Day 121 Monday 21st July 2014 T-Point and SkyX Camera Add On.

I acquired the Camera and T-Point Add ons to the Sky X today - a costly business. It took me a while to set up the necessary data to check that the camera, guider, focuser and filter wheel all worked as they do in CCDSoft. At first glance the camera add on seems like CCDSoft with links to the same functions accessed from a different looking menu. What you are paying for is having Sky X and CCDSoft working in the same package - not much different really but the camera add on seems to lack functions existing in CCDSoft. I particularly missed the ability to plate solve an image just acquired and saved - very useful. Of course you can plate solve in the existing SkyX software but it you have to reload it - unless I am missing something. HOWEVER - I suspect that there are some great features in there that I will come across so I reserve judgement. I really must read that 550 page manual some day.. The reason I changed was to get the upgraded T-Point package with a more straightforward way of mapping a large number of points and applying this to the T Point model. I need to improve the pointing and particularly the tracking on the Paramount. 

It was a clear night but the seeing was not as good as last night and I found that the software would not solve 30 second images because I was not capturing enough stars.  It was quite humid which is never good for astronomy. The corrector plate was unfogged and the camera dessicant had been recharged so it must have just been the seeing. 

Something that CCDSoft did not have was a good focusing routine - this has been enhanced in the camera add on - the graphs indicating focus is much better.

I notice @focus2 is still there - a very awkward name - but I didn't try it. In CCDSoft @focus2 used to only worked when it felt like it - I will try it when I can.