APT/EQMOD - Blind Solve Results Not Syncing

[cdhgamer]

Hello all, 

 

I'm wondering if you might be able to help me. I just recently started running Astrophotography Tool, and while the blind solving is working perfectly, when I try to sync the results to my mount, I get an error of "Cannot sync coordinates, exception occurred." When I go to the EQMOD alignment points log, it's blank. If I use the object browser to grab coordinates, that sync button works just fine. Any ideas? My mount is a Skywatcher  AZ-EQ 5, and I've been running the ASCOM EQ5/6 drive through EQMOD perfectly otherwise. 

I've checked that the locations and date/time match, as far as I can tell, and I'm not sure what else I can troubleshoot.

 

Thanks for your time!

[vlaiv]

Don't know if this will help, but when I started using plate solve with SGP, there were specific instructions on how to setup EQMOD to handle that.

Let me see if I can find procedure somewhere online for you.

https://www.mainsequencesoftware.com/Content/SGPHelp/SequenceGeneratorPro.html?PlateSolvers.html

here it is. There are couple of important points there (you can skip part for meridian flip):

1. Clear any sync data you have up to that point

2. Set user interface to dialog based

Those instructions are for SGP but it does say that EQMOD is "quirky" when it comes to this and it needs to be setup properly. Maybe you should look up similar instruction for APT, or in lack of, try above method?

[bottletopburly]

Did you press connect telescope button  in Apt ,top right in Apt in tools if I remember rightly if not it won’t talk to mount via Eqmod 

[cdhgamer]

4 hours ago, vlaiv said:

Don't know if this will help, but when I started using plate solve with SGP, there were specific instructions on how to setup EQMOD to handle that.

Let me see if I can find procedure somewhere online for you.

https://www.mainsequencesoftware.com/Content/SGPHelp/SequenceGeneratorPro.html?PlateSolvers.html

here it is. There are couple of important points there (you can skip part for meridian flip):

1. Clear any sync data you have up to that point

2. Set user interface to dialog based

Those instructions are for SGP but it does say that EQMOD is "quirky" when it comes to this and it needs to be setup properly. Maybe you should look up similar instruction for APT, or in lack of, try above method?

Followed that and the SGP guide and nothing. Scope is connected and tracking through EQMOD and APT 

[bottletopburly]

Dec result showing -10 deg ?  Is that right Maybe this has something to do with it not syncing , 

have you tried parking telescope , weights down pointing at Polaris  assuming your in Northern hemisphere , take an image, >platesolve ,sync , are you using CDC’ so you can see where the mount is pointing on star chart (apt can communicate with different planaterium software via settings )

Edited June 10, 2019 by bottletopburly

[stash_old]

Check your "mount limits" in EQMOD is unchecked - if I remember it right 

 

[david_taurus83]

Your EQmod coords look like your still in the home position, weights down and scope pointing north. You need to start EQMod from the home position, issue a Goto command to your chosen target, THEN take an image and platesolve. It wont sync if you are too far away from where EQMod thinks you are pointing.

Edited June 10, 2019 by david_taurus83

[david_taurus83]

3 hours ago, bottletopburly said:

Dec result showing -10 deg ?  Is that right Maybe this has something to do with it not syncing , 

have you tried parking telescope , weights down pointing at Polaris  assuming your in Northern hemisphere , take an image, >platesolve ,sync , are you using CDC’ so you can see where the mount is pointing on star chart (apt can communicate with different planaterium software via settings )

This is also true. You can take an image from the home position and platesolve and sync that to give the mount a true starting position. It still remains key that you start EQMod first while still in the home position.

[cdhgamer]

I'm not using any planetarium software, just the object browser at the moment. And I've tried starting the program, connecting the scope with it's parked at home, starting tracking, and then a photo + blind plate solve. That hasn't been syncing, neither has moving it far away from the home position and doing a blind solve and sync.

[alan potts]

Unless you check save alignment points in the EQ mod screen you will lose any data you enter every time, I was ages messing with this, I check the top two boxes and since have not lost any, touch wood, don't know if that is of any help.

[upahill]

This drove me mad for ages - too far out in RA and it wont sync. Looking at your screenshot there is quite a difference between your EQMod co-ords and solved co-ords. At that stage I would usually close EQMod and switch off the mount, restarting it in the home position and re solving close to the pole as the quickest solution, after that alignment points would save.

[stash_old]

3 hours ago, alan potts said:

Unless you check save alignment points in the EQ mod screen you will lose any data you enter every time, I was ages messing with this, I check the top two boxes and since have not lost any, touch wood, don't know if that is of any help.

IMO - That is only doable for fixed mounts or where you can guarantee your kit is always pointing in exactly the same direction for the home position. The saved alignment points are then useless.

Plus check that all your software is using the same location coordinates(Lat/Long) and Epoch - APT can ignore Ascom settings if the item is checked in APT settings. APT can use either J2000 or JNOW and EQMOD is the same - they must be the same. 

On 10/06/2019 at 00:51, cdhgamer said:

When I go to the EQMOD alignment points log, it's blank. If I use the object browser to grab coordinates, that sync button works just fine

Does the alignment log contain sync'd co-ords when you use the APT? Object browser and Sync ?

[alan potts]

25 minutes ago, stash_old said:

IMO - That is only doable for fixed mounts or where you can guarantee your kit is always pointing in exactly the same direction for the home position. The saved alignment points are then useless.

Plus check that all your software is using the same location coordinates(Lat/Long) and Epoch - APT can ignore Ascom settings if the item is checked in APT settings. APT can use either J2000 or JNOW and EQMOD is the same - they must be the same. 

Does the alignment log contain sync'd co-ords when you use the APT? Object browser and Sync ?

 

[bottletopburly]

It may also be worth asking @Yoddha aka Ivo on Apt forum  if you are still having issues 

[david_taurus83]

11 hours ago, cdhgamer said:

I'm not using any planetarium software, just the object browser at the moment. And I've tried starting the program, connecting the scope with it's parked at home, starting tracking, and then a photo + blind plate solve. That hasn't been syncing, neither has moving it far away from the home position and doing a blind solve and sync.

How have you called up EQMod? Pressing connect scope in APT? In your image above APT has platesolved a position in the sky yet both EQMod and and APT are displaying what appear to be home coords. What was your process to get to this point? APT isn't at fault here as its displaying the same coords as EQMod. It wont sync as the solved coords are too far out from the EQMod coords.

[cdhgamer]

Normally I have been opening APT, connecting the scope in the Gear tab, taking a photo while the scope is at the home position and doing a blind solve and then when I try to sync those coordinates, I've been getting that error message. If that image is showing vastly different coordinates, I was using an old image to try to troubleshoot in my bedroom, which I suppose is why that specific sync wasn't working, but I'm not sure why it isn't working in a field with a new image taken where the scope is pointing.

And yes stash_old, the Gear tab sync has been working, and I believe the object browser, just not the Pointcraft window.

Edited June 12, 2019 by cdhgamer
Fix missing info

[david_taurus83]

Strange. It should be working. I've set up APT a few times and theres nothing in the settings that needs checking to make sure it syncs the solved coords. It usually works using the standard settings. What you could try during the day is install Carte du Ciel and connect to the scope. Then connect APT. In CdC issue a goto command to a star at the edge of one of your previous images. As the mount moves you should get a visual representation of where the mount thinks its pointing. Now, solve the the image and see if it will sync to the true coords. It might be that your home position is just outside the parameters of letting you sync. Having CdC is handy to see where the scope is pointing.

[Starflyer]

Can you post a screenshot of EQMOD with the scope parked please?

[cdhgamer]

I apologize for the huge delay, life was a little crazy for a week there, but here's that screencap Starflyer

[cdhgamer]

Well I just tried a blind solve from an old photo taken at the home position and then in EQMOD, I drove it back to the RA and DEC in the solved coordinates and was able to sync the blind solve results, but I couldn't replicate it with a photo at a different RA/DEC by matching the coordinates in EQMOD.

 

Edit: I was able to get it to sync again to a photo, but where the mount is pointed right now would be smashing the telescope and there's no way I took a photo from that angle, so I'm confused. Also I'm wondering if it has to do with that 15 RA at the bottom of that screenshot beneath the tracking rate. I never set that but is that set wrong?

 

Edited June 23, 2019 by cdhgamer
Additional Info

[Starflyer]

3 hours ago, cdhgamer said:

I apologize for the huge delay, life was a little crazy for a week there, but here's that screencap Starflyer

Can you repost it with the side bar expanded please?

[david_taurus83]

4 hours ago, cdhgamer said:

Well I just tried a blind solve from an old photo taken at the home position and then in EQMOD, I drove it back to the RA and DEC in the solved coordinates and was able to sync the blind solve results, but I couldn't replicate it with a photo at a different RA/DEC by matching the coordinates in EQMOD.

 

Edit: I was able to get it to sync again to a photo, but where the mount is pointed right now would be smashing the telescope and there's no way I took a photo from that angle, so I'm confused. Also I'm wondering if it has to do with that 15 RA at the bottom of that screenshot beneath the tracking rate. I never set that but is that set wrong?

 

I believe the 15 RA is the tracking rate. Either arc seconds per second or degrees per hour. It's fine so leave it be.

[cdhgamer]

I realized that as I was falling asleep last night David, haha, whoops. And does this work Starflyer? It seems like my RA is different than the last time I started at home, I don't think I started from a parked position before though. What should the RA be at when parked at home?

[david_taurus83]

RA does change throughout the day when your parked. Imagine the RA clock rotating if you stared at the north celestial pole. If you have Stellarium, load it up and aim at the NCP and set the time to fast forward. This will demonstrate why the RA changes when your parked. The Dec doesn't move as you remain at 90° above the celestial equator. RA is only fixed if you are tracking that particular coordinate.

[cdhgamer]

Thanks David, that's what I was wondering. And also, last night I had a clear night to run my rig, and I guess the changes I made in EQMOD with everyone's help, and making sure I followed the start up procedure exactly, had everything working! I was able to sync every solve and I was pointing at objects with the GoTo++ command with ease. I'm so excited to try it under dark skies again now. Thanks everyone so much for the help, I was tearing up a bit when I was able to see shots of the Eastern Veil Nebula on my screen after all the frustration I've had.