run my first small sequence using it last night, including plate solving and auto-focus, and all worked perfectly and as expected.  Hard to fault it at this point other than the small bits noted like, at a glance, being able to see which filter I'm currently using etc, but performance wise, spot on.

1 minute ago, Fellside said:

Ray

No problem with questions. You will very soon find out the depth of my knowledge🙂

Voyager is aimed at imaging automation so thats why I think some thing arnt visible.

Features you may not have seen.

The Fits viewer

RoboClip

Thanks Graham.  Yes I've seen and used the FIT viewer which seems excellent.  I have seen RoboClip but not yet looked at that in any detail.

Yes I do have an automated (90%) system, both here and Spain, operating both remotely, but I'm a tinkerer so like to keep an eye on what is going on.

Many thanks for your help.

7 minutes ago, Fellside said:

The filter can be selected but is not displayed in the panel just below the camera panel. The filter currently being used is shown in the Monitor panel and at the beginning of every image as it is show in the Monitor window.

Thanks, Graham.  Would be nice to just have a simple but clear visual indication of which filter is active I think. 

Sorry to be bombarding you with questions, but is it possible to turn off a single item i.e. my mount alone, or do I need to disconnect all connected items?

I've been doing some simulated sequences and don't seem to be able to find a visual reference to what filter I'm currently using?

I hadn't come across it until @AngryDonkey mentioned it in the other thread, so thought I would check it out.

I love SG Pro and think it works really well, but even after changing the subscription model so they could 'put more time to the product' the guys seem to really drag thier heels making any changes, almost seeming to ignore feature requests unless it suits them.  I have tried lots of others, but this one, coupled with Leonardo's really proactive response yesterday, seems well above the rest and a genuine contender to SG Pro.  Lots of functionality, very feedback oriented and ultra flexible.  

I've not been testing it long, but already I can see it is robust and quick, so testing will definitely be contiuing.

Leonardo emailed back later last night saying he will ask his engineer developing the dashboard to add dome and flap controls, which is great.  That said, adding it to the dragscript was an absolute doddle, so not exactly a hardship if he doesn't, but would be good to just have a view of the status.

Well, true to your word, Leo was extremely quick emailing back......impressed!!

He confirmed the dome and flat panel are not supported on the dashboard but we can use the dragscript to run whatever we want to do (open/close etc) but you can't actually monitor its status.

1 hour ago, Fellside said:

Hallelujah

You have discovered Voyager. I have been running my ROR observatory with it for almost a year. Leo the author has been improving it all the time. His support is second to none. Email direct to Leo usally get a quick response.

I am tempted to buy a second Esprit 100 and upgrade to the new Voyager Array System for complete operation of a duel scope rig.

I think the Voyager works with a 1 hour limitation. Which is great to get everything setup and working as you want. You can then when the weather is cooperating activate your 45 day trial. At least that's how it did to work. Leo has his own ideas of how the software is developing and really sticks to his guns. Things that your favourite software has may not be Leo`s way but usually Voyager has something better.

You have discovered the web dashboard. I just car`nt believe how good it is. Planning shots and mosaics is so easy using the Virtual Field of View and Roboclip.

The only problem with Dragscipt is the name Script. It can put fear into users but it is not scripting at all. Its all Drag and drop and is very powerful. There are sample scripts included in the Voyager download and on the Wiki. Easy when you get your head round it.

There are a few Voyagers on here. Hopefully we can answer questions you have and help with the learning curve.

Graham

PS Steve, Have you looked in the setup form (spanner and Screwdriver icon) Dome. Lots of Dome setup stuff in there. If it has a Ascom driver then Voyager should be able to run it.

 

 

Thanks for the information, It does seem very good.  I've been using it all evening just trying all the bits and bobs. 

I have emailed them to ask about the dome (ROR in my case) control on the web dashboard.  As Steve notes, it isn't on there and I tend to open my roof manually (electrically and remote, but before I want to image), and this would be handy to be on the dashboard.  It's all set up and running on the app, but is absent on the dashboard (as is my flip flat).

I'm really enjoying using it, it's quite refreshingly different and good.  I've tried pretty well all the other ones available and, for varying reasons, this for me is the only one which I can honestly say has the potential to give SG Pro a good run for its money.

And another Kentish fellow, welcome.

4 minutes ago, steppenwolf said:

All back and working correctly - in my case, I now realise that the log writes from the 'bottom' up and now that I have issued some commands, it is clear the errors were from much earlier in the session when I had not set up the PORT correctly (subsequently fixed!)

Yes, it seems that is logs a disconnect of the web portal, Steve.  I just had the same 3 messages after letting it time out again.

I have to be honest, as a big SG Pro fan, I like it enough to consider a change so far.  I'm going to use it fully for the trial period as I think it is a viable alternative to it, unlike everything else I've tried so far.

14 minutes ago, steppenwolf said:

Hi Ray, funnily enough, I am using it right now and although am getting lots of feedback from the system, Ive noticed a couple of anomalies so far:-

1. The dome doesn't seem to feature anywhere

2. I keep on getting the following error message but I have only been playing with this additional feature for about 10 minutes!!!

18:28:09.018  [ DSHB ]  Connection error: Application Server Unavailable.

18:21:56.776  [ DSHB ]  Connection error: Application Server Unavailable.

18:21:22.258  [ DSHB ]  Connection error: Application Server Unavailable.

HI Steve, I've not had those errors so assume it is equipment specific.  Be interesting to know what they are if you find out.

I see what you mean about the dome.  I have a ROR and hadn't really looked, so wonder if there is a way to change what is shown on the layouts.

EDIT:  Spookily I just got the same message and wonder if it happens if the dashboard is left unused for a while as that is what I had done.

30 minutes ago, steppenwolf said:

I too am trialling Voyager (and Viking) and thus far I am very impressed. DragScript is very powerful and I have had no issues with the software as it seems very stable. I am a little disappointed that its native autofocuser doesn't support offset focusing but in fairness, I tried autofocus with a 3nm Ha filter and it worked just fine. I could, of course, use Voyager to drive MaxIm DL in the same way that I currently use CC Commander to drive it but if I decide to move away from CCD Commander control of my whole imaging sessions, I would prefer to use Voyager exclusively (with the exception of PHD2) to control everything.

It works perfectly with my Mesu 200 mount, Pulsar dome, QSI camera and AAG CloudWatcher so I am very tempted!

Have you tried the web dashboard, Steve?  If not I think you'd be impressed as it is very good, and on an iPad it looks great.

I can feel a change coming on.

It kind of reminds me of Pixinsight in a way, both in terms of GUI looks, and in how it is a little unconventional in operation, but once used to it you wonder why you haven't used it before.

2 minutes ago, AngryDonkey said:

Yes especially on the focusing side for me. My Moravian cameras are pretty slow in downloading full frames but with Robofocus, Voyager will automatically move to a suitable nearby focus star and because it does a low accuracy platesolve on it (which is fast) it knows exactly where the star should be in the field of view and can use subframe capture to only ask for a small portion of the entire frame which is very fast in downloading and speeds up the focus no end.

Excellent!  Really well thought out.

I have had no issues whatsoever connecting to, and running all my kit, including ROR (Lesvedome driver) Alntiak flip flat and Mesu (Sitech) mount.  I've set it to automatically open and connect, cool camera, set guiding and start mount tracking and all works without a single hitch.  If it runs and extended sequence and shuts down etc afterwards, as I'm sure it will, I could well be converted here 🙂

2 minutes ago, AngryDonkey said:

Yes the meridian flip is fully managed. I don't think there is a place to enter lat and long, these values I think come from the mount driver.

The more I use it the more I like it. Dragscript is hugely powerful for automation and provides an enormous amount of flexibility and recently I've started to use the multi scope version for the dual setup which is really good. I also enjoy tinkering with software... 🙂 

Ah ok, thanks for that.  Makes sense as to why I can't find settings for it.

Yes I can see why you like it, it's really growing on me.  I'm just having a look at trying the Web Dashboard as it looks quite handy being able to view simply on a tablet.

Really good bit of kit, and it seems pretty speedy also.

On 23/04/2020 at 18:53, AngryDonkey said:

I can really recommend Voyager as  acquisition software, especially for an observatory. It's stable and very powerful and has a fantastic web dashboard to monitor and control the session. It also has a companion program to take care of the observatory automation.

I've been trialling this for a few days simply out of curiosity and, whilst it isn't the most intuitive or simple GUI to navigate, once you have used it for a while it is actually really good, I'm very impressed.

One question if you know, when carrying out a meridian flip, does it automatically plate solve to reduce cropping, or does it simply target the previous coordinates?  I've not tried yet but I can't seem to see whether it does or not.  Also, where do you input your current observatory location?

Thanks for the heads up on this.  I'm quite enjoying trying something different which actually seems to works.

15 minutes ago, Star101 said:

I read on the SGPro website about three months ago ....They have no plans for addressing the Dual rig dithering issue.

Ah ok, thanks.  That's a real shame as this would be a great addition.

I reckon it is something SG Pro may have as a feature in the future (I hope) as more people are now looking at genuine dual rigs (synchronised).

I've had both and there's not a lot in it.  The Atik is bomb proof but the Trius, which I kept, cools lower, has a built in USB hub and a built in tilt adjuster. 

Dithering is an issue because if one camera is capturing when the mount dithers, it will ruin the sub as it will have trails.  Big deal with Ha particularly where you may be doing long subs.

3 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

Thanks Ray, the observatory does have permanent webcam coverage and a log of openings and power cuts.

We did some testing yesterday and the park position and limit stops seemed robust. It's now looking more promising.

Olly

Perfect.  If that is covered then it is a doddle to do, even with a simple system (in relative terms) like EQMOD.

On 05/05/2020 at 16:14, ollypenrice said:

One of my robotic clients wants to run an Avalon Linear Fast Reverse entirely remotely. This is the version which, electronically and electrically, is pure NEQ6. Same motherboard, motors, handset, etc etc. At present he's trying EQ Mod. Plenty of people run this system remotely, as in 'at the bottom of their garden,' but this may involve an initial input at the telescope to start the session, perhaps? Is it actually possible  to run the system fully remotely? I'm assuming that doing so would involve retaining a memory of the park position in the software on shut-down and then using a plate solve to refine the pointing at the start of the next evening.

I do have a couple of EQ6 mounts and had an Avalon but I never used them remotely so I'm not much help to my client.

Any pointers gratefully received.

Thanks,

Olly

You have it spot on, Olly.  I used to run my AZ EQ6 in Spain from the UK (now the CEM120) and it is no different to it being at the bottom of the garden.  You will need to have some form of IP power operated switch (I use a LAN connected one and a GSM back-up) if they want to power down. 

As you say, a single slew from the home position on start up, quick blind solve and off you go.  This way you can then ensure your park position is right at the end of any imaging session.  

The only thing to be wary of, is if, for reasons such as a power cut or the mount get knocked, the mount gets "lost" (The mount will think it is at home when the power comes back on) you need to make sure you have some way of monitoring it to make sure you don't run in to issues.  I have a small YI dome camera which sits looking at the mount which I can log on to with my phone, and this has the facitlity to turn off the IR light when imaging.  They are about £30.

1 minute ago, Chris Wright said:

It does indeed @RayD. I chose one from MPB in their 'Good' category rather than 'Excellent'. Under 10,000 shutter count, very pleased. Also managed to bag myself a Peltier cooler on AstroBuyAndSell last night so looking forward to that arriving in the next couple of days.

Excellent!  What a great way to get a decent camera.  Looks like you may have bought some clear skies with it as well, which is unusual 🙂

22 minutes ago, Chris Wright said:

Used Canon 600D and T adapter with Barlow and other accessories.

Looks brand new!!

I went a similar route to Skipper Billy but use a Pegasus hub so do not need the external controller for the Lakeside.  They are not cheap at £500 or so new, but the V1 units do come up on the used market as people upgrade to V2.  They work great and give you full control over powering your kit and being able to reboot the USB bus remotely.