Pete,
"Nothing that can be done about it."
Not true at all, they can absolutely share the same Com port if you are
using ASCOM for both. ASCOM has supported multiple connections for years.
The issue is that TheSky6 doesn't support an ASCOM telescope out of the box,
it needs a plugin.
So you need to download the ASCOM plugin for TheSky6, and POTH if it isn't
already installed. Once you have all of the pieces in place, connect up
TheSky6 to POTH (Plain Old Telescope Handset which acts as a hub), then
connect POTH to your LX200GPS. Once that's done, connect Guide to POTH
using ASCOM, and the scope will be shared amongst both apps.
Of course you need to be careful about some things like don't slew with one
software, while your moving the scope with the other etc. But you can go
back and forth between different software as you like.
Do some searching on the ASCOM site, or the Ascom-Talk Yahoo group for more
details about POTH, and ASCOM hubs. Check there also for installing the
ASCOM plugin/driver for TheSky6.
Look here for a FAQ that answers What is a hub, and shows a picture of
exactly what you're wanting to do:
http://www.ascom-standards.org/FAQs/Index.htm
TheSky6 plugin (TeleAPI) is at:
http://www.ascom-standards.org/Downloads/Plugins.htm
POTH should be included with your ASCOM install or can be downloaded at:
http://www.ascom-standards.org/Downloads/PlatformUpdates.htm
Steve Barkes
Las Cruces, NM
From: barringtonri <
pecorp@...>
Reply-To: <
guide-user@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:58:07 -0000
To: <
guide-user@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [guide-user] It didn't work - was: Why do I love Guide?
As noted some time back, using The Sky 6 puts my coordinates into my CCDSoft
guide routine, greatly simplifying it. And also inserts the coordinates
into the TIF image files. So this is the priority. But I use Guide for
figuring out just where to slew, and auto slewing would be significantly
faster than my current manual entry using the Meade hand control.
Last night I was successful getting Guide 8 to run my 14" LX200GPS. Instead
of using the LX200 selection I chose the ASCOM selection and then selected
the LX200GPS/RCX option. So very neat that you can slew either the scope to
match the Guide position or Guide to match the scope position.
Which makes it even more frustrating that ASCOM won't share the same COM
port with my The Sky 6 Pro. I can run the scope connection on one or the
other but not on both. In fact, there was an error message that came up in
Guide saying that I couldn't share the same COM port.
Just posting for the record. Nothing that can be done about it.
Pete Peterson
Wishing Star Observatory I15
--- In
guide-user@yahoogroups.com <mailto:guide-user%40yahoogroups.com> ,
Bill J Gray <pluto@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Pete,
>
> > I'm a bit timid about trying this while The Sky 6 also has control of
> > the scope. Does anyone have any idea as to what would happen if I
> > attempted to run the two ASCOM interfaces thru the same port at the same
> > time???????????
>
> I _think_ this will work Just Fine. (Indeed, one reason I finally
> got around to adding ASCOM is that it allows some interoperability:
> you're supposed to be able to run several programs accessing the same
> scope or CCD camera, without having them interfere with one another.)
>
> If you're nervous about it, just make sure you've got the power
> button for the scope in your hand and can shut it down quickly if it
> starts to do dangerous things! (But I really doubt it will.)
>
> -- Bill
>
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