Re: [APML]: ST-4 and the G-11

[Wil Milan <wmilan@airdigital.com>]

The Astro-Photography Mailing List
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Bill Franke wrote:
> 
>  I have a G-11 and an ST4. I've never found the need to use PEC, the ST4
> will guide extremely well without it. I've heard others say that the PEC can
> actually work against the ST4 or, is it visa versa? I did train the PEC
> manually on several occasions, but saw no improvement in tracking accuracy.
> I haven't used it since.

For a while I thought my ST-4 was malfunctioning, and I took a
number of photos guiding the G-11 mount by hand. I found that
training the PEC made a very significant difference; after
training the PEC the corrections required are very few. I found
the same thing with my Ultima-11 mount, that training the PEC was
time well spent.

For what it's worth, the "broken" ST-4 turned out to be due to a
fading battery that would not take a full charge and therefore
provided a low voltage to the ST-4. The mount ran fine on it, but
the ST-4 didn't, and it exhibited all kinds of weird symptoms --
the CCD would not pick up even fairly bright guide stars, then
later the display showed weird things, and finally plugging in
the CCD head caused the display to blank out. I was convinced it
was broken and was going to send it back; next time I'll know
better.


Wil M.      
mailto:wmilan@airdigital.com
Astrophoto web site: http://www.airdigital.com/astrophoto.html
---
"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, 
the moon and the stars which You have set in place, 
what is Man that you are mindful of him, 
or the son of Man that you care for him?"  -- Psalm 8