----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, July 13, 2002 12:16
PM
Subject: [APML] Trouble with ST-4
& LX-200
I've had this ST-4 for a few years, tried to
get it to work with my LX-50. No such luck, and I didn't have the
patience then to do much about it. About a year ago, I got rid of
the LX-50 in favor of a 10" LX-200. Same thing, didn't have much
time to play, so I just set it aside. Now, I finally have the time
to try to get to know the thing better, and I'm having a real hard time
getting it to work.
I hook the ST-4 to my laptop to try to focus
it better. I have it focused in what I believe to be the best focus
I can possibly have it in. On the screen, I see a nice round dot in
the x-hairs. If I move the head outward or inward, it get distorted,
so I am fairly confident it's in focus. I have even verified this
with a ronchi focuser.
Now, if I don't do anything, the acuracy of
the scope is pretty good. In fact, the other night, I forgot to hook
the CCD cable into the LX-200, and it worked like a champ, thinking I had
it working, the guide star barely moved except for some basic turbulence,
which corrected by the next cycle. This got me through a 1-hour
exposure of M8. I then realized what was going on, and connected the
ST4 to the LX200, and as soon as I set it to guide, it just goes out of
control. What I mean by that is, on the photo, it looks like a
zig-zag line. If I use the CCDTrack software, I get similar results,
only I can actually watch it lose the guide star. How is it that I
can see the thing clear as a bell, yet the guide software and/or the ST4
in standalone mode just act like it has no idea where the star is, and
goes off in some random direction?
Again, keep in mind that I am new to the
ST-4, and have never really had it work completely. I know I have
good polar alignment, and I am almost positive it's focused as best as
possible. I have tried re-doing the dark frame several times, and I
have made sure that the guide star was around 50,50, and the star
brightness was between 30 and 60. I have not really done much with
the settings on the ST-4 other than the brightness (b=3), and FL=L (long
focal length).
I apologize for those who are members of both
MAPUG and APML, as I have posted this message to both lists. I
am just getting frustrated with this thing after two telescopes and
several unsuccessful nights of even getting a decent track. Any help
would be greatly appreciated.
Frank Schwartz