Hello Mark. Thank you for this video really. I did my first alignment with iPolar and GPS module 3 days ago and I was surprised by the relative ease with which we manage to do this. It’s very effective and well thought out. 👍
Hi, thanks for your video. Pleased you like the GEM28. Depending on how you want to control your mount and gear you might like to consider using plate solving to do away with the tedious star alignment steps. SharpCap allows plate solving, using software like ASTAP. Cheers, Steve
Steve, this is a great suggestion for people like me newer to astronomy and goto mount alignment! I started using plate solving and I'll probably even do a video on the topic. It's sooooooooo much better than the manufacturer's star alignment routine.
I'm curious if you have tried the polar alignment with sharpcap, and if so, how it compares to the ipolar feature? I'm considering the gem28 with ipolar, but unsure if the feature is worth the added cost when I'm already accustom to sharpcaps polar alignment.
Hi Nick, thanks for watching! I have yet to try the polar alignment with Sharpcap. I plan to try that in an upcoming imaging session. The last few times out I've been trying out plate solving using Sharpcap. For some reason, Sharpcap recently started crashing/locking on my laptop (might be a recent update). So my last few imaging sessions I've burnt an hour due to Sharcap crashes. Once I try out the polar alignment in there, I'll post my results in a video. I've been trying to limp along with my 8 year old laptop as the only thing I use it for is astrophotography. It's kind of sluggish when doing the plate solving (the part where it cross checks against the indexes to solve the image). I may have to bite the bullet and get a new one.
The iPolar supplied by iOptron is dependent upon having a computer. There are illuminated polar scopes (unsure if one could be fitted to the Gem28 mount) where you sight it visually to do the polar alignment, adjusting the mount as you keep checking it visually. I guess you could look into this option if you don't want to use a computer. I have read comments by people who use an illuminated polar scope to do visual alignment where they said the physical position you have to get into can be awkward depending upon how young/flexible you are. So a lot of illuminated polar scope users will add on a Right Angle Polar Viewfinder which makes visually looking into the polar scope much more comfortable.
@@marksastrojourney Thank you so much for the information . From curiosity, is there any app for mobile/tablet that can let me wifi to the Ipolar wen outside or is Ioptron only providing pc software for this situation? Cheers and thank you again !
I just checked on iOptron's web site. They only list a version of iPolar for Windows. Maybe they didn't make a tablet compatible version because of drivers being needed for the camera that will work with a tablet??? Also, they are probably expecting anyone doing polar alignment to also be running other software such as PHD2 Guiding, Sharpcap, N.I.N.A. or similar. But I really don't know their reasoning for the platform limitations.
Thank you very much for this helpful and informative video. Since two days I also have a iOptron GEM28. May I ask how do you connect your laptop to the GEM28 handbox, via USB or WiFi?
On my iOptron GEM28 mount it has built in wifi. You simply connect your laptop to its like any wifi network. Then ASCOM Device Hub can connect to the mount just as if it were connected with a USB cable.
Hello Mark. Thank you for this video really. I did my first alignment with iPolar and GPS module 3 days ago and I was surprised by the relative ease with which we manage to do this. It’s very effective and well thought out. 👍
Thanks for watching JB! I agree, it’s pretty straightforward. Clear skies!
Hi, thanks for your video. Pleased you like the GEM28.
Depending on how you want to control your mount and gear you might like to consider using plate solving to do away with the tedious star alignment steps. SharpCap allows plate solving, using software like ASTAP.
Cheers,
Steve
Thanks for watching and the suggestion! I’ve seen that option in Sharpcap and will give it a try. Clear skies!
Steve, this is a great suggestion for people like me newer to astronomy and goto mount alignment! I started using plate solving and I'll probably even do a video on the topic. It's sooooooooo much better than the manufacturer's star alignment routine.
I'm curious if you have tried the polar alignment with sharpcap, and if so, how it compares to the ipolar feature? I'm considering the gem28 with ipolar, but unsure if the feature is worth the added cost when I'm already accustom to sharpcaps polar alignment.
Hi Nick, thanks for watching! I have yet to try the polar alignment with Sharpcap. I plan to try that in an upcoming imaging session. The last few times out I've been trying out plate solving using Sharpcap. For some reason, Sharpcap recently started crashing/locking on my laptop (might be a recent update). So my last few imaging sessions I've burnt an hour due to Sharcap crashes. Once I try out the polar alignment in there, I'll post my results in a video.
I've been trying to limp along with my 8 year old laptop as the only thing I use it for is astrophotography. It's kind of sluggish when doing the plate solving (the part where it cross checks against the indexes to solve the image). I may have to bite the bullet and get a new one.
Wow that was helpful. Thanks.
I’m glad to hear that Dominik, clear skies!
@@marksastrojourney I see this is fully electronic. Is there a way to polar alignment the gem 28 (manually) without the use of a pc ?
The iPolar supplied by iOptron is dependent upon having a computer. There are illuminated polar scopes (unsure if one could be fitted to the Gem28 mount) where you sight it visually to do the polar alignment, adjusting the mount as you keep checking it visually. I guess you could look into this option if you don't want to use a computer.
I have read comments by people who use an illuminated polar scope to do visual alignment where they said the physical position you have to get into can be awkward depending upon how young/flexible you are. So a lot of illuminated polar scope users will add on a Right Angle Polar Viewfinder which makes visually looking into the polar scope much more comfortable.
@@marksastrojourney Thank you so much for the information . From curiosity, is there any app for mobile/tablet that can let me wifi to the Ipolar wen outside or is Ioptron only providing pc software for this situation?
Cheers and thank you again !
I just checked on iOptron's web site. They only list a version of iPolar for Windows. Maybe they didn't make a tablet compatible version because of drivers being needed for the camera that will work with a tablet??? Also, they are probably expecting anyone doing polar alignment to also be running other software such as PHD2 Guiding, Sharpcap, N.I.N.A. or similar. But I really don't know their reasoning for the platform limitations.
Thank you very much for this helpful and informative video.
Since two days I also have a iOptron GEM28.
May I ask how do you connect your laptop to the GEM28 handbox, via USB or WiFi?
Thanks for watching Albert! I always connect to the mount via wifi.
@@marksastrojourney Thank you for answering my question Mark!
Clear skies Albert!
Nice vid thx! How do you connect to WiFi? is it built into the mount, I have a HEM 27 coming in a few days.
On my iOptron GEM28 mount it has built in wifi. You simply connect your laptop to its like any wifi network. Then ASCOM Device Hub can connect to the mount just as if it were connected with a USB cable.