WatcherOfTheNightSkies

When Synscan becomes background, the WiFi times out after 15 minutes and connections drop (with apps other than SkySafari too). Workaround for newer tablets (phones) that do not have a "keep open" option, and just have the single swipe bar at the bottom (not the three buttons): Use SkySafari/Synscan in split-screen mode (I had to find a YouTube tutorial to show me how to do that). Drag the thin bar at the bottom half way up - this puts you in recent apps mode. Click on the title bar of say the Synscan app and hold, choose split screen - you can then drag its "window" to about 1/3 from the top. Then choose SkySafari and it will take the lower 2/3. When I go to an observation and click on the mic for voice-to-text, the app expands to more screen real estate, but then pops back to the lower 2/3. Ran a mount for more than 2h this afternoon, no disconnections! Note that the above may be obvious to expert tablet users, but it wasn't to me, a relative tablet newb.

For those like me coming to this thread late.... the folks at All-Star telescopes in Canada (https://all-startelescope.com/) made me a 3D adapter for $30 CAD ~ 17 GBP. The Celestron 51611 and SkyWatcher have "identical" threads of BOTH outside. M51 x 0.75 T Thread: M42 x 0.75 Just have to be gentle and patient screwing a plastic thread into a metal receiver. And yes, that is a Meade DSI 1 imager from 2004. Plenty good with phd2 guiding on a Star Adventurer. Clear skies and bolides for all ! Alister

Rebooted an unused CGE from 2004 had the same problem; fixed it! So posting here to let others know. 95% it is cables and loose sockets! Double check that you can hear the soft clicks for the switches; us older folk put ears against the chassis. 1) Spray contacts, use old cable to plug-unplug to remove corrosion; 2) In receptacle jack, gently lift up the two small side tongues, they help maintain electrical contact with the cord. 3) Open up access to where the jacks are and reseat the cables onto the board-pins (likely not the issue, but good to remove from list); 4) Replace old cables with cat-6 shielded cables (have shiny metal jackets); Mine were RJ45 F/UTP 568B C.6; another sticky had UTP6-SHD. 5) KEY: Shielded 8P8C Ethernet Patch Cable,Up Angled; this cord has an elbow at the jack; 6) Zip tie the bottom half of the Dec cord to the tower; allows the top half to rotate with RA swing with zero tugging at the plug point (see pic) You *might* have to shim (I used copper, others used aluminum foil) the cable on the side where it contacts the inner wall of the receptacle. Our was still loose with the new cable.