Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

Get a Baader solar filter and shoot the sun.
Canon 7D
ISO 100
1/250 second
5" SCT
On the VX mount of course.

Sol Prime focus

(Download)

Sol with 2X Barlow

(Download)

Oknoder Loc: Western North Dakota

How are you liking your AVX I have had mine now for almost a year and except for a few hiccups in the beginning I love the mount. I do wish I would have gotten the 8" or 9.25" but took the introductory free 6" newt instead. How are you using yours, do you set it up and tear it down or is it semi-permanent in an observatory or using some type of cover.

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

Hiccups that's a good word for it. I have had issues getting a really good alignment. I even have gone so far as to use a level on the brace to get it pretty well leveled and then polar align it using the scope to center Polaris as close to center as I can before beginning my alignment.
I have found that I do best if I add at least 3 or 4 additional stars to the 2 star alignment. But I still get a bit of drift. I purchased a more robust battery supply tonight and I think that may help.
I tear it down and bring it inside each time.
I also bought the 6" newt version since I already have a few SCT's.
When it tracks well, its really nice. When it tracks oddly its pretty odd. I suspect it might be me since I'm new to the go to world.

Oknoder Loc: Western North Dakota

If I had to guess its the polar alignment that is giving you the issue of reliability from night to night. When you get a chance take the whole night perfecting your polar alignment and mark the legs of your tripod. If its on concrete chalk works well, on a wooden deck a pencil or if in the grass you can use paver stones or bricks, that way you can get almost perfect alignment to start from. The all star polar alignment routine is basically for pointing accuracy but if off on your alignment by more than a couple degrees limits the amount of time you can image before drift appears. I ultimately bought one of those covers for year around protection and leave the mount and sometimes the whole assembly outside now for going on six months now. YMMV but it has saved me so much frustration just being able to power it up do a quick align and begin simple imaging. Currently the northern lights destroyed almost all of my imaging from last night. This is the first night imaging since redoing my alignment after welding together a temporary pier. Till I build a rolloff shed/shack/observatory.

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

Nice job Jim. Love to see you're getting the mount dialed in. :thumbup:
Craig

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Being a simple kind of guy...
I came up with this for my tripod's feet.
The fender washers index the spiked feet to center each one to the previous sessions location.
Then I level as close as I can to get it plumb.
I just glued them in place with Silicone glue. And the bottom is soft or open.
But I fully agree with alignment. That's a tough job for us Earthbound life forms...

Three toes go in here...

(Download)

Slot straddeler....

(Download)

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

I like that Sonny. I wish I had a pad to do that on.
The boss (spouse) has plans for my backyard and I don't think that includes a slab for my hobby.

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

Jim do you have the Celestron Polar Axis Finderscope, Part # 94223.
Besides having almost perfect level on the Tripod you need to
Align Polaris correctly. It's not exactly due celestial north.
This finder scope has internal graphics to get correct alignment.
Craig

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

No but I think I have a lighted optic ocular that came with my 8"
I need to find it and see if it's still functional.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Compromise is marriage. But it has to go both ways.

Maybe three pavers set to your desired orientation. Then some divots for the feet to index to?
Or if a driveway, drill some partial divots for your tripods toes.
If lawn, drive 3 pieces of pipe down below "lawn mower" level. Then use those for your toes. (Caution around sprinkler lines)
Unobtrusive to landscaping, but functioning set points.

My "Observatory Site" ;) is around on the back corner of our pool. After several nights of star trails and pondering in different locations of our smallish back yard, I found my spot.
To improve on it I located the tripod, then set the washers under the toes. I liked it, so I glued them down.
Because I used Silicone glue they are removable and the glue could be wire brushed off.
I got lucky enough to get a decent heading for my tripods legs at my site. (Not that it matters that much... But I tend to be anal retentive. ;) )
North and South follow the bar, while East - West follow the ruler in the picture below.
I checked this with my compass, and my dumb luck, it is very nearly perfectly oriented.

Except for the pool. Don't fall in the pool, it is very chilly this time of year!
My best views are North and South only in the back yard anyway.
:lol:

South is Left, North is Right.

(Download)

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

Besides that, I thought that was the idea behind a go to mount like this. Roughly setup close to polar and let the software do the alignment and calibrations.
And of course its cloudy so I will have to wait till the weekend..
That's why I have been doing a 2 star and then adding 3 or 4 additional stars. It takes a bit longer but I am seeing better results

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

I set out 3 pavers last night in the spot I prefer to use and will likely set them into the dirt when I get a chance to play around with it.
That should give me a repeatable setup station and help cut down on setup time.
I added a two way bubble level to the support rack last night that I picked up for 3 bucks at Home Depot.
I will figure this out hopefully before the next really good solar eclipse. ;)
And as an after thought.. How many times have you fallen in the pool playing with your scope?

:roll:

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

None yet.
(Knocks on head.)
I haven't even fallen in when cleaning it.

Great minds think alike. I got one of those levels at Lowe's yesterday morning. I glued it on my top plate with Silicone glue after plumbing everything.
Then today I find free level apps for my phone. :hunf:

Told Ya I can't win. :roll:
But I do laugh a lot. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I'm hoping the clouds part tonight. :?

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

Ok Sonny here is what I setup for my moon shot Monday
As you can see, lots of dirt and not much anchor base.
Level helped a fair amount.

Blocks with leg holes drilled in

(Download)

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

I like it. Now, if those can somehow be made a bit more stable.
Work them into the landscaping as time goes by, or simply sink them in place.
I hesitate to say put them on monuments like surveying points.

On my tripod, one leg carries the name and other branding decals. So I tend to use it as my "back leg".
The tripod always needs to be leveled anyway.

Say...wouldn't it be nice if they added a way to plumb the VX (or any other) like they do to guide it? Like a cross-hairs and bubble on the display. 8-)
Just a little add-in to the software to help set it up.

If you have a "smart" phone, you can install level apps to use for setting up. I found these to be of a bit of help to me...
(Mine is a smarter-than-me-phone)
15 to 20 years ago I bought a Smart Level. It works at 1/10th of a degree. But the phone apps are free for the most part.

You are well on your way with those pavers as your piers for your VX. They will become less and less a visual annoyance to your spouse as time goes by. ;)
And more and more a convenience to you. :)