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Re: Upgrade Scope Suggestions for Imaging
Why not lock the mirror and add an Optec or Starlight Instruments focuser on the back?
-- George Prineville, Oregon
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Re: New Solvers for APPM?
Excellent. ASTAP has become much more popular because of its speed and reliability.
-- George Prineville, Oregon
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Re: Upgrade Scope Suggestions for Imaging
Bruce Donzanti
Thanks for your input, Gary.....appreciate the suggestion. I will check it out. Bruce
Bruce, another suggestion would be the Astro-Tech/TPO/GSO 14" RC OTA. I have the 16" version. It has excellent optics and the truss design is very stable and strong. The focuser that comes with it is only good for visual use so you would need to get a better one for imaging. I have the Feather Touch focuser which works great.
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Re: Upgrade Scope Suggestions for Imaging
Gary Steffens
Bruce, another suggestion would be the Astro-Tech/TPO/GSO 14" RC OTA. I have the 16" version. It has excellent optics and the truss design is very stable and strong. The focuser that comes with it is only good for visual use so you would need to get a better one for imaging. I have the Feather Touch focuser which works great.
Yes, it isn't a Planewave and I can't speak to its advantages, but I'm very happy with my setup and I get great images. Cheers, Gary
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Re: Capacity check on AP 1100
Astrobob
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Re: Change Mount COM Port
On 12/6/2020 4:16 PM, dang.astro wrote:
Heya Mike,Glad to hear it's working. Windows is picky about USB drivers. The fundamental rule of thumb is, install the driver software BEFORE plugging in the equipment. Maybe if finally figured out what driver to us for your solar guider. --- Mike http;//astronomy.mdodd.com
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Re: Change Mount COM Port
Heya Mike,
Finally got a chance to try this. The first time I connected the solar guider it wouldn't show up as any port and was throwing an error. Unplugged and replugged back in and it came up as its own separate COM port from the CP4. Not sure what was going on but it seems to be working now. Greatly appreciate your time and help! Dan
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ernie.mastroianni@...
Hello all,
I recently did some more extensive tests to isolate the Mach2 WiFi issues I've had and got some interesting results. First, my field setup: A PC with APCC Pro runs the mount. My MacBook Pro runs my ZWO guide camera and my QHY imaging camera. My iPhone SE connects to the mount after APCC Pro initializes it. The phone, using SkySafariPlus, operates and direct the mount. This was my standard field setup, backyard or dark sky site. My problem: The WiFi phone connection with the mount would repeatedly drop (due to auto-lock, I found out later). Reconnecting failed unless I'd power the mount off and on. I could not figure out why a power recycle was necessary. The test in my basement home office and workshop (See the attached photo): I set up the Mach2 powered by AC. The PC, connected via ethernet to the CP5, was running APCC Pro. The WiFi was disabled. My Macbook was running SkySafari Pro, with the WiFi also disabled. My iPhone SE, also running Sky Safari, connected cleanly to the mount AFTER it was initialized by APCC Pro. The phone was set to NEVER auto-lock. In this setup, I was able to control the mount with no dropouts at all. I ran the mount from 2 feet away. I went upstairs to a different room and the phone still ran the mount. I went out to my back yard, the mount still in the basement, the WiFi ran the mount perfectly. No dropouts. Adding the laptops: I connected my Macbook Pro to the mount via WiFi, and watched it track via SkySafari as I moved the mount with the phone. No problems, near or far. The phone maintained its connection to the mount, even with the Macbook connected. I could also see the mount's movement displayed in real time on the APCC program too. So three connections to the mount, no dropouts from WiFi, and clean data moving to all three in real time. Adding two cameras via cheap USB cords (see attached photo) To see if USB data somehow affects the WiFi signal, I connected a ZWO ASI290 planetary camera and a QHY l68c large sensor camera to the laptop, and started both camera programs running image data to the laptop in steady, repeating loops. The iPhone remained connected to the Wifi, no matter where I went with in the house or outside. I could control the mount regardless of my proximity, even two floors up or 50 feet away outside. the WiFi ran the mount perfectly. No dropouts. The problem returns: I then disconnected my phone from the mount and the CP5 WiFi. When I tried to reconnect, SkySafari informed me that it could not make a wireless connection to the scope, even though the phone was once again linked to the CP5 WiFi. See attached photo Here was my field problem repeated. It seems that the CP5 WiFi can handle multiple connections, but the SkySafari program cannot reconnect when other traffic is present. Kind of like a no re-entry rule at a rock concert. After learning this, i tried another imaging session. Wifi on both laptops was disabled. The iPhone was the only device occupying the CP5 Wifi. I had no dropouts. I was also able to disconnect and reconnect at will. With the recent arrival of the keypad/hand controller, I can eliminate the PC laptop. During a backyard test a couple nights ago, the iPhone SkySafari worked seamlessly with the keypad. Conclusion: My Mach2 Wifi issues seemed to be caused when multiple devices were sharing the Wifi, and when one exits, it somehow is prevented from reconnecting. My initial perception of problem was not complete and I did not fully understand how the entire system was working and communicating. At this time, I don't see an inherent issue that I can definitively trace to the CP5 Wifi on my Mach2. Ernie Mastroianni
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Re: Possible to install the RAPAS + RAPM2 on the left side of the #Mach2GTO RA axis ?
#Mach2GTO
KHursh
It looks like it would place the eyepiece upside down if you mounted on the left.
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Possible to install the RAPAS + RAPM2 on the left side of the #Mach2GTO RA axis ?
#Mach2GTO
Sébastien Doré
Hello everyone,
I was watching Tony's (aka Harley Davidson) latest and much useful videos about his new Mach2 (lucky guy, mine is scheduled for delivery in January) and one of them (ref. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-Ltoqabn8k) made me wonder if it was possible to install the RAPAS+RAPM2 on the left side of the RA axis with the same adapter or say a left-sided version of the RAPM2. I would find it more practical and comfortable to use my right eye when polar aligning (me being right-handed as well). I therfore wouldn't have to rotate the scope 90 degrees prior to PA, saving a few seconds / minutes more while I setup (I'm mobile most of the time). Anyway, I think it would be a nice additional feature to be able to choose which side suits you best if it isn't already possible... CS! Sébastien
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Re: Upgrade Scope Suggestions for Imaging
Bruce Donzanti
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check it out.
On Sun, Dec 6, 2020 at 2:10 PM Bill Long <bill@...> wrote:
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Re: Meridian management
KHursh
Thanks for chiming in Dale. This is exactly what I am looking for. I am in need of understanding 1.11 builds of NINA as I am still using 1.10. Getting the astrophotography capture software to interact with APCC is my holy grail.
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Re: Another Mach2 video
thefamily90 Phillips
From: main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> on behalf of Jeff B <mnebula946@...>
Sent: Sunday, December 6, 2020 12:54:12 PM To: main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> Cc: main@ap-ug.groups.io <main@ap-ug.groups.io> Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Another Mach2 video Love it. Great sounds.
Thanks.
On Sun, Dec 6, 2020 at 12:42 PM Harley Davidson <astrocnc@...> wrote:
I had a guy on my YouTube channel, Tim Morrill request a video of how
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Re: Upgrade Scope Suggestions for Imaging
Bill Long
I see $12,500.
From: main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> on behalf of Brian Valente <bvalente@...>
Sent: Sunday, December 6, 2020 11:04 AM To: main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Upgrade Scope Suggestions for Imaging Planewave cdk14 is about 10k right now
On Sun, Dec 6, 2020 at 10:56 AM Bruce Donzanti <donza2735@...> wrote:
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Re: Upgrade Scope Suggestions for Imaging
Bill Long
The Planewave 12.5 is right up your alley then.
From: main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> on behalf of Bruce Donzanti <donza2735@...>
Sent: Sunday, December 6, 2020 10:56 AM To: main@ap-gto.groups.io <main@ap-gto.groups.io> Subject: Re: [ap-gto] Upgrade Scope Suggestions for Imaging
At least 2500mm
On Sun, Dec 6, 2020 at 1:31 PM Bill Long <bill@...> wrote:
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Re: New Solvers for APPM?
Marcelo Figueroa
Does that mean that it will no longer be necessary to use an external program such as SGP to capture images for modeling?
Not a problem for me, I use SGP with ASTAP as my imaging program and also with APPM without any problem so far. But it would be a good way to simplify things.
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Re: APPM Plate Solving Alternatives (again)
Dale Ghent
On Dec 6, 2020, at 13:10, Xentex <michael@...> wrote:Hey, a NINA dev here :) I've considered the same - just making a wrapper program that listens on the SGPro API server TCP port and speaks the commands needed to solve an image via ASTAP (or other solver). This plus ASCOM Camera in APPM itself would decouple APPM from requiring a large surrogate app like SGPro or TSX (which is what I've been using to build models). Users of 10um mounts are in a similar situation, only their modeling program can call ASTAP directly, it does not talk to cameras in any way - it also relies on having SGPro available to it to operate a camera. One NINA dev has such a mount and he has implemented a subset of the SGPro API in NINA to service this purpose. I am in the process of adding the API endpoints that APPM needs (the solving parts) to it. But.... But with Ray's announcement here that direct ASTAP support will be in the next major release of APPM, that makes APPM a self-suffiicient app that doesn't rely on "heavy" external software to do any part of its imaging or solving, and we can now just have APPM and ASTAP installed, and that's it! Good news. Not sure if this means I'll finish my SGPro endpoint work or not, as the NINA devs are unanimous in that we would rather put such API energies into our own design. /dale
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Re: Upgrade Scope Suggestions for Imaging
Planewave cdk14 is about 10k right now
On Sun, Dec 6, 2020 at 10:56 AM Bruce Donzanti <donza2735@...> wrote:
--
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Re: APPM Plate Solving Alternatives (again)
Well, I see that 5 minutes after I posted this that Ray says ASTAP will be supported in the next version of APPM. So I guess for all practical purposes my question is moot.
Although I do think it would be nice for ASCOM to eventually have a plate solving interface.
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Re: Upgrade Scope Suggestions for Imaging
Bruce Donzanti
At least 2500mm
On Sun, Dec 6, 2020 at 1:31 PM Bill Long <bill@...> wrote:
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