Stellarium cannot link with Synscan Pro App (or is it vice versa?)

[uk_friendly_fire]

This is driving me crazy. I'm trying to set up telescope control of a SW AZ GTi mount using Stellarium ver 23.4 and Synscan Pro app ver2.4.16.

I've read posts in SW AZ GTi here

I've configured an external software as localhost port 10001 in Stellarium

I've watched Utube vids where it's easy as 1-2-3

I've set Win 11 firewall to open up port 10001

I've spent early hours working on this project and come to a grinding exhausted halt.  

Whilst the Synscan app can align the mount Stellarium has no luck connecting to the mount, freezing the telescope message window as "connecting" but doesn't.

What have I done wrong? Can anyone save me from further fruitless hours checking and rechecking settings?

[PeterC65]

Have you checked that the SynScan Pro software is also using port 10001 for the Stellarium protocol port? My setup is the same as yours other than I am using SynScan Pro v2.4.8. I didn't need to make any changes to my firewall to get it to work.

If the TCP connection doesn't work for you, it is possible to connect Stellarium to SynScan Pro via ASCOM. Doing it this way allows other software to control the mount at the same time, and I've found it makes Stellarium more responsive than using the TCP connection.

 

Edited January 30 by PeterC65

[PeterC65]

I've just downloaded SynScan Pro v2.4.16 by the way, and it won't even run on my Windows 11 laptop!

 

[Jules Tohpipi]

Just in case, have you tried watching the video below? This got me up and running really quickly when I first started getting more ambitious with my AZ-GTi. Albeit I was doing it all on Windows 10.

 

 

 

 

[happy-kat]

I did this just Monday, details in the first link post I had written what I did

 

Edited January 30 by happy-kat

[uk_friendly_fire]

15 hours ago, PeterC65 said:

I've just downloaded SynScan Pro v2.4.16 by the way, and it won't even run on my Windows 11 laptop!

 

Crikey this piece of software is very picky. After your replies I resorted to looking at the SW manual. It states Stellarium software IP address should be 127.0.0.1 when on the same computer as the synscan pro app, mount networking address 192.168.4.1 (when connecting direct to mount) . I don't remember seeing that being set on the UTube video in this link. I've also tried this and Windows 8 compatibility mode (a long shot) - another 2 hours expended - still no joy.

I never had so much trouble setting up software. Setting up Stellarmate on my RPi4b was a cinch in comparison. I only departed from it hoping to cache-in more processing power of a Wintel PC.

[uk_friendly_fire]

16 hours ago, Jules Tohpipi said:

Just in case, have you tried watching the video below? This got me up and running really quickly when I first started getting more ambitious with my AZ-GTi. Albeit I was doing it all on Windows 10.

 

 

 

 

Yep that's one of the 1-2-3 easy as pi vids (pun intended)

Edited January 31 by uk_friendly_fire
Spelling correction

[uk_friendly_fire]

Maybe be I should give up on what look like and elegant and simple software project and pay for Stellarmate OSX. It's a big decision as the license cost equates to 1/2 tank of fuel. I suppose I'd better check the forums first for user experience.

I am grateful for all your help

[happy-kat]

did you try the method I use, did it not work for you?

[AstroMuni]

49 minutes ago, uk_friendly_fire said:

Setting up Stellarmate on my RPi4b was a cinch in comparison. I only departed from it hoping to cache-in more processing power of a Wintel PC.

Ha ha...if you have successfully got Kstars/Ekos working, I would stick with that. Ekos has far more capabilities as compared to the Synscan app. The image capture and management of all devices is done off my RPi4b. I manage it using a VNC connection from my laptop. I do all post processing on my laptop.

[PeterC65]

If you still want to use SynScan Pro and Stellarium I would give the ASCOM route a try. That is my preferred way of connecting.

 

[uk_friendly_fire]

11 hours ago, happy-kat said:

did you try the method I use, did it not work for you?

Not yet tried this method. I didn't realise that you can mix and match phone and pc together with the mount. Step 8 must involve some settings in Stellarium telescope connection window that are different to what I've been using.  Are they in your highlighted email?

[uk_friendly_fire]

11 hours ago, AstroMuni said:

Ha ha...if you have successfully got Kstars/Ekos working, I would stick with that. Ekos has far more capabilities as compared to the Synscan app. 

Yep been there done that. You may have experimented with Stellarmate on the RPi off an SDcard or USB stick (which I did more recently and found improved stability) or used the Windows Kstars App.

I decided to move to a PC because of the more powerful and stable hardware; expecting to avoid the annoying occasional re-installation of Stellarmate OS due to corruption on start-up or during software updates.

KStars App and Stellarmate OSX are in my list of things to eventually experiment with, however I wanted to branch into a more simple project first. 

The underlying expectation is to be able to take a grab n'go kit on my caravan travels to darker skies. 

[happy-kat]

10 hours ago, uk_friendly_fire said:

Not yet tried this method. I didn't realise that you can mix and match phone and pc together with the mount. Step 8 must involve some settings in Stellarium telescope connection window that are different to what I've been using.  Are they in your highlighted email?

I have updated my linked post with the driver I have got on each relevant step hope this helps

[AstroMuni]

10 hours ago, uk_friendly_fire said:

You may have experimented with Stellarmate on the RPi off an SDcard or USB stick (which I did more recently and found improved stability) or used the Windows Kstars App.

I have been actively using Kstars/Ekos for a few years now on the RPi with an SDcard; at first using the Astroberry build and more recently the Stellarmate OS build and havent had any major hiccups with upgrades yet (fingers crossed). I have started playing with the Stellarmate App on the ipad & android and it seems to be slowly getting there in terms of user friendliness.

If you are planning to use a PC going forward, have you considered using NINA? It has similar capabilities as Ekos and is built for Windows.

[Star Struck]

I have just updated the software I use to access my AZGti from Windows 10.

I am using ASCOM 6.6SP2, SynScan ASCOM  Driver 140.

All of the software is running on a single Windows 10 laptop.

I control my AZGti via Cartes Du Ciel or Stellarium 23.3.

Everything works if I use SynScan Pro 2.4.8.

It all fell apart with an ASCOM error "No Device Found" as soon as I tried using SynScan Pro 2.4.16.

I think there must be some connectivity bugs in the latest version of the SynScan Pro app.

 

[happy-kat]

I use synscan pro on my mobile 2.4.11 and not the PC and it works for me