Maxim DL 4 and The Sky 6. Will they talk to each other?

[[1ponders]]

Using CCDSoft, SBIG and The Sky 6 information about the area being image can be inserted automatically into the Fits header.

Is it possible to do the same thing using MaximDL 4, Starlight Xpress and The Sky 6?

[PeterM]

I'm pretty sure no, as the question has recently been raised on the Software Bisque site about Maxim 5 and SkyX Pro. You can certainly have the Sky6, CCD Soft and Starlight Xpress working together and inserting the FITs header. Starlight Xpress have a CCD soft camera control available on their site.

PeterM.

[jase]

You can get MaximDL and TheSky to talk to one another through an ASCOM hub. That part is easy but reading your request further Paul, I see it extends deeper.

For plate solves where WCS information is inserted into the FITS header, MaximDL can't talk to TheSky to request this. There are no ASCOM code hooks for this to be performed as all the TeleAPI ASCOM driver for TheSky does is exchange telescope coordinates and movement commands.

MaximDL uses Pinpoint LE unless you've got the full version of Pinpoint installed (it will then use the latter) for plate solves against the desired star catalogue.

In MaximDL, you can perform manual plate solves on the FITS images which will insert the needed WCS information. This clearly isn't automated so if you're hoping to have the telescope plate solve, then move to adjust where its pointing, you'll need to consider other options. Wasn't entirely sure of your motive so manual plate solves maybe ample for what you want to achieve. You could however script it in MaximDL to open a series of images, plate solve them, save and close, but thats as good as it gets unless you introduce other software into the mix.

[gbeal]

Wouldn't it be nicer if CCDSoft allowed SX cameras to work?
Gary

[[1ponders]]

That' would be nice Gary and that's what I was hoping for originally.

thanks Peter i'll look into that on the SX site

That's what I was looking for Jase. Not so much for pointing accuracy ( mine is bang on being repeatedly no more than a few dozen pixels away from the center of the chip after a slew) but simply for finding asteroids and minor planets. Being able to have the WCS inserted into the header certainly simplifies the process.

[PeterM]

Hi Paul,
There is some information below that maybe useful.

http://www.bisque.com/sc/forums/p/8839/35275.aspx#35275

PeterM.

[[1ponders]]

Thanks Peter, I'll have to dig up my old bisque login.

I'm having a look at the SX site atm, but be buggered if I can find a plugin or driver for CCDSoft

[Bassnut]

Are you sure about that Jase. I use DL and Sky, this is an un plate solved image FITs file.

FILTER = 'Ha3nm ' / Filter used when taking image
IMAGETYP = 'Light Frame' / Type of image
OBJCTRA = '18 05 00' / Nominal Right Ascension of center of image
OBJCTDEC = '-24 26 14' / Nominal Declination of center of image
OBJCTALT = ' 73.8724' / Nominal altitude of center of image
OBJCTAZ = ' 58.4374' / Nominal azimuth of center of image
OBJCTHA = ' -1.0046' / Nominal hour angle of center of image
SITELAT = '-33 48 22' / Latitude of the imaging location
SITELONG = '151 07 19' / Longitude of the imaging location

Or have I missed something?. BTW I need to connect to the mount in DL to get this.

[[1ponders]]

how do you do this Fred? This is what I'm looking to achieve. btw I don't have Pinpoint.

[jase]

Well Fred, I tried and tried on my set up and it doesn't do it natively. Are you using ACP by any chance? It will do it.

We should also be careful here. If you're not platesolving, the RA and DEC values are that of the telescope and not the true center of image as suggested in your output. This can only be obtained with plate solves. If Paul is looking to do astrometric work to find asteroids etc. plate solves for accuracy is a requirement.

[Bassnut]

Well, not much. DL connected to sky and sky connected to mount. I understand sky does communicate coords automatically to DL. Its possible this is only for PME, but I dont think so.

Mind you, I have pinpoint, which I use for plate solving and point mapping, but pinpoint doesnt do anything during imaging between DL and sky. There is some location info etc to put in scope setup in DL once only though.

BTW pinpoint, tpoint and AAG automapper are very well worth the investment, wouldnt do without it now. Composing a pic is as simple as right click "center here" on where you want the image center to be and bang, there it is, within a few pixels, saves sometimes some 30 mins of random nudging.

And ofcause allows tools for fast perfect polar align and fast pointing maps. Sorry about the re-rant ;-)

[Bassnut]

No, not using ACP. And yes ofcourse, the values are from the mount, not the image, good point.

I plate solve (one click) for more accuracy.

[Bassnut]

BTW, and this makes a huge difference, once the (mount ) data is inserted into the fits, the literally 1 click plate solve takes about one second :P.

[[1ponders]]

That's exactly what I'm hoping to achieve Fred. While I have very limited experience with this, when I have hooked Gemini/LX200GPS (wedge), The Sky 6, CCDSoft and SBIG together it literally is a couple of clicks and its done. Can it be that simple in Maxim with SX? I know there are supposed to be drivers being done for SX and CCDSoft, but I haven't been about to find any, only forum chat about it.

[Bassnut]

Paul. I dont think the cam has anything to do with it, it all happens with the fits header after its downloaded from the cam, in DL.

I dont use CCDsoft.

I cant remember whether the PME has a direct connection with Sky, or through ASCOM, but anyway DL does communicate with Sky, it must, DL is connected to the mount through Sky, not directly.

Im pretty sure ASCOM communicates mount pointing data anyway, so Gemini should work the same way.

The nudging is calibrated with pinpoint thats all, I remember nudging worked on my Gemini, but I didnt use pinpoint at the time. Calibration can be done without pinpoint by an automatic expose/move/expose cal proceedure. I use pinpoint because its just one click to read the plate solve data and more accurate.

[[1ponders]]

Thanks for all the info and feedback guys. I've had a few ideas because of it. Give me some clear skies for a couple of hours to check and I'll know.

[rally]

I think Freds info is from the TheSky6 - its the Nominal Position information.

Please note that TheSkyX requires an entirely new TPoint Plugin that you have to buy from Software Bisque - it does not work with the normal TPoint Application like before.
Note this is completely different to PinPoint

TheSky6 is not an ASCOM compliant application, you need a special driver called TheSky Telescope Driver.

Maxim DL connects via TheSky 6 through this driver - you set Maxim's Telescope config to operate through this driver.

I think you need the Professional version of TheSky6 for this to work.

OT - If you have a Paramount - you still need the TheSky6 operating even if you dont use TheSKy6 as your mounts control planetarium package - there is no other connection method to the P-ME without it - its runs an encrypted communication protocol !

There are some different configuration options - its a little confusing at first.
See here for clarification of the confusion !

http://ascom-standards.org/FAQs/TheSky.htm

Cheers

[Karls48]

To have MaximDL 5 to do plate solve automatically and save it in FIT header you have to open Observatory control window, open Zoom window and right click on it and select Overlay Image. It will also save Airmass number. That is with PinPoint 4.2 I don’t know if it works with PinPoint little.
In Camera control window you have to select Autosave and in it one of the options in Astrometric resync. I use Solve only. And you have to have a GSC2 catalogue installed.

[PeterM]

Paul,
The CCD Soft drivers can be found here about halfway down the page. Hope this is what you were after.

www.starlight-xpress.co.uk/news.htm

PeterM.

[[1ponders]]

thanks Peter that's great thanks.

Thanks Rally, I'll update to ASCOM 5 and install TheSky Telescope Driver and see how it goes.

[[1ponders]]

thanks everyone for you help. I have the SX working with CCDSoft, though its a bit glitchy because it doesn't have the same functionality as the SBIG, but i can use it if i want. I've also managed to get the fits header to include object RA and DEC, though not through the SKY. I have to connect to the mount directly through DL. I can't seem to change the data bases for pinpoint astronomy until I install the UCAC catalogue. it doesn't seem to have the needed catalogue and I cant get it to recognize The Sky ones nor connect directly to the sky. But I'm definitely on the road to success.

The biggest problem that was resolved, and I'm embarrassed to admit it.... :whistle:.. I didn't have a cable connecting the mount to the laptop so that the sky could control the mount. :doh: :doh: :doh: and CCDSoft could get the RA and DEC. I still cant get CCDSoft to insert WCS info for some reason. I keep getting an error messagem but i seem to recall something about CCDSoft not being able to work with images over 1 sq deg.

Any more info would be greatly accepted but thanks for all the help so far