Does anyone else have a mount connecting to TSX via the LX200 driver?

[g__day (Matthew)]

Hi folks a quick request if I may,

If anyone has The SkyX and they can connect their mount to it using the Meade Instruments LX200 driver (not the ASCOM LX200 driver) - could you please do a test for me:

If you have APT (full licence or free trial) when you connect your scope in APT via the ASCOM X2 driver for The SkyX - do you see tracking enabled or not?

I am trying to pin down is an issue occuring in APT stem from the Meade Instruments LX200 driver not implementing the Tracking status command - or is it the Vixen SkySensor2000-PC in LX200 mode does something that the Meade Insturments LX200 driver assesses that the mount can't track!

Many thanks if you are willing and able to help!

PS a Software Bisque Developer has a 10 Micron mount he connects using the LX200 driver - so I have asked him if he can do the above test for myself and Ivo (APT) to understand the behaviour better!

[g__day (Matthew)]

No one else?

[g__day (Matthew)]

Well ASCOM Conform testing of the TSX driver (non ASCOM) via the X2 interface they wrote returns Read Tracking as Ok False - when APT expects it to be Ok True.

As usual Software Bisque team have gone way silent after stating in their own words - not sure why everyone blames us - its likely an ASCOM issue.

Informed their team its their own Meade Instruments LX200 driver and asked could they simply test what Tracking status is set for them - no response...

It kills me how great the support with APT, SGP, Pixel Insight and ASCOM groups are and how sub standard is the missing support from the makers of the most expensive Astronomy software I have bought - it cost me more than all the rest combined! Worse at the sales stage they told me their software did everything I expected - and it certainly didn't until a few years ago - after paying non trivail yearly maintenance fees that weren't cheap!

Rant over...

[g__day (Matthew)]

So squeaky door gets the oil!

From APT Monday morning - Ivo shares a pre-release with a fix for 32bit TSX - seems to work well - detects tracking state properly - will test hopefully tonight it triggers auto focusing on defined event!

From Software Bisque - Dan Bisque at the sae time shares the next release of TSX 64bit that has a fix for LX200 mounts tracking state declared to X2 - and it works beautifully too with APT.

So that was a great start to the day!