I received good news today.  My local dealer now has a Mach2 available for me in his next allotment - perhaps in January he thinks.  As soon as it arrives I will start working on the satellite tracking.

Yes, cool videos.
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The SkyTrack program looks very cool!
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Welcome to the group Brent. 

I will definitely be following your progress on your satellite tracking interface.

The software bundle that comes with the Mach2 contains a program called Astro-Physics Horizons.  If you haven't seen it yet, here is a link to Ray's help files for APCC and the Horizons program is at the bottom of the table of contents.

https://www.siriusimaging.com/Help/APCC/index.html

I haven't yet actually attempted any tracking with the AP Horizons program yet.  I have been just doing manual tracking of the handful of FM AMSATS that my FM UHF/VHF radios allow me to contact.  I need to upgrade my radios to be SSB capable on the UHF and VHF bands that the AMSATS with linear transponders operate.  However, based on my manual tracking, I am convinced that the Mach2 is plenty fast to track the satellites that I am interested in.

Anyway, I hope to be able to at least try out the AP Horizons program on a favorable ISS pass and video the pass this next new moon cycle when I am set up out at our club's dark sky site.

Yes, I guess the tricky part would be at the point that the object passes the meridian and dealing with a mount flip.  However, passes for my objects are frequently on one side of the meridian for most of the pass.  So I guess I will find out how that detail is handled in the AP Horizons program.  :-)
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I just joined the group tonight and came across this thread.  I am the original author of the satellite tracking program and the "resurrected" software that Robert spoke of.  I recently joined the wait list to purchase the new Mach2 and intend to develop a specific interface for it for satellite tracking.  1000x sidereal is fast enough for the majority of passes, so no problem there.  The Mach2's ability to slew well past the meridian is a huge advantage as the satellite's closest range is usually near the meridian and it is frustrating when tracking ISS at its closest point and the mount does a flip. Very few mounts support variable rate tracking through ASCOM so at this point I am only doing "leap frog" style of tracking with ASCOM. (Celestron and some Meade mounts are able to continuous tracking through a "legacy" interface using their command language but not their ASCOM drivers). I look forward to when I get my new AP mount as without a doubt it will be a great mount for satellite tracking.

Thanks for all of the great information Robert.  I will check it out.

I have a couple of opportunities for ISS next week where it gets as high as 45 degrees so I am going to try and get a video if I can.
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Try the SATELLITE TRACKER PROGRAM....I think it is still free and available having been "resurrected" recently.  I have used it for years with my old Celestron GPS 11" fork mount telescope. I have also use it a couple of times with my AP 900 and 1100 mounts. You have to select Meade LX200 interface in the software as AP also has that option. If you get the program go to the helpfile...it discusses this.There is another app called SKY TRAC that does the same thing. I have that also but thus far having tested it against the older SATELLITE TRACKER program. It does use ASCOM so might be better choice for AP mounts. 
That being said I prefer using the Celestron as it is a bit easier to setup and very accurate tracking as ALT/AZ mount has an advantage in this application.  To use the program you have to have a mount that can be set (from the app) to different rates on each axis and at the same time. The Celestron can do it and from my preliminary tests it seems the AP mounts can also. Some mounts (like the original LX200 will move jerkily in the tracking but Celestrons are smooth. 
I once setup my Celestron's at a star party and people mobbed my telescope to see it work. It would make a great Outreach tool when equipped with a video camera outputting to a TV monitor. The program has built in all you need to download latest TLEs each day (best to get latest downloads for accuracy) for things like the 100 brightest satellites which includes ISS. 

The process is pretty automated. You download the TLE, choose which one you want to track and it will alert you when coming into view. It will than fast slew to catch it and than track it.

It is pretty neat to track those satellites in real time. You lock on to the satellite and   the stars move in and out of your FOV as it tracks the satellite. The time must be set accurately of course but it does have a option to  move around a small amount to allow for more centering of the satellite and than you lock in that corrected aim point.
I haven't used it that much lately....interests change....but it is a fun thing to do. Sadly, while I am  mainly into astrophotography, I never took pictures with my setup. Some have and gotten some amazing photos of events like when the ISS and shuttle were docked. Also a photo of the ISS passing across the moon.  

David, I do all of my slewing to targets with TheSkyX Pro connected through the AP ASCOM driver's virtual ports while running APCC.  It works great.  No problems there.

I will check out what TheSkyX has to offer.  The AP Horizons program that is included with the APCC Pro bundle provided with the Mach2 looks to be a nice way to go too.  I just haven't been out to the observatory to try it out yet.
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Thanks David.  I run TheSkyX through ASCOM so I will check it out.  I am primarily interested in amateur radio comms satellites and using the Mach2 as a tracking platform, so I will investigate what I can do with TheSkyX.
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On Wed, Oct 7, 2020 at 02:45 PM, davidcfinch9 wrote:

I use SkyX. In it you can download satellite elements and then use it to track the satellite across the sky.

I will take a look at my copy of TheSkyX.  Maybe I can use it to at least track track the satellites that it has its database.
 
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Thanks David, that is a nice resource.  I like the "pass details" map that it gives you.

Do you know if the site also gives you TLE/Keplerian element data for the satellites that they track?  I haven't found it yet in their satellite database.

I have also found this site: https://www.n2yo.com/?s=25544
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Thanks Curtis.  We will see how it goes.  I have this nifty high tech mount.  Why not use it as a satellite tracking platform too?  
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It was probably six or seven years ago, but I once tried using Horizons to track a comet with my Mach1GTO.  Yes, I could track the comet.  But the resulting images weren't tracked precisely enough for my taste.  There wasn't anything that I would want to send to S&T or Astronomy.  I wish you better success than what I experienced, Dean.

Hi Ed, the directions in the AP Horizons manual are excellent so I think I am set to go.  I am going to try and get a video of an ISS pass just to see if I can put all of the parts together correctly.  The ISS is listed in the JPL Horizons target list and I will find a time wen I get a favorable pass.
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