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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Using the Ekos guiding module

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I am not long doing AP but am finding Stellarmate makes things so much easier. I am now learning to guide so I can get longer exposure times. I PA with the Ekos module the best I could. My mount is HEQ5 and camera ZWO ASI290MM. I have a Stellarvue 80mm access. Here is a pic of my guiding from last night:



How does this look to more experienced astro-photographers? Is the RMS error too much? Seeing was not the best last night. Should I be able to get it better?

Thanks in advance!
Equipment: Skywatcher HEQ5 - Stellarvue 80mm access - Canon 6D (unmodified) - Stellarvue 50mm Guide Scope - ZWO ASI290MM Mini - Rasp Pi4
4 years 1 week ago #50802
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A total RMS of about 1" is really nice. One question though. The selected scope is the Primary Scope. Do you use an OAG or did you forget to select the correct scope?
4 years 1 week ago #50804

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My two cents: Less than 1 arcsec in RA & Dec (especially in "not so good seeing") is pretty decent. Your guiding graphs look fine, especially given an 80mm @ f7. Your pixel size on this camera is small (but you've binned 2x2). I doubt you'll do much better, but you should celebrate when you do. ;-) If you really want to be picky, you could ask whether your PEC on your RA axis is at peak performance. Either that, or your RA aggressiveness might be played with. It's the differential between RA & Dec performance that begs the question. Could also be a sign that weight / balance might be able to be tweaked just a bit to try and flatten that RA curve a bit. My mind thinks it sees a slight sinusoid there that may or not be real. But again, overall, looks pretty clean.
4 years 1 week ago #50806

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The guide star's deviation appears to be under-corrected in both axes. Are you sure you're using the correct proportional gain (it doesn't look like it IMO)?
4 years 1 week ago #50807

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Herrhausen. I am a total newbie at this! I know about adjusting the RA and DEC agr when I used PHD2. I assume that is what you are talking about? How would I go about this is Ekos? Thank you.
Equipment: Skywatcher HEQ5 - Stellarvue 80mm access - Canon 6D (unmodified) - Stellarvue 50mm Guide Scope - ZWO ASI290MM Mini - Rasp Pi4
4 years 1 week ago #50808

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Wouter van Reeven. No don't use OAG. I just left "SCOPE" at primary and never thought to check that. Thanks!
Equipment: Skywatcher HEQ5 - Stellarvue 80mm access - Canon 6D (unmodified) - Stellarvue 50mm Guide Scope - ZWO ASI290MM Mini - Rasp Pi4
4 years 1 week ago #50809

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Make sure your mount's guiding rate is correctly entered in the corresponding field. The P-value that is displayed directly next to the guiding rate field indicates what proportional gain values should be entered in the control parameters.



In the drift plot both RA and DE graphs should oscillate around zero (to both sides of the baseline) which your graphs don't do. They never actually reach the zero line which suggests to me the correction pulses sent to the mount are too short.
Last edit: 4 years 1 week ago by Alfred.
4 years 1 week ago #50810
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You say make sure the mounts guiding rate is entered correctly? Where do I find my mounts guiding rate??
Equipment: Skywatcher HEQ5 - Stellarvue 80mm access - Canon 6D (unmodified) - Stellarvue 50mm Guide Scope - ZWO ASI290MM Mini - Rasp Pi4
4 years 1 week ago #50811

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Possibly in your mount's manual. How should I know, I don't own your mount. It must be documented somewhere. Maybe you can set the guiding rate in your mount's hand controller?
4 years 1 week ago #50812

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Well I didn't ask you what it was, only where I would find it. Remember I am a total newbie at this but thanks for your help so far.
Equipment: Skywatcher HEQ5 - Stellarvue 80mm access - Canon 6D (unmodified) - Stellarvue 50mm Guide Scope - ZWO ASI290MM Mini - Rasp Pi4
4 years 1 week ago #50813

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When I had a CGX it was in the manual. It was .85, so very different from the default of .5. If you can't find it in the manual, do a search for guiding rate and your mount name. It should turn up in a forum post somewhere.
4 years 1 week ago #50814

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The HEQ5 allows for customization of the guide rate. I should know because I have one too. However, the manual is suspiciously silent about the DEFAULT rate. Lots of searches on the internet taught me that it (very very probably) is 0.5 and that's what I have been using and it works great for me.

The fact that the two correction lines are not centered but deviate a little (I assume that Herrhausen refers to that when writing the undercorrection of the axes) can be caused by many factors including inaccurate polar alignment, unbalance and even having configured the wrong telescope!

mpaul73, please edit your signature and add your equipment to it so we all know what you have. This will help us help you better.


Wouter
4 years 1 week ago #50818

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