Questions on Using SkyGuard

Sequence Generator
1

Questions first, background second!

  1. How does focusing work between SGP and SkyGuard work?

  2. Will SGP wait for a good focus?

  3. Will SGP stop or pause or restart a frame if focus is lost?

  4. How do you set SGP and SkyGuard up for automated sequencing?
    a. Do you have to start them manually; get everything calibrated; start it guiding and focusing; wait for focus to settle down; and then start SGP?
    b. Does SGP take care of all of this? I can’t find any focusing options for SkyGuard.

  5. Is SkyGuard guiding integrated as fully as PHD2? Loss of guide star, meridian flip, recovery, etc.

  6. Is there a “SGP and SkyGuard HowTo” somewhere that I missed?

Background:

Having recently acquired an ONAG, I am trying to figure out how to actually use it with SGP. I have SkyGuard successfully guiding and (kind of) focusing stand alone. Now I’m trying to make it work with SGP.

I selected the “SkyGuard / SkyGuide” in the Control Panel->Auto Guide tab. When I started my sequence, (SkyGuard was already guiding and focusing) SGP found SkyGuard and went into its “Wating to settle” loop. My Settling Options are pretty tight, the seeing was horrible, and I wasn’t really trying to capture anything with the moon as big as it was, so I consider that a success, so far. I didn’t actually get to the point of being able to start the first exposure.

I’m still struggling a bit with the focus part of SkyGuard–I need to read the manual again! So my focusing had not locked in when I started SGP. I’m assuming that SGP would have started the exposure without waiting for SkyGuard to actually focus. Is that correct?

I’ also trying PHD and Focus Lock and having much more success. The only thing I don’t know how to do is make it automatic for hands off sequence start.

Any pointers anyone has on SkyGuard and/or Focus Lock would be appreciated. I talked to Jared about SkyGuard last year at NEAF and know that he is (or at least, was) using it, but didn’t know enough about it to ask intelligent questions!

  • Shane
2

Currently SGP doesn’t do anything with the focusing in SkyGuard. If you’re running focus in SkyGuard you should disable auto focus in SGP and just let SkyGuard “do its thing”. Eventually we will integrate the ability for SGP to wait for SkyGuard to report good focus but this isn’t complete as of yet.

SkyGuard needs to be running and connected to equipment (it does not need to be guiding, SGP will start that). But if you’re planning on using focusing it needs to be focusing.

Yes, it is not as mature as our PHD2 implementation though.

There is not.

Basically guiding should be fairly well integrated but there is still some work to do on the focusing side which is a bit out of the “normal” way that SGP handles things which is why it’s taking longer than expected to get the focusing implemented.

Jared

3

Thanks Jared. I’ll do some more reading and try it again tonight.

  • Shane
4

Jared

Do you have an update on further integration ? I am considering ONAG and Skyguard purchase.

Thank you

Ian