Auto guiding with an iEQ45 Pro and SGPro

Anyone here auto-guiding an iOptron iEQ45 Pro mount using SGPro? What settings are you using?

I’m having problems with this using maxim DL and looking to swap over to SGP from Maxim but would like to know about compatibility.

I am using SGP with an iOptron CEM60 which has firmware nearly identical to the IEQ45Pro. Just for clarification, guiding within SGP is handled by PHD2 guiding software (free.) You could download PHD2 and test it with your mount before installing SGP. Regardless, I think SGP and PHD2 should work fine with your mount.

Of course there are other factors which can impact guiding performance, such as: weight of your imaging setup, imaging focal length, cable drag etc. A lot of people use Maxim DL with good results. Therefore, switching to SGP may not guarantee good results if there are problems with your hardware setup.

As far as setting with PHD you can use the setup PHD2 setup wizard to get a good starting point for your guiding settings.

Fred K

Strictly speaking, SGP gives you a choice of which guiding software to use. The currently available auto guide options are:

  • AstroArt
  • “Direct Mount Guider” - unguided but with dither capability
  • MetaGuide
  • PHD2

FWIW I believe the most common choice among SGP users is currently PHD2, but you are welcome to try any of the above options and select what works best for you.

Andy