Telescope Reviews: Cartes du Ciel and the CPC/GPS

One of the best choices for the Celestron user who want to send her/his scope on go-tos from a PC is the excellent freeware program Cartes du Ciel. Unfortunately for beginners and the computer-phobic (like your old Uncle Rod), CdC does not use onboard telescope drivers, but instead uses the ASCOM scope interface program to provide scope control. Once installed, this system is very robust and works very well, both with the hand controller and with Nexremote.

How you do it:

1. Download and install Cartes du Ciel from http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/
This post assumes you're using the "old" version 2.76c rather than the v3.0 beta. 3.0 is almost there, but 2.76 is probably a better choice when you're first gettin' goin.

VERY IMPORTANT! Be sure to also download "ASCOM Plugin 1.2" from the Cartes download page. This is a zip file. Use Winzip or similar to unzip it into the Ciel directory (which you'll find under the Program Files directory) that CdC creates when you install the program.

2. Now, you'll need to get the ASCOM program. Go to:

http://ascom-standards.org/

Download the program, which is called "Ascom Platform 4.1." Install it on the PC. At this time, the most current ASCOM Celestron drivers are included in the 4.1 package, so you don' have to download nuttin else. ;-)

3. Time to do the hardware thang. If your laptop does not have a "real" serial port, you'll need either a serial PCMCIA card or a USB - serial adapter. The PCMCIA card is the way to go if you will be using Nexremote, but if you just want to hook CdC to the scope, the USB-serial cable is fine.

4. You'll need a cable to connect scope to PC, of course. There are plenty available for sale, or you can make your own if you are handy by following the directions at:

http://www.nexstarsite.com/

Be sure you get the correct cable: PC/programming cable if you want to use Nexremote, and a Nexstar serial cable if you just want to run with CdC. Plug the cable into your serial port or adapter, and into the (POWERED DOWN) scope's handcontroller (the recepatcle is on the back of the HC at the bottom). Fire up the PC, fire up the scope, and do your alignment as per normal.

5. Moment of truth a-comin. Start CdC. Go to the "scope" menu on the top menu bar and click "Select Scope Interface." Click "Ascom." Now, the configuration panel should appear. Click "select." If you've installed ASCOM and the CdC driver correctly, you'll get a little window called the "scope chooser." If not, go back and check your work.

6. Use the pulldown on the chooser to select "Celestron telescopes." Then, click "configure."

7. Select your scope type via the pulldown and fill in the other info on the config window as appropriate, including the proper number for your com port.

BUT UNCLE ROD, BUT UNCLE ROD, I GOT NO DERNED IDEA WHAT MY COM PORT IS! That's easy enough to remedy, skeezix. Open Control Panel from the Windows Start button menu and click the "System" icon in the Control Panel window. When you are there, click the "hardware" tab and click "device manager." You'll get a tree/list of stuff. Find "Ports Com and LPT" and click the plus sign. That done, all your ports and their numbers will be displayed. Note the com port number, go back to the ASCOM config menu, and use the pulldown to enter the correct number into its place.

8. When everything's filled out, click OK on the config window. You should still have the Interface window on the screen. At the bottom, you'll note a button that says "connect" next to a red "light." Mash that button. It should turn the light green, which will mean yer scope and 'puter is talkin. You may get a gull-derned warning sayin' something about time. What the program wants is to put CdC into its real time mode if it's not there already. Just say yes.

9. You may then want to go back to the scope interface menu and select "track scope position." This will indicate the current scope position with a bullseye and will change the display to follow the scope as required.

10. How do you go-to your go-tos? You can click "go-to selected object" from the Telescope menu (just be sure you've got an object selected), or you can mash the little go-to icon on the toolbar, or you can right click on an object and hit the go-to (object or cursor position) selection on the right click menu.

All this sounds a little complicated, but it really ain't.

If all this ain't clear as mud, well just ask me...I'm a-listenin'...

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Uncle Rod

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