Hi Kevin,

Thanks for mentioning this. I really should have suggested that
(with almost any scope control issue) it can help to try ASCOM if
Guide's "built-in" direct control fails, or to try the "built-in"
control if ASCOM fails.

If you switch to the other system and things start working, as
in your case, that's obviously a Good Thing all by itself. If it
fails both ways, that's important information in tracking down the
problem. I won't waste time looking for an ASCOM-specific or a
direct-control system specific bug.

Usually, people should use Guide's built-in direct scope
control anyway; one should only use ASCOM if really necessary.
There are two cases where that can happen:

(1) Guide doesn't support your scope directly. It can handle
any Meade or Celestron scope, and most scopes are compatible with
these; but there are some with control languages unknown to Guide.
In which case, you'll just have to use ASCOM.

(2) You may have other ASCOM-compliant software running. ASCOM
doesn't "play well with others". If it's running in one program,
it seizes control of the serial port and Guide can't do anything.
(I think well of ASCOM in some ways, but regard this as a serious
defect in its design.) So again, you're forced into ASCOM use in
that case.

Except in those cases, use of Guide's direct scope control system is
a good idea, simply because it means there are fewer things to go wrong.

-- Bill