Thank you, Ken, for following this issue. Yes, Ican give you more information about this problem. I will try to follow your questions:
- Dithering option: I usually select this option but for the project I currently involved I have had to remove it from my set up. However, I expect not to have relationship between dithering option and the lost star event even I might think having dithering it is worse for this purpose, even. I will check it.
- I use ASCOM Drivers last release, I guess. I’ll check it.
- Exposure is largely enough with SNR > 100 in most cases.
- I can do more calibrations but as previuos reasons I don’t find relationship between events. Never had issues in the past.
For further information I’m trying to exactly describe the process because I had the chance to see with SGP and PHD2 opened windows at same time:
- Please, imagine I’m taking the last frame of a secuence. Everithing works fine, PHD2 guiding and the guiding star (with a squrare with a big green cross in the image) an the others stars (with small circles) are identified.
- Let’s call the green references in PHD2 of the guiding of this object as “green references 1”.
- Secuences ends, then image in PHD2 freezes: stars and green references 1.
- SGP performs a “center object” process for next object.
- Center object performed.
- SGP call PHD2 to resume guiding
- In PHD2 I was able to see how the camera switched on again, the frame was updated but not the “green references”, that is, the previous “green references 1” were kept for unknown reason and the PHD2 was trying to find the star exactly in the same position the last object had. There fore, due to the very low likelyhood of having a star in the same position, the result is a “lost star” event.
- After that the “recovery process” usually starts. After a minute SGP tries another “center object” , resume the guinding and in this second round ususally I can see how both, star image and green references, udate in phd2 and things go right again.