The following sections will describe how to set up the mount, the telescope and the CCD. Additionally information will be given how to use the supplied software.
The full “HOWTO” guide can be downloaded as a PDF.
Read this entire “HOWTO”. Read the telescope tube manual, the telescope mount manual, the SIPS CCD camera software manual (www.gxccd.com/), PHD2 autoguiding software manual etc. We have provided with the equipment a windows laptop with some of the software and manuals. If you use your own windows laptop then you need to install:
-the latest ascom V6 platform
-the ascom takahashi temma driver or the skywatcher ascom driver depending on which telescope and mount you take
-Moravian SIPS – for taking the images and for autoguiding
-PHD2 for drift alignment and an alternative for autoguiding
-Moravian CCD camera drivers (G0 and G2)
-‘Cartes du Ciel’ for controlling the telescope
(the skywatcher mount can also be controlled with the handset which has a catalogue of objects built in, however, I strongly recommend using ‘cartes du ciel’)
-serialport2USB driver (for the cable connecting the mount to the laptop, may already be installed).
Before you take the telescope out into the field for the first time, you should set it up inside or on campus. Note that you can only test the CCD camera at twilight or in a dimly lit room – the CCD is very sensitive and bright daylight (or the Moon) is too bright and may damage the sensor. You can test the CCD at dusk by taking 0.1 second exposures (the shortest it can take). For reference, your camera during daylight would normally take 1/60th second exposures or shorter.