Equatorial Mount What would you buy
- Thread starter Tracy
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- #3
Does the interface with the mount require it to go through the hand controller, or can you directly interface with the mount from Stellarmate, not requiring a 2 or 3 point alignment like you do with the EQ35-Pro and the GoTo mount
Apparently some of the higher end SkyWatcher series mounts allow direct interface, without having to do alignments via the hand controller before turning over control to Stellarmate and the mount.
I have no idea what Celestron has for a interface now. You said you needed capacity at "X" price range. You can buy a mount that uses no HC it uses WiFi. I haven't heard IF they had all the bugs worked out of that yet. But I know what one bug would be, RANGE.
You may want to find someone who runs a remote observatory 100's of mile from where they control it from. There is a guy on TSS that does it, it isn't cheap. he has partners in his obs in New Mexico, he lives on the SE coast of the US...
You may want to find someone who runs a remote observatory 100's of mile from where they control it from. There is a guy on TSS that does it, it isn't cheap. he has partners in his obs in New Mexico, he lives on the SE coast of the US...
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- #5
Have a friend (Chris Davis) that runs an IT business in Arkansas that currently has an observatory in New Mexico... his system was down last time I talked to him because his ASI1600MM fan had gone out... and nobody was available to replace it with the spare fan he has in his observatory.
He recently got StarLink up and running for his internet connection since his observatory is sorta "in the boonies". We were laughing about how we cursed StarLink, but it was also useful.
He has a pier system setup and the observatory is fully automated.
What I'm going to be looking for is a mount that connects from the RPi to the mount via USB cable and does not have to go through the hand controller. Currently with my EQ-35 Pro I have to use the hand controller to do at least a 2 star alignment THEN the software will detect the mount. I know some of the better mounts don't require you to use the handset to do alignments then go through it again in the software - you simply use the software to do your alignments. I'm not interested in tying another WiFi device into the mix... mainly because that's just one more thing that draws power, and the RPi is already attached to the scope so running a short cable to the mount is not that much of an issue.
LOL I switched to StarLink and no one can match the speed for price in rural SK. I have only done one Star alignment since I started using SM. I have done 1 Polar alignment in 3 years and that was to see how well the SM Polar alignment worked. A obs with a pier simplifies the Startup and shutdown.
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- #7
Yes... but not all have a pier. My equipment is also set up to be taken with us when we go on our RV travels... which frequently take us out of the Bortle 5 area we are in and into Bortle 2 & 3 areas. Our next outing is targeted towards South Llano River State Park here in Texas, an IDS certified park.
For those of us who are blessed with dark skies and land to set up on, an observatory is almost a given.
Even down on my brothers land I would't set up down there because at the best it's a 3, and approaching 4 in many areas of his land.
To give you an idea of the area of sky I can shoot from my house, take your index finger and your adjacent "say high" finger and spread them apart as far as you can... that's about the FOV I have to view/shoot from.
IDS Site South Llano River State Park (Texas)
South Llano River State Park provides refuge for wildlife and people on the southwestern edge of the Hill Country. Bring your hiking boots, water toys, camping gear, and sense of adventure!
South Llano River State Park is an International Dark Sky Park.
- Tracy
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- Category: Dark Sky Camprgounds
For those of us who are blessed with dark skies and land to set up on, an observatory is almost a given.
Even down on my brothers land I would't set up down there because at the best it's a 3, and approaching 4 in many areas of his land.
To give you an idea of the area of sky I can shoot from my house, take your index finger and your adjacent "say high" finger and spread them apart as far as you can... that's about the FOV I have to view/shoot from.
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- #9
yeah... I can see it now..a bunch of drunk red-neck yahoos down hog hunting at night and shooting at anything that moves... and knowing my luck, every round would land in any structure I had built.LOL There ya go, a remote obs at the Bros place!
He uses the land to "entertain" contractors and sub-contractors on. He's in the construction industry and is a VP of the company..
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- #11
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- #12
We are including some fields for the first post in the Astrophotography area.
It will allow you to detail your gain/offset and exposure time. It will, if using a cooled camera, also allow you to detail the temp for those captures.
I don't want to get it too detailed, like number of exposures with what filters... that can be detailed in the post, but I figured getting the basics if possible may also help other budding astrophotographers to give them an idea of the settings that they may try.
This is an example of what the results look like.
These fields are NOT required, but are suggested to help out others.
It will allow you to detail your gain/offset and exposure time. It will, if using a cooled camera, also allow you to detail the temp for those captures.
I don't want to get it too detailed, like number of exposures with what filters... that can be detailed in the post, but I figured getting the basics if possible may also help other budding astrophotographers to give them an idea of the settings that they may try.
This is an example of what the results look like.
These fields are NOT required, but are suggested to help out others.
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- #13
Yup it helps understand the basic issues. Each imaging train will have it's own unique set of issues. Now that I can't afford any different gear I have 4 possible imaging train combos. This will save me a lot of time typing out the particulars. Most forum frequenters contribute for one of three reasons, to ask for help, they want to help and finally they need their ego stroked by showing off! I like to hang and am part of the first two!
I frequently look at images that others have taken and check to see what setting they use. My ASI183MM P was drivin' me nuts when I used the suggested Unity defaults ZWO recommended. The retailer I bought it from is (was) a small retailer. BUT, he used what he sold, or at least was associated with someone who he sold the gear to. The 183 is a low budget camera with issues. Those issues include terrible Amp Glow and a really shallow well. He suggested I forget Unity for imaging and use a lower Gain, a LOT lower gain to keep the well from overflowing..... I went from Unity gain of 120 to 70 and don't hate the camera any more. Without his assistance I would have never found a solution to the problem.
I frequently look at images that others have taken and check to see what setting they use. My ASI183MM P was drivin' me nuts when I used the suggested Unity defaults ZWO recommended. The retailer I bought it from is (was) a small retailer. BUT, he used what he sold, or at least was associated with someone who he sold the gear to. The 183 is a low budget camera with issues. Those issues include terrible Amp Glow and a really shallow well. He suggested I forget Unity for imaging and use a lower Gain, a LOT lower gain to keep the well from overflowing..... I went from Unity gain of 120 to 70 and don't hate the camera any more. Without his assistance I would have never found a solution to the problem.
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- #15
You still have to type it in on each post if you want it to show... you just don't have to find a place in the post to do it.
It shows up like this when entering a post located below the text box where you type... all it does is standardize where the information is displayed.
And one of the main reasons I implemented it was because I had the same questions I hope it helps answer for others when looking at images.
It shows up like this when entering a post located below the text box where you type... all it does is standardize where the information is displayed.
And one of the main reasons I implemented it was because I had the same questions I hope it helps answer for others when looking at images.
A least I didn't say it was a secret! You wouldn't believe how many people offer to help the new ones out. If the newbie pays attention and comes along quickly all of the sudden the Mentor disappears. It's not as if it is a competition sport, few ever sell a image they took. The one receiving the help should say thank-you frequently, as a sigh of appreciation is easier than going it alone.
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- #17
Yes, I would.... I've seen it here in action.
But I have had the opposite issue when I was first getting started in the telescopes over at another site... ergo one of the reasons I started this site.
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- #19
Should be below the text box where you put the data in if using the "Post Thread" button, but if you are entering directly from the topic list, you have to choose the
More Options at the bottom of the area since they are not mandatory fields (although maybe they should be?).This screen capture was from a test user I set up with the same group permissions that everybody has.
This is what it looks like when you use the
Post Thread button, or More Options- Thread starter
- #20
You may notice now that the fields for these inputs no longer automatically appear. I have also added them to the Beginner Astrophotography location and in that are the users may not have this information as they may simply have more questions to ask, so forcing them to put in that information would be useless.
You can still get to the options in the quick post area by choosing the
If anyone can think of any additional fields (realizing that temp is already there as well as ISO) that would be beneficial, please let me know and I can add them.
You can still get to the options in the quick post area by choosing the
More Options tab at the bottom of the text entry box. You will also notice that the formatting of the display has changed somewhat, as it is now more streamlined. Also added was the ability for our DSLR users to enter their ISO settings instead of gain/offset.If anyone can think of any additional fields (realizing that temp is already there as well as ISO) that would be beneficial, please let me know and I can add them.
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- #21
Well, decided to try the EQ6-R Pro. Would have loved a Celestron CGX series, but it was slightly out of what the budget I had set for me.
Should be in by the middle of next week... so will have to learn how to work it, but it WILL be hooked directly to the RPi, bypassing the hand controller. Was hoping the EQMod cable for my current one would have arrived by now, but it's shipping out of the UK.... which reminds me, I need to contact them for a status update as it's a week past what they gave as a ship delay date.
Should be in by the middle of next week... so will have to learn how to work it, but it WILL be hooked directly to the RPi, bypassing the hand controller. Was hoping the EQMod cable for my current one would have arrived by now, but it's shipping out of the UK.... which reminds me, I need to contact them for a status update as it's a week past what they gave as a ship delay date.
I run a SkyWatcher AZ-EQ 6 mount & I ditched the hand controller and never looked back., Mine is a older mount & doesn't have the USB port like the new ones have.Well, decided to try the EQ6-R Pro. Would have loved a Celestron CGX series, but it was slightly out of what the budget I had set for me.
Should be in by the middle of next week... so will have to learn how to work it, but it WILL be hooked directly to the RPi, bypassing the hand controller. Was hoping the EQMod cable for my current one would have arrived by now, but it's shipping out of the UK.... which reminds me, I need to contact them for a status update as it's a week past what they gave as a ship delay date.
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- #23
Well, the boxes arrived... and in typical fashion..... UPS gorillas must have been set loose to help packing the trucks.
Anybody see the irony in where the damage is located?
Luckily it was the tripod box, and unpacking it I did not see any damage.
Anybody see the irony in where the damage is located?
Luckily it was the tripod box, and unpacking it I did not see any damage.
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- #24
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- #25
Proof is in the pudding as they say. Over the last 2 uses (usually most of the night) of the new EQ6-R Pro, the Total RMS has never gotten above 0.96.
I'm LOVING this thing, even though it is a learning experience using the EQMOD driver compared to the SynScan.
But I have found, even with this mount, much wind WILL mess with your DEC.
I'm LOVING this thing, even though it is a learning experience using the EQMOD driver compared to the SynScan.
But I have found, even with this mount, much wind WILL mess with your DEC.
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