PHD Guiding - Here is a piece of software, free ware actually, that has
solved a major headache of mine. My motor controller obviously has a mind of its own, randomly drifting in the declination of its choice, whenever it
decides to. Tracking the moon on Lunar mode during the Orionids required declination corrections on the order of every minute or two. On sidereal mode,
it will unexpectedly up and start slowly creeping north or south. The goto capabilities no longer work, nothing.
Reprogramming the Celestron CG-5 mount
requires a piece of hardware. Celestron will sell me the Auxiliary Port Accessory Kit (item no. 93965) for $314.00! Happy
Happy Joy Joy! Fortunately, the unit can be found at Telescopes.Com for $68.00.
PHD Guiding is very easy to use and allows for arbitrary camera orientation. I can now maximize the shadowed portion of the moon across the
ccd as to work it correctly and track with good precision. I can also do the same for comets, orienting the camera however I please, to optimize how its tail
falls across the horizontal plane of the chip. So I really have no need to get that piece o hardware because PHD Guiding also corrects the periodic e-w error.
If you have a balky mount and can use ASCOM drivers, try to use PHD Guiding! Maybe it will help you as well as it is helping me! So, I'll save the $68 or $314 and maybe
start thinking of getting a new mount. I need built in PEC and a way to fix it when its fried without additional expenses. Craig Stark, thank
you for writing PHD Guiding and for making it available to us who need it!
