Hi Dean,

could you confirm that your model is effectively a PASILL4 (ie the
latest one, with engravings till 2030 and rotating housing) ?

Thanks !
Pierre
--- In ap-gto@..., "Dean S" <dean@...> wrote:

Hi Pierre,

I managed to check the polar alignment scope tonight. After my

drift

alignment with Pempro, the polar scope is perfectly aligned with

all 3

stars.

What was unusual is, that when I looked thru the polar scope, it was
perfectly aligned without me even touching it. I doubt that would

happen

very often.

Dean

--- In ap-gto@..., chris1011@... wrote:

In a message dated 5/2/2008 8:49:39 AM Central Daylight Time,
lupo.di.mare@... writes:

Dear group
I have maybe a problem here
i have a Ap 900 gto cp3 who guided flawless for 3 years now i am
noticing a strange behaviour in Dec axis
My setup is :
AP 900 GTO cp3 4.12 firmware version
Takahashi FSQ 106 N f5
Sbig STL 11000
I was shooting the Nord America nebula 30 min HA subframe and

after

calibrate the star whit the internal guide ccd the guide start
whitout problem but after 10 minutes the dec ais show a + 0.70 / -

0.70 pixel movement very fast ( 3second up 3 second down)
Before the mount was loaded whit a Celesron C9.25 and on the top

a

Penta sdhf 75 ,stl 11k and never noted the dec guiding jump
after got the FSQ i loaded the mount only whit it and noticed

this

behaviour
My guiding parameter are :
for both axes Calibrating time of 15 seconds
minimum move x-y axes 0.02 seconds
maximum move x-y axes 0.20 seconds
delay after correction 0.50 seconds
exposure for the guide star 3 seconds
backlash 0
guide rate 1x
agressivness a value of 8 on both axes
the seeing was ,whit HA filter 13 nm , 1.01 fwhm in maxim dl
all the cable are not tangling
the setup is well balanced with a digital fish scale
last week i redo the polar alignment with pempro last version as

well

as the pec training ( pec was 6.40 p.p and after the training was

+-

1 arcsec )
on the Keypad the mount was selected as 900 gto
no backlash adjustement on Dec o Ra
guide rate is 1
i have uploaded some screen shot in my folder showing the guiding
behaviour :
http://tech.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/ap-gto/photos/browse/dfdb
Thanks for the kind support
My best regards
Giorgio

You may have set the backlash in the keypad. Please check to make

sure that

it is zero.

Rolando


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

hi Rolando
thanks for the kind help
That was !!!
i've found the setting in dec bascklash set to 1
thanks again
My Best regards
Giorgio

Dear group
I have maybe a problem here
i have a Ap 900 gto cp3 who guided flawless for 3 years now i am
noticing a strange behaviour in Dec axis
My setup is :
AP 900 GTO cp3 4.12 firmware version
Takahashi FSQ 106 N f5
Sbig STL 11000
I was shooting the Nord America nebula 30 min HA subframe and after
calibrate the star whit the internal guide ccd the guide start
whitout problem but after 10 minutes the dec ais show a + 0.70 / -
0.70 pixel movement very fast ( 3second up 3 second down)
Before the mount was loaded whit a Celesron C9.25 and on the top a
Penta sdhf 75 ,stl 11k and never noted the dec guiding jump
after got the FSQ i loaded the mount only whit it and noticed this
behaviour
My guiding parameter are :
for both axes Calibrating time of 15 seconds
minimum move x-y axes 0.02 seconds
maximum move x-y axes 0.20 seconds
delay after correction 0.50 seconds
exposure for the guide star 3 seconds
backlash 0
guide rate 1x
agressivness a value of 8 on both axes
the seeing was ,whit HA filter 13 nm , 1.01 fwhm in maxim dl
all the cable are not tangling
the setup is well balanced with a digital fish scale
last week i redo the polar alignment with pempro last version as well
as the pec training ( pec was 6.40 p.p and after the training was +-
1 arcsec )
on the Keypad the mount was selected as 900 gto
no backlash adjustement on Dec o Ra
guide rate is 1
i have uploaded some screen shot in my folder showing the guiding
behaviour :
http://tech.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/ap-gto/photos/browse/dfdb
Thanks for the kind support
My best regards
Giorgio

I just got a Mach1 myself, have had my 1200 only 6 months but after WSP I
decided I wanted something easier to carry for shorter imaging trips.

The Mach1 feels so light even in one piece, I think because it is so easy to
grip, the shape gives plenty of natural handles to grab it. But still it is
waaaaayyyy easier than the 1200.

I ordered the short weight bar so I could use the standard size weights, but
found out for my set up that it is a bit too short and requires more weight
than a longer bar. So I ordered a 14" bar and hope the extra 4" will lower
the amount needed.

And so far after imaging only 1 object, it guides my little Epsilon 160 had
good as the 1200.

Dean

In a message dated 5/2/2008 8:49:39 AM Central Daylight Time,
lupo.di.mare@... writes:

Dear group
I have maybe a problem here
i have a Ap 900 gto cp3 who guided flawless for 3 years now i am
noticing a strange behaviour in Dec axis
My setup is :
AP 900 GTO cp3 4.12 firmware version
Takahashi FSQ 106 N f5
Sbig STL 11000
I was shooting the Nord America nebula 30 min HA subframe and after
calibrate the star whit the internal guide ccd the guide start
whitout problem but after 10 minutes the dec ais show a + 0.70 / -
0.70 pixel movement very fast ( 3second up 3 second down)
Before the mount was loaded whit a Celesron C9.25 and on the top a
Penta sdhf 75 ,stl 11k and never noted the dec guiding jump
after got the FSQ i loaded the mount only whit it and noticed this
behaviour
My guiding parameter are :
for both axes Calibrating time of 15 seconds
minimum move x-y axes 0.02 seconds
maximum move x-y axes 0.20 seconds
delay after correction 0.50 seconds
exposure for the guide star 3 seconds
backlash 0
guide rate 1x
agressivness a value of 8 on both axes
the seeing was ,whit HA filter 13 nm , 1.01 fwhm in maxim dl
all the cable are not tangling
the setup is well balanced with a digital fish scale
last week i redo the polar alignment with pempro last version as well
as the pec training ( pec was 6.40 p.p and after the training was +-
1 arcsec )
on the Keypad the mount was selected as 900 gto
no backlash adjustement on Dec o Ra
guide rate is 1
i have uploaded some screen shot in my folder showing the guiding
behaviour :
http://tech.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/ap-gto/photos/browse/dfdb
Thanks for the kind support
My best regards
Giorgio

You may have set the backlash in the keypad. Please check to make sure that
it is zero.

Rolando


**************
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Hi,

I think the NCP is at the correct position as well.
I placed in the Files section, folder phenrotay, a file named:
smp_dscn_1.jpg
which shows the result.
It is the addition of a SkyMap bitmap (I added 2 lines to show the
NCP at their intersection) and a digicam pic, after alignment in
MaxIm.
The alignment was made on Polaris and delta UMi. OV Cep falls in
place, as does the NCP position.

I plan to retest the operator' skills (ie myself !) as soon as the
sky clears up. Might take a while...

Pierre

--- In ap-gto@..., "Samir Kharusi" <samirkharusi@...>
wrote:

Hi again,
Your photos confirmed that the engraving for the stars was fine,

but

not whether the North Celestial Pole is shown at the correct
position. That is the critical one! For this you need to locate

where

the NCP is located in your software (for 2008!), mark it as a user
point in Skymap Pro, and then verify that it is indeed at the
location where all those lines in the reticle cross in the middle.
Hopefully you have not yet erased your reticle photos. Thereafter

you

will have full confirmation whether it is operator error or that

the

reticle is erroneous. There are two generations of reticles

currently

in use. It is possible that the older one is fully correct and the
newer one that you are using is erroneous. This could have happened
if, eg whoever drew the reticle had put in the NCP precessing in

the

wrong direction (mirror image). Mine is the older one, and it's
always possible that the above report confirming that the reticle
checked out fine after an independent/software polar alignment was
also the older reticle. Was it the older or the newer reticle?

I currently have two AP GTO mounts (900 & 1200) and am about to take receipt of a
Mach1GTO. Is the latter that much easier to schlep than the 900?

After hauling the 1200, the 900 now seems pretty light.

Hi again,
Your photos confirmed that the engraving for the stars was fine, but
not whether the North Celestial Pole is shown at the correct
position. That is the critical one! For this you need to locate where
the NCP is located in your software (for 2008!), mark it as a user
point in Skymap Pro, and then verify that it is indeed at the
location where all those lines in the reticle cross in the middle.
Hopefully you have not yet erased your reticle photos. Thereafter you
will have full confirmation whether it is operator error or that the
reticle is erroneous. There are two generations of reticles currently
in use. It is possible that the older one is fully correct and the
newer one that you are using is erroneous. This could have happened
if, eg whoever drew the reticle had put in the NCP precessing in the
wrong direction (mirror image). Mine is the older one, and it's
always possible that the above report confirming that the reticle
checked out fine after an independent/software polar alignment was
also the older reticle. Was it the older or the newer reticle?

--- In ap-gto@..., "phenrotay" <Pierre.Henrotay@...>
wrote:

Hi Samir,

thank you for the tip, looks like a good idea.

I just did so, but not using TheSky which I do not have:
- in SkyMap Pro, I made a map of the area next to the North Pole
(about 15 degrees wide) and saved it as bitmap
- I took a photo in daytime thru the polar scope against a white
background; easy with my digicam
- I used MaxIm to align the map and the photo (plain translate,
rotate and scale) using 2 stars as alignment: Polaris and delta UMi
- added both images with 50% intensity each

The result is that OV Cep ends up at the right place as well.
The conclusion is that the reticle is fine. BTW, I rechecked that

it

is centered by taking 4 pics thru the polar scope, with a distant
object as target, each pic differing from previous by 90 deg: all
fine, centering is OK.

Hi Roland,

I can't speak for Maxim, but CCDSoft "knows" the binning state of the
guiding chip and will adjust the speeds accordingly. E.g., if one
calibrates 1x1 and then guides 2x2, CCDSoft will automatically adjust
the speeds to account for the resulting change of guiding image scale.
Further, if one decides to enter his own values into the Motion
fields in CCDSoft, for whatever reason, he MUST do so as if the
guiding chip was binned 1x1 regardless of how the guiding chip will
actually be set (1x1, 2x2, or 3x3) while guiding.

Any thoughts on my post which started this thread? --

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ap-gto/message/21815

JS



--- In ap-gto@..., chris1011@... wrote:

If you guide at 1x1, then calibrate at 1x1. If you guide at 2x2

binned, you

must also calibrate at 2x2, or simply take your 1x1 values and cut

them in

half.

Rolando

In a message dated 4/28/2008 1:54:21 AM Central Daylight Time,
marcolorenzi70@... writes:

Dear all, I eventually found little time to update my home page with 8 new
shots. They all were taken with my worthy 900GTO

The direct links to the images and the preview is accessible here
http://astrosurf.com/lorenzi/lastupdate.htm

All shots were made using my STL11K (now sold) and relative to the following
objects:

M 51 the Whirlpool Galaxy, one of my preferred objects (Vixen Visac 20cm
f/9)

M106 Another nice galaxy, quite extended (Vixen Visac 20cm f/9)

M65/66/NGC3628 The popular Leo Triplet (Vixen Visac 20cm f/9)

M97/M108 The intriguing Owl Nebula and its neighbour galaxy (Vixen Visac
20cm f/9)

M1 The Crab Nebula (Vixen Visac 20cm f/9)

M78 A charming reflecting nebula in Orion (Vixen Visac 20cm f/9)

NGC2264 The Christmas three and its jewels (Tec140)

M42 The Great Orion Nebula, this picture made with data from both the TEC140
and the Visac to increase core details

Comments and critics are welcome

All very impressive images.

Rolando


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Hi Samir,

thank you for the tip, looks like a good idea.

I just did so, but not using TheSky which I do not have:
- in SkyMap Pro, I made a map of the area next to the North Pole
(about 15 degrees wide) and saved it as bitmap
- I took a photo in daytime thru the polar scope against a white
background; easy with my digicam
- I used MaxIm to align the map and the photo (plain translate,
rotate and scale) using 2 stars as alignment: Polaris and delta UMi
- added both images with 50% intensity each

The result is that OV Cep ends up at the right place as well.
The conclusion is that the reticle is fine. BTW, I rechecked that it
is centered by taking 4 pics thru the polar scope, with a distant
object as target, each pic differing from previous by 90 deg: all
fine, centering is OK.

I must be doing something wrong when using the polar scope itself,
but yet wonder what. Especially since for the last test, we were two
guys to crosscheck what we were doing.

Need further clear nights to retest... unfortunately no clear skies
forecast for the next days/weeks.

So the status so far: operator error ?

Pierre
--- In ap-gto@..., "Samir Kharusi" <samirkharusi@...>
wrote:

At least from what you have drawn, the indication is that the
magnification is correct. It is thus fairly simple to verify that

the

reticle is correctly engraved or not. Take a photograph, daytime
against a clear sky or a white sheet of paper, through the polar
scope. Just try various lenses on a digicam or dslr holding the

lens

against the eyepiece. Something always works well enough. Match up
your photo, ie using Image Link, with The Sky. My old version of

The

Sky did not show the location of the North Celestial Pole, but I
added it in as a user point. Be careful that you put it in for

2008!

The error in the sketch does seem to be too large to be blamable on
atmospheric refraction, IMHO, and if it is indeed in error,

Losmandy

should be able to produce corrected reticles fairly quickly.

Hi Dean,

lucky are you ;-)

Thank you for these test reports. This indicates that I have a
particular problem with mine - or, not to be excluded yet, that I
repeatedly did something wrong (but in my last tests, we were 2).

I need some more clear night(s) to recheck what is going on here;
unfortunately there is little hope for this in the very near future.

What I rechecked so far:
- the polar scope reticle is centered on the optical axis of the
polar scope
- the polar scope optical axis is aligned with the RA axis of the
mount (well, not mine, but an AP900GTO)
- the magnification of the polar scope is fine (I compared with a
previous model, unfortunately this is not suitable for the Mach1 as
it is non rotating)
- the engravings are OK (I followed a suggestion made on this list to
take a pic thru the polar scope with a digicam and check for
alignment with a map of the North Pole area - I did the map with
SkyMap Pro and used MaxIm to align with my pic - 2 stars align, no
centroid use): all 3 "stars" fall nicely in place where expected

So I am puzzled.

Is there a chance that I constantly mistake one star for another ? I
have a doubt on the position of what I assumed to be OV Cep. I'll
redo my checks just using Polaris and delta UMi.

Thanks again anyway !

Pierre
--- In ap-gto@..., "Dean S" <dean@...> wrote:

Hi Pierre,

I managed to check the polar alignment scope tonight. After my

drift

alignment with Pempro, the polar scope is perfectly aligned with

all 3

stars.

What was unusual is, that when I looked thru the polar scope, it was
perfectly aligned without me even touching it. I doubt that would

happen

very often.

Dean

In a message dated 4/27/2008 3:04:26 PM Central Daylight Time,
reseavey@... writes:

In paragraph 2), it seems to say that one has to calibrate the guider with
the binning set to 1x1. I don't believe that is true.

If you guide at 1x1, then calibrate at 1x1. If you guide at 2x2 binned, you
must also calibrate at 2x2, or simply take your 1x1 values and cut them in
half.

Rolando


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In a message dated 4/27/2008 10:41:12 AM Central Daylight Time,
llp41astro@... writes:

After using FocusMax with my new AP 140 4" focuser using a FeatherTouch
motor, I am wondering if there is anyway to adjuct the focuser backlash.

Larry

Make sure that the 4 mounting screws on the bottom of the pinion block are
fully tightened. They may have loosened during shipping due to vibration. Next,
remove the large focuser knob and snug up the 2 small set screws on the side
of the pinion block until the block does not move any more when the focus is
moved back and forth. Finally, snug up the two black Delrin screws on the bottom
side of the focuser body.

Roland Christen


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Hi Pierre,

I managed to check the polar alignment scope tonight. After my drift
alignment with Pempro, the polar scope is perfectly aligned with all 3
stars.

What was unusual is, that when I looked thru the polar scope, it was
perfectly aligned without me even touching it. I doubt that would happen
very often.

Dean

Hi Dean,
I had mine in the desert last year when the temps hit 115F. I had it
under the silver scope cover from TeleGizmos. This keeps it relatively
cool as it reflects the heat.
Thanks, Rick

--- In ap-gto@..., "Dean Salman" <cluster@...> wrote:

Well summmer is coming and the observatory is getting warm. I do

not

have a roof completed yet so how much heat can the mount handle.

This

was not an issue with my old mount since it was so simple.

I do cover the mount during the day, but it does get hot enough you
can't pick it up. I have recorded temps close to 120 in June

Hi Pierre,

Last night I got some time to test my new Mach1GTO. I aligned it with the
same polar scope I use with my 1200. My targets where on the chip after my
first star synch, not perfect but very close.

Then I did about 45 minutes of guided images, what a smooth graph! Perhaps
better than my 1200 even? Well only because I was guiding at a much smaller
image scale really. But regardless it guided extremely well, so good in
fact I see little need to drift any more, at least when I am imaging at 2.44
arcsec image scale.

Then I went to Pempro and checked the polar alignment. On azimuth it was
off at about 2.3 arc minutes. I adjusted until I got it about 0.5 which
seeing was bad so that is probably best I could do then.

Then went to check Dec and it said it was off about 6.0 arcminutes. I
adjusted and went back to Azimuth which was then off a bit and readjusted
just little back to about 0.5.

Unfortunately clouds or fog was making Polaris hard to see at this point so
I could not check the polar scope but will do so tonight

Anyways I will be happy with only the polar scope alignment for the most
part unless I need to do longer exposures at longer F/L.

Dean Sch.

I believe this might be what you are looking for:

http://www.pierplates.com/AP%20900%20to%20PierTopPlate.pdf

I had my 900 pier adapter modified in this way. I'm not sure
whether you have a permanent pier installation, but note that the
countersunk holes for attaching the 900 pier adapter to your pier
top plate will interfere with the tapped holes for mounting the RA
axis to the 900 pier adapter unless you can rotate your pier top
plate away from north by at least 7 degrees.

-Eric

--- In ap-gto@..., "pm57uk" <ast57@...> wrote:

Hi,

This is a long shot but I thought I'd try anyway.

I'm going to be putting the 900 standard pier adapter onto the top

of

my flat-topped pier.

My pier top has some tapped holes to match the pattern of the bolt
holes of the meade wedge (centre hole plus 3 holes 120 deg apart a
few inches out from the centre) which used to sit on my pier.

I was hoping to have the AP pier adapter pre-drilled so I could
fasten it directly to my pier for minimum hassle and was wondering

if

anyone might know the specifications of the bolt hold pattern for

the

meade wedge that I could supply in advance to have holes drilled.

(I guess I could paper trace the bolt pattern on my pier top, but

I

don't want to disasemble the mount that is currently riding on it

if

at all possible for the moment.)

Cheers
Paul McGale

Hi Larry,

No, the full version has all of the features of the AP SE version and more.

-Ray

Hello Larry,
for as much as my opinion counts, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't
use the full version since you have it.
The AP version is a reduced version of the one you have and it was
SPECIFICALLY and ONLY for AP mounts. The full version applies to most mounts
and has features that the AP doesn't have, such as the polar align wizard.
I believe that Ray will reply to you, but I'm quite sure his answer won't be
different from mine.

Ciao Larry

Luca