Just another note to myself...


So, I've been collecting data on M42, the Orion Nebula.   I got 3 days toward
the end of November.   Got around 30-35 frames at 15 minutes, 30 frames at 5 minutes.
Tonight (night of 12/14) I got another 12 frames at 5 minutes with Orion in a
better part of the sky.   Then got about 40 frames at 15 seconds, then 40 frames
at 2 minutes.   I noticed that the 15 second frames were still blowing out the
Trapezium so I added 40 frames at 5 seconds.   Lots of the 5 sec shots showed odd
shaped stars -- with slight elongation.  But it was sorta random so I attribute it
to seeing.

I've been working on the used AP1200 mount and it seems less accurate than
the AP900.   PHD2 does so many more corrections to keep the target in its sights.

I decided to try a different setting for Dec corrections.   In PHD2's settings, I had set
the Dec correction to "Resist Switch" which in previous trips has resulted in
really crappy Dec corrections -- there are occasional elongated stars that I believe
are the result of crazy Dec movements.

So, I changed the settings to "Hysteresis" in the hopes of better Dec corrections.

Earlier I polar aligned and spent a lot more time getting the "east" or Dec alignment
solid with 250 second correction using the "iterative method".

And I spent some time re-seating the legs of the pier.   I had brought out a level
and discovered that the legs were really out of kilter.   I wondered if this was
responsible for the poor guiding.

Another new thing was going with a different connection between the autoguider and the mount.
Instead of using the standard ST-4 port connected to the autoguider camera, I went
through a USB-to-Serial interface, then to the RS-232 port of the mount.   I dunno.

After doing some test autoguides, it might have been better.  The RA guiding did
seem better, but the Dec guiding was still giving me some fits.   Overall it might have
been better.   It's hard to say.   Except that I never lost the guide star.

In any event, guiding through the RS-232 connection worked and I'll probably stick with it.

I was done with the Orion shots around 1:30 AM when the moon made it's appearance.

I decided to try to image the Cone nebula using Dithering.   Man, I just had problems.

The procedure of getting dithering going involves turning on the server in PHD2,
shutting PHD2 down, then restarting PHD2 and going about calibrating as usual.

What I found was that PHD2 would often just hang after connecting to the camera
and mount.   What gives?   I would have to CTRL-ALT-DEL to shut down the program
and the Astro-Physics driver which controls the mount.

I tried multiple different approaches.    At one point, the QHY5L-II guider wasn't
even showing a red light.   I'd have to unplug it and replug it in.   Sometimes that would
allow the camera to show up, but other times, the camera just wasn't cooperating.
Troubleshooting this crap with 20 degree temps and freezing hands is a pain in the ass.

Turned off and on the computer.   Same problems.

At one point, my computer decided to hang.

Was it the 18 degree weather?

So, I began to be methodical and stumbled upon one instance of success.

After restarting the computer (yet again), I opened PHD2 and made sure I only connected
the camera so I could see an image.   *I think* I stopped the camera, then selected a star
on the image, then I connected the mount, restarted the 2 sec images.   Then I stopped,
disconnected, enabled the server, then shut down.   *I think* I opened PHD2 again, then
started JUST THE CAMERA to see if I could get an image.   Then hit stop, then connected
the mount (a slight delay occurs), then restarted the 2 sec images with SUCCESS.   I was
then able to calibrate and begin guiding.   IT WAS ONLY THEN that I started Backyard EOS.
And after loading a profile of 60 sec shots, it worked!

Earlier, I had been connecting both the camera and mount at the same time when starting PHD2.
And this leads to a hang.

Also, I had been trying PHD2 with Backyard EOS loaded in the background.   I think this causes problems because PHD2 wants BYE wants to communicate with PHD2 before it's ready.

I'm not sure if I found a way to make it work OR the system just randomly decided to work one time.

It seems like if PHD2 hangs, then I need to restart the computer which is a pain.

We'll see next time.  I want to try to exclusively use Dithering.