SharpCap Forums

I recently started using sharpcap pro and am trying to configure my equipment to do plate solving. My mount is an explore scientific EXOSII PMC-8 that is ASCOM compatible. I am using a QHYS:-II-M camera. I have downloaded astrotortilla and configured it. I have set up my ASCOM mount with the PMC-8 driver. I am not sure if Sharpcap has autodetected Astrotortilla does anyone know what indication I should see? The "Find my location" button does NOT appear. Does anyone know how I can get Astrotortilla to find my location. Can Stellarium be used to find the objects I will be viewing, Thanks for any help.
Brundog

Hi,

you can adjust the configuration for the plate solver in the 'Plate Solving' page of the settings. It should detect the default install of AstroTortilla/ASPS/Ansvr automatically, but if you have customized the install or it fails to auto detect then you need to tell SharpCap the folder where the plate solver has installed the 'solve-field' tool.

I believe that you can use Stellarium to guide the mount (there is an addin called stellarium scope) but I never had much success getting it working. Others seem to like it though.

cheers,

Robin

Hi Robin, what was the problem you found using stellarium scope? Trying to figure out if it's worth the effort. Cheers.

I found it fiddly to set up and not particularly nice to use either. What it gained over Carte-du-Ciel on prettiness it lost in usability.

My choice now for planetarium software is the excellent (and free) SkytechX (http://skytechx.eu/)

cheers,

Robin

I want to configure all sky plate solver in the plate solving page of settings. Sharpcap does not automatically detect this program and I am not sure how to tell sharpcap where the "solve field" tool for all sky plate solver is located. The browse button doesn't help me and all I can find is the executable file.

Robin, thanks for the information about skytechX. It appears to be easy to set up and use.

Hi,

the last time I installed ASPS, the required file was installed in
SharpCap will (should) auto detect ASPS if it installs to that location providing you run SharpCap as the same user that installed ASPS. If that's not working then maybe the install location has been changed in newer versions and I haven't noticed

cheers,

Robin

Bayer wrote: ↑Tue Aug 21, 2018 1:56 pm Hi Robin, what was the problem you found using stellarium scope? Trying to figure out if it's worth the effort. Cheers.

I got my Celestron setup working with Stellarium Scope. First, you need ASCOM drivers for your mount. Then install and start up StellariumScope and connect it to your mount. In Stellarium, you have to enable the "Telescope Control" plug-in (you don't need to configure it, just select it so it's enabled on startup). There's a button on StellariumScope that configures Stellarium for you automatically. Just click it and it sets it up. It's super easy. When you start a session, startup StellariumScope and connect to the mount. It should start Stellarium automatically but if it doesn't you can just doubleclick the Stellarium icon and it will connect. Then I just minimize StellariumScope. I've never tried Cartes Du Ciel.

Hi Robin,

ShapCap 3.1 (the latest version) does not detect Astrotortilla on my PC. I looked up the C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Astrometry\bin\ and the C:\Cygwin paths, neither of these seem to have a solve-field file. How do I proceed? Please help.

I am having precisely the same issue with Plate Solver and Astrotortilla - I have searched everywhere for this 'solve-field' location and it does not exist.

Hi,

I have Astrotortilla installed and SharpCap finds the "solve-Field" file here: C:\Users\%user%\AppData\Local\Astrometry\bin\
%user% = user name you login to your PC. My example is from Windows 10 PC but should be the same for versions of Windows back to Windows 7. If you had Astrotortilla working in the past you may want to reinstall the Application. You can reinstall without having to download all the fits data. If you're on Windows 10 some recent updates have done some weird stuff to user data some personal data even being deleted and or moved.

Hope this helps,
-Wikkett