guidescopes

[bokglob]

can anyone tell me if i can use a small refractor as a guidescope on an SNT:)

[iceman]

Absolutely! I use an 80mm refractor as my guidescope, with a DMK21AU04 as the guide camera.

[bokglob]

cool iceman! thanks muchly.

[iceman]

No probs. :welcome: to IceInSpace!

What guidescope do you have? What guide camera will you use?

[rustem]

while im here what guidescope is suitable for an ed80

im hoping to purchase an ed80, have a cannon 300d and phd programe

[iceman]

I use a 2nd hand 80mm refractor as my guidescope, next to my ED80 as my imaging scope.

My imaging camera is a Canon 350D. And I use PHD as the guiding program with the DMK21AU04.

So it's a similar setup.

You can see photos here;
http://www.mikesalway.com.au/equipment

[rustem]

thanks

[troypiggo]

I just bought a short tube 80 (400mm f/5) from Bintel for around $260 (can't recall the price exactly off the top of my head because I got some other gear as well). I was intending to get the Orion ST80 but they were out of stock, so I got the Skywatcher equivalent and that price included rings, finder scope, some eyepieces and a diagonal. I probably won't use the extra bits, but the price was right.

I'll be using it as a guide scope for my ED80 Pro. Reason I chose it was wider field of view (400mm focal length) and more light gathering capacity (f/5) than what I was using (ED100 900mm f/9). So it should be easier to find guide stars. That's the theory, just need a clear night to test it.