Hi Roland, it is indeed very simple.  My current workflow in TheSky6 is almost as simple as what you said, except that I have to click "establish" to link to the mount.  Otherwise it's the same.  So I am not complaining about the simplicity (or lack of).  It's the lost communication problem that keeps bother me.  I just tried it without going through APCC (and that's also what I did last week as well, before I got the APCC license).  The issue remains.  Next I will try to change the timeout setting and let you know if it works.

deonb, I will switch to Win10 eventually, probably sooner.  Previously I was told that not every telescope-related program runs on Win10 (like PHD2 perhaps), so I did not try to update.  (Also the notorious Win10 auto update issue.)  Now I think everything should run on Win10.  So perhaps it's time for an upgrade.

When I am typing this, Mach2 is connected to the computer via USB.  But TheSky6 is not connected to it.  ASCOM is launched.  However, every minute or two, Mach2 makes a small click sound. It makes the sound even after I completely unplug the USB.  Should I worry about it?  Is it normal?

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