a solution.

Iain

[glend]

Chris, i suggest you turn off the computer camera as it is probably a default. Metaguide can locate any ASI in native mode. On the setuo page down towards middle on the right side there is a camera chooser selection box, you want that to say ASI. Click the down arrow to see the choices, the default is likely saying ASCOM.
When you downloaded Metaguide you probably also got the documentation pdf file, its all in there. If you do not have the pdf file the link is at the bottom of the Metaguide main web page.
You will likely get endless PHD deciples suggesting that instead, i prefer Metaguide myself as it works better imho with high frame rate video cameras like the ASIs.

[peter_4059]

Hi Chris. Just to set the record straight PHD2 works just fine with ASI cameras. I've got an ASI120MM and I've been using that successfully with PHD2 for years. In reality a high frame rate is not what you want for guiding as the mount cannot react fast enough to correct for seeing. Most astrophotographers use longer guide exposures (around 1- 2 sec) to average out the seeing so the mount is only trying to correct for lower frequency errors.

There are people who can't seem to come to terms with PHD2 (and other great software like PI) but don't let them fool you into thinking there is a problem with the software.

[LewisM]

I have an ASI120MM-S, and it worked perfectly out of the box in PHD, PHD2 and Metaguide (then I installed an older ZWO driver for it and lost connectivity, but that is an entirely different thread I started - with a happy ending thankfully! :) )

I find that PHD2 runs the ASI equally as well as Metaguide, in either native or WDM mode, though I find the PHD2 interface much simpler and intuitive than Metaguides clutter. Metaguide offers a little more "fiddle" control, but not sure where I need it yet as everything just works as it is supposed to. PHD2 seems also easier to set the camera settings (gain etc).

Both work, I just must be one of the PHD2 disciples (when not using MaxIM DL guiding, which is better than both!)

[glend]

The reason Metaguide works better with high frame rate video cameras lies in its centroid imaging approach which is less susceptible to seeing varibility than longer exposure processes. Think of it as lucky imaging for guiding. With exposures in the ms range Metaguide is continually sampling and mapping the centre of the guide star ( you can see this happening in the guideview window if you watch the red centroid dot), guide corrections do not take place with that frequency, the app is working out the real centre of the star and guide correction timing is under user control. Thus Seeing variability is ironed out and does not lead to false guide commands that are effectively chasing Seeing variances.

Obviously there are many happy PHD2 users, as exhibited by the comments below. My responses are in consideration of your original post about Metaguide. It always happens that whenever Metaguide gets mentioned, people chime in about PHD2; the same thing happens when someone asks about Photoshop processing, which draws the inevitable PI comments. Some folks just want everyone running the same software in the same way, perhaps it validates their choices in some way. There are various ways to achieve similiar, identical, or better results in control and processing. My choices reflect my preferences (having tried various alternatives) and are no less worthy, than anyone elses. I encourage all to make the choices which seems best for you.

[peter_4059]

Sounds like lucky guiding is really going to take off in that case.

[torsion]

Hi Chirs,

You may need to install the 'DirectShow WDM Driver' so the camera works with window's directshow which Metaguide use to get the high frame rate from the cameras.

I just had a quick look on the ZWO 'Software and Driver' download page and it is at the bottom of the page.

Hope thi helps.
cheers,
Bram

[ChrisV]

Thanks all. I'm getting there. DRiver issues.

Just trying to get too much going at once. Seems OK on my laptop now (both PHD2 and metaguide). But its all a bit screwy on the compute stick (trying to run remotely via wifi using RDP).