Voyager tryout - some questions

Voyager Beginner & Questions
1

Hello,

I’m playing with the trial version of Voyager and bumping in these issues. For now I only use the simulators in order to test the product. I mainly do variable star observing (with different setups). Maybe somebody can give me some insight or workarounds?

  1. When connected to Cartes du Ciel and searching for a comet in the sequence block he can’t find the comet. I download the MPC file via Cartes-du-ciel and when I try in Cartes-du-Ciel to find a comet manually, for example “156P/Russell-LINEAR”, it does find the comet. However, via Voyager it doesn’t find it. Same with asteroids. “M31” for obvious reasons it does find.
    The idea is here to have multiple shots of comets during the night, using Dragscript and the “Goto by name” action to slew to the known position of the comet at that time.

  2. I’m planning to use sequence-files for my snapshots. This seems to work fine for now, but I found that Voyager creates for every sequence/object a subdirectory with the object name. Even when I indicate to write the files in folder C:\Fits, it still creates the subdirectory. I need all my fits in one single directory, from where the processing-program picks it up for batch processing. Is there somewhere a configuration I miss to NOT create the subdirectory?

  3. Is there a way in Sequence to have a timeout on the platesolving (for example 300s), and when that expires or platesolves fails… to still continue taking the light-frames? I make a loop of sequence of 10x a lightframe and then repeat it indefinitely in order to “track” the object for several hours. I found it will redo a platesolve after 10 frames (which is what I want), but when the platesolve fails (for example some passing clouds), the whole series fails. While searching for a minimum orso, it’s not that bad that some platesolves fail or clouds pass by…

  4. I notice on the platesolving he will first try the first program (pinpoint), when that fails, he takes a new frame and tries on a NEW frame the blindsolve program (all sky solver). Is it possible to configure the program to use the same frame for both programs? This would win some time.

  5. My main intention is to use Dragscript for automation. I wonder if it’s possible to create one big Dragscript-file from where I can then pick on daily-basis blocks (objects) to observe and blocks not to observe. Basically: is there a way to enable/disable blocks or actions but keep the info there in the file?

  6. Is it possible to adapt the Dragscript while it’s running?
    For example: you start observing at 20h, but at 22h an email comes in with request to observe an object in the morning around 2 AM. Can I change a running Dragscript file and add that object manually without stopping the run, hitting the abort of pause button adapting the dragscript file and restarting it manually ?
    Another example: I’m running a dragscript file, but I notice just before bedtime that I made a typo in a coordinate. Can I change it without affecting the run?

  7. I observe multiple objects (let’s say 3) at the same time. I make a loop that every hour goes to the position somewhere in the middle of the objects for platesolvesync, then for the rest of the hour I go to object1_10s, object2_120s, object3_45s, and then back to object1_10s,object2_120s,object3_45s… After one hour it will go back to the center for another platesolvesync. Will the system automatically do a meridian flip with platesolve to refine or how can I handle that?

  8. In Dragscript, is there way to search for object name and let it fill in RA+DEC automatically? Or just take the selected object in the planetarium program?

Thanks a lot for looking

2

Hi, I think a look to our wiki and video is something can be helpful:


Some to your questions:

  1. VOyager have only one way to search on CdC from remote, depend on CdC how to answer and which targets. Probably search from window is different from search from remote. Something to ask to CdC support
  2. Use manual directory in sequence configuration
  3. Chiose on plate solvevsettimg in voyager setup the timeout
  4. Is not possible to do what you ask we redo image if solve mode switch
    5.yes is possible che the dragscript example for some idea where to starting
  5. You cannot do this
  6. In goto and sequence action meridian flip is managed
    8.use roboclip

All the best
Leonardo

3
  1. What I do is have a master DragScript that has every option in it that I update regularly as Leonardo adds more features. For a nights imaging I will take a copy of that and delete blocks I don’t want for that session and have that as a Nightly DragScript

The other option is to have a block of “flags” such as

Wait for astronomical darkness = “Y”
Home mount = “Y”

And then check for those flags in a block such as

Block : HOME
If wait for astronomical darkness = “Y”
Home Mount

I started with the latter but have moved to the former as being easier to manage.

4

Sorry, i think i forget some points:

  1. yes, Chris answered right, you can found some example in Dragscript section of forum and on the wiki
  2. no , you must restart dragscript but you can choose the block where to restart. The sequence in dragscript can be changed when you want if not is running
  3. In goto and sequence action meridian flip is managed
  4. use roboclip