Carte du Ciel and Guide Star Catalogue

[Merlin66]

I can't seem to get CdC to recognise my copy of the GSC????
Anyone had success in using the compact version of the GSC with CdC???
I must be missing something!????

[Karlsson]

I tried it out a few months ago, and it worked fine (in v 3 beta 0.1.4).

I would suggest you switch all filters off and then see what happens...

[Merlin66]

I've got both the V2.76c and V3.1 versions, but they still give an error.
Can you help me by confirming the file structure of your GSC Catalogue??
I have the main folder as "GSC_ACT", then inside the folders for each zone "Nxxxx", and the data files inside are zzzzz.gsc
Do you have an index file or anything showing???
Appreciate the help.

[Karlsson]

I no longer had the GSC files on my HDD, but I tried again...

I set up a folder C:\...\Cartes du Ciel\cat\GSC, in the GSC folder I make a folder of the same name as the first folder I want to copy from ftp, say for example S8230 (CSP area), so now it looks like C:\...\Cartes du Ciel\cat\GSC\S8230.

Then I go to ftp://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/0/catx/bincats/GSC_ACT/S8230/ and copy all files minus the first one (named '=done=') into C:\...\Cartes du Ciel\cat\GSC\S8230, which then will contain 48 files named from 9490.GSC up to and including 9537.GSC, total 2.32 Mb (in this case).

In CdC catalogue settings I then check HST GSC compact and direct it to Cartes du Ciel\cat\GSC, and Bob's my uncle.

Attempts to copy folder S8230 into ...\cat\GSC lock stock and barrel will fail, as copying the earlier mentioned '=done=' file will generate an error message.

You repeat this process for all remaining N/S folders in ftp://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/0/catx/bincats/GSC_ACT/ and it should work fine.

Just now I tried it for both v2.76 and v3.0 and I had no problems... let me know how you go :)

[Merlin66]

Thanks for that. If I can't get my existing catalogue to be read then I'll have to download again.
Sounds like the final folder layout is identical to to one I have??
Is there a header file being transferred as well??

[Karlsson]

Not that I know of... since I have to select all files manually in order to avoid =done=, and since I made all the folders myself I'm quite sure that all I copied was the *.GSC files, nothing else slipped across. Not even 'hidden' - I checked that just now.

Downloading the lot via ftp is a tedious process though, and it gets progressively worse the closer you get to the celestial equator of course... so there may be quite some gain in trying to get your existing files to work.

[Merlin66]

Karl,
Thanks for all the help.
Unfortunately my copies of the GSC contain different "files" the sizes are completely different to the ones downloaded. Maybe I have a V1.0??
Anyway, other than the VERY tedious file transfer, the new ones load first time into CdC.

[Karlsson]

This morning I came across this clarification:

http://www.projectpluto.com/gsc_act.htm

If indeed what you have is 1.0 or 1.1, then you do need some files to make it work... see the bottom of the page.

[Merlin66]

Karl,
Thanks for that link but I couldn't get the DOS program to run successfully.
Ended up getting a freeware FTP client ( FTPExplorer- very good, worked first time!) and downloading the GSC_ACT version from CDS. Installed in CdC and then ran first time- no problems!!!!