Askar OAG Review and How To: Better Guiding Made Easy!

Link to OAG - bit.ly/48B2GLr
Full Length Photoshop Tutorial!: Take your data to the next level!
www.patreon.com/DarkRangersIn...
Join our growing Community for additional help and support including 1 on 1 time.
www.patreon.com/DarkRangersIn...
Agena Astro: Support the Channel while using the fastest shipping company in the US (use within 5 days)
agenaastro.com/?rfsn=7545037....
Telescope Live: 2 Months HALF PRICE- DRI4TL (Promo Code)
telescope.live/start/v2?...
Tool Box Link: Copy and Paste into Repositories -
Latest OSC and Narrowband Processing Guide!
1drv.ms/p/s!Al5eCqGxmSqYm2ezA...
If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments, as well as any suggestions for a future videos. If you could please like and subscribe, I would greatly appreciate it. Clear Skies!
Social Media
Website: www.darkrangersinc.com (Should be up any day now as of 1/10/2024)
Instagram: DarkRangersInc
Facebook: Ryan Voykin
Gear: please use these links!
2600 MM bit.ly/3KubXes
2600 MC bit.ly/47o8dEY
AM5 Mount bit.ly/44OwDpD
ASIAIR Plus bit.ly/3KwNV2i
ZWO EFW bit.ly/3YoB1cw
ZWO EAF bit.ly/3Oo3cns
ZWO 220MM bit.ly/43ZPflo
Antlia SHO Filters bit.ly/3DLOu4M
Antlia Triband bit.ly/45eFVuX
Antlia ALPT bit.ly/3OsfQlm
ZWO Power Supply bit.ly/43X5ZcW

[@darkrangersinc]

Join our growing Community for additional help and support including 1 on 1 time. www.patreon.com/DarkRangersInc? Agena Astro: Support the Channel while using the fastest shipping company in the US (must be used within 5 days) agenaastro.com/?rfsn=7545037.59bc8b

[@Miguel_Noppe]

You can remove the 5mm thick tilt plate on the camera and attach the EFW directly to the camera body. That way it's 12,5mm + 20mm + 19,5mm = 52mm then just add spacers in front of the OAG.

[@darkrangersinc]

Yeah, I saw that after the fact… Luckily, I have the extra room so I didn’t need to but thanks for commenting this so others can see!

[@woody5109]

I use my OAG on my Zenith star. 61, it works great.

[@Si-fp2ij]

Great review Ryan 👍🏻

[@darkrangersinc]

Thank you Simon!

[@Si-fp2ij]

@@darkrangersinc I almost bought the ZWO expensive version but got scared off that I would be introducing issues when setting it up 🤣

[@abhijitjuvekar]

THANKS MAN... This is the exact video I was looking for to solve all my doubts about using OAG. I have been using standard guide scope with my GSO 6 inch F9 RC and not happy with the guiding (same patchy stars) as you mentioned. Hope this OAG will solve my problem so I can go for longer 3-5 min subs with my RC.

[@darkrangersinc]

Glad it helped!

[@JethroXP]

I use a Celestron OAG on my EdgeHD 8", and it's huge! The 8" EdgeHD only has 105mm of backfocus and the Celestron OAG consumes 66.8mm of that. I've been looking for something thinner to allow for the use of either a rotator, or perhaps the Starlight Express Active Optics guiding system.

[@KJRitch]

I have a Celestron OAG. You can replace the large SCT adapter on the telescope side with the 4.5mm M48 Female adapter. To adapt that to the focal reducer I purchased a Blue Fireball SCT to M48 Male adapter, 7mm. It reduces the OAG optical length from 66.8mm to 53mm and some weight. Agena Astro sells the adapter. Blue Fireball SCT Female Thread to M48 (2" Filter) Male Thread Adapter # C-04.

[@JethroXP]

@@KJRitchThanks! Much appreciated!

[@eugennaiman1195]

Stick with the Celestron OAG, works great and you can use it as a rotator as well.

[@austinlankford1082]

I am really looking forward to the SCA260 review. I have almost pulled the trigger on that scope a few times now, there are just so few reviews of the scope so I have held off on purchasing it.

[@darkrangersinc]

I know that’s why it seemed like a good option. I’m just literally in the worst cloud, cover drought I’ve ever experienced since starting the hobby! I saw a couple high-level overviews, but none that actually really go into what it takes to get the thing running some of the trials and tribulations, and then the overall results which is what everybody is actually looking for! I was thinking about doing a part one video and just go over my initial impressions, but I didn’t want to not have at least one finished image to show

[@austinlankford1082]

@@darkrangersinc The most information that I could find was in a few CN threads, but nothing felt truly in depth. Really looking forward to what you have to say about it! Right now I have an RC10 but I am having some really weird internal reflections coming from my corrector. I have been thinking about buying a fully corrected telescope to resolve some of the problems I have had with my RC. I had looked at a CDK 12.5, but im not sure I am ready to drop that kind of money on a telescope yet.

[@darkrangersinc]

@@austinlankford1082 when it comes to refractors I’m not a huge fan of Askar compared to some other options but the sharpstar stuff does seem to be more of their premium line. On paper it’s a really good scope 80 mm imaging circle 1300 mm focal length F5. The initial quality seems pretty good the focuser likely won’t need replacing. Collimating it has been a struggle. Most of the good devices are out of stock but I have a friend sending me one that comes today so that should help. I did get some 180 subs of the heart nebula, and even with the collimation being kind of rough the stars didn’t look bad. It’s definitely a fairly well put together unit you can tell they put some effort and thought into it. The fan system does a great job on the primary mirror but then I was frosting up on the secondary so I bought a dew strap to perfectly fit around the secondary as I don’t think one around the outside would really help because there’s about a 3 inch gap all the way around the mirror. The one night I got with it is completely frosted over after a few images, which was a bummer. So there are definitely some little things you have to consider to get it running, but that’s normal with reflectors, and why it’s taking longer but mostly it’s just the weather. Once I collomate it inside and have a clear night I should be good to go with the fan set up and dew strap for the secondary. I also made a dew shield as well.

[@JethroXP]

Hey, I watched your eclipse video ;-) I'm traveling to Texas and bringing four tracking mounts, two telescopes, including an Ha telescope, and five cameras. It was very useful!

[@darkrangersinc]

Well I’m glad it helped 😉. I was just having a little fun. It’s a good episode to have in the catalog for the long run. It was fun to do so that’s what matters!

[@darkrangersinc]

That’s a very ambitious setup good luck!

[@JethroXP]

@@darkrangersincDoing a lot of testing to ensure its all as automated as possible with lots of redundancy. I want to be able to enjoy the experience and not be fussing over the gear during totality. The fact that near Dallas totality will happen with the Sun at 187' (just past the meridian) added another wrinkle but I'm getting the figured out too ;-) My GEMs will start counter weight up about an hour prior to totality and track through it without a meridian flip. My Alt/Az mount won't have that problem but I'll get field rotation. Lots of interesting problems to solve!

[@darkrangersinc]

@@JethroXP it’s definitely doable, especially if you can polar align your equatorial mounts the night before. Get them all going and just dial in the exposure lengths and let it rip! The hard part will be during the changing light conditions as the eclipse happens, trying to get all four rigs set up but I think if you really prioritize a couple for that portion you’ll be good !

[@JethroXP]

@@darkrangersinc We've rented a house with a big backyard and unobstructed southern view in a south Dallas neighborhood, and we fly in on Saturday so I should have two nights to ensure polar alignment is dialed in. I'm traveling with my wife and son, and another couple, so I plan to assign "filter off, filter on" duties to the adults, with each of us responsible for one lens at the beginning and ending of totality. I'm even bringing a lithium battery (biggest I can travel with per airline policy) as a power backup in case Dallas has a power outage. Over the next couple months I'm experiment with sequences in NINA that start and end at the C2 and C3 times, and capture images at different exposure lengths. I can already sense that I'm going to need a full checklist and many rehearsals to ensure this careful choreography leaves little to chance.

[@josephluciani5531]

I really appreciate this video (and of course, your channel). I have the Askar OAG paired with a ZWO 174 camera. Although my RMA’s are decent (.6 or better) the OAG view is kind of…vignetted (i.e., stars visible in the center but the edges are blacked out). Do you think this is because the OAG mirror is too deep or too shallow…or something else. Is you view through the guide camera unobstructed?

[@darkrangersinc]

With the 174 depending on how far the sensor is from the mirror it may be too big to get stars across the entire sensor like you get with the 290 or 220 which has a smaller sensor. As long as you get really good focus and have a couple stars you should be able to get the ideal results. I always try to make sure the top of the tripod where the mount head connects is very level and have a pretty good polar al. Also, if you’re near maximum weight that can be detrimental. I also loaded up the tripod pouch with a 35 pound weight you could also use sandbags at each of the three tripod feet

[@jw8687]

Biggest issue I found is that the timing of the threads never got the prism square with the sensor, always at some oddball angle due to the prism fits between the lugs and has very little rotational movement

[@KJRitch]

Is there an image test I can do indoors to verify I've got the prism set high enough? Was that a flat frame your took at a higher exposure where you saw the shadow? I don't want to have to mess with having to adjust the prism outside in the dark. I think mine is set OK and I don't remember seeing what you showed on my flat frames.

[@darkrangersinc]

You can do what I show in the video and just use trees off in the distance and shoot through the window. Yeah to find that I had an obstruction I just took a shorter exposure during the day. It was a little bit darker than a flat, but a flat frame would be fine to show it.

[@whatmattersmost6725]

This was a kockoff of the Orion OAG, the first super thin OAG out there. I like the Askar better.

[@hael8680]

How do you get the mirror to line up with the longer side of the camera sensor from rig to rig to prevent that shadow from showing up? That's a pet peeve I have with the OAG. The mirror always end up on the side or corner. The little bit of play those 3 tabs offer are not enough to adjust it back parallel to the longer side of the sensor.

[@darkrangersinc]

Well, you can kind of see where the center top portion of the camera is and as long as you align it that way and then just do some trial and error. It came with just a sliver of shadow and then I just bumped up the mirror about 2 mm and it was fine. Obviously the straighter you can line it up the less it will poke into the image.

[@hael8680]

@@darkrangersinc when you screw the main camera on, the OAG mirror is almost always aligned with a corner of that sensor. You end up needing a bunch of thin spacers to position it parallel to the sensor long side. Do you understand what I am trying to say?

[@melvinatkins3443]

Hi, yet another in-depth interesting review. I have a Sharpstar edph 94 scope with the dedicated, ( for that scope) field flattener/ reducer. I also have a zwo filter draw, as my camera is a zwo2600mc pro, currently I have a zwo oag which is 16.5 and the filter draw is 20 mm along with the camera back space it all adds up to the required 55 mm back focus but if I get the Askar oag my back focus would be around 58.5 I’ve got no movement regarding back focus if I introduce the wider Askar oag, can you advise please.

[@darkrangersinc]

You’d have to get a thinner OAG than the Askar if your scope only has 55 mm of backspace. ZWO intentionally their EFW unnecessarily thick to make your buy their OAG to get to the correct backspace. The simplest solution would be to just do what they’re trying to get you to do and buy their OAG. I really like the QHY one as it’s only 10mm and with a small spacer kit they give you can get to most backspace distances you need… But if you want something ultra plug and play for this scenario may just want to do the ZWO

[@melvinatkins3443]

@@darkrangersinc Thanks Ryan.

[@MazzifLOL]

ZWO does offer a helical focuser for the standard OAG, but its a 60$ addon. That puts it at the same price point as the Askar. However, the Askar solution offers more connectivity solutions in their kit, and a larger prism. Of course the ZWO AOG offers better out of the box back spacing with other ZWO camera.

[@darkrangersinc]

Yeah, I think I would still recommend this over the ZWO with the upgrade because of some of the other features you mentioned. It just seems to have a little bit more thoughtful design. It’s also a larger size has a bigger mirror and more flexible in terms of connectors. Overall it just seems like a better execution so even though the price is the same, and technically it would have a focus, or after the upgrade, I would still choose the Askar. That’s all I’m saying. I’m not really a huge fan of either brand in all honesty, I would recommend the OPTEC personally but also know that very few folks will pay $1000 for an OAG. so sometimes when it comes to certain products where you can get away with it, I try to mention budget friendly option that seems to give you a decent bang for your buck

[@MazzifLOL]

@@darkrangersinc i really like the Askar OAG when paired with their filter drawer. The spacing is exact 55mm when combined with a zwo camera with 17.5mm spacing (2600,071 etc) from the flange to the sensor. Of course other cams just need an 11mm additional spacer. It's just easy and works. I wish it was that easy when using the ZWO EFW.

[@darkrangersinc]

@@MazzifLOL well everyone knows how much I love ZWO doing EVERYTHING they can to lock you into their products other than just providing an amazing product with matching customer service 😂.

[@MazzifLOL]

​@@darkrangersincyea yeah sure lol ... And seeing the 8 zwo afilliate product links in every video description 😅 I know, it's a love hate relationship

[@darkrangersinc]

@@MazzifLOL I just link the equipment I have doesn’t mean I enjoy it all that’s for sure! Truth be told I put all that in nine months ago before things got really bad and just haven’t changed it. I do it more to promote Agena who I actually do love working with. The nice thing is anything that they sell all counts the same and they have plenty of other options! But since one link works for all products I could go in and delete those or at least put a disclaimer with the link to my ZWO video. Pegasus reached out and are sending me an NYX 101 so hopefully that works as it should we’ll see.

[@jesuschrist2284]

Does this divert light away from the main imagining sensor? If so it seems wrong. I should have watched video before asking. Ty for another great video

[@darkrangersinc]

Not at all if you set the mirror depth correctly, it won’t show up in your images at all if it does slightly, and it’s a little too late for you to realize that flats will usually get rid of any shadow created by the mirror but again, if you set the depth correctly, it won’t be visible

[@jesuschrist2284]

@@darkrangersinc yeah, sorry. You basically showed this in this video not long after i posted :)

[@JoeyTrotz]

Is there an option to thread the camera side of the OAG? Seems like three thumbscrews is a) going to introduce tilt issues and b) make me stay up all night worrying that my camera and filter wheel oils fall off.

[@darkrangersinc]

The way it locks into the 3 prong adapter it’s not coming out. I don’t know if you can tell from the video, but it kind of locks or clicks in into place as soon as you connect them and then with the screws tightened there won’t be an issue. There are no threads on the back side so I don’t think it’s possible but I used it several nights and the Harder part is getting it to come off lol. You pretty much have to back the thumb screws out almost entirely or it won’t let go.

[@darkrangersinc]

If you want to send me a message on Facebook, I’ll send you a video, showing you how it clicks into place and you’ll feel very confident (Ryan Voykin) The part will literally break before it comes out or even wiggles around

[@BirdFinder]

The Askar OAG has the right spacing to match the Askar filter drawer. They are 1mm larger and 1mm smaller than the ZWO equivalents, respectively. I am sure this was done on purpose to make them incompatible across brands, and provide another type of vendor lock-in.

[@darkrangersinc]

Yeah, it really only matters if you’re on a 55 mm backspace set up which most larger scopes don’t have. Typically that’s an issue for More of the mid to smaller size refractors it seems. Most of the scopes you’re putting these on have more than 55mm available, as do larger refractors especially less non-mass produced companies. If you’re running a color camera or haven’t bought your filter wheel, you can plan accordingly. I didn’t really worry about it because neither one of my scopes I’m using have that backspace requirement. But I guess they’re all looking for their own little way to edge each other out… although if I had to guess I would say this is more of a ZWO tactic then Askar.

[@jackbernstein3029]

Guess I watched this😊. Right now I have an ASI120mm. From what you said, using this OAG on my AT115 might be marginal and I might need to up my camera, correct? This might be better than my present 50mm guide/ ASI120mm.

[@darkrangersinc]

With the 115 F7, I’m assuming, if you’re using it at 1x you’re starting to get into the territory where having a little bit better guiding actually will matter. Also depends on the size of your camera pixel if you’re using 3.7 µm you’re under 1.0 arc/seconds per pixel. So if you have guiding that’s going above that you will see it in the star size. I can’t see from experience with the 120 but the 290 is kind of borderline and I know it’s 30% larger than the 120 in terms of sensor size. The 174 will make it a lot easier to have success and it’s in stock at Agena. The 220s are out of stock at a lot of places when I checked a week or two ago but that might have changed.

[@user-it3in1by6j]

And it works only for SCT? I understood that it useless for short focals.

[@darkrangersinc]

No, you can use it for any focal length. It will give you more accurate guiding regardless.

[@ct8618]

Gotta love throwing the people who give you money under the bus lol

[@darkrangersinc]

It’s all in good fun and they know that 😊. I knew it wasn’t going to do well, KZbin always punishes you when you try to venture out at all but I wanted to do it for them specifically

[@nikaxstrophotography]

something to consider, now to find someone who sells them to Australia without charging nearly $90 usd for the privilege of posting it here

[@darkrangersinc]

What do you mean by “charging nearly $90 for the privilege of posting it here” ? I am trying to find a distributor for the southern hemisphere!

[@crateer]

holy, nearly $90 usd for shipping? That's crazy! I hope you guys find a good distributor there!

[@nikaxstrophotography]

@@crateer Aliexpress have them for AU$224 posted so not all bad as it works out cheaper than what you pay for them in the states so a little win for us aussies for a change :)

[@darkrangersinc]

@@nikaxstrophotography if you have any recommendations for a company in general as I mentioned to you I was looking at Bintel but they don’t carry several brands I would want them to. Once I partner with a company, they’re usually pretty open to feedback, so if there are any product brands or lineups that they’re not carrying, I can make a suggestion on your guys behalf

[@nikaxstrophotography]

@@darkrangersinc Testar and Sidereal Trading are the others and they are pretty good companies (pricey) with a broader range than Bintel and that's about it, the other smaller companies are just skywatcher and celestron and zwo dealers

[@tap2die]

Внеосевой гид askar oag54 очень плохой продукт. Из 6 экземпляров которые я держал в руках - 3 были бракованными!!! Основной брак, камера не входит до конца в фокусер и нельзя нормально сфокусироваться!

[@darkrangersinc]

If this is a question it won’t translate to English unfortunately

[@user-it3in1by6j]

@@darkrangersinc he told that 3 out of 6 units were defective in his experience - camera could not find a focus (he thinks that camera cant go deep enough). But maybe you can fix it by prism depth tuning or just not all cameras are compatible with OAGs?

[@darkrangersinc]

@@user-it3in1by6j yeah unfortunately I’ve recently had a similar experience to that I had with ZWO now with Askar. My mirror got a crack in it and they wanted to charge me $150 to send out a replacement for a tiny two dollar prism mirror. said that it should work it some adjustment between as you said the depth of the mirror and the camera position would probably be something. I’d want to set up a FaceTime call to diagnose.