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Any ideas about APT plate solve utility

Astroboffin

By Astroboffin
in Getting Started With Imaging

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Pompey Monkey

Pompey Monkey

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Still no good, tried direct in the software with image above, and in APT but times out every time.

Why do we have to have both plate solve software installed as it just seems to use the ASPS and not the other one...?

Try uninstalling PlateSolve2. And then just use the "Blind Solve" 

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Astroboffin

Astroboffin

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I have been using the blind solve as you need to put coordinates in for the other.

Will uninstalling the other make a difference ?

One think I did notice is when looking at the image in the software, not in APT, the Stars were very blocky, like it was over stretching the image ....not sure whether that has any bearing on it

AB

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Astroboffin

Astroboffin

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I don't know about the "blockiness" or otherwise of the image, but the exact same file solved in about 15 seconds on my old Obsy PC.

your image is fine, it was just being over stretched

so you dont have platesolve2 installed ?

is there a reason why you dont have it installed, i will try uninstalling that and see what happens

thanks for your help with this

AB

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Pompey Monkey

Pompey Monkey

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tried with platesolve2 uninstalled, and restarting APT, still the same timing out,

 i guess there must be bugs still in APT so wont work properly for all, but in saying that it wont work directly in the ASPS either....

oh well

Ab

Probably best to go and post in the APT forums then.  http://aptforum.com/phpbb/index.php Ivo will do his best to help you out. :)

Sorry I couldn't fix it for you.

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Astroboffin

Astroboffin

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Probably best to go and post in the APT forums then.  http://aptforum.com/phpbb/index.php Ivo will do his best to help you out. :)

Sorry I couldn't fix it for you.

Well I have made some progress, thanks to your image and help.

Firstly I tried with Platesolve2 uninstalled, and still the blind solve would not work and just timed out, and the standard "solve" would not work without it.

So put PS2 back on and then put the coordinates for your image (which I noticed at the bottom of the image was IC405) from the catalogue in APT into the approx position box for RA and DEC

Then put the rest of the info you gave me about pixel size and FOV, then used the "solve" button, and three seconds later all done....:)

Now have tried it with an old DSLR image of mine, put correct info in again, along with coordinates from APT catalogue, and then 4 seconds later that one was done.

So that works fine for the normal solve procedure, but the blind solve will not work at all.

So how much is the blind solve used....and what is that actually for, so do I need that ?

So as long as the software has a rough idea of where it is pointing it works very well, but not when it has no idea, as in the blind solve.

Thanks for your time and help

Regards

AB

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Pompey Monkey

Pompey Monkey

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@ Pompey Monkey

Can you do a blind solve on the image you sent me, or just the normal solve ?

AB

AB, I have only done a blind solve on that image as I only have ASPS installed on my Obsy computer. I stopped using the PlateSolve2 software a couple of APT versions back. What I do know, is that ASPS is very picky about image scale.

If PS2 works for you, then use it. ASPS is most useful if the connection between ASCOM and APT id lost/corrupted and then you don't have to go back to the "Park" position. :)

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Astroboffin

Astroboffin

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AB, I have only done a blind solve on that image as I only have ASPS installed on my Obsy computer. I stopped using the PlateSolve2 software a couple of APT versions back. What I do know, is that ASPS is very picky about image scale.

If PS2 works for you, then use it. ASPS is most useful if the connection between ASCOM and APT id lost/corrupted and then you don't have to go back to the "Park" position. :)

Ok thanks for that,

So when you are imaging then and you want to plate solve an image, you only do the blind solve, and not use the other solve procedure ? And does that work for you every time ? Even without any coordinates entered.

Regards.

AB

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Pompey Monkey

Pompey Monkey

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Ok thanks for that,

So when you are imaging then and you want to plate solve an image, you only do the blind solve, and not use the other solve procedure ? And does that work for you every time ? Even without any coordinates entered.

Regards.

AB

With ASPS, I have to do an "auto" solve, then I just use "Goto++". I think that the "Goto++" should work from the get-go, but it doesn't. Ivo is looking into this right now.

However, the blind solve should work with any image that you throw at it, providing that the focal length and chip size are correct.

And, yes, Goto++ gets me within a handful of pixels of my target. :)

Edit: APT has to know, at least roughly, where the scope is pointing to to be able to know which direction to move it towards the target for the next iteration of solving. This initial position either comes from the blind solve, or from ASCOM via the "use telescope position" button :)

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Astroboffin

Astroboffin

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well after a few hours of messing about and talking to Ivo, i got it all working :)

was down to the image i was using of mine (not the one i was sent by Pompey Monkey) that was a jpeg and only a fraction of the origonal size, so settings were wrong for it, tried it with a few CR2 canon RAW files and works perfectly,takes around 15 seconds to do the blind solve.

very happy, thanks for all your help.

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  • 1 month later...
nightster

nightster

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@Yoddha thanks for APT I love it.  I just spend several days with epic winter weather keeping safely indoors, doing system maintenance on my rig. When I got the APT I decided to implement your onboard Platesolving. I'd been using AstroTortilla for a long time and haven't used an eyepiece for alignments in years.  I am able to solve old images with your system and it will move the mount. When I get outside next I will resist temptation to  use AT and learn your system.

My question is with Rotational alignment.  I recently went back to add data to a target I started a while ago. I needed to get the rotation correct and it is a real challenge. A stack of good Lums can't be used because its just too far off the bulk of the data. Can your PSolve solution be used to get rotational close to matching a previous image? It seems that it wouldn't be difficult to add a function that would put a crosshair on your screen from a previous image and then you go to liveview and then rotate the current image until the targets overlap. Similar to the new Polemaster software does for PolarAlignment.  It would limit the amount of cropped data we throw out.  

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Yoddha

Yoddha

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Hi Jeff,

Thank you for the interesting idea! Currently APT reports the image angle on every solving. So personally I store the position in the first night as custom object in the Object Browser and then keep rotating the camera till get close angle value in the other nights.

BTW the latest version has blind solving so you can completely replace AT :)

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nightster

nightster

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@Yoddha I used the APT on board plate solving and mount control for the first time last night. I never opened AT and furthermore I stayed out of CDC.  To be very honest I was considering moving to a 'more robust' software solution.  Haven't done so because of their cost. I have to admit I'm not so sure anymore I will need to.

The plate solvers worked very well. Though I do miss seeing the status on the bottom of AT flying though the FITS files of the database. It helps me know its not hung up on something.  But your solution got me to about 8 pixels every time. Quite close to my dither scale so NO extra data will be lost in a crop. I also saw your framing tool and it should help me rotate like I need it too next run.  Your database put me in the center of the action on the targets.  The telescope control, with named stars, got me where I needed for focusing and phd calib.  I didn't even open EQTOUR, my defacto basic mount mover for star alignment, focus and phd calibration.  

The next test for me will be when I upgrade to auto focus and how that routine works.  I'll cross that bridge in a few weeks. It was really nice only having EQMOD, PHD2.6, APT, and PI open during the run. Normally I would also have ATortilla, CDC, EQTOUR and maybe Stellarium if I was unsure about the next target choice.  Fewer programs fewer chances for errors.

Nice job, thanks!

 

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