Making it easy to set up with a few simple ideas

Astrophotography is never easy so making it less complicated is going to save you a lot of hassle. I don't have time to build a separate observatory so instead, I have opted for a lighter setup from that of the past. Here is my skywatcher 200p on the eq5 pro mount with the finder scope adapted to use a ZWOI120 guide camera. I don't use the syn scan hand controller instead I use an eq direct cable that goes straight from the control box to my pc which is kept in the shed opposite. All the cables from my camera my guide camera and the mount feed straight into my shed through the sidewall and into my pc.

Once it's all switched on via the pc in the shed I can link up to that with my laptop using TeamViewer and control it all from indoors in the warm. So no hand controller to deal with everything controlled by the computer and I can go inside and stay warm while the camera and mount get on with the job of imaging.

One big difference to making this all easy to set up is to have three bricks set into the ground that has a hole in each one for the legs of the mount to sit in. I have lined them up carefully so that the mount is perfectly lined up with the north position and have made sure that my polar alignment is spot on using PHD to do the polar alignment with its very good drift alignment tool and my guide camera.

It takes a bit of tweaking but once it is all set up correctly its just a matter of taking the mount outside and placing it in those hole in the bricks and I am ready to go each night without the hassle of having to re polar align the mount a big time saver.

Because I am using a large Newtonian telescope the skywatcher 200p I check the colmination regularly with a laser collimator and check the focus each night with a bahtinov mask. Dew is kept at bay with a yoga mat stitched up to form a tube that is placed over the front of the scope and a small dew strap is placed on the guide scope. Simple and effective, my camera is an unmodded 450d.

With good views of the northeast and south, the mount is positioned to make the 

most of the night skies and key targets

The eqdirect cable replaces the hand controller and just goes straight into the pc its 10 feet long the same as my guide camera and cannon camera cables so easily goes into the side of my shed to the pc

Three bricks embedded in the ground with holes for the tripod legs to fit in saves time

and allows you to set up in minutes without the need to polar align each time or having to reposition the mount.