11/3 FIRST MOVE is X POS to right on screen with camera label side up in flip mirror (that's a left arrow on hc) blue light = N red = south (y) turned off backlash in mount calibrated 10s each direction the last Y did not move >5 upped backlash in Maxim to 10 RESULT : still <5 nax backlash is 10 so... reset backlash to 0 and up time to 20s RESULT : same <5 set backlash to 5 w/20s RESULT : same set backlash to 10 w/20s - same moved to 40s with b/l 10 - same ARGH 60s b/l 10 - this better move it or I need to up b/l in mount and start again -- it moved both N and S 6 pixels (not good enough really, need 20) but lets give it a go... started guiding, lets see how X does not too bad (see log. Y good, X 2 pixels. Pref to get it down) reduced aggressiveness to 5 and restarted X is worse 2-3 pixels, upping X speed -2.4 to -3.6 s much worse 5 or more pixels Reducing X speed -2.4 to -1.4 started out looking great then got large in X again :-( I wonder why... Try upping aggressiveness to 6 not half bad. Vega about 20-25 deg above horizon almost due NW cutting through a lot of atmosphere there I think because I don't have the scope set up I can't do declination compensation for guiding. Or I can't find where to do it. Will have to recalibrate o/h which is probably a good idea anyway anyhow, going to try 3-360s guided sessions (3 minute exposures) Moon is in SW waning gibbous First one isn't half bad!!!! Cool. Vega is as big as a house of course. ;-) Actually, it is quite good. I'm impressed. All weight is to the North on Scope, more or less in the direction of tracking. tracking. arm is up, facing S-SW, scope is hanging off arm, Second exposure is good, too. After this I should try for longer. Let's try a 6 minute exposure, 720s guided If under certain circumstances I can guide consistently for 3+ minutes I can go pretty deep for my scope. :-) OK. Let's try 2 720s exposures. 6 minutes. (12 guided) First one is really nice!!! Cool. 2nd one is good too Try Crescent Neb NGC6888 calibrated and reduced x -2.3 to -1.3 right away and looks good. despite sky glow lets try a long one again moving to M33 - more o/h though toward west - arm toward E w/ota side to W but hanging camera toward ground guiding here is noy so hot. angle is 40 some deg and no good guide stars so going to track and stack M33 60s exposures will need darks... 1st one has long stars in x... if it doesn't settle try 45s... 2nd one better... core o/xposed ... duh they were 90s exp. reset to 60 and see again... idiot. starts at exp 008. still not so hot in x finally went to 40s sky is too bright and tracking sucks there. giving up. over to NGC1977 in Orion looks good for tracking did 2min binned unguided will try to guide... x moving 25 but y <5 again... since b/l is 10 and time is 60 I'm sunk... will turn off y corr! mount facing SE OTA almost at index NEW THOUGHTS : * Before you run the autoguide calibration, be sure to move the scope in the same direction it will move first... which according to my notes above is +X if the camera is label side up in the flip mirror, which moves the star on the screen to the right. This is the same as the left arrow on the scope so... that means that the slew to get to the object is opposite the first move for the calibration routine. * East - needs to be front heavy. I need weights on the front of the scope. * West - seems OK already.