Does Log Analyzer work with 8.2?

[Brian Sheets]

can't seem to get it to show data on any of the logs I load.

b

[Dick Berg]

Hi Brian,

Log Analyzer (version 1.36) works on logs generated by standalone ACP, but I could not make it work on logs generated in ACP driven by Scheduler.

[Brian Sheets]

Hi Brian,

Log Analyzer (version 1.36) works on logs generated by standalone ACP, but I could not make it work on logs generated in ACP driven by Scheduler.

well that's a bummer.

[Dick Berg]

I'm not sure why it doesn't work, though. Log analyzer is supposed to parse the log file and count up various statistics, looking for keywords in the log, I'm sure. Here are two examples - current and three years old.

March2019.png Aug2016.png

[Dick Berg]

Brian, almost ready to post an updated version that will work with Scheduler. Look for version 1.37 at this website, about the 1st of December.

[Dick Berg]

Hi Brian,

Dave's really busy, so here's a zip file you can use to install the new version 1.3.7

Updated ACP Log Analyzer version 1.3.7 (dc3.com)

[Roger Baylon]

Dick,
Change of topic -- since I don't know how to message you directly. This is about stacking.

I have bookmarked some helpful guidance that you have given to this forum on calibration and stacking.
Does this imply that you find this capability useful? Or are you doing the calibration and stacking yourself to get better image processing results? (Bob Denny seems to imply in at least one case that automatic calibration and stacking is most useful for those doing science-related imaging.)
Warmly,
Roger
Note: I see that your retired from MITRE. It is a big company. Did you know Bob Everett who recently died or perhaps John Quilty?

[Dick Berg]

Hi Roger,

Messaging directly - you can use the "Private Messages" to send a message to any Comm Center member. The link is in the line below "What's New" at the top of the page.

I replied to your post here by sending you a private message so you can see how it works. You can reply to that message, or reply here to carry the conversation forward.

[Dick Berg]

Hi again, Roger,

Got your private message reply. Thanks for pointing me to my very early post from 2011. Here's the link to the message, which anyone can read:

http://forums.dc3.com/showthread.php...lign#post30373

I actually have never tried to use the "stack" directive, so I don't have any experience to pass along. For calibration, I typically set the "calibrate" checkbox in the ACP Preferences to automatically calibrate every image after taking it. For my small-FOV camera (10'x15' roughly) it's a very quick task to calibrate in real time. Other users may prefer to collect all the images first and then post-process them all at once later, during the day. For large-FOV cameras and in a scenario where high cadence rate or minimal interruption is sought, that's a very good idea as it doesn't slow down the cadence. So it all depends on what your needs are.

I have always used MaxIm after the fact to stack images - to produce color images from my filtered b/w camera images, for example, or to bring out more detail by combining images, or putting images together in a mosaic, or a "movie." When you use the #STACKALIGN directive, ACP will collect the appropriate images and then invoke MaxIm to actually do the stacking and aligning. Most of my research is on photometry of variable stars of many sorts, especially imaging at high time resolution. I might stare at one object for 11-12 hours (in this season), collecting 400 or so images. I don't want to stack them.

Regarding my response to Peter's question in 2011, I was just trying to clarify for him what was in the ACP Help file. These directives still exist. If you search on "stackalign" in the search bar at the top of this page, you'll see that there has been little problem with it, or perhaps hardly anyone uses the capability. One question a year, more or less. I suspect it's not a very frequently used tool.

I hope this helps you. Thanks again for getting in touch.

[Roger Baylon]

Thanks, Dick
If I check the calibrate checkbox, as I now plan to do based on your comments, will ACP also calibrate the guider images?

Since I have an off-axis guider (my guiding sensor is included in my SBIG filter wheel--not the camera), I have heard from another wiser-then-me ACP user that I might get better guide star images and thus better tracking by having ACP calibrate the guiding images--and maybe select a better guide star.

Of course, the pixel size of the sensor for the guide camera is not the same as that for the main imaging camera.
And the array for the guide sensor is only 648 px x 486 px instead of 2750x2250. So it is hard to see how to use the main camera calibration frames for the guide sensor.

I can see that I have quite a bit to learn!
Many thanks for the help.
Warmly, Roger