GSS/ NINA/ Cartes du Ciel interactivity

[Swoop1]

I run an HEQ5PRO mount and, when imaging, try to run it via GSS and Cartes du Ciel.

My problem is that there are times when the mount goes off and does its own thing mid way through a run- I will get a number of good frames of the selected target and then frames will show elongated streaks as the mount wander off target.

This happens with both deep sky and lunar/ planetary targets.

Ihave tried lunar without software control, using the hand set and it reduces the wandering to almost nothing.

Any ideas what may be causing the unwanted slewing?

Thanks.

[AstroMuni]

On 08/08/2023 at 15:02, Swoop1 said:

My problem is that there are times when the mount goes off and does its own thing mid way through a run- I will get a number of good frames of the selected target and then frames will show elongated streaks as the mount wander off target.

Could you explain how you have connected 4 components - HEQ5, GSS, NINA & CCD Ciel.

Edited August 9, 2023 by AstroMuni

[Swoop1]

1 hour ago, AstroMuni said:

Could you explain how you have connected 4 components - HEQ5, GSS, NINA & CCD Ciel.

I don't use NINA or Cartes du Ciel together- I have tried both at different times.

I use two components as follows- I plug the HEQ5PRO mount into my laptop via the handset port using an eqdir cable and fire up either CDC or NINA- both open GSS when I identify a target and ask the softare to slew the scope to it. I guess they use GSS as the ASCOM programme?

[AstroMuni]

54 minutes ago, Swoop1 said:

I don't use NINA or Cartes du Ciel together- I have tried both at different times.

I use two components as follows- I plug the HEQ5PRO mount into my laptop via the handset port using an eqdir cable and fire up either CDC or NINA- both open GSS when I identify a target and ask the softare to slew the scope to it. I guess they use GSS as the ASCOM programme?

Thats odd.

If you had both running at the same time that may account for the conflict. I think NINA is meant to get coords from CDC and pass onto GSS which talks to the mount.  So CDC --> NINA --> GSS --> HEQ5. CDC should NOT be connecting directly to GSS.

This is from NINA manual : Currently N.I.N.A. supports Stellarium, Cartes du Ciel, TheSkyX and HNSKY. The connection allows a one way communication of coordaintes from the planetarium software to N.I.N.A.

Perhaps someone who uses NINA can confirm.

Edited August 9, 2023 by AstroMuni

[Swoop1]

Well, I'm outside now with the hand set plugged in.

30 x 30sec exposures on M31 and 16 (so far) 30 sec exposures on M81/82 and as yet, no discernible wandering.

Weird...

[Paul M]

I've had weird stuff when using planetarium software to point the scope.

The problem I've identified was that when using, for example, HNSKY (as I sometimes do on my imaging PC) to GOTO an object that isn't in APT's catalogues, I find, and center the object and start guiding. But if I have HNSKY set to "follow object" while it's still connected/synced with APT, HNSKY will keep sending the mount back to the original GOTO position. This may be some distance from the actual centered object. And off it shoots, apparently randomly.

So now I don't sync the HNSKY "telescope" with APT. I only use it to display the plate solved image frame size, position and orientation - which it does excellently. I can then confirm if the target is in the frame and adjust using APT functions.

There are more accurate ways of "grabbing" the RA/DEC of say, a comet or asteroid in HNSKY by sending them as a custom object to APT and then use APT to perform a simple GOTO and platesolve.

Edited August 9, 2023 by Paul M

[AstroMuni]

13 hours ago, Paul M said:

So now I don't sync the HNSKY "telescope" with APT. I only use it to display the plate solved image frame size, position and orientation - which it does excellently. I can then confirm if the target is in the frame and adjust using APT functions.

And thats the advantage with using a software such as Kstars which comes bundled with planetarium, control of mount, cameras, dome etc., platesolver & guider. There is no reliance of attaching external programs and getting them to all talk together.

[Paul M]

2 hours ago, AstroMuni said:

And thats the advantage with using a software such as Kstars which comes bundled with planetarium, control of mount, cameras, dome etc., platesolver & guider. There is no reliance of attaching external programs and getting them to all talk together.

Been there, done that!

Abandoned Astroberry after 3 months of failure: the RasPi just crashed or hung after taking a single sub. Tried every possible fix...

Then tried KStars/Ekos as standalone on a mini PC running Ubuntu. Looked good right up to the point where I never got an image out of that either, but I didn't hang round that time.

Went back to Windows. It just works! 😀

I kept the Pi so that I can thrash it with a big stick now and again. Just for old-time sake 🤣

[AstroMuni]

19 hours ago, Paul M said:

Abandoned Astroberry after 3 months of failure: the RasPi just crashed or hung after taking a single sub. Tried every possible fix...

Its sad that you had a bad experience. I have been using  Astroberry build on RPi4 for a couple of years now with no major issues. Fingers crossed 🙂

NINA is a great software btw. But my point earlier wasnt about Kstars being a very stable software, it was the aspect that the fewer the interacting components the less chances of getting config issues and lower the risk of failure.

As an example when I only had a mount + camera I had fewer issues to deal. Once I got a guide scope, I have to worry about poor guiding too...And then I added the EAF and now more issues - LOL.

[Paul M]

4 hours ago, AstroMuni said:

Its sad that you had a bad experience.

Yes, I was deeply dissapointed and frustrated in equal measure.

Gina, the late, great friend of this forum was a user of Pi's and KStars/Ekos and it was her successes that inspired me to take that route into imaging.

As it happens I put Ubuntu on an old laptop last year and have KStars et al installed. I like KStars planetarium as a standalone tool but I also have plate solving and guiding set up and ready to go, should I have a brain storm and give it a go at imaging again!

That laptop lives at our Cumbrian get-away, so gets frequent use as a day to day PC. I don't have any imaging gear there but I'm always thinking about getting a lightweight rig that can get stowed there. 

Edited August 11, 2023 by Paul M

[Skyline]

I use Kstars/Ekos on a mini pc and stellarmate on a rpi 4 8gb, without any issues, both have strong antennas running on a 5ghz network. The pi had to buy an external one and the other for the mini pc is built in. No problems so far re image capture even remotely controlled with a windows pc using kstars 😆

I am sorry you have had a bad experience but I just find using linux based software like kstars/ekos a lot less clunky then windows.

NINA is a good bit of software better then APT in my opinion. But still relient on other dependent software to work with it.

Just my 2p's worth.