guiding

DEC Guiding Problems

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I often read in Astrophotography forums about trouble with guiding in DEC.   Folks put in the time to get a great polar alignment and even though only very small adjustments need to be made, the guider seems to have troubles…  non-response, then overshoot,  periodic corrections that seem to come too late and allow too much … Read more

Notes on the CGE

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In mid 2008, I purchased a new CGE to set up as a semi-permanent mount on my backyard pier.  I’ve now had about a year and a half of working with the mount and thought I’d list some things I learned about the mount and note some of my likes, dislikes, experiences, and preferences.  At … Read more

PE Measurement

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Oh geeze….   PE.   Now this is a horrid subject.  Here’s an introductory guide. This discussion will refer to errors in the drive systems of  German Equatorial Mounts (GEMs) and particularly to those that are driven by a worm gear arrangement.  The basics and principles will of course also apply to other drive systems, … Read more

SBIG Self Guide Cable (Optocoupler)

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I worry a lot. It seems there are a lot of folks that have trouble with hooking up their guider correctly, things not working right, and even damage to the mount and/or camera….  So I worry.   After I got my Losmandy mount with the Gemini controller I reviewed the manual carefully and read lots of … Read more

A 50mm Finder as a Guidescope

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Back in April 2009 I wanted to have a more portable system using a more lightweight mount. thus reducing the weight of the imaging gear is a good thing. I’d seen in the forums on Cloudynights.com that some folks were using 50mm finder scopes as guiders. I decided I had to try modifying one myself. … Read more