Back to forums

Guiding with NINA + PHD

Open PHD Guiding Project PHD2 ZWO ASI174MM Acquisition Guiding Deep Sky
2 replies•153 views
Jerry Gerber avatar
Jerry Gerber avatar
I'm attempting toward getting first light with my new remote setup.   Last night after achieving excellent focus, I could not get my calibration and guiding to work.  I kept getting the message  in PHD "Star Lost–Low SNR". 

The software knows what mount and camera I'm using.  The guide camera (with OAG) should be parfocal, or very close, with the main camera. 

I did see what looked like dust motes, but I'm wondering 1) are they out-of-focus stars in the guide camera, and 2) I could not see any stars visually through the PHD guide window.

Camera:  ASI2600MC
Mount:  10Micron GM1000
Guide Camera:  ZWO ASI174mm

OAG is placed before the filter wheel, so filters are not affecting guide camera images.

I'm hoping someone has resolve this kind of issue and can tell me how I might be able to. 

Thanks,
Jerry
Helpful
andrea tasselli avatar
andrea tasselli avatar
Your OAG is not in focus. Did you test it before leaving the site?
Well Written
Oskari Nikkinen avatar
Oskari Nikkinen avatar
You should be able to see stars in the PHD2 feed when looping exposures. If all you see are soft blobs of something that look like dust motes you are probably out of focus with it. Try moving the guide camera in and out of focus by hand and see if you get an image at some point?

You can test this in the daytime too, just point the scope to a distant object and see if there is an image in both the imaging camera and guide camera.

If you get nothing, see if the OAG prism is oriented right. The flat edge of the prism needs to point towards the telescope, the angled edge to the imaging camera.
Helpful Concise Supportive