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Re: Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
Steve Reilly
Mike,
How about a screen shot of the ACP Preferences for the Observatory. Check those Lat/Log settings.
-Steve
From: ap-gto@...
Sent: Saturday, June 22, 2019 2:56 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: [ap-gto] Re: Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
On 6/22/2019 2:44 PM, 'Ray Gralak (Groups)' groups3@... [ap-gto]
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Re: Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
Dale Ghent
On Jun 22, 2019, at 2:55 PM, Mike Dodd mike@... [ap-gto] <ap-gto@...> wrote:UTC offset does matter. The software on your computer needs to know both the local time and how many hours that local time is offset from UTC. The US/Eastern timezone is 5 hours (-5) behind UTC under standard rules and is 4 hours behind during DST. Software uses this offset to determine the correct UTC time so that it can derive other time formats and information that rely on that time, not the local time. Note that I'm referring to UTC here instead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) because GMT is a timezone and UTC expressly isn't. In theory, GMT could change and be redefined like any other timezone could. UTC is a temporal reference point that happens to be based on GMT, and will remain the equivalent of it /unless GMT changes in the future/. So yes, everything looks fine, time-wise, on your systems. /dale
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Re: Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
Mike,
Question: The ASCOM driver shows the time zone as -4. Is this correctYes, it is correct. It is the actual time offset including any offset for DST. What's odd to me is that _ACP_ thought the transit had occurred, becauseACP can read the mount's position and pier side (among other things). It can send commands to slew the mount to a target position. -Ray Gralak Author of APCC (Astro-Physics Command Center): http://www.astro-physics.com/index.htm?products/accessories/software/apcc/apcc Author of PEMPro V3: https://www.ccdware.com Author of Astro-Physics V2 ASCOM Driver: https://www.siriusimaging.com/apdriver -----Original Message-----
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Re: Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
On 6/22/2019 2:44 PM, 'Ray Gralak (Groups)' groups3@... [ap-gto]
wrote: I just checked everything, and here is a screen show showing the ASCOM driver: <http://astronomy.mdodd.com/files/Obs_PC_full_screen_with_ASCOM.jpg>Lat/long, time and time zone in SkyX are set exactly the same onBut something doesn't add up.., obviously the settings didn't match Let me know if you see anything screwy. Question: The ASCOM driver shows the time zone as -4. Is this correct for Eastern zone on Daylight Saving Time? Eastern is -5 on Standard time. I don't know if the ASCOM driver cares about DST, or just the number of hours plus/minus from Greenwich. What's odd to me is that _ACP_ thought the transit had occurred, because it rotated the camera 180 degrees. Does ACP get target position from the mount, or does it SEND that info to the mount? I think it was a collection of random stars that matched. The log shows ACP matched only roughly 60% of the detected stars. I've also asked for advice on the ACP support forum. Thanks again, Ray. -- Mike Mike Dodd Louisa County, Virginia USA http://astronomy.mdodd.com
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Re: Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
Lat/long, time and time zone in SkyX are set exactly the same on bothBut something doesn't add up.., obviously the settings didn't match last night because the mount would not have flipped to the West side if the settings matched between TheSkyX and the mount. And furthermore it doesn't make sense to me that you said the plate solve worked but M13 wasn't in the image. Assuming ACP was recentering the image based on a successful plate solve the mount would not have been "lost". That is unless it was a bad plate solve and the mount was RECAL'd to bad coordinates by ACP. -Ray Gralak Author of APCC (Astro-Physics Command Center): http://www.astro-physics.com/index.htm?products/accessories/software/apcc/apcc Author of PEMPro V3: https://www.ccdware.com Author of Astro-Physics V2 ASCOM Driver: https://www.siriusimaging.com/apdriver -----Original Message-----
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Re: Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
On 6/22/2019 1:27 PM, 'Ray Gralak (Groups)' groups3@... [ap-gto]
wrote: That doesn't matter. You said you used SkyX to get the transit time,Lat/long, time and time zone in SkyX are set exactly the same on both PCs. At 13:00 today both showed exactly the same position and 13:14 DST transit time for the Sun. Thank you. I will take a look and check the settings.Where do I set the ASCOM driver's lat/long? I remember doing thisIt's in the driver's setup dialog. Please refer to the driver's help --Mike
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Re: Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
I never connect to the mount using SkyX -- only with ACP using ASCOM. IThat doesn't matter. You said you used SkyX to get the transit time, right? Well, for transit time to be correct the longitude, time, and time zone must match that set in the mount. There's a big opportunity for something to be mismatched when you are running on a completely different computer like you say. > Where do I set the ASCOM driver's lat/long? I remember doing this when I set up the new observatory last year, but don't recall how to do it.It's in the driver's setup dialog. Please refer to the driver's help file if you don't remember how to do that. -Ray Gralak Author of APCC (Astro-Physics Command Center): http://www.astro-physics.com/index.htm?products/accessories/software/apcc/apcc Author of PEMPro V3: https://www.ccdware.com Author of Astro-Physics V2 ASCOM Driver: https://www.siriusimaging.com/apdriver -----Original Message-----
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Re: Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
On 6/22/2019 10:51 AM, 'Steven Reilly' sreilly24590@... [ap-gto] wrote:
Check both date and times in TheSkyX and ASCOM AP driver. Computer DateI'll double-check that tonight. Next, did you send the scope to M13 via TheSkyX or through ACP? If through TSX then tonight try using ACP to slew to M13.Through ACP directly. SkyX was not running on the observatory PC. I mainly use SkyX on my office PC to see what's up, then create an ACP plan using PlanCapture. You should be able to use the “Slew or Sync Catalog” button on the consoleThat's what I did last night, and usually do when I want to slew the scope outside of an ACP plan. More information: Clearly ACP itself thought the target had transited at 23:30 local because it rotated the camera 180 degrees while slewing west of the meridian. I'll ask on the ACP support forum. Thanks, Steve. --- Mike
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Re: Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
On 6/22/2019 11:18 AM, 'Ray Gralak (Groups)' groups3@... [ap-gto]
wrote: Hi Mike,I never connect to the mount using SkyX -- only with ACP using ASCOM. I use SkyX ONLY to see what targets are visible, and then, almost always on my office PC. I rarely run SkyX on the observatory PC. Where do I set the ASCOM driver's lat/long? I remember doing this when I set up the new observatory last year, but don't recall how to do it. But again, this was working two weeks ago, and AFAIK I changed nothing. I'll check more tonight. --- Mike
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Re: Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
Hi Mike,
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Longitude is also used to calculate an object's transit time. You should make sure that SkyX is set to the same latitude and longitude as the ASCOM driver or the transit calculation will be incorrect. Thus you should always let the driver initialize the mount, and not SkyX in case SkyX has different site coordinates than the driver. -Ray Gralak Author of APCC (Astro-Physics Command Center): http://www.astro-physics.com/index.htm?products/accessories/software/apcc/apcc Author of PEMPro V3: https://www.ccdware.com Author of Astro-Physics V2 ASCOM Driver: https://www.siriusimaging.com/apdriver
-----Original Message-----
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Re: Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
Steve Reilly
Check both date and times in TheSkyX and ASCOM AP driver. Computer Date and Time? Next, did you send the scope to M13 via TheSkyX or through ACP? If through TSX then tonight try using ACP to slew to M13. You should be able to use the “Slew or Sync Catalog” button on the console view of ACP. Keep TSX out of the picture for that test.
-Steve
From: ap-gto@...
Sent: Saturday, June 22, 2019 10:36 AM To: ap-gto@... Subject: [ap-gto] Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
Sigh.... Things were working, now they're not. Last night I tried to
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Lost in space.... Time zone/DST question
Sigh.... Things were working, now they're not. Last night I tried to image M13 with my AP1200 mount connected via ASCOM to ACP. TheSkyX told me it would transit at 23:54 DST in my Eastern time zone, which is 03:54Z.
ACP's plate-solve succeeded, but the images did not show M13. Worse, after I aborted the ACP run and started again at 23:30 local, the mount slewed to just WEST of the meridian. ACP or the mount thought M13 had already transited. Clearly something is wrong somewhere with my time zone setting, but I have no clue what it might be. My observatory PC's clock is set to the correct Eastern time zone, and automatic Daylight Saving Time is enabled. The clock is automatically synchronized from a time server using Dimension4 software. TheSkyX on my office PC and the observatory are both set to the Eastern time zone, and both show M13 transiting at 23:54 last night. The AP1200 ASCOM driver window shows TZ set to -4. Is this correct for Eastern time zone (-5) during DST? I'm completely befuddled. This setup has been working fine until last night. ACP has always correctly slewed the scope to the target. Can someone help me understand what might have gone wrong? Thanks. -- Mike Mike Dodd Louisa County, Virginia USA http://astronomy.mdodd.com
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Re: UTC / Daylight Saving Change in Southern Spain
George
Charles,
Always most welcome. Enjoy!
Regards,
George
George Whitney Astro-Physics, Inc. Phone: 815-282-1513 Email: george@...
From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...]
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Re: JMI wheely bars for ap 1100
John Kutney
Bolts are like a jack screw. They originally come with a hand grip wheel but I use a small wrench to tighten the nuts on each screw. There is no problem lifting the 150lbs + that I have on my setup.
On Friday, June 21, 2019, 01:05:33 PM MDT, A J ajtrott@... [ap-gto] wrote:
I have used the Wheely bars with my Mach1 and Eagle pier. I have a Tec140 and other imaging equipment. With the heavy duty wheels, I have no problem moving over 4 feet of grass to reach my spot. Leveling with the extended bolts is quick. I have a friend who puts his 140 on a 900 mount and has no problem. I can’t speak to any other product. AJ
------ Original Message ------ From: zicherja@... [ap-gto] To: ap-gto@... Sent: June 21, 2019 at 12:42 PM Subject: [ap-gto] Re: JMI wheely bars for ap 1100 is scopebuggy a better arrangement than the wheely bars? They both seem like they would work. Is it difficult to lift your entire rig and elevate the wheels via the long bolts; do the bolts secure well enough to concrete or to soil for a stable set up. I will look into both a little more before I commit to a purchase. thanks.
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Re: JMI wheely bars for ap 1100
A J Trotta
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Re: UTC / Daylight Saving Change in Southern Spain
Charles Duarte <carlos49gib@...>
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
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Re: JMI wheely bars for ap 1100
Jason Zicherman
is scopebuggy a better arrangement than the wheely bars? They both seem like they would work. Is it difficult to lift your entire rig and elevate the wheels via the long bolts; do the bolts secure well enough to concrete or to soil for a stable set up.
I will look into both a little more before I commit to a purchase. thanks.
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Re: UTC / Daylight Saving Change in Southern Spain
George
Charles,
Yes, you will need to follow the procedure that is found on the Tech Support page of our website: https://astro-physics.info/tech_support/mounts/keypad/keypad-setting-gmt-utc.pdf
The longitude / time issue will be fully corrected in our v5.0 firmware release later this year.
Regards,
George
George Whitney Astro-Physics, Inc. Phone: 815-282-1513 Email: george@...
From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...]
Hi, I am referring back to this tread over a year ago and just wanted to know if this issue which I highlighted in Sept 2017 was actually addressed in any keypad updates following this thread. I have been away from using AP 1100gto mount and now I'm setting it up in a new location in Southern Spain.
If I still need to setup all my programs and computer to UTC/GMT I would like to know before I change all current settings.
Charles
Sept 2017
Hi, I have a AP1100gto mount and I have just update the latest version in the keypad and followed the following procedure taken from the Keypad manual
"Very Important – Daylight Savings Change: When the clocks change in the fall and spring, you must change BOTH the current local time and the daylight savings setting in order to keep the Keypad’s time consistent and correct. First, set the mount to “AutoConnect: NO”. Next, change your time and daylight savings data; then park to Park 1, 2, 3, or 4 and power off the mount. Wait 10–15 seconds and then power on; choose your current location and press GoTo; then select “4=New Setup” (DO NOT “ResumeLastPosition”). In the following screen press the number of the position at which you parked. In the Main Menu press “4=TIME/LST”. Make sure that both your local time and GMT values are correct. If they are, you have done everything correctly. If they are not, you have made an error somewhere"
However I am still getting differences between the Keypad and the 'RAPAS' time setup screen, RAPAS data is coming from the mount itself (1100GTO), RAPAS Screen Date 09/17/2017 Keypad Time:19 52 52 If I am correct the GMT must be 2 hours less to the local time , therefore 17:52:52, Manilva (Malaga-Spain) like Gibraltar both are at Summer time (1). So, if this is the case, the KeyPad is wrong with it GMT time, I have tried changing the Time Zone and it does make a difference if changed from 0 to 1, so I left it at 0 given that it lowered the KeyPad GMT, I think if it when -1 at the Time Zone upset it would be correct with the 2 hours different between Local and GM time.
The reply was the following:
The keypad has a limitation that only affects a very small number of people... There is only a single entry for East and West (entered in the location screen) that is used for BOTH the longitude and the GMT offset. This creates a problem for customers in western Spain where the time zone is "Central European" which is east, but the actual longitude is west. This will be addressed in the next keypad firmware release.
In the meantime, please set your astronomical gear (AP Keypad, laptop, etc.) to Universal time (GMT / UCT) with a time zone of zero and NO daylight savings time. Many astronomers do this anyway since UCT is really the only relevant timestamp for data.
Please see p. 68 of the current keypad manual.
Please feel free to contact me at AP if you have further questions.
Howard
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Re: JMI wheely bars for ap 1100
John Kutney
I have an AP 1100 with various scopes that I set up on wheels in my backyard. I have three marked spots on bricks to align the scope. This still requires a typical alignment routine to center the scope and CCD that I use. The wheeled carriage requires three long bolts to lift the wheels off the ground to get the desired stabizatation. If you are imaging with the wheels directly on the ground, this is not stable enough. I suppose if one is doing casual visual observing the wheels may work but alignment may suffer during slewing, wind, etc.. I use a ScopeBuggy out of Elephant Butte, NM. Equipment is covered with an all weather insulated cover. I move the scope to a covered shelter if rain, snow, or excessive wind is predicted. JK
On Thursday, June 20, 2019, 02:40:44 PM MDT, zicherja@... [ap-gto] wrote:
I am thinking of ways of saving some labor time constructing and deconstructing my astrophotography gear each time. Was wondering if anyone has had experience with the JMI wheels for the AP piers. I have the AP 1100 for my TEC 140 with AP pier. I have a walk out basement which leads to a stamped concrete patio with pool. There is a covered trex deck just after exiting the basement (not waterproofed but it is covered). So I was thinking of keeping the set up on wheels, wheel the set up out into the open when imaging or observing, and back under the trex deck when finished. I need a high end tarp to protect from the elements. Any thoughts on how the wheels would perform on the pier in regards to an astrophotography set up? would the set-up be stable on wheels? any tarp recommendations to protect my TEC? Jason
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Re: Reducing Counterweight Noise
Worsel
Perhaps plumber's teflon tape. While it may come off easily, it has no adhesive and is certainly low friction.
Bryan ---In ap-gto@..., <mike.hambrick@...> wrote : I would be worried that once the tape starts
to come off it will leave a sticky, gooey mess like the price stickers
do. I am going to try sanding my counterweight shaft as Roland suggested
a while back, but it will be a couple of weeks before I get the chance
to do so. I will post a report on the results.
Best Regards Michael Hambrick ARLANXEO TSR Global Manufacturing Support PO Box 2000 Orange, TX 77631-2000 Phone: +1 (409) 882-2799 email: mike.hambrick@...
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