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Hi all of you, over the last three or four years, since I began to do astro photography. I developed a method of handling my equipment. This works for me. But before I write some lines about it, I want to explain the reason for this thread. Astro photography became a bit of a passion and I made some progress in handling my setups. But I was wondering, if maybe there are some better solutions or at least ideas how to improve or optimize my own handling strategies. So please feel free to write whatever you think may be interesting to other users. I began to do AP with an old Canon 5D Mark II. The camera died during a snow storm in the alps some years ago. The exposure meter didn't work anymore and so it becomes kind of useless for normal photography. So I astro modded the camera myself and bought a simple motorized mount without any computer connection. Without much money, I did most of the stuff myself. The main work was to built my own power supply based an a lead battery and during friday and saturday nights, I drove to a dark location and slept out in the fields, while my small Laptop and APT were taking images of the sky. There were some drawbacks. If you are limited to fridays and saturdays, the clear and moonless nights could be counted with maybe two hands during a year. I often was out there and clouds came so I had to bring everything back home. This, beside some others, was the main reason why I tend lose my motivation. So a solution was needed. The first thing I did was to buy an EQ6-R Pro mount. Some time later, I got a cheapish 8" Newton, a coma corrector, an ASI 183MM, ... So my journey really began. However, today I use 3 mounts and 3 setups simultaniously. I put all of them in the garden next to my house. Not the best place to do AP, but it enables me to do it even during the week and remotely control everything from my couch. I managed to install power and ethernet on a fence, where I connected everyting to. For every mount, I have a computer that I put in nearly water proof boxes. If one fails, chances are good the other two keep getting images. The mounts were covered during bad weather periods or the days with 3 Telegizmo 365 covers. Also not ideal, but it allows me to keep everything set up even during the winters. It's amazing, how everything handels those temperature and humidity changes. But maybe not forever. Telescope wise, today I own 5 different ones. I build controllable DIY power boxes for each of them and use the scripts in Nina to control them. Every telescope is setup nearly the same. I have two cables for each scope. One is a custom power supply cable that uses the same connector for every scope. The second is the USB cable to the hub that is also mounted on the scopes itself. Every scope is set up "ready to use" with a guide system, dew heaters and all the stuff you need to image. So basically, If I decide to image a new subject, it took me about 2 minutes to change the setup to what I need. This solution wasn't cheap, but it is really comfortable. The only thing I need to change are the main cameras and the filter wheels. They are way too expensive for me to have spare ones. I already invested a crazy amount of money in this hobby... But who am I telling this  While I am really happy to work this way, it is not the optimal solution. The next step is to built at least two pier mounts and later built a roll off roof observatory around them. I am not sure, if I will include the third setup as well. But if that's done, I may upgrade to a higher quality scope, a ... I guess you know where this leads to, didn't you? So that's the way I did it. I did a lot of DIY stuff and still put a lot of money for example in the guiding cams, books, software, adapters and much more. But I think, every new piece of equipment was a step forward and offered some new possibilities. But I am really interested in how you improved on AP and what your expereiences were. There are not many people around my place I could ask, so I send my interests out to the astrobin world. Thanks for taking the time to write some lines. CS Christian |
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Sure, why not. I started with my terrestrial full frame Sony gear and bought a Sky Adventurer used. I played with that for a month and then decided that a modified camera was needed. I ordered a used Sony A6000 and at the same time found a broken A7r locally for peanuts. I modified (and repaired) both. Made the mistake of not using a filter on a full spectrum mod camera, missed the target by half a frame a few times, struggled with focus and filters on camera lenses. Finally I made something resembling an astro image. Then I bought a used EQM-35 (I knew it was cheap for a reason) and a SharpStar 76EDPH just in time for summer. No guiding, no computer, just the scope, camera and mount with a cheap UHC filter and UV/IR filter. I made a couple of images this way, then bought a super cheap SVBony SV-105 which is basically a web cam without a lens and a 30mm guide scope. Pressed an old laptop into service with Nina and I was off. At this point I was setting up every night. Next I bought a ZWO EAF and finally I had a pretty automated rig. At this point I would often leave the mount setup and aligned but take the scope inside and cover the mount with a garbage bag. It wasn't to long before the EQM-35 was just frustrating me and I was looking for a better mount. I found a mint, used EQ6R locally and snapped it up. What a difference. I used this rig for 5 months before the next step bug bit again. This time it was a mono astrocam. Again hunting for the magic deals, I found a used QHY294m Pro for a great deal and bought a set of 31mm ZWO filters used that someone was selling cheap because they upgraded to unaffordium (Chroma). Then it was time for a longer scope and a big departure for me. I bought a new SVBony SV-503/102ed. About this time I would leave the whole rig setup outside for a few nights at a time under a garbage bag and a silver telescope cover from amazon. I got sick of setup every night and started planning a shed for the telescope (s). I also realized that I basically had a complete second rig. I have built a simple 6'x8' box that's about 5'8 tall. It has a 2 piece flat roof that I simply remove. I didn't have enough room (or money) for a proper roll of roof. It's not finished yet but it is in use as of last week. I still need to paint it and make the door. It is a 5 minute operation to put the roof back on in the morning and I can have both rigs up and running in 30 to 45 minutes. Manual focusing the second rig is a pain and eats up a lot of that setup time. I still bring the scopes inside if it's going to be more than a couple days to the next weather window but the mount and all of the power stuff etc stay outside. I also just bought a second used QHY294m and a set of used ZWO 36mm SHO filters for the second rig. All of this has been about the last 18 months. It's been a journey for sure. I have a list of things to buy for the second rig, EAF, mount upgrade, LRGB filters. Eventually I would love a very wide scope like an Askar 180mm and mini computers instead of the very old laptops I'm using. I also need a guide camera. I am still using that SV-105 on the second rig and it works but is totally not the right tool for that job. Even my other guide camera is an old SSAG I got for $50. I have a custom power harness half built but haven't had time to finish it. I am sure you can see a theme. Not cheap but for sure on a budget. A lot of used and finding those trade offs like the 294m's (which I love). I also work full time and have 2 toddlers so DIY time is not abundant. |
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Hi Joe, thanks for your answer. This could be my story as well. I remember the first nights out when I tried to find my targets. I used a 300mm lens at that time and had no idea about plate solving. So I used the star hopping method and hoped for the best. I haven't heard about Nina, yet. Polar alignment was a guess instead of an exact science. With my knowledge now, I may be able to use better and faster techniques even with a manual setup. But if you have no clue, it's kinda hard. I'm glad that I learned a lot. It took a while, but it helped massively. CS Christian |
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Right now it's pretty easy for me. I have an EQM-35 Pro, ASIAIR, William Optics Z61, 1600mm Pro, 120mm mini, 30mm guide scope, and things like dew heaters, EAF, filter wheel, etc. I image from my back deck, so I just leave everything attached and carry it in and out of the house because it's light enough for me to do so. I will leave it outside if the forecast has no rain and multiple nights of imaging in a row. BUT, I just bought a C8 and an EQ6R Pro. There's no way I'm going to be able to just lift that thing in and out of the house. My plan is to basically have a whole second set up, but have a 1600MC Pro as a second camera. That way I don't have to tear everything apart when I want to switch between set ups, and more than likely use both at the same time. With the new set up, I'm hoping I can have all the imaging stuff mounted on the telescope so that I can just unplug a couple cords and take it off the mount. Then I'll be able to carry the scope and mount in and out separately. Overall I don't mind taking things in and out all the time. It takes me about 5-10 minutes to polar align. It does suck on days I work, because I work 12 hour shifts, and I don't like staying up late to set up when I have to leave for work at 340 AM. I prefer not to leave my scope out when I'm not around most of the day. This means from May through August I don't always image when I have to work the next day, because with the short nights it's just not always worth it. I have thought about making some sort of enclosure so I can just leave stuff outside. I don't really use my deck for anything else anyway, and with the market now I'm not going to be moving any time soon. The two issues I have with that though is that I don't want a permanent structure on my deck. Then the bigger issue is if I'd want to go with concrete piers, I'd have to cut holes and somehow dig 5 feet or so to get below the frost line. |
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| My house is on the foot of a hill. From there, I am really limited and only see quite a small part of the sky. Following a target over the night is difficult there. So I have to position my setups about 20m up the steep hill to have a wider view at least to the west. And I'm getting older. So with two EQ6s I am not able to lift everything up and down all the time. I am feeling quite nervous to leave everything outside, but at least, I use a webcam with alarm function to have a look at my equipment. I never had issues, but who knows... |
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Hello Christian, et al, Many of us enjoy reading posts like this. It resonates. So much of what you are experiencing, so many of us have experienced ... and for many of us, there is no optimal to our solutions. Just a lot of hard work and patience; trial and errors .... My story is likely similar to yours and (again) so many others. No permanent set-up. We travel ... and in my part of the world, darkish skies are sometimes three hours away. I've tried to streamline my set-ups as best possible, and the one thing I do without fail is assemble my night's set-up before I pack up and head out to dark skies. This ensures (not including spares) that I have the exact cables for the evening, the battery and tablet are charged, I can properly balance the set-up, and I've dialed in a proper back focus. It's an extra step, but will prevent missteps like being 10 miles up the highway when you realize you've forgotten your camera. Don't be afraid to reach out ... especially in this community. There are plenty of folks willing to share information, experiences and help you in every step of your journey. Jay |
