TheSky Quick Capture

[William Bristow]

Hi Matt.

The Sky Quick Capture is working ok for me with TheSky32 10.5.0 build 13572, using the rotor and telescope simulators on my test system, (see attached screen-grab) which is a Windows 11 VM running on a Mac (I don't have any of the ACP planning tools installed on the observatory Windows machine at this time).

QuickC.jpg

The problem with your version of ACP's TheSky Quick Capture displaying "999" for the rotator angle is possibly something specific to your installation?
The current version of Planner is 4.2.6 but that was released in 2011? (I think) so you should be up-to-date there.

If you are using an older build of TheSky32, prior to 10.5.0 - 13572, there were bug fixes regarding the handling of the displayed FOVI's and PA angle on GEMs when using an OAG with offset FOVi and flipping the mount when crossing the pole.

If you are using TheSky Quick Capture on your observatory computer and have a physical rotor installed but not "connected" in TheSky at the time you use TheSky Quick Capture then perhaps that is why you see the "999" angle reported?

I can't test that myself as my own PrimaLuceLab 3"ARCO has developed a loose bearing and has been removed from the observatory pending repairs, or scrapping, but using the rotator simulator TheSky Quick Capture always reports the FOV rotation angle correctly.

The advisory message that appears every time that you start TheSky32, informing you of the phase-out of the 32bit version of TheSky, despite clicking the check box asking that the advisory message is not displayed again, has been been fixed and from build 10.5.0 build 13638 once you check the box to say you don't want to see that message again then it no longer appears each time that you start TheSky32.

As for the future, eventually the Bisques will stop distributing the combined TheSky32 and TheSky64 installation package and what happens then is unknown as there is no obvious way to install TheSky32 separately from TheSky64, since both are linked together in the current installer, the only people who would know the answer to that are the Bisques.

But one thing is clear is that there are no user accessible archives of previous installers for TheSky32/64 on the Bisque website and unless you have kept copies yourself then it is not possible to revert back to past versions of TheSky32/theSky64 combined installer and when eventually TheSky32 is phased out, as the Bisques have stated it will be, then ACP Plan Capture / Quick Capture that relies on TheSky32 will be redundant, unless Bob decides to write a new version of ACP Plan Capture, etc, to work with TheSky64....and some users who rely on TheSky64 for Paramount mount control may be forced to update to a version of TheSky64 that does not ship with a 32bit build included!

William.