New to ASIAR, a few questions about tracking

J_C_R

On page 17 of the ASIAIR PRO users manual, I read "Before tapping calibration, you can manually select a star". How? I've tried touching the star on my phone, or clicking on it on my PC but the s/w always picks its own star. This probably wouldn't be an issue except that the s/w seems to find the dimmest star in the image and locks onto that. It picks such dim stars that I frequently see "STAR LOST". There are several brighter stars in the image, but it always goes for the dimmest one.

sebriviere

You select looping with the twin arrow circle.
The capture of your guiding cam screen shows up.
Without starting guiding (target shape icon), you indeed can touch the screen and select a star.
You can then adjust gain/exp to have nice shape star graph.
Then you can start guiding.

If you do not have the restore calibration on, it will calibrate then start guiding.
You can clear the calibration via the top right icon info, then clear.
It will calibrate on guiding when initiated.
In the info tab, it shows your guiding axis in relation to your mount axis, I advise you try to have these as close to mount axis as possible.

PMTeam@ZWO

Hello, you can try his advice

J_C_R

I can start looping, and I see a reasonably (but not too) bright star in the image, this is with a one second exposure. While looping, but before I start guiding, I touch the star. Nothing happens. The green box/crosshairs do not appear.

If I move on and select guiding, the s/w picks a star that is much fainter than other brighter stars in the image. It will then try to calibrate. Sometimes this is successful, but often I get a STAR LOST status.

Why does it not pick brighter stars?

I can send a screen shot if that would be helpful.

sebriviere

When guiding, you should be between 2 to 5 sec exposure.
4 or 5 so you do not guide chasing seeing turbulences.
if windy, you go down to 2 or 3 sec.

I suggest you test with 4 sec. You adjust the gain to have stars not too bright, but sufficiently defined.
You see that with the shape of the graph of the selected star. it must not be flat (clipping) at the top, with HFD value from 4 to 7.
This is why auto star select sometimes fainter stars, because others are saturated...