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Old 29-05-2019, 06:36 PM
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diegocolonnello (Diego)
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Voyager Software Review...

Voyager Review

I am an astrophotographer that started looking up with a camera on a Telescope around September 2016, my start on AP was like every other person, Didn’t know how an equatorial mount works, and had no idea about the celestial pole…

My first experience with an observatory was with a Nexdome, Plastic wonder, easy to assemble, rotation and shutter opening automated, all controlled by SGP, this set up started to raise my imaging level and step by step you want things to work over night and gather photons while sleeping…

Then, things started to happen, one night it was PERFECT, the next, nightmare, mount not parking, shutter not closing, meridian flip failed, or simply the focusing routine went bananas and everything fell apart…
I hate the case of constant “Downloading” that made me loose a complete night….

I started to go deep into settings, scripts, adding devices as Cloudwhatcher, Dragonfly, new power supplies, energy backup, etc////
But always a weak point, Software….

Then I moved houses, sold the DOME (personal economy reasons)…
Next day I started to look at a disassembled shed with passion, thinking, how hard can it be to build a roll off roof…
I did it, cheap, easy to figure it out, Nice roll off roof on my backyard, all the toys…

Imaging computer
Mount
Telescope
Camera
Dragonfly
Cloudwatcher
Roof Motor
Flat panel
EVERYTHING…

BUT
Same software, I could not tame, same issues causing problems…. AGAIN…

So I started to look for OPTIONS!!! (low on money)

First looked at other packages, Maxim, CCD Commander, The sky x, ETC, all of them industry standards but EXPENSIVE, and on top of that I needed a Director, a MANAGER to take care of the orchestra………
Enter ACP, CCD autopilot, Maxpilote…….. all of them needed someone from the above list and also more money on licenses and more complexity to the game…

Then….. the day came…..

looking for options, google is my friend and somehow ended reading some posts on a forum and some guy asked something about VOYAGER software…

Wait, what?

After more google mastering, I found this simple Webpage, downloaded a demo and off I went….
I met the paradise of astrophotography…
Somehow, an Italian astrophotographer wrote a piece of software that I immediately understood, the software was in English nut the manual in ITALIAN…. No problem, is so intuitive that I found my way around….
First time EVER that I used something for astrophotography and it all worked…

For example…
Setting up equipment was a breeze, after reading the options I found all the right settings in one go, Telescope, Camera, Filter wheel, Flat panel, Cloud watcher EVERYTHING fell on its place…
Then, something called ON THE FLY…
I found a way to tell the software what Target I wanted, then I created a simple sequence and after a Plate solve and Sync, it was imaging!!!
This is nice!!!

So I moved on to check out Guiding, I was amazed to find ROBOGUIDE, in short, is like having a person decide all the best settings and working wonders with PHD2…… Amazing…
Next, Focusing………… back then it was based on a star, the software has a feature called ROBOFire……… oh boy, hit a button and the software finds the right settings after running a routine where it sets the perfect curve….. after that, every focusing routine was fast and precise….
(these days Voyager also has a mode called Local Field that uses the entire frame where the target is)

I was IMPRESSED….. all of this on the same night!!!! It all worked like a charm

Night 2…..
Moving to the advanced stuff………

I started to use look at Viking, a piece of software from the same developer that controls Ethernet relay boards….. I asked Leo if he could control the Dragonfly….. wait for it, in a week he sent an update and Dragonfly was implemented……. Even the inputs…….. WHAT!!!!!????

I started to organize my ideas and make sense of the complete puzzle…
The tool, the DIRECTOR!!!! Dragscript!!!!!!
Dragscript is a super clever way of scripting, drag and drop commands in order to create a sequence of actions and decisions……
Took me 3 hours to test functions and sections of scripts divided in blocks…. How to wait for astronomical darkness, how to fire up the relays on the dragonfly and how to call out a sequence…
ITS ALL WORKING…. But wait
I needed the most important part…..
Suspend and restart the session with the safety status from the cloudwatcher….
After realizing how the SUSPEND EVENTS AND EMERGENCY EVENTS work on Dragscript, I built my first complete Script…..
That night I was supper happy it was not perfectly clear, patchy cloud sections coming my way, what better opportunity to test the whole thing….
Picture this…
All clear, about 10 pm, the script starts and confirms that astro darkness began…
Then it continues on to connect to Dragonfly and rest of equipment
Goes on and Switched on Mount, Camera cooler, Observatory, focuser and telescope FAN
Opens the ROOF and waits for the REED SWITCH to report back the OPEN status… Brilliant!!!
Then it orders the mount to slew to a defined Alt AZ position and perform a Blind plate solve…
It does, and following that it starts the sequence….. this sequence instructs the mount to slew and precisely point to a target….
Injects a Focusing routine and after a minute the complete setup is imaging…….. I could only be impressed…
This is the best part!!!
The Cloud watcher detects clouds and inmediately the roof closes, the mount stops tracking and the camera stays Cold, all in stand by…… waiting….
15 minutes after…….. clear again…. Cloudwatcher reports Safe and the resume events kick in…..
Open the roof.
Blind solves
Goes to target.
Focusing routine and resume imaging…..

Clouds passed by 3 more times…. And 3 more times the story repeated……….
What a beauty…
After all the sequence finished, the script ordered the mount to Park…. Close the roof, Warm up the camera and wait for 10 minutes…..
Disconnect from equipment and then switch off the gear….

I could not be happier…

I had a ROBOTIC OBSERVATORY.
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  #2  
Old 29-05-2019, 06:46 PM
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Atmos (Colin)
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I've been meaning to give Voyager a go after I finish my current project. I've already done my scripts for SGP and what I'm doing at the moment. I've heard good things about NINA as well but until there is an unguided dither command implemented I won't be able to use it. I'm pretty sure Voyager allows for it though
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Old 29-05-2019, 07:04 PM
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diegocolonnello (Diego)
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the only thing BETTER than Voyager the software, is the Support given by Leo Orazi, his developer.
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Old 30-05-2019, 08:01 AM
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The_bluester (Paul)
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Location: Kilmore, Australia
Posts: 3,342
I am currently using SGP but I have not had many failures after the initial setup that I could not track back down to finger trouble on my part, but after getting things damp last night (Really heavy dew rather than rain) I am keen to get it in a roll off roof of some description.

I would also love to automate safety factors for failures under various conditions. I got a bit of data last night but not as much as I hoped. When I went to bed it was clear and when I got up it was clear but a band of cloud rolled through during the night and interrupted SGP for long enough for it to stop trying to restart.

I must look into Voyager, it looks like the automation aspect after failures is more powerful than SGP.
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Old 31-05-2019, 05:54 AM
garymck (Gary)
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Location: Geelong
Posts: 788
There is now a new we site:
https://www.voyagerastro.com/

an English language manual/wiki:
https://voyager.tourstar.net/index.php?title=Main_Page

and a series (expannding) of videos:
https://www.voyagerastro.com/videos/

Gave up on SGP because of unexplained crashes and crap focusing. Voyager worked first time for me and the focusing routines leave everything else in the dust...

Suport is fantastic, I had a request, it was implemented in a week.....
Gary
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Old 06-06-2019, 08:50 PM
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diegocolonnello (Diego)
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diegocolonnello is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: melbourne, australia
Posts: 317
My Voyager Script



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