PHC calibrates but won't guide

[pvelez (Pete)]

Hi guys

I've been happily guiding with PHD for some time. Recently I switched over to EQMOD - the goto and alignment is so much better!

Deciding to smarten up, I bought an Orion short tube guidescope (to replace the stellarvue finder I'd been guiding with before). Big mistake (like making itrain by buying a new scope).

For some reason, PHD will calibrate and then when it starts to guide, the guide star calmly wanders off with not even an attempt to keep it still.

My set up:

Orion Starshoot Guider (original not II)
On-board camera setting - cable straight to the guideport
EQMOD - there are no PEC settings that I can see
EQDIR connected via USB/Serial plug to a hub (unpowered).
Camera connected to the same hub.

From time to time EQMOD and the laptop stop talking to each other - I wonder if there is a conflict in the port settings.

For what its worth, I use Images Plus - from time to time the bulb connection (separate USB/serial cable) gets lost - I can only fix this by plugging the
cable into the only spare USB port left.

Any tips/thoughts would be gratefully accepted

Thanks in advance

Pete

[AlexN]

Your calibration step sizes will be too long I think... the stellarvue finder you were using for guiding would have a shorter focal length than the ST80 I think, and therefore you would have had to increase your calibration step size... Try uninstalling PHD and re-installing in order to reset all settings to default and try from there...

Alternately, forget about using the on-camera guide port, and guide directly through EQMOD... To do this, drop down the "mount" menu in PHD and select ASCOM. You will also have to make sure "Pulse Guiding" is enabled in the EQMOD settings window...

I found pulse guiding to be more accurate, and much more customizable than regular guiding anyway.

Best of luck with this, and I hope you get it sorted out...

[pvelez (Pete)]

Originally Posted by AlexN

Your calibration step sizes will be too long I think... the stellarvue finder you were using for guiding would have a shorter focal length than the ST80 I think, and therefore you would have had to increase your calibration step size... Try uninstalling PHD and re-installing in order to reset all settings to default and try from there...

Alternately, forget about using the on-camera guide port, and guide directly through EQMOD... To do this, drop down the "mount" menu in PHD and select ASCOM. You will also have to make sure "Pulse Guiding" is enabled in the EQMOD settings window...

I found pulse guiding to be more accurate, and much more customizable than regular guiding anyway.

Best of luck with this, and I hope you get it sorted out...

Thanks Alex

I had pushed the calibration steps out to 1000ms. I had used the finder with a 2x barlow to bring it to focus with the guide camera.

I'll give it a go (when the clouds part again - pobably next full moon!)

Pete