wizzlebippi Do I have to reboot to change focal length or enter a close enough value for it to plate solve after changing optics?
No, I have not have to reboot when I set the focal length to 0. You just need to make sure that you have selected the entire focal length text field, erase it, and replace by a single 0 (zero), followed by tapping enter key on the virtual keyboard.
There could have been some leftover text in that field that confused the program.
However, did adding the Barlow caused your new plate scale to exceed the FOV that is acceptable to ASIAIR?
Be mindful that changing the backfocus will affect the magnification ratio of a Barlow that is not tele-centric. This could have driven the FOV of your camera to be out of range. And even with tele-centric Barlow such as the Televue PowerMate, some models still have magnification ratios that depends on the backfocus. You need to check the spec sheets of your Barlow.
A final reminder that the stars has to be tack sharp to plate solve. Stars that are too bloated will be ignored, and when out of focus, dim stars won't have enough intensity to register as a star either..
Chen
