With this video and about 2 hours of tinkering, I was able to integrate APT (Astrophotography Tool) with EQMOD, and EQMOD with the ASCOM platform, and get them to work through a direct USB A to USB B cable, that connects so conveniently to the EQ6-R control plate, eliminating completely (and thus rendering obsolete) the handheld control. Thanks Chuck! Job well done! You got me out of the woods here!
You've helped me again, Chuck! I've been running my mount on EQMOD for over a year. I couldn't get the USB port working and so I've been using a cable that replaces the hand controller. After seeing this video and the part where you have to set everything to 115200, I decided to try it again, and viola! worked on the first try! Thanks! For anyone else seeing this comment, my mount is an Orion Sirius Pro/Skywatcher AZ-EQ/5, but it worked exactly the same.
Chuck! Many thanks! The EQ6R arrived last night and I have spent all afternoon cursing at the laptop...trying to get it to connect to EQMOD. I thought you may have some wisdom....and sure enough...you saved the day!
Thanks again, Chuck. Finally got my mount connected last night after using your recommendations in this video. One thing I found, however, that may help someone who is just starting out with this procedure, is the Port Number is not quite as easy to determine on my brand new computer. I had an antiquated computer using Windows XP, and came to the conclusion that a brand new computer was needed. So I bought one yesterday. After setting up my new computer, when I went to the device manager, the port number that it showed was incorrect under Device Manager. Despite using that port number in the EQMOD Toolbox, it still did not connect. The EQMOD Toolbox, however, had a little "binocular" icon above the port number box, and I pressed it. It "found" the port number for me, so I entered it into the box and crossed my fingers. Then I made sure the baud rate was 115,200 on all the boxes you showed in the video. It finally connected, and is working great! Only spent a few frustrating hours, but feeling good. Thank you for demonstrating this procedure. I am convinced I would have been unsuccessful without your video tutorial.
Chuck, you're the only person who has gone into this kind of detail and that's what beginners need. just showing how to figure out what port I'm connected to was huge. Every little step matters. Thanks so much.
The step on how to find the port number was what I needed, Knew about the baud rate but it wasn't obvious where to change it, worked like a champ, thanks for taking the time.
Chuck, my name is Doug and my EQ6-R Pro came in today. YOUR video was the one which helped me connect to the mount. So thankful for your easy-going, comfortable style. Thanks for your help!!! May laptop and mount are now speaking!!
I'm not even halfway through your video and its helped immensely. I just got this exact mount, and this is helping me ease into the new mount and guiding system. Thank you, Chuck.
Chuck your steps are exactly right. Click connect in SGP then click unpark and the star. After that you can start your sequence or prep work. Congrats!
Hey Chuck, please keep up the great work! I was using the FTDI USB to Serial (RJ45) connector which caused all kinds of issues on my EQ6-R Pro, and eventually stopped working! I was scared I fried the EQ6-R Pro RJ45 Port on the mount but after watching your video, I'm up and running in 10 minutes! Thanks again Chuck!! Keep up the fantastic work, both you and Douglas! I'll keep watching.
Hello Chuck When the Eqmod tool box is open and you are in the Eqmod Control Panel and your mount is turned on and connected to your laptop computer, you can press above the COM port on the binocular icon correctly if all goes well, the COM port is automatically found and Applied Good luck that’s the best way if you have more equipment connected to your laptop computer. Here in Belgium it should be a few days good and I get my Eq5 pro and Newton 150/750 out tonight. Greetings Frank Bogaerts from Belgium
Using EQ6-R Pro mount, PoleMaster. Just gotten EQMOD to function from an on rig NUC to be operated remotely thanks to you Chuck. The COM port baud rate was indeed crucial. Like your and Doug’s Park position recommendation. Much appreciation for your making this video.
Hi Chuck. If you don’t know already, Chris Silito from the EQMOD project has a great series of videos on TH-cam going through many of eqascoms features. I’ve used it for years and it’s great. My only gripe is with Windows. If you plug in to a different USB port or connect other gear in a different order it can change the comm port number causing connection failures. Anyone with the older mounts that don’t have a usb socket you need a special cable to connect and again, Windows can be a pain. Windows 10 will update drivers for the prolific usb-serial cable and then it doesn’t work unless you have a recent cable. There’s no easy way to stop Windows doing this if you gave the Home edition and it means a registry edit with the risks involved if you mess that up. Good luck with the new mount and eqascom. I’m sure you’ll find they add hugely to your Astro enjoyment.
Chuck thank you! I have been racking my brain on how to get the connection with my EQ6-R USB-B to work for me. I could get it to run through the handset, but I wanted to eliminate the handset. I changed the setting to 115200 from 9600 and it worked. Thanks for the video.
I was trying to connect eqm 35 pro with couple videos and I couldn't but after I watched ur video and followed you, I did You explained so clear Thank you so much for helping us Amazing video
As soon as the mount has slew to a target, it will start to track. No need to hit the track button. I recommend opening EQMOD first and leave it open. Open SGP after and connect inside SGP. That way if SGP crashes (as it does sometimes) EQMOD will remain open and the tracking will continue.
I am completely new to this hobby. I have been struggling for months. Today, I managed to get my EQ6 mount to respond to EQMOD/ASCOM. I could not use my HP Windows 7 laptop. I think because HP has their own drivers, not really sure why. So I bought a new laptop (ASUS with Windows 10) ASCOM 6.5 works well, but first I had to download and implement Microsoft .NET.Framework 3.5. After that, operations worked as advertised. Thanks Chuck. A few more huddles and I'll be up late too.
Hi Chuck, want to thank you for the great video, I wasn't able to make things work directly connected to the EQ6-R USB port. So I made the connection thru the hand controller in PC direct mode. But after viewing your video, I now can connect to the USB port on the mount, remove the hand controller. Thanks! CS
Thanks Chuck... this helped. I've done it before, but while setting up a second computer last night, I couldn't remember precisely which installation(s) gave me the correct result. I'll be sure to append my notes.
ccleaner broke the connection I set up a while ago. reinstalling windows and ascom did not do anything. thanks to this video i set bits per second properly and now it works. thanks a lot
Hi Chuck, great tutorial... just used this video and followed your steps to connect my HEQ5 PRO the only difference is that the Baud parameter must stay in 9600 both in EQMOD and on the controller pc menu... Thanks for sharing
Thank you so much, changing the Baud rate helped! I was always using EQMOD with the USB connected to the handcontroller. But directly to the Mount is just so much nicer
Hi Chuck, The icons you are clicking on to unpark appear to be the tracking rates, star = sidereal (sy-deer-real), moon = lunar, sun = solar, etc. in a handy location. The motors seem to have a smooth high pitch sound, not disquieting :). Though at 38#, this mount would not be something I would want to drag out on short notice. Please keep us posted on your guiding results. Always like hearing your commentary for equipment decisions. Cheers/thanks, John
Sorry, 38# or pounds, for mount head weight. Plus tripod, scope and gear that's somewhat heavy (for me anyway), if all in one piece . For my Losmandy G11G, I bought the RA extension kit, which separates the RA and Dec parts into two more manageable pieces.
Thankyou thank you thank you - I followed your video and now I can control the EQ6-R from that screen thingy on me laptop. Crazy thing tho - yours and many other videos on TH-cam also say that it won't work at 9600 and to set the Baud rate at 115200. I could not get it to work at any other rate other than 9600 - go figure??????? I agree with CaptG Bakos below, this a great video for beginners. Thanks again - clear skies mate!!
Hi Chuck, thanks for this video. I just received my EQ6-R Pro and it helped me get EQMOD setup. However, I'm using an EQDIR cable which, apparently, doesn't like 115200 baud, but loves 9600. Every other video and tutorial I've seen has pointed out the 115200 preference. So, naturally, that's what I set it to and....nothing. Out of curiosity, changed it to 9600 and everything fired right up. Now, as you mentioned, time to wait for clear skies so I can point some glass north and get aligned. Then on to the next step, and the one after that....I've enjoyed your videos.
@@ChucksAstrophotography Thanks. What do you mean by that? Are you referring to the declination clutch and what has been your experience with the clutch stripping?
@@ChucksAstrophotography Oh, ok. You're referring to the altitude/latitude adjustment bolts, right, the front and back arrangement that everyone loves to hate and that other manufacturers have only one bolt for? Hopefully I won't be needing to adjust that more than 2-3 times a year, depending on where I travel to locally, and if I can stay at the same relative latitude, maybe not at all.
On the source forge site there is a guide called ‘eqascom alignment models. Pdf’. I would highly recommend giving it a read. It explains how eqmod builds up a alignment to get good pointing accuracy. It starts with nearest point, then two point, three, and beyond three. I know with SGP you can do plate solve and get good pointing that way. But it helps to do a few alignment points each side of meridian so you are starting from closer to the target. Good investment and hope it serves you well!
That's interesting, Dave. But if I have to do alignment points before Plate Solving, I have a big problem with that. I do not want to perform those extra steps. I'll see how it goes when I finally get this mount outside. Thanks for the tip.
Well, at least be away you can tell it to treat a sync as an add point so it will build a better model over time. Just have to sync the mount in sgp. I think if you have good polar alignment and have good location and time settings it should be good.
You can set audio sounds too. So when you click on different buttons on the virtual hand control you can hear the commands.. like slewing to Target..ect
Hi Chuck, Great video. I used this several months ago to setup my EQ6 and it worked fine. After being dormant for a couple of months due to winter weather, I tried to fire up EQMOD and it refused to connect. Then it was my turn to pout and go watch TV! Then it occurred to me to try the 9600 baud rate (both in Windows Device Mgr and EQMOD), and now it is working again! Go figure....
Works! Thanks Chuck, and in this case I also guess thanks Dug? I couldn't connect until I changed that bit-rate. Only thing is...can't use my filterwheel tonight as it is the same cable that I need to connect the EQ6r-pro and I only have one :p.
@@ChucksAstrophotography thanks Chuck. Unfortunately I have a mechanical issue. It moves north/south but not east/west...tried the handcontroller and in eqmod. Power is on, motor runs but no movement. I guess its back to the supplier (snif). Tried everything, factory reset, updating the mount to latest firmware, eqmod new installation. The works. I'm at a loss.
Yeah, I tried that, but they couldn't find the correct port. I think because the BAUD Rate needs to be different for this new USB port, the binoculars don't work. But thanks anyway.
Eqmod is what i use with my atlas eq-g mount. There are some cool features to it... I guess I thought you were using it already with other mounts. Yes and sidereal does start the tracking.
I like what I see so far. I never bothered with Celestron months, I just installed the driver for my CGX and it worked in SGP - no other setup is required.
Hi Chuck, the only thing you don’t really need to do, is press tracking If you use Cartes or other planetarium software that supports ASCOM, you slew to a target in the planetarium and that will automatically start tracking after it’s settled on the target
Thanks Hogarth , that's good to know. I always made sure my CGX was tracking for SGP before I plate-solved, so I figured I better make sure tracking is on for this mount too.
Chuck, I've had my Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro for about month now. It is the same version as yours. I didn't have much trouble figuring out the EQMOD part and talking to the mount directly. I have only had one clear night to test it out. When I took it out I discovered that it didn't want to guide through the USB port. PHD2 connects to the mount through USB at the higher baud rate but gave me tracking errors that it could not control RA. It appears that I can only track through ST4 or possibly with the RJ49 and FTDI cable. I wasn't able to actually test with ST4 outside, but I did run a simulator test inside and it seemed to work. With so few clear nights I am hoping to resolve this soon so I can spend more time imaging. Have you experienced any issues with guiding through the high speed USB port?
@@ChucksAstrophotography After much ado about nothing I finally found the problem. I searched forums high and low and found several people that were reporting the same problem, PHD2 can't generate enough pulses to move RA, check your cables. Everywhere the answers were the same; test this, fix that, tweak this. And in none of the cases was there ever a solution. You know that part about the simplest answer is usually the correct answer? Well, I got to looking at EQMOD, a program I had never used before. You know, if you don't click on the sidereal icon it doesn't track and basically sits there and does nothing. Duh! Once I clicked on that everything started working. I bugged you with a question so thought I should share the resolution.
HI Chuck. DO you have the version of the mount with the USB input? If so, do you have to by an EQ direct cable or does the new usb port allow you to go USB PC to USB Mount with no dangerous voltages frying the mount. Thanks for all you do.
@@ChucksAstrophotography I think it will. Looks like you did everything correctly. It's been over a year since I set my software up. I get great results using Stellarium, eqmod, Astrotortilla for plate solving, and of course Phd2 . I use Nebulosity 4 for aquisition. I am thinking about getting SGP mainly for the auto focus capabilities. I just use a osc camera, so no filter wheel. If I used a mono with filters it would be more practical to use SGP, or something similar to automate everything.
Thanks for making this Chuck. This will be helpful. I just ordered this mount today. I finally got fed up with my little mount that just wasn't up to the task of guiding my gear. As usual, I do have a question about how you power yours. I have read and heard this mount is very finicky about its power source. Thanks and clear skies....
@@ChucksAstrophotography Thanks. I was under the impression that the mount didn't come with a power supply. I think Trevor mentioned about the power source issue in his initial review. I guess I'll find out next week when it arrives.
Good job. Thank you for you effort and time. I am thinking about buying the EQ6-R and doing some home work first. I have a Celestron 8", but I want a 12" or 14" someday.
Looks good so far. Everything seems to be playing nicely without an overly large amount of difficulty. Definitely good to walk away when you get frustrated which usually just compounds the little mistakes that just make it all seem overwhelming.
I took note when you showed the EQ6R mount and that it had the new "USB" port. From this I surmised that it was that port where you plugged in to connect to your laptop. But now I am told that laptop with EQMOD installed is plugged into the hand controller port. Is that correct? I wish you had reviewed the mount a bit more in depth in one of the videos. I know you are taking great photos, the best, and are focused on that.
Thanks. No, I use the new USB port to plug into the laptop. The hand controller is in the box, I never used it. I suppose it could still be used with the hand set, but I see no need to do it that way.
" To connect to the USB port on the mount without having the HandControl attached, you can use the following abbreviated procedure: Find a "USB Printer Cable". This will have a normal USB-Type-A connector on one end for the PC and a USB-Type-B connector on the other end as is often used for USB printers / scanners or other equipment.
Load the ASCOM Platform software onto your PC if you have not already done so.
Load the SkyWatcher Unified ASCOM Driver or the EQMOD ASCOM Driver / Package (if you prefer to use EQMOD) onto your PC.
Load the low-level device driver for a Prolific USB to Serial converter onto the PC. You may be able to skip this step as Windows will often identify the converter inside the mount and load the right driver automatically.
Open the Windows Device Manager on the PC. Open up (expand) the twistie next to COM & LPT Ports in the Device Manager.
Connect the cable directly between the mount and the PC.
Power on the mount and listen for the Windows USB connection chime. At the same time, a new port should appear in the Device Manage list view of COM and LPT Ports.
Click on the new COM port and select "Properties". Go to the Port Settings Tab.
Set the Bits per Second value to 115200. The other settings there should be left at 8, None, 1, and None. Press OK.
Now open a program that can control the mount via ASCOM such as a planetarium program like Cartes du Ciel or a guider program like PHD2.
In the planetarium program, initiate a connection to the telescope. Choose the ASCOM selection and then in the ASCOM Chooser, pick the proper driver (SkyWatcher or EQMOD). Select Configure. Set the Port number to equal the COM Port than appeared when you powered up the mount. Set the communications speed to 115200 if there is a setting entry for it.
Press OK (maybe multiple times) to wind your way back the the ASCOM connection dialog for the planetarium program and then tell it to actually connect. It should do so without error. This procedure is much like connecting with the FTDI direct cable with only two exceptions: 1) you connect to the USB port on the mount rather than the HandControl Port on the mount, and 2) you use 115200 bits per second rather than 9600 bps. "
@@ChucksAstrophotography "To connect to the USB port on the mount without having the HandControl attached, you can use the following abbreviated procedure: Find a "USB Printer Cable". This will have a normal USB-Type-A connector on one end for the PC and a USB-Type-B connector on the other end as is often used for USB printers / scanners or other equipment.
Load the ASCOM Platform software onto your PC if you have not already done so.
Load the SkyWatcher Unified ASCOM Driver or the EQMOD ASCOM Driver / Package (if you prefer to use EQMOD) onto your PC.
Load the low-level device driver for a Prolific USB to Serial converter onto the PC. You may be able to skip this step as Windows will often identify the converter inside the mount and load the right driver automatically.
Open the Windows Device Manager on the PC. Open up (expand) the twistie next to COM & LPT Ports in the Device Manager.
Connect the cable directly between the mount and the PC.
Power on the mount and listen for the Windows USB connection chime. At the same time, a new port should appear in the Device Manage list view of COM and LPT Ports.
Click on the new COM port and select "Properties". Go to the Port Settings Tab.
Set the Bits per Second value to 115200. The other settings there should be left at 8, None, 1, and None. Press OK.
Now open a program that can control the mount via ASCOM such as a planetarium program like Cartes du Ciel or a guider program like PHD2.
In the planetarium program, initiate a connection to the telescope. Choose the ASCOM selection and then in the ASCOM Chooser, pick the proper driver (SkyWatcher or EQMOD). Select Configure. Set the Port number to equal the COM Port than appeared when you powered up the mount. Set the communications speed to 115200 if there is a setting entry for it.
Press OK (maybe multiple times) to wind your way back the the ASCOM connection dialog for the planetarium program and then tell it to actually connect. It should do so without error. This procedure is much like connecting with the FTDI direct cable with only two exceptions: 1) you connect to the USB port on the mount rather than the HandControl Port on the mount, and 2) you use 115200 bits per second rather than 9600 bps. "
Chuck with plate solving you don't have to be very accurate in the settings of your home indices. One plate-solve, provided you have excellent polar alignment, will also 'sync' your mount.
Are you running the latest version of SGpro? Your connect equipment buttons look different and much more intuitive. I disconnect equipment on accident a lot because they look very similar.
This is an older machine I used to run on. I want to upgrade to the latest SGP version. My primary rig will run on my desktop, this new rig will on my laptop.
Excellent video Chuck. I also have the EQ6R and hope to start auto guiding in the near future. Is just the one USB cable needed from mount to computer? I have a polemaster on the way.
Thanks for a very informative video. I am using a printer cable for connecting my HEQ5 mount through the hand control. It gets connected well but it stops tracking after every 3-5 minutes. Can you please suggest any reason and a solution?
It seems that the EQMOD download site wants you to download AscomPad. I had to really search for the EQASCOM download file. Does anyone have any thoughts on AscomPad ??
Glad it helped. I wish there was a home position. Whatever position you have the DEV and RA in when you power on is your home position. Check the 9:27 mark.
Thanks I think this will be helpful. I ordered one Monday. I've been using the AVX, on the Eq6R Pro can you plate solve without setting up the one star align? The AVX just wouldn't work like that. I had to do a one star align even if I didn't point correctly, then go to a star and plate solve to sync the mount. I use Nina as capture software, that's like Sequence Generator Pro.
Darne, I wish you did this video last March when I received this mount.. Still, been doing alright. Actually came to your channel to see what type of camera you use on a C8 (or the equivalent NexStar 8SE). I'm thinking about getting a cooled ASI 174 mono because of it's huge pixel size but I'm still considering options. As for the USB port on my keypad, it works (in PC link mode which disables the keys) but it's very picky about which USB port I plug into on the PC end... Maybe it's time for me to buy a dedicated cable but it has never occurred to me to check the BAUD rate when using less than cooperative ports. So, worth a shot...
I bought an EQ6 not too long ago and I was wondering what you power yours with? Sometimes when I select an object and the mount starts slewing to it, halfway through slewing it kind of stalls out and starts making a weird noise. Is that a power supply issue in your opinion or anything you've ran into before? Currently I had my Celestron 8SE scope on there which according to the mount specs isn't too heavy. Just wanted to get your thoughts, thanks.
I've been having this problem even with all the correct eqmod settings turned on. It turned out the power cable I was using was the problem. Even though it was enough to power the scope and hand controller it seemed to be stopping my mount from communicating with eqmod. Anyway, after i popped a new psu cable on, the mount actually would talk to eqmod ascom.
I think you will need to unpark from EQ Mod or else you won’t be able to align in Polemaster. This is my finding . You need to slew with EQ MOD to calibrate polemaster.
Chuck! At 1:43 you say the HC is back in the box. Then at 2:00 I see it plugged in. Come on Bud, I'm confused. Good to get started with. Thank You, I'll let go of your leg now.
Hi, great video...I just bought a brand new EQ6-R Pro with the USB socket on the mount. Where did you find the cable connector? I bought one online, and they sent me the old style that connects to hand controller.
@@ChucksAstrophotography yea, I had no idea a printer cable head with a normal USB end was essentially a USB cable, with different connections on each end. The ZWO camera had a few extras in the box, so I ended up using that particular USB cable, with the square end on one side, and the regular USB end on the other.
My com port default is also 9600, but the 115200 or whatever doesn't work along with other options. It's whatever. I can control it with default settings on that thanksfully
Hey Chuck, I was going through your settings and I got to the baud business, I changed it to the 11500 in the device manager and went back the the EQMOD settings to change it but it only gave 4800 and 9600 as choices. Any ideas? I gave up for now to do more research and will try again this weekend. Thanks Kurt
Thanks for posting this Chuck. I always have been interested in EQMOD and wanted to try to set it up but never bothered since APT, the hand controller, and Stellarium work. I might give it shot now. Also, what video editor do you use if you don't mind me asking. I have been using Shotcut but it sometimes gives me trouble with iPhone clips. - Kurt
Cool, give it a shot. This is the movie editor I use and it seems to handle videos from my iPhone, Nikon, and GoPro just fine: www.movavi.com/ Very inexpensive, maybe only $20 or $30 a long time ago. No idea what they charge now.
I'm new to AP but it seems like any mount from any company requires a handset...is EQMOD just for Skywatcher, (as in the EQ) or are there drivers to allow compatibility with, say, IOptron?
I just ordered this mount and I'm interested in doing this. Which cable did you use to connect the mount to the computer? I see a lot of options out there
Sir do I have to use eqmod if I want to use my Celestron 8" SCT and the autofocuser I have on it? I have the mount that has the usb port on the EQ6R Pro as well. EQ mod seems a bit daunting to me. Tonight is my first night out with the mount and I will just be using the hand controller, my PC for guiding, and my hand focused Redcat 51 through PHD2
Okay. I KNOW this is old Chuck. BUT.. it's driving me nuts.. not knowing.. You stated you keep the keypad in tucked away and have no use for it.. but the pic you showed on your mount. had a cable plugged into the port? what/where did that go to?? and for what reason?? ( I ask cuz I had no plans on using the controller .. but.. bought 2 cables . cuz I thought I need to plug the cable into the HC and the other end in to the pc? but with the USB on the bottom there? I"m not seeing a purpose for that port at all now??
HI Abdel, I still use my CGX as my primary setup. But I bought the EQR-6 because I still had an extra smaller telescope and camera that weren't being used. So instead of having to tear down my primary setup to use them, now I will have this new setup ready to go whenever I want.
Did you have any issues connecting to PHD? When I first had the mount set up I got errors that the mount did not support pulse guiding. I have not tried it again since I installed EQmod, but hopefully its going to play nice now,I'd prefer to not have to go backwards and use a ST4
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приветствую тебя!из Казахстана..у меня проблемы с подключением монтировки eq6 r pro..ты можешь мне помочь..?!нужны субтитры на русском языке!
With this video and about 2 hours of tinkering, I was able to integrate APT (Astrophotography Tool) with EQMOD, and EQMOD with the ASCOM platform, and get them to work through a direct USB A to USB B cable, that connects so conveniently to the EQ6-R control plate, eliminating completely (and thus rendering obsolete) the handheld control. Thanks Chuck! Job well done! You got me out of the woods here!
Glad to hear it!
Thanks - you saved me more than few headaches, expletives, and hours of online research. Clear skies, go Tigers and LGRW!!
Glad to hear it!
You've helped me again, Chuck! I've been running my mount on EQMOD for over a year. I couldn't get the USB port working and so I've been using a cable that replaces the hand controller. After seeing this video and the part where you have to set everything to 115200, I decided to try it again, and viola! worked on the first try! Thanks! For anyone else seeing this comment, my mount is an Orion Sirius Pro/Skywatcher AZ-EQ/5, but it worked exactly the same.
Excellent!
Chuck!
Many thanks!
The EQ6R arrived last night and I have spent all afternoon cursing at the laptop...trying to get it to connect to EQMOD.
I thought you may have some wisdom....and sure enough...you saved the day!
Thanks again, Chuck. Finally got my mount connected last night after using your recommendations in this video. One thing I found, however, that may help someone who is just starting out with this procedure, is the Port Number is not quite as easy to determine on my brand new computer. I had an antiquated computer using Windows XP, and came to the conclusion that a brand new computer was needed. So I bought one yesterday.
After setting up my new computer, when I went to the device manager, the port number that it showed was incorrect under Device Manager. Despite using that port number in the EQMOD Toolbox, it still did not connect. The EQMOD Toolbox, however, had a little "binocular" icon above the port number box, and I pressed it. It "found" the port number for me, so I entered it into the box and crossed my fingers. Then I made sure the baud rate was 115,200 on all the boxes you showed in the video. It finally connected, and is working great! Only spent a few frustrating hours, but feeling good.
Thank you for demonstrating this procedure. I am convinced I would have been unsuccessful without your video tutorial.
That's good information, Geno, thanks for sharing!
Chuck, you're the only person who has gone into this kind of detail and that's what beginners need. just showing how to figure out what port I'm connected to was huge. Every little step matters. Thanks so much.
Thank you so much! I was really frustrated and your solution regarding the Baud rate worked perfectly! After 3 years your vid is still up to date! :D
The step on how to find the port number was what I needed, Knew about the baud rate but it wasn't obvious where to change it, worked like a champ, thanks for taking the time.
Chuck, my name is Doug and my EQ6-R Pro came in today. YOUR video was the one which helped me connect to the mount. So thankful for your easy-going, comfortable style. Thanks for your help!!! May laptop and mount are now speaking!!
Super helpful info. Thanks so much. After a day of unsuccessful troubleshooting, this saved the weekend.
Awesome!
I'm not even halfway through your video and its helped immensely. I just got this exact mount, and this is helping me ease into the new mount and guiding system. Thank you, Chuck.
Great! Thanks for the feedback.
Chuck your steps are exactly right. Click connect in SGP then click unpark and the star. After that you can start your sequence or prep work. Congrats!
Oh good! Thanks Charles.
Hey Chuck, please keep up the great work! I was using the FTDI USB to Serial (RJ45) connector which caused all kinds of issues on my EQ6-R Pro, and eventually stopped working! I was scared I fried the EQ6-R Pro RJ45 Port on the mount but after watching your video, I'm up and running in 10 minutes! Thanks again Chuck!! Keep up the fantastic work, both you and Douglas! I'll keep watching.
Hello Chuck
When the Eqmod tool box is open and you are in the Eqmod Control Panel and your mount is turned on and connected to your laptop computer, you can press above the COM port on the binocular icon correctly if all goes well, the COM port is automatically found and Applied Good luck that’s the best way if you have more equipment connected to your laptop computer.
Here in Belgium it should be a few days good and I get my Eq5 pro and Newton 150/750 out tonight.
Greetings Frank Bogaerts from Belgium
Thanks Bogfra1, I tried that first and it couldn't find it - I don't know why, but maybe because of the BAUD Rate issue. Thanks the tip.
Using EQ6-R Pro mount, PoleMaster. Just gotten EQMOD to function from an on rig NUC to be operated remotely thanks to you Chuck. The COM port baud rate was indeed crucial. Like your and Doug’s Park position recommendation. Much appreciation for your making this video.
Hi Chuck. If you don’t know already, Chris Silito from the EQMOD project has a great series of videos on TH-cam going through many of eqascoms features. I’ve used it for years and it’s great. My only gripe is with Windows. If you plug in to a different USB port or connect other gear in a different order it can change the comm port number causing connection failures. Anyone with the older mounts that don’t have a usb socket you need a special cable to connect and again, Windows can be a pain. Windows 10 will update drivers for the prolific usb-serial cable and then it doesn’t work unless you have a recent cable. There’s no easy way to stop Windows doing this if you gave the Home edition and it means a registry edit with the risks involved if you mess that up. Good luck with the new mount and eqascom. I’m sure you’ll find they add hugely to your Astro enjoyment.
Chuck thank you! I have been racking my brain on how to get the connection with my EQ6-R USB-B to work for me. I could get it to run through the handset, but I wanted to eliminate the handset. I changed the setting to 115200 from 9600 and it worked. Thanks for the video.
Awesome, glad to hear it.
I was trying to connect eqm 35 pro with couple videos and I couldn't but after I watched ur video and followed you, I did
You explained so clear
Thank you so much for helping us
Amazing video
As soon as the mount has slew to a target, it will start to track. No need to hit the track button. I recommend opening EQMOD first and leave it open. Open SGP after and connect inside SGP. That way if SGP crashes (as it does sometimes) EQMOD will remain open and the tracking will continue.
Good tip, thanks Tempus.
I am completely new to this hobby. I have been struggling for months. Today, I managed to get my EQ6 mount to respond to EQMOD/ASCOM. I could not use my HP Windows 7 laptop. I think because HP has their own drivers, not really sure why. So I bought a new laptop (ASUS with Windows 10) ASCOM 6.5 works well, but first I had to download and implement Microsoft .NET.Framework 3.5. After that, operations worked as advertised. Thanks Chuck. A few more huddles and I'll be up late too.
Hi Chuck, want to thank you for the great video, I wasn't able to make things work directly connected to the EQ6-R USB port. So I made the connection thru the hand controller in PC direct mode. But after viewing your video, I now can connect to the USB port on the mount, remove the hand controller. Thanks! CS
Thanks Chuck. I just finished setting mine up thanks to your video. You are the MAN!
Awesome, glad to hear it!
Thanks Chuck... this helped.
I've done it before, but while setting up a second computer last night, I couldn't remember precisely which installation(s) gave me the correct result. I'll be sure to append my notes.
You saved my life - thanks man.
Excellent video! I was completely stumped because I had the correct comm port but I never considered the baud rate. This has been a great help! 👍
Glad it helped.
This video helped me in setting up my eq6r mount
Thank you very much Chuck.
Awesome!
Thank you. I was stuck with COM errors. Your tips on Port number and baud rate solved it.
ccleaner broke the connection I set up a while ago. reinstalling windows and ascom did not do anything. thanks to this video i set bits per second properly and now it works. thanks a lot
You made this so easy. I appreciate the time you put into this! Thank you so much!
Oh good, thanks Don.
Useful information. Nice video Chuck!
Hi Chuck, great tutorial... just used this video and followed your steps to connect my HEQ5 PRO the only difference is that the Baud parameter must stay in 9600 both in EQMOD and on the controller pc menu... Thanks for sharing
Great, glad you found this video useful. Thanks for the info.
Chuck your videos are so helpful, thank you so very much
Thank you so much, changing the Baud rate helped! I was always using EQMOD with the USB connected to the handcontroller. But directly to the Mount is just so much nicer
Great, glad it helped!
Hi Chuck,
The icons you are clicking on to unpark appear to be the tracking rates, star = sidereal (sy-deer-real), moon = lunar, sun = solar, etc. in a handy location. The motors seem to have a smooth high pitch sound, not disquieting :). Though at 38#, this mount would not be something I would want to drag out on short notice. Please keep us posted on your guiding results. Always like hearing your commentary for equipment decisions.
Cheers/thanks,
John
sy-deer-real? LOL, I was saying it wrong? That figures. Thanks for the info, but what did you mean by 38# ?
Sorry, 38# or pounds, for mount head weight. Plus tripod, scope and gear that's somewhat heavy (for me anyway), if all in one piece . For my Losmandy G11G, I bought the RA extension kit, which separates the RA and Dec parts into two more manageable pieces.
Thankyou thank you thank you - I followed your video and now I can control the EQ6-R from that screen thingy on me laptop. Crazy thing tho - yours and many other videos on TH-cam also say that it won't work at 9600 and to set the Baud rate at 115200. I could not get it to work at any other rate other than 9600 - go figure??????? I agree with CaptG Bakos below, this a great video for beginners. Thanks again - clear skies mate!!
Also the eqmod sound function is a winner if you download the files, tells you when its slewing, parking, compleates the slew.
I like the software :-)
@@ChucksAstrophotography absolutely stelarium scope and eqmod a great partner works wonders
Hi Chuck, thanks for this video. I just received my EQ6-R Pro and it helped me get EQMOD setup. However, I'm using an EQDIR cable which, apparently, doesn't like 115200 baud, but loves 9600. Every other video and tutorial I've seen has pointed out the 115200 preference. So, naturally, that's what I set it to and....nothing. Out of curiosity, changed it to 9600 and everything fired right up. Now, as you mentioned, time to wait for clear skies so I can point some glass north and get aligned. Then on to the next step, and the one after that....I've enjoyed your videos.
Awesome, glad you got it working and congrats on your new mount. But be careful. The altitude clutch strips easy, use it with care.
@@ChucksAstrophotography Thanks. What do you mean by that? Are you referring to the declination clutch and what has been your experience with the clutch stripping?
@@MikeShipman The clutch in the rear, when you push it in it catches on to a nut or something, but that nut is easy to strip.
@@ChucksAstrophotography Oh, ok. You're referring to the altitude/latitude adjustment bolts, right, the front and back arrangement that everyone loves to hate and that other manufacturers have only one bolt for? Hopefully I won't be needing to adjust that more than 2-3 times a year, depending on where I travel to locally, and if I can stay at the same relative latitude, maybe not at all.
On the source forge site there is a guide called ‘eqascom alignment models. Pdf’. I would highly recommend giving it a read. It explains how eqmod builds up a alignment to get good pointing accuracy. It starts with nearest point, then two point, three, and beyond three. I know with SGP you can do plate solve and get good pointing that way. But it helps to do a few alignment points each side of meridian so you are starting from closer to the target. Good investment and hope it serves you well!
That's interesting, Dave. But if I have to do alignment points before Plate Solving, I have a big problem with that. I do not want to perform those extra steps. I'll see how it goes when I finally get this mount outside. Thanks for the tip.
Well, at least be away you can tell it to treat a sync as an add point so it will build a better model over time. Just have to sync the mount in sgp. I think if you have good polar alignment and have good location and time settings it should be good.
You can set audio sounds too. So when you click on different buttons on the virtual hand control you can hear the commands.. like slewing to Target..ect
Cool tip, thanks Elmiko
Hi Chuck,
Great video. I used this several months ago to setup my EQ6 and it worked fine. After being dormant for a couple of months due to winter weather, I tried to fire up EQMOD and it refused to connect. Then it was my turn to pout and go watch TV! Then it occurred to me to try the 9600 baud rate (both in Windows Device Mgr and EQMOD), and now it is working again! Go figure....
Such a helpful video, not sure I ever would have worked this out on my own. Subd!
Cool, thanks!
Thanks for sharing what you learned. It really simplified our setup.
You're awesome, Chuck! Thanks for uploading this! :)
No prob!
Lol, its quiet, glad to see you on eqmod !
Yeah, very quiet. I still want to look at all those other EQMOD settings today.
@@ChucksAstrophotography So reliable in guiding, never have I experienced a runaway mount in RA / DEC.
@@jefflucas_life Thanks Jeff, I'm glad to hear that!
Thank you very much for posting this with such nice detail. I needed every detail.
Good stuff Chuck. Got me going before I tore my hair out!
Good to hear!
Works! Thanks Chuck, and in this case I also guess thanks Dug? I couldn't connect until I changed that bit-rate. Only thing is...can't use my filterwheel tonight as it is the same cable that I need to connect the EQ6r-pro and I only have one :p.
Excellent, glad it helped!
@@ChucksAstrophotography thanks Chuck. Unfortunately I have a mechanical issue. It moves north/south but not east/west...tried the handcontroller and in eqmod. Power is on, motor runs but no movement. I guess its back to the supplier (snif). Tried everything, factory reset, updating the mount to latest firmware, eqmod new installation. The works. I'm at a loss.
Ascom is awesome.. runs everything.
Yes it does.
Hey Chuck great video....the binocular icon above the com port usually finds your com port for you without the need to go into device manager ..
Yeah, I tried that, but they couldn't find the correct port. I think because the BAUD Rate needs to be different for this new USB port, the binoculars don't work. But thanks anyway.
Eqmod is what i use with my atlas eq-g mount. There are some cool features to it... I guess I thought you were using it already with other mounts. Yes and sidereal does start the tracking.
I like what I see so far. I never bothered with Celestron months, I just installed the driver for my CGX and it worked in SGP - no other setup is required.
Got up and running with Eqmod sir. Great video. Now I have to find out how to make it work with PHD2
Excellent!
Hi Chuck, the only thing you don’t really need to do, is press tracking
If you use Cartes or other planetarium software that supports ASCOM, you slew to a target in the planetarium and that will automatically start tracking after it’s settled on the target
Thanks Hogarth
, that's good to know. I always made sure my CGX was tracking for SGP before I plate-solved, so I figured I better make sure tracking is on for this mount too.
Thanks for the video, Chuck. This cleared up a lot of questions for myself (a beginner) Looking forward to follow up videos on the EQ6-R
Excellent, glad it helped! Thanks.
Chuck, I've had my Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro for about month now. It is the same version as yours. I didn't have much trouble figuring out the EQMOD part and talking to the mount directly. I have only had one clear night to test it out. When I took it out I discovered that it didn't want to guide through the USB port. PHD2 connects to the mount through USB at the higher baud rate but gave me tracking errors that it could not control RA. It appears that I can only track through ST4 or possibly with the RJ49 and FTDI cable. I wasn't able to actually test with ST4 outside, but I did run a simulator test inside and it seemed to work. With so few clear nights I am hoping to resolve this soon so I can spend more time imaging. Have you experienced any issues with guiding through the high speed USB port?
Hmmmm, I have not experienced that, Other than checking every setting in PHD2 and every setting in EQMOD, I wouldn't know what else to suggest.
@@ChucksAstrophotography Thank you for responding. I appreciate your work.
@@ChucksAstrophotography After much ado about nothing I finally found the problem. I searched forums high and low and found several people that were reporting the same problem, PHD2 can't generate enough pulses to move RA, check your cables. Everywhere the answers were the same; test this, fix that, tweak this. And in none of the cases was there ever a solution. You know that part about the simplest answer is usually the correct answer? Well, I got to looking at EQMOD, a program I had never used before. You know, if you don't click on the sidereal icon it doesn't track and basically sits there and does nothing. Duh! Once I clicked on that everything started working. I bugged you with a question so thought I should share the resolution.
Thanks Chuck, helped me a lot
Thank you for the baud rate ! It worked for me too
HI Chuck. DO you have the version of the mount with the USB input? If so, do you have to by an EQ direct cable or does the new usb port allow you to go USB PC to USB Mount with no dangerous voltages frying the mount. Thanks for all you do.
I have the new mount with the USB port on the mount head so a USB cable is all that's needed (no EQ direct cable is needed).
Good job Chuck! You're going to like eqmod!
Thanks
Elmiko, I like it already - I hope it performs well my first time out.
@@ChucksAstrophotography I think it will. Looks like you did everything correctly. It's been over a year since I set my software up. I get great results using Stellarium, eqmod, Astrotortilla for plate solving, and of course Phd2 . I use Nebulosity 4 for aquisition. I am thinking about getting SGP mainly for the auto focus capabilities. I just use a osc camera, so no filter wheel. If I used a mono with filters it would be more practical to use SGP, or something similar to automate everything.
@@elmikol2443 I'm so spoiled now, I refuse to image without auto-focus, lol.
Thanks for making this Chuck. This will be helpful. I just ordered this mount today. I finally got fed up with my little mount that just wasn't up to the task of guiding my gear. As usual, I do have a question about how you power yours. I have read and heard this mount is very finicky about its power source. Thanks and clear skies....
I just plug the power cable into a power strip, and the power strip into an AC power outlet. Nothing special, never had a problem.
@@ChucksAstrophotography Thanks. I was under the impression that the mount didn't come with a power supply. I think Trevor mentioned about the power source issue in his initial review. I guess I'll find out next week when it arrives.
@@jonkjon I can't even remember these days. It's hard to keep track.
Chuck, your video had contagious effect. LOL. You made me thinking
LOL, do I see more equipment in your future Ray?
@@ChucksAstrophotography I don't have a mount for my ES 127 scope.. Oh my gosh.. I don't want to write. I am blushing like a kid
@@RaysAstrophotography lol, get one!
@@ChucksAstrophotography we all behave like kids in a candy store when it comes to gadgets
@@RaysAstrophotography Yes indeed!
Good job. Thank you for you effort and time. I am thinking about buying the EQ6-R and doing some home work first. I have a Celestron 8", but I want a 12" or 14" someday.
No prob, good luck!
Awesome Chuck
Thanks guys.
Looks good so far. Everything seems to be playing nicely without an overly large amount of difficulty. Definitely good to walk away when you get frustrated which usually just compounds the little mistakes that just make it all seem overwhelming.
Yeah, so far so good. Can't wait to let this mount see some real action.
I took note when you showed the EQ6R mount and that it had the new "USB" port. From this I surmised that it was that port where you plugged in to connect to your laptop. But now I am told that laptop with EQMOD installed is plugged into the hand controller port. Is that correct? I wish you had reviewed the mount a bit more in depth in one of the videos. I know you are taking great photos, the best, and are focused on that.
Thanks. No, I use the new USB port to plug into the laptop. The hand controller is in the box, I never used it. I suppose it could still be used with the hand set, but I see no need to do it that way.
" To connect to the USB port on the mount without having the HandControl attached, you can use the following abbreviated procedure:
Find a "USB Printer Cable". This will have a normal USB-Type-A connector on one end for the PC and a USB-Type-B connector on the other end as is often used for USB printers / scanners or other equipment.
Load the ASCOM Platform software onto your PC if you have not already done so.
Load the SkyWatcher Unified ASCOM Driver or the EQMOD ASCOM Driver / Package (if you prefer to use EQMOD) onto your PC.
Load the low-level device driver for a Prolific USB to Serial converter onto the PC. You may be able to skip this step as Windows will often identify the converter inside the mount and load the right driver automatically.
Open the Windows Device Manager on the PC. Open up (expand) the twistie next to COM & LPT Ports in the Device Manager.
Connect the cable directly between the mount and the PC.
Power on the mount and listen for the Windows USB connection chime. At the same time, a new port should appear in the Device Manage list view of COM and LPT Ports.
Click on the new COM port and select "Properties". Go to the Port Settings Tab.
Set the Bits per Second value to 115200. The other settings there should be left at 8, None, 1, and None. Press OK.
Now open a program that can control the mount via ASCOM such as a planetarium program like Cartes du Ciel or a guider program like PHD2.
In the planetarium program, initiate a connection to the telescope. Choose the ASCOM selection and then in the ASCOM Chooser, pick the proper driver (SkyWatcher or EQMOD). Select Configure. Set the Port number to equal the COM Port than appeared when you powered up the mount. Set the communications speed to 115200 if there is a setting entry for it.
Press OK (maybe multiple times) to wind your way back the the ASCOM connection dialog for the planetarium program and then tell it to actually connect. It should do so without error.
This procedure is much like connecting with the FTDI direct cable with only two exceptions: 1) you connect to the USB port on the mount rather than the HandControl Port on the mount, and 2) you use 115200 bits per second rather than 9600 bps.
"
@@ChucksAstrophotography "To connect to the USB port on the mount without having the HandControl attached, you can use the following abbreviated procedure:
Find a "USB Printer Cable". This will have a normal USB-Type-A connector on one end for the PC and a USB-Type-B connector on the other end as is often used for USB printers / scanners or other equipment.
Load the ASCOM Platform software onto your PC if you have not already done so.
Load the SkyWatcher Unified ASCOM Driver or the EQMOD ASCOM Driver / Package (if you prefer to use EQMOD) onto your PC.
Load the low-level device driver for a Prolific USB to Serial converter onto the PC. You may be able to skip this step as Windows will often identify the converter inside the mount and load the right driver automatically.
Open the Windows Device Manager on the PC. Open up (expand) the twistie next to COM & LPT Ports in the Device Manager.
Connect the cable directly between the mount and the PC.
Power on the mount and listen for the Windows USB connection chime. At the same time, a new port should appear in the Device Manage list view of COM and LPT Ports.
Click on the new COM port and select "Properties". Go to the Port Settings Tab.
Set the Bits per Second value to 115200. The other settings there should be left at 8, None, 1, and None. Press OK.
Now open a program that can control the mount via ASCOM such as a planetarium program like Cartes du Ciel or a guider program like PHD2.
In the planetarium program, initiate a connection to the telescope. Choose the ASCOM selection and then in the ASCOM Chooser, pick the proper driver (SkyWatcher or EQMOD). Select Configure. Set the Port number to equal the COM Port than appeared when you powered up the mount. Set the communications speed to 115200 if there is a setting entry for it.
Press OK (maybe multiple times) to wind your way back the the ASCOM connection dialog for the planetarium program and then tell it to actually connect. It should do so without error.
This procedure is much like connecting with the FTDI direct cable with only two exceptions: 1) you connect to the USB port on the mount rather than the HandControl Port on the mount, and 2) you use 115200 bits per second rather than 9600 bps.
"
@@paulwilson8367 Ok, sound like you have all the info you need.
Chuck with plate solving you don't have to be very accurate in the settings of your home indices. One plate-solve, provided you have excellent polar alignment, will also 'sync' your mount.
Thanks, yeah - I eventually did figure that out.
Chuck you are the man, thanks it works
Are you running the latest version of SGpro? Your connect equipment buttons look different and much more intuitive. I disconnect equipment on accident a lot because they look very similar.
This is an older machine I used to run on. I want to upgrade to the latest SGP version. My primary rig will run on my desktop, this new rig will on my laptop.
Excellent video Chuck.
I also have the EQ6R and hope to start auto guiding in the near future.
Is just the one USB cable needed from mount to computer?
I have a polemaster on the way.
Thanks for a very informative video. I am using a printer cable for connecting my HEQ5 mount through the hand control. It gets connected well but it stops tracking after every 3-5 minutes. Can you please suggest any reason and a solution?
Great information!! Thank you.
Hi Chuck,
are you still enjoying your SW EQ6-r pro mount? they are back on sales again until the end of the year. tnx Chuck
Yes, I would definitely get one. It's a great mount.
The toolbox is in the shed isn’t it? I am sure that’s where you left it- Thanks for this video.
it is 7:51 here. i am going to image later and i was watching this FULL screen. i looked at the screen and it says 9:51 . I flipped out.
It seems that the EQMOD download site wants you to download AscomPad. I had to really search for the EQASCOM download file.
Does anyone have any thoughts on AscomPad ??
Trying to set up my EQ6R. This video has been very helpful. How exactly do I set my home position?
Glad it helped. I wish there was a home position. Whatever position you have the DEV and RA in when you power on is your home position. Check the 9:27 mark.
@@ChucksAstrophotography ok thanks i will give that a try
Thanks I think this will be helpful. I ordered one Monday. I've been using the AVX, on the Eq6R Pro can you plate solve without setting up the one star align? The AVX just wouldn't work like that. I had to do a one star align even if I didn't point correctly, then go to a star and plate solve to sync the mount. I use Nina as capture software, that's like Sequence Generator Pro.
Darne, I wish you did this video last March when I received this mount.. Still, been doing alright. Actually came to your channel to see what type of camera you use on a C8 (or the equivalent NexStar 8SE). I'm thinking about getting a cooled ASI 174 mono because of it's huge pixel size but I'm still considering options.
As for the USB port on my keypad, it works (in PC link mode which disables the keys) but it's very picky about which USB port I plug into on the PC end... Maybe it's time for me to buy a dedicated cable but it has never occurred to me to check the BAUD rate when using less than cooperative ports. So, worth a shot...
Thanks DJRonnieG
, I've seen excellent pictures captured with the ASI174.
Very helpful - thanks for the effort. "Sidereal" is pronounced Sigh Dear Eel, accent on "dear."
Good to know! But I bet when I say it in the future, I will still say it wrong, lol.
I bought an EQ6 not too long ago and I was wondering what you power yours with? Sometimes when I select an object and the mount starts slewing to it, halfway through slewing it kind of stalls out and starts making a weird noise. Is that a power supply issue in your opinion or anything you've ran into before? Currently I had my Celestron 8SE scope on there which according to the mount specs isn't too heavy. Just wanted to get your thoughts, thanks.
I've been having this problem even with all the correct eqmod settings turned on. It turned out the power cable I was using was the problem. Even though it was enough to power the scope and hand controller it seemed to be stopping my mount from communicating with eqmod. Anyway, after i popped a new psu cable on, the mount actually would talk to eqmod ascom.
My Eq5 Pro dose the same, works fine also at 9600, which protocol do you use for phd2 guide to work through the profilic port?
I think you will need to unpark from EQ Mod or else you won’t be able to align in Polemaster. This is my finding . You need to slew with EQ MOD to calibrate polemaster.
Ah, I forgot! Good point! Thanks.
Chuck! At 1:43 you say the HC is back in the box. Then at 2:00 I see it plugged in. Come on Bud, I'm confused.
Good to get started with. Thank You, I'll let go of your leg now.
LOL, good catch. But at 2:00 - that was an older picture before I had EQMOD installed.
Hi, great video...I just bought a brand new EQ6-R Pro with the USB socket on the mount. Where did you find the cable connector? I bought one online, and they sent me the old style that connects to hand controller.
If I remember, I bought one on Amazon, any USB cable will work. Just look at the size of your USB port on the mount head and order one that fits it.
@@ChucksAstrophotography yea, I had no idea a printer cable head with a normal USB end was essentially a USB cable, with different connections on each end. The ZWO camera had a few extras in the box, so I ended up using that particular USB cable, with the square end on one side, and the regular USB end on the other.
@@genogeno1234 Cool, that'll work.
What cable goes where ? I'm swimming in cables and connectors with no clue where they go.
My com port default is also 9600, but the 115200 or whatever doesn't work along with other options. It's whatever. I can control it with default settings on that thanksfully
Hey Chuck, I was going through your settings and I got to the baud business, I changed it to the 11500 in the device manager and went back the the EQMOD settings to change it but it only gave 4800 and 9600 as choices. Any ideas? I gave up for now to do more research and will try again this weekend. Thanks Kurt
Sorry I missed this message until now, Kurt. Do you also have the new USB port on the mount head, I thought it would only work with that.
@@ChucksAstrophotography Ah! No I don't. That must be it. Fortunately my mount seems to work with the 9600 baud setting.
@@ChucksAstrophotography Did you plug into that port?? I was told it had to go into the HC port. What cable are you using??
Thanks for posting this Chuck. I always have been interested in EQMOD and wanted to try to set it up but never bothered since APT, the hand controller, and Stellarium work. I might give it shot now. Also, what video editor do you use if you don't mind me asking. I have been using Shotcut but it sometimes gives me trouble with iPhone clips. - Kurt
Cool, give it a shot. This is the movie editor I use and it seems to handle videos from my iPhone, Nikon, and GoPro just fine: www.movavi.com/ Very inexpensive, maybe only $20 or $30 a long time ago. No idea what they charge now.
@@ChucksAstrophotography Thanks Chuck! Good Luck with the mount.
I'm new to AP but it seems like any mount from any company requires a handset...is EQMOD just for Skywatcher,
(as in the EQ) or are there drivers to allow compatibility with, say, IOptron?
Nice. Albeit, now that we are in 2022, you would think these highly advanced and highly expensive mounts would be plug and play by now
I just ordered this mount and I'm interested in doing this. Which cable did you use to connect the mount to the computer? I see a lot of options out there
Standard USB cable.
if you have the version from last year you just plug the usb cable into the handset and set it to pc-direct mode. works perfectly fine.
Sir do I have to use eqmod if I want to use my Celestron 8" SCT and the autofocuser I have on it? I have the mount that has the usb port on the EQ6R Pro as well. EQ mod seems a bit daunting to me. Tonight is my first night out with the mount and I will just be using the hand controller, my PC for guiding, and my hand focused Redcat 51 through PHD2
I don't use EQMOD on my Celestron mounts. You can use the Celestron drivers. Good luck on your first night out and have fun!
Will I need the GPS if I'm imaging from home? Would the house WiFi substitute as the GPS?
You can put your lat and longitude in EQMOD, you should be fine after that.
Thanks Chuck..
Okay. I KNOW this is old Chuck. BUT.. it's driving me nuts.. not knowing.. You stated you keep the keypad in tucked away and have no use for it.. but the pic you showed on your mount. had a cable plugged into the port? what/where did that go to?? and for what reason?? ( I ask cuz I had no plans on using the controller .. but.. bought 2 cables . cuz I thought I need to plug the cable into the HC and the other end in to the pc? but with the USB on the bottom there? I"m not seeing a purpose for that port at all now??
Hi chuck I would like to know why you passed from cgx to eq6r?
HI Abdel, I still use my CGX as my primary setup. But I bought the EQR-6 because I still had an extra smaller telescope and camera that weren't being used. So instead of having to tear down my primary setup to use them, now I will have this new setup ready to go whenever I want.
Just ordered this with my new C-11... can't wait to try it!
Only note I have is why are you using "internet explorer" lol? ;)
thankyou and doug finaaalyy got it to work :)
Did you have any issues connecting to PHD? When I first had the mount set up I got errors that the mount did not support pulse guiding. I have not tried it again since I installed EQmod, but hopefully its going to play nice now,I'd prefer to not have to go backwards and use a ST4
No, I forgot to try that, lol. I'll check on that today.
@@ChucksAstrophotography I'd be interested to see how you set yours up, EQMOD and PHD aren't playing too nice on my end.
@@ciraxis82 Dang, sorry to hear that, I still haven't tried yet.