Alternative to FocusMax/Maxim DL ??

[ian_bird]

Ray

Do you have a link to that YouTube channel?

Thanks.

Ian

[RayD]

11 minutes ago, ian_bird said:

Ray

Do you have a link to that YouTube channel?

Thanks.

Ian

I've only just started it Ian and only got a couple of videos on at the moment, but finishing off some more this week and over the weekend (sections of SG Pro being some of them) so will share the link with all on Monday (the grand opening).

The idea of the channel ultimately is to try to do videos on request for equipment and/or software that I use and can perhaps make it easier to understand by way of a simple  (layperson's terms) video.

Ironically the first video I have been working on with SG Pro is profiles and profile manager, so this thread is good timing.

The first video I did was how to control W10 updates within W10 Pro using the group policy editor, which I felt was a biggie for here with the amount of people that struggle with unwanted updates.

[ian_bird]

38 minutes ago, RayD said:

how to control W10 updates within W10

Run Windows 7? That's what I do (IT Consultant). 

The channel sounds like a brilliant idea! Can't wait to see it launch.

I wish you all the best with it. I will certainly be signing up to follow it.

39 minutes ago, RayD said:

Ironically the first video I have been working on with SG Pro is profiles and profile manager

Serendipity indeed!

Cheers

Ian

[RayD]

1 minute ago, ian_bird said:

Run Windows 7? That's what I do (IT Consultant). 

I know, but unless ordering for Business you try getting a new machine now with W7 loaded.

Thing is, as you will certainly know as an IT Consultant, to open the GPE in W10 Pro and make a simple change to the update policy is dead simple, and can cure a ton of wasted imaging time, but unless it is linked via a forum like this, then people just don't know it's there, and just how simple it actually is to fix.

Thanks for the encouragement.  It's been a while in the planning, and hopefully something that can help people without going in to realy technical terms, which I have found can sometimes be a bit overwhelming.

[ian_bird]

I wonder how many people run Windows 10 Pro, and how many run Windows 10 Home. Which doesn't have GPE.

I know the old dodge was to set your Internet connection to "metered", which stopped auto updates. Does that still work?

Cheers

Ian

PS - I'm an IT Consultant on rather large machines that live in Data Centers. With another Data Center geographically remote that mirrors it for DR. So Windows is not really my area of expertise.  I just know enough to know I will never, ever, touch Windows 10! 

[RayD]

49 minutes ago, ian_bird said:

I wonder how many people run Windows 10 Pro, and how many run Windows 10 Home. Which doesn't have GPE.

I know the old dodge was to set your Internet connection to "metered", which stopped auto updates. Does that still work?

Cheers

Ian

PS - I'm an IT Consultant on rather large machines that live in Data Centers. With another Data Center geographically remote that mirrors it for DR. So Windows is not really my area of expertise.  I just know enough to know I will never, ever, touch Windows 10! 

Yes I think the majority will and do use W10 home, but I have noted on several threads that if you really want to "control" updates then you need Pro as GPE isn't accessible on home.  You can still use a metered connection, which I think some do, but of course this is a swerve and MS makes it very clear that if an update is deemed by them as essential for the "safe running of Windows", they will push it anyway ignoring the metered connection.

Up until last week I was the last person standing in my business on W7 Pro, but that finally fell over (more Office 365 fell over) so I have had to go to W10, which to be fair is actually pretty good, and much much quicker.  I'm even beginning to like Edge 

[ian_bird]

It's the Windows 10 spying that I really object to. It still staggers me that they get away with it.

Cheers

Ian

[han59]

You could also try  CCDciel. CCDciel and PHD2 work very well for me. CCDCiel is free and uses an astrometric solver (Astrometry.net local or PlateSolve2)  to point your telescope. It  has sequences to automate your imaging. Auto focusing is equivalent as good as Focusmax.

[Skipper Billy]

Quick update.

I downloaded SGP (had to pay for it as I have had a free trial in the past and couldnt get my head round it).

Everything connected first time - camera, filter wheel, mount, focuser, PHD2 - all good.

Of course it was wall to wall cloud but a wee gap appeared and a focus routine worked VERY well.

So all looks promising for the future.

The only downside I can see is that there is no option for a custom park position which means I will still have to use EQMOD to park the scope before I can close the roof - but EQMOD and SGP seem to play nicely together and can be open and running at the same time.

Will keep you posted and I look forward to the YouTube channel mentioned above.

[RayD]

30 minutes ago, Skipper Billy said:

Quick update.

I downloaded SGP (had to pay for it as I have had a free trial in the past and couldnt get my head round it).

Everything connected first time - camera, filter wheel, mount, focuser, PHD2 - all good.

Of course it was wall to wall cloud but a wee gap appeared and a focus routine worked VERY well.

So all looks promising for the future.

The only downside I can see is that there is no option for a custom park position which means I will still have to use EQMOD to park the scope before I can close the roof - but EQMOD and SGP seem to play nicely together and can be open and running at the same time.

Will keep you posted and I look forward to the YouTube channel mentioned above.

Great stuff, seems like a promising start.

You can have SGP park the scope at the end of the sequence by sending the park command to EQMOD.  If you set a custom park position in EQMOD it will park there.  I think you can also get your OTA to the custom park position, then hit the "set Park" button on SGP, then after the sequence you can have this run as part of the end of sequence events (I can do this with SiTech which is ASCOM so assume EQMOD can too).

[Skipper Billy]

Thanks Ray - will investigate - so far I am very impressed with it.

David.

[martin_h]

Yes, send the scope to its new park position and hit "Set Park" and that's it! I park my scope horizontally facing my el panel

[Skipper Billy]

1 hour ago, martin_h said:

Yes, send the scope to its new park position and hit "Set Park" and that's it! I park my scope horizontally facing my el pane

Thanks Martin - that's precisely what I want it to do. Many thanks.

[RayD]

Just to confirm, to get the scope to park at the end of the sequence you need to open your applicable profile using the equipment profile manager, go to the telescope tab, and make sue the "park telescope when sequence completes" box is ticked. 

[RayD]

Need to revise link

[RayD]

On 30/11/2017 at 15:22, ian_bird said:

Ray

Do you have a link to that YouTube channel?

Thanks.

Ian

Ian below link to the video.  Apologies for the basic nature but that is the intention of the channel, short and to the point.

Equipment profiles

Hope this helps.

[ian_bird]

Thanks Ray

Very informative and useful. I have subscribed to the channel! 

One suggestion though. I may be mistaken, but you seemed to refer to a Sequence as a Profile, which caused a little confusion.

But I loved it. Thank you. I learnt a lot in four and a half minutes. Which I guess means that you nailed it!

Cheers.

Ian

[RayD]

37 minutes ago, ian_bird said:

Thanks Ray

Very informative and useful. I have subscribed to the channel! 

One suggestion though. I may be mistaken, but you seemed to refer to a Sequence as a Profile, which caused a little confusion.

But I loved it. Thank you. I learnt a lot in four and a half minutes. Which I guess means that you nailed it!

Cheers.

Ian

Thanks Ian. I'll have a look at that as I could have (I'm not good with words). It could have been the element where you save the sequence as a profile? All this does is take the profile elements of the sequence and saves them in the selected profile. 

[souls33k3r]

Just what i needed. Thanks @RayD. 

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