From: main@ap-gto.groups.io [mailto:main@ap-gto.groups.io] On Behalf Of Wayne Hixson via Groups.Io
Sent: March 22, 2020 10:00 AM
To: main@ap-gto.groups.io
Subject: [ap-gto] First Attempts at APPM - Long Story

Hi Ray, Decided to use the time last night to try my hand at modeling! Just using a simple 11 point model of my sky. Spent a great deal of time trying to get plate solving to work. I have a QHY 268C OSC camera and connected to it from APPM via its ASCOM driver. Using Pinpoint to PS. That would just not work. Even All Sky gave up. However I could easily plate solve and sync outside APPM via Pinpoint. Tried different bins too. Took a long time to download the image, and then the camera window turned white for a few seconds before showing the image, which looked good.

Then I tried using the Sky X as camera with ASCOM - didn't work. It did work better with the QHY native drivers - this worked, however I'm having trouble with TSX crashing. Finally used old tried and true MaximDL as camera, with ASCOM and Pinpoint. Voila!! Ran a perfect model first time. 

Ray, I think I've figured out how to model with my strange situation. I set the West limits to the East and it created a model with all east points outside that zone, and a set of West points at the meridian so the scope flips to the east side for those! I hadn't figured out how to map the points in that West limits zone with the CW up, but I think that's because I haven't mapped my Eastern meridian limits. So will try to do that today. 

I did end up using the model and testing some guiding - seems significantly better depending on where I was in the sky. I was getting under 0.35" for several minutes at a time, and rarely bumped over 0.5". I'm going to wait for my MGBox V2 before I try a more complete model.

PS for those of you using the Eagle pier - be sure to tighten down the thumb screws attaching the pier extensions if you use that to rotate the mount to make large adjustments to your PA azimuth. Moving the scope around caused me to rotate the mount too without knowing it and I was WAY off the pole when I started :-)