Astrodon

Hi Don - I googled this but couldn't find an answer; apologies if it's a dupe. I've been searching (obviously in the wrong places!) for a auto-rotator for my FSQ-106N for a while now and very happy to have found this product. My question is am I able to see the effect of rotation in Software Bisque's "TheSky" in their FOV indicator? Ideally, I'd like the FOV to accurately show the position of the guide chip in TheSky and be able to control the rotation that way. Thanks in advance James

Hi! I recently installed a MOAG in the following imaging train:

C11+MOAG+remote Guidehead+AO8+CFW10+ST8 camera.

I was able to get a good focus almost right off the bat in the RemoteGuidehead. However, when I image, the is a lighter band at the top of my image. I.e. The background is dark but for the top 1/10 of the image it shows a much ligther background.

Did I installed the pick off mirror to far into the image cone? Is this a normal behavior?

I image at the native f10 ratio of the C11. I used 6 mm of spacers in total to push the pickoff mirror in.

Thanks

Doris Thibeault

Hi, Doris. I just emailed you privately. Rotate the RGH 90 deg and see if the white band rotates. If so, it is in the camera. If not, then take away the smallest prism spacer, refocus and see if the white band gets brighter or weaker. If brighter, then you may have to add a small spacer to what you had, and vice versa. Please let me know.

Hi Don,

I recently acquired a TAK FSQ106ED and would like to incorporate a MonsterMOAG OAG unit in the optical train (I'm using a QHY8 camera for the time being, and plan to use a Lodestar camera for the OAG). Is the TAK CAA- AP 2.7" Female 1/2" long adapter the appropriate coupler for this new model of the FSQ106 series? Any other issues that I should be aware of in trying to put this system together?

****Sorry for my delayed response. Please look at Frank Barnes write-up on using theMonsterMOAG with the oldFSQ106N on the MonsterMOAG page. The new FSQ-ED has much more room. so you would use the CAA-APF, a 3/4" AP extension tube, MMOAG and a suitable coupler to your camera. The Lodestar (I have one) inserts nicely down into the helical focuser.

Thanks,

Steve W

hi i use vixen vmc 260 L +feather touch focuser +AO8+CFW10+ST10 xme+remote guide head i like to order the MOAG does this will focus easy and stady both the ST and the remote guide head? do i need any adapter? can afford the weigth of all those things? how many mm it will take me away of the scope? (to mesure the backfocus left) thanks for listening kostas

Kostas, The MOAG-ST will add 2.5" to your backfocus with the AO8/CFW+ST10. The helical focuser makes fine focus adjustments easy. The connections are strong and will not flex. The main issue is that your camera and cfw are now 2.5" further back creating a greater "moment arm", so it depends how rugged your feather touch focuser is. Also, I don't know what f/ratio the Vixen is but the further back you are the more vignetting you have. You'll need to consider that, too. Don

hi mr.Goldman The feather touch focuser puts me 8cm away from the scope. Vixen 260 L is 3000 mm long ,D 260mm, f/11.5, 65mm cycle, and has a main mirror moving focuser(i use the feather touch focuser only for fine adjustment). The bigger f/ratio the more vignitting ,the smaler f/ratio (faster) the less vignitting, is it true? Sum(backfocus) 80mm feather touch focuser+50mm AO-8+ ? mm MOAG + 20mm CFW10 + the backfocus of the SBIG ST10XME itself. I measure the maxbackfocus of vixen using canon 300d and i found it 300mm. thank alot ragards kostas Panagiotopoulos

I'm not sure what you are asking here. An f/11 system won't vignette alot, so you would have to make sure there are no mechanical restrictions ahead of your AO and MOAG. As I said the MOAG-ST will take up 62.5 mm. Don

Hello Don,

another question, this time regarding the MOAG.

When using the MOAG between the AO-L and the STL11K I get a horizontal dark bar across the guider image. When I take the camera off and look through the image train I can see the prism of the MOAG right before the upper edge of the AO-L's plate (at center position). Another user asked me about the same issue. What can we do about this?

With best regards, TJ

We did not make any modifications to the MOAG.

TJ, I'd add the thinnest prism spacer to move it down slightly, but not enough to cause significant vignetting of the imaging sensor. Don