[Zuts]

Hi Jase,

Thanks for the detailed reply.

Originally Posted by jase

How long is the star trail exposures Paul? Only 0.03 trail. You sure you turned off the mount tracking. I typically place the mount into terrestrial mode (or what ever is off). You may need a 20 to 30 sec exposure to get a long enough trail.

I have tried 5 to 30 seconds and always get roughly the same answer. On my 1024 by 768 laptop, the trails range from around 1/4 inch at 5 seconds to around 2 inches maybe at 30 seconds, so I think they are long enough to measure. Basically something is not right and I may look at re-installing.

Originally Posted by jase

Once you get the length of trail, the camera angle will also be calculated for you. Its important to get this right. If you are still having problems, you can use the MaximDL telescope control window to calculate the angle for you (a screenshot is provided below).

Thanks, a very good suggestion. I will try this next night out.

Originally Posted by jase

Yes, sorry forget that you needed MaximDL for Pempro to convert the image to mono. How is the auto dark subtraction - is it working ok?

This is a strange one. I have given up on CCDSoft and Pempro and use Maxim. CCDSoft cant seem to find a star but Maxim manages to get one after a few exposures. Even here though, when I view the Maxim preview while tracking, sometimes the image is pinpoint with a good star image on a black background and then it goes grainy on the next exposure, then good for a while and so on. Scratching my head over this one as well

Anyway, I have given up on the imaging side for a bit and have decided to try and sort out the software side. I would like to get Pempro working together with the integration to the Sky 5. This is a reasonable task for a treed in back yard.

Once I have all this sorted then back into it. At the moment I feel my images wont improve unless I master my current hardware/software environment. The robofocus was a real eye opener to me as to the benefits of certain forms of automation.

Cheers
Paul