Worthless...You didn't show how to collimate. Can any one show a simple way to collimate a SCT without trying to sound scientific or complicated. I don't use a computer and software to look through my LX200.
@Zealor36529 күн бұрын
Sorry this video wasn't helpful for you, I will try harder next time.
@Michael.ChapmanАй бұрын
I feel I’ve wasted too much time over the decades in attempting collimation using the traditional method given in the manuals of my vintage C5 and C8. Do I need camera-to-computer live output of the scope’s image in order to use the TB Mask and cardboard overlay to attempt this collimation for optimal visual use? I guess you use super-imposition of the diffraction spikes over the colored calibration dots-but I just need accurate collimation for visual observing? I’m also trying use of an artificial star placed at a reasonable distance. Collimation is the biggest time consumer in this hobby-but Thank You for this info & demonstration :-)
@Zealor36529 күн бұрын
Thanks for your feedback, It will help in making future videos.
@markvoigt54742 ай бұрын
Which ioptron driver on the ASIAir are you using ? I don’t see the HEM44 listed ??
@Zealor36529 күн бұрын
The ASI AIR considers this mount the same as the CEM40 mount. Both of them use the same firmware for operation.
@teslar13 ай бұрын
Could you please make a follow up video showing your process for using this
@Zealor36529 күн бұрын
Thanks for your feedback, I will try this month to make a follow-up video.
@KJRitch3 ай бұрын
Still having issues with this mount? Try it with NINA. I have Goto issues with ASIAir and my AVX mount. Always syncing mount after slewing helps. Thanks.
@Zealor36529 күн бұрын
Thanks for the tip!
@anata51273 ай бұрын
Collimation of SCT is never done by loosening screws. Such collimation will not hold for long.
@earthling-fh2mg2 ай бұрын
It’s impossible to have them all tightened up. The secondary mirror will not be aligned. The whole point of the three screw method is to tighten and loosen to get the mirror perfectly perpendicular to the axis.
@Zealor36529 күн бұрын
The secondary mirror is held in place and balanced to the frame with a small rubber "O" ring. The 3 collimation screws are used to either compress OR relax the pressure on the "O" ring until the secondary mirror is aligned with the primary mirror.
@terrybertrand71594 ай бұрын
Thanks for the explanation, and the cardboard cover design (I was wondering how to make one). I have been using a Bahtinov mask on my C9.25 but I got a Tri Bahtinov a few months ago and I haven't tried it out yet. I'm going to give it a try with your method.
@Zealor3653 ай бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
@SteveHikes4 ай бұрын
Nice video, shots of still lakes is always better when you’re the only one there. When I video I specifically choose environments where I’m hopefully alone, except my faithful dog lol.
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
Thanks for the tips! So True!
@straceshow32124 ай бұрын
Thanks for the realistic information. Van life sounds great if you are in a moderate climate with decent weather and/or if you have a complete, well insulated buildout which includes heat and air conditioning. Van life comes with tremendous freedom and the adventure of hitting the road but it also comes with tremendous inconveniences even if you spend the big bucks to get well equipped vehicle. It seems to come with both extreme ends of the scale; you have to be able to endure but there is a great payoff.
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
So very true, I thouroghly enjoy the experience, but it is a completely different lifestyle.
@enterearth22544 ай бұрын
I would like to hear story about this van, take care! ( U have new subscriber!)
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
Thank you! Will do!
@northernpianotuner33194 ай бұрын
yup !!!! i read all those "helpful tips" about how to stay warm in a van , and u can tell which writers are young people. They're the ones saying "oh just do this & you'll be warm all night". uh - huh.... no acknowledgement for the poor souls who have to get up and tinkle 2-5 times during the night. i want the space to be warm !!!!! the native americans could warm their wigwams and tipis. There has to be a way to warm my van !
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
Last night in the Olympic mountains I had to get up twice, but I got 6 hours of sleep still. I have a heated pad on my bed that makes hoping back into bed fun.
@BrentsVanLife4 ай бұрын
Lol, telling it like it is. Way to go Mark. Hello from your neighbour to the north
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.
@garryfreemyer71874 ай бұрын
Can you buy the cardboard overlay in plastic? What is it called? I have essential tremors so i can’t cut it out.
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
I used the top of a liquor box for the template and used a razor knife to cut the cardboard. This is a custom cutout so I don't think it is for sale anywhere.
@JanCux-qx8pw4 ай бұрын
Very interesting concept! Thanks for sharing. Which screw do I need to turn? If I move the purple dot of the cardboard, so that it matches the red dot on the mask, do I turn the screw of the secondary that is matching the red spot, if Collimation is a bit off?
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
The dots of different color represent the different "Triads" of the scope itself. When you move the template around in a circle, you will see some spikes which are not evenly separated, and the collimation screw which is exposed will be the one to loosen or tighten to evenly space the spikes.
@stephy_spacesout4 ай бұрын
Looks like a beautiful park to visit
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
This would be a great "Off Season" hiding spot for the weekend.
@stephy_spacesout4 ай бұрын
Amazing work ❤
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
Thanks much, comments motivate me to produce more videos.
@DB-be9wy4 ай бұрын
I'm confused what the cardboard section does? What functionality is that adding that isn't already in the mask? Thanks.
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
A Tri-Bahtinov mask has 3 sections. The cardboad mask isolates 2 of the 3 sections to assist in deteerming which of the 3 collimation screws will be adjusted. you can display the section where the spikes are not even and adjust the associated screw to widen or narrow the collimation spikes for that section.
@earthling-fh2mg2 ай бұрын
@@Zealor365But adjusting one screw for one set of spikes simply impacts the others so you end up chasing your tail.
@LHM40005 ай бұрын
It's Bahtinov not Baktinov.
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
Thanks for the correction.
@DiegoGomez-px6lh5 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing... very interesting approach!.. If you don't mind, I'd appreciate if you could clarify the following doubt: When you line up the cardboard mask with one of the collimation screws, you keep working that screw until the three spikes are equidistant and then move to the next section?
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
A Tri-Bahtinov mask has 3 sections. The cardboad mask isolates 2 of the 3 sections to assist in deteerming which of the 3 collimation screws will be adjusted. you can display the section where the spikes are not even and adjust the associated screw to widen or narrow the collimation spikes for that section.
@georgerosenkrans94256 ай бұрын
what were your results plugging it in directly without the controller? Is it the exact same as setting the controller to high or does it produce more amp draw and greater watts? I have these dew heaters and they don't seem to get very warm and I have no way to test their amp draw.
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
Plugging it in directly to the source provides full power continuosly. The amp draw is stated in the product description of the vendors website, and is dependent on the length of the strap.
@MeMeDaVinci6 ай бұрын
Digging up a schoolyard?
@Zealor3656 ай бұрын
Two empty playfields from the 1960's where the schools were torn down 20 years ago. City property waiting for a new purpose.
@stevehershberger54328 ай бұрын
PLEASE TELL US WHAT TRI-PIER YOU ARE USING WITH HEM44 MOUNT on the 6 month review. Thanks!
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
The Tri pier in use is the William Optics Mortar 800.
@user-md8rb7zx9o8 ай бұрын
Hello! I'm considering demounting my 8" LX200 classic and putting it on a HEM44. I'd like to find out the distance from the RA axis to the base of the dovetail saddle. The enclosure I have it in has 24" from the east wall to the west wall. So, when the mount rotates all the way over so the the OTA is completely on one side, I would like to calculate whether there is enough clearance - 8" plus dovetail plate plus distance to the RA axis. I called Ioptron, but they did not have any any hand to measure. Best regards. Mike
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
I believe it is 5.7 inches.
@fjrodrick9 ай бұрын
Sorry to hear of your problems, but this is very helpful for me. I was considering the new HAE43EC but maybe I’ll stick with the CEM40EC a little longer. Good luck with yours.
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
I am considering going back to the CEM40EC
@DrunkferretKG10 ай бұрын
I think it's a bug between the Asiair+ and the mount. My GEM28 does it. It is something in the goto commands from the Asiair. My work around is to take a preview image after a capture session, plate solve it, sync it, then have the Asiair move to the next target. The freeze seems to be in the goto function as I can manually move the mount with the AA+ and ioptron hand command. Telling it to go home doesn't work either. It's like the mount and the AA+ get stuck on the target. As long as I take previews and sync the plate solving things are fine. Although I have not tested it, I think this is an issue with the Asiair. If you run your mount with a computer does it do this?
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
NOTE: I am getting a lot of feedback from Facebook groups that other users are experiencing the same problem.
@DrunkferretKG4 ай бұрын
@@Zealor365 I bought an AM5 in December and sold the GEM28. The AM5 has been solid.
@KJRitch3 ай бұрын
ASIAir is the gateway to their AM5. My AVX mount has several issues with my ASIAir Plus 256. GoTo problems. Mount disconnect errors and manual slews in DEC don’t stop when lifting my finger off my iPad screen. Opened several bug reports with ZWO and working with them in their new beta release the problems still exist. Don’t think the ZWO techs care. I’ve moved on to NINA with a Mele MiniPC and no issues ith the mount because I’m using the CPWI driver.
@ugurphoto10 ай бұрын
Hi Mark! I may have a similar issue with my C8-XLT. Do you have any before and after images or videos?
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
To be honest, I am giving up on the SCT and going back to refractors.
@ABCMO-bl5piАй бұрын
Last night I spent between 1.5 and 2 frustrating hours trying to collimate my C6. I used Arcturus, which was up around 60 degrees, as my target star and began trying to use a Tri-Bahtinov mask. I couldn’t make any headway and might have made things worse, so I shifted to the airy disk method. After the airy disk looked like it was about one step away from good collimation, all of my effort made things much worse, and whatever I did with the collimation screws, I couldn’t get the circle we want in the center to move away from the edge. Disheartened, I gave up, decompressed for 30 minutes, and went to bed. I in my fourth week of recovering from Covid-stopped testing positive four days ago-so maybe the virus is affecting my judgment, but at least last night I was thinking of getting out of the SCT business and working primarily with my William Optics Redcat 61 on my AM5 mount and controlled with an ASIAIR+, which works great. And this after buying a used Celestron 8se just a couple of weeks ago. Haven’t looked into its collimation yet, and after last night’s debacle, I’d probably be afraid to try to adjust it if need. Not sure what to do, but the thought of leaving SCTs behind has some positive aspects. So it’s interesting to see that’s exactly what you are doing. I’m a member of my local astronomy club, so maybe I can pay someone much better at collimation than I am to try to get my scope(s) collimated.
@russell123411 ай бұрын
Hi what tripod are you using?
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
This is the William Optics Mortar 800
@alandyer91011 ай бұрын
Thank you for your review. Very informative. Clear skies!
@Zealor36511 ай бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
@anata5127 Жыл бұрын
2-3 degree differences! So, you didn’t figure out which one is right. Neither. Surprised? Moreover, guiding numbers from ASAir is not correct either. It shows 0.5”, but could be 1” in PHD2 software. IOptron never sees problem until someone sues them. If you really like lightweight mount. You could get Rainbow Astro with encoders. You could change scope as well and get Tak 85 or Esprit 80. All my recommendations will increase quality of astrophotography and enjoyment of the hobby.
@Zealor36511 ай бұрын
Thanks much for the insight!
@comm2005 Жыл бұрын
Thank you. Where did you order this mount because no other dealer is giving free counterweight bar. May be that is free in EC versions. Let me know.
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
I bought it from Oceanside telescope. They went out of business 6 months ago
@Ghostflyer63 Жыл бұрын
I am liking the looks of this thing. Mark you do realize that you're gonna make me spend money😂😂
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
I believe you can do an excellent job of stimulating the economy with your decision.
@gbwalther3198 Жыл бұрын
Amazing, never knew that one could do so much with specialized post processing in astrophotography! 😎😎
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
Thanks,
@Cjs_Travelin_Van-Na Жыл бұрын
What a beautiful place. I do enjoy the outdoors, but I like regular Bud! You be careful out there, I didn't see your friends 😀
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
My friends don't like to be in videos.
@AndrewRamirez-qc2kd Жыл бұрын
Hey . Unblock me mark . Text me
@earthLTD Жыл бұрын
Does the mount arrive set up for the Losmandy dovetail?
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
No, but it can be switched in about 15 minutes. 4 screws
@Marie10174 Жыл бұрын
Love your video. Hubby & I will be driving up to Bremerton at the end of May, hoping we can find a day to take this in & hoping there will still be some birds of prey in the area.🦅
@Zealor365 Жыл бұрын
Seabeck's Big Beef Creek is a wonderland of Eagles and Osprey.
@rickcheehy8387 Жыл бұрын
Washington state history
@hael8680 Жыл бұрын
Have guide cam shorter exposures helped?
@Zealor365 Жыл бұрын
I have found that my guiding exposure is VERY dependent on seeing conditions. Last night during POOR seeing I had to take the exposure up to 5 seconds. Most nights though, I can get OK numbers with a 1-2 second time.
@bigbearweatherandmore6621 Жыл бұрын
Was wait for a few minutes and didn’t see any special lasagna 😂😂
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
Thanks
@RK-ed7cc Жыл бұрын
Try with guiding exposures of .5 and then maybe 1 second. Also try lowering your aggression. Start at 35 and work up from there.
@Zealor365 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the tip. I will try it. Next clear skies in about 3 weeks.
@Safestassets Жыл бұрын
Hi there, do you still have to perfectly balance your scope with this mount?
@Zealor365 Жыл бұрын
HEM - Harmonic equatorial mounts do not require balancing on the RA axis. I do balance the DEC axis per the instruction in the Iopton manual for the HEM44.
@gazza9839 Жыл бұрын
Looking promising 🙂 The strainwave mounts seem to respond better with short guide exposures, maybe try 1 second next time out.
@Zealor365 Жыл бұрын
Thanks, I will try that!
@AstroCrescentDIY Жыл бұрын
Very nice!!
@Zealor365 Жыл бұрын
Thanks Much!
@twobrotherskayaking4736 Жыл бұрын
I know what you mean about not being clear skies. Last night was the first full night of imaging for me here in upstate NY. Got five targets in but seeing was not that great and had some occasional high, but thin clouds too. Using my Redcat 51/asi2600mc on AVX mount with asiair plus, asi app, and zwo eaf. All worked well but not especially crazy about the AVX tracking. PA went ok but images seem to jump back and forth while reviewing so not too steady or consistent during tracking. (Hope to get last night's stuff posted sometime this week.) So, thinking about getting a better mount and prob leaning towards harmonic, wave gear type. Let us know how your new mount performs! Thanks and good day.....cs!
@Zealor3654 ай бұрын
Everyone is talking about the ZWO AM5 and I think I like it.
@RK-ed7cc Жыл бұрын
I'd be interested to here how your guiding goes. This is the first video I've seen on this mount.
@Zealor365 Жыл бұрын
It's cloudy this week. I might get some imaging this weekend and will tape the activity.
@glasmandan Жыл бұрын
Here's another video of my review of the EC version from The Astro Imaging Channel.
@glasmandan Жыл бұрын
kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYa9e6OqnbZ1Y5o
@bobsnextadventure Жыл бұрын
Looks good!
@Zealor365 Жыл бұрын
Thanks!! How are You?
@zachary4225 Жыл бұрын
How you mount the scope to the tripod? Did u just screw into the 1/4 inch mount??
@Zealor365 Жыл бұрын
The setup shown is for display purposes only. The telescope is used on a EQ mount in practice.