17 replies to this topic

[donnie3]

do you think celestron will ever come out with a advanced skyscout. more accurate so it can be used as a locator instead of just getting close to the target. fix the auto off to either 15 min, or a option to leave it on. less sensitive to metal. donnie

[DavidD]

It doesn't seem like it. Sadly, some of this issues could be taken care of with just a software update - no need for new hardware.

David

[marked]

I agree about the software update. Too bad it's been so long since they've done one.

Ed

[donnie3]

your probably right. i guess celestron is making so much profit that its not interested in making more, just joking. ha,ha. seems like a real popular item and a seller so why not improve on it. oh well, ill just wait, maybe some day they'll get the message. donnie

[donnie3]

if they would just fix the 5 min, shout off situation i would buy one. i like to star hoop with my 8" meade sct ( older model ) and sometimes i forgot where some of the objects are, like m2, m5 and so on. i could mount the sky scout on top of the sct and get in the general area then scan around until i find my target but with this 5 min, shout off, it would be a real pain!!!!

[DavidD]

The 5 minute timeout is a good example of something that could easily be fixed with a software update.

David

[rmollise]

do you think celestron will ever come out with a advanced skyscout. more accurate so it can be used as a locator instead of just getting close to the target. fix the auto off to either 15 min, or a option to leave it on. less sensitive to metal. donnie

Maybe. When the recession ends.

[Michael Cox]

Donnie:

I just wish that the Celestron update software feature would work with the Windows 7, 64 bit operating system. Perhaps Celestron doesn't think this item is important enough to support or the sales are just not enough to convince them to update their product. It's a shame since I have enjoyed using my Sky Scout and it provides a great way to identify bright objects without using a star chart.

Michael

[DavidD]

I finally gave up on the possibility of a Win 7 - 64bit upgrade. My best guess would be that Celestron farmed this software work out, and there is no such think as a maintenance team. I could be wrong, but this is sure starting to look like a one off.

I have a separate computer in my shop. It started out as a fairly modern laptop running Win 7 - 32bit. But, the hard drive controller died. I've now rebuilt another box from an older motherboard. I'm sticking with WinXP this time, so that all my Win7 incompatible stuff will run. So, my advice is to just hunt down an unwanted XP machine and use that.

David

[snowdragonusa]

I apologize for the repeat post but it might help more folks here...

Out of curiosity... has anyone tried using the Microsoft Virtual Machine add on to install the SkyScout update software and go that route? It is VERY simple to do and makes it even easier to run other pre XP software on a 64bit system.

Check it out...
]http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/]http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/[/url][/url]

***UPDATE***

I have confirmed that by installing the Windows Virtual PC (and XP Mode) that you can install both the drivers and software for the SkyScout. This works flawlessly on a Win7 Pro 64bit system. I suspect you will be able to do it on any other 64 bit system as well.

If there is sufficient interest I will put together a little tutorial on how to go about the install.

[DavidD]

ditto

[rmollise]

Donnie:

I just wish that the Celestron update software feature would work with the Windows 7, 64 bit operating system. Perhaps Celestron doesn't think this item is important enough to support or the sales are just not enough to convince them to update their product. Michael

Remember, too, there has not been an upgrade to the SS software in a long, long time, and likely won't be another anytime soon. Find a buddy with an XP computer, update your Scout and move on.

As for the SkyScout? I still use mine and for the tasks I use it for--identifying stars in the dusk and use with students--it's great. Why does it seem to have fallen by the wayside? The recession didn't help, and Celestron is not promoting it much AFAIK. Meade of course discontinued their "SkyScout." That was, though, likely largely due to technical problems they were never able to fix and insanely poor build quality.

[marked]

"Why does it seem to have fallen by the wayside?"

While I like my SS and still use it, there are also smart phone aps that make star identification very quick, easy, and free.

Ed

[rmollise]

"Why does it seem to have fallen by the wayside?"

While I like my SS and still use it, there are also smart phone aps that make star identification very quick, easy, and free.

Ed

Or at least very reasonably priced (SkySafari).

I was gobsmacked a while back when I took my freshman astronomy students out for an evening with planispheres. I was going to AMAZE them with my SS...but about half of 'em pulled out iPhones running astronomy apps. I left the pore SS in her case. LOL.

That said, I don't believe any of these apps quite duplicate the functionality of the SkyScout yet: point at a star, press "identify," get an ID and an audio description.

[DavidD]

Rod -

I don't own one of the fancier phones, but have seen a few and the apps are downright good. One thing - they have a screen. They can show the area of the sky you are looking at. I don't know if they can be aligned with a scope for specific finding, but they can get you pretty darn close. I also don't know if they can be zoomed in to identify objects.

Last Saturday I was at the Stargazing event at the Challenger Center I've been working at. I had my GalileoScope, so didn't get this request, but several people with go-to scopes were asked by several people with apps on their phones to "show me this".

Most people got their phone for a less than I paid for my SkyScout, though I don't have to pay for a data plan to use the SS. They have a nice screen. They have technology that is detecting the position of the phone without complaining about interference, nor having to constantly contact satellites. Logic would tell me a very nice SkyScout device could be built for a lot less money and having much better features.

Now....I wonder how well the phone apps work out in the middle of nowhere??

David

[rmollise]

Rod -

I don't own one of the fancier phones, but have seen a few and the apps are downright good. One thing - they have a screen. They can show the area of the sky you are looking at. I don't know if they can be aligned with a scope for specific finding, but they can get you pretty darn close. I also don't know if they can be zoomed in to identify objects.

Last Saturday I was at the Stargazing event at the Challenger Center I've been working at. I had my GalileoScope, so didn't get this request, but several people with go-to scopes were asked by several people with apps on their phones to "show me this".

Most people got their phone for a less than I paid for my SkyScout, though I don't have to pay for a data plan to use the SS. They have a nice screen. They have technology that is detecting the position of the phone without complaining about interference, nor having to constantly contact satellites. Logic would tell me a very nice SkyScout device could be built for a lot less money and having much better features.

Now....I wonder how well the phone apps work out in the middle of nowhere??

David

They should work fine. Why not? You don't need connectivity to run SkySafari, for example.

[Vondragonnoggin]

I have an older smart phone wityh windows mobile 5. Doesn't have apps available so I'm glad of the sky scout. That and I'm looking at getting anew scope that is carbon fiber and I think the SS will work on that without the magnet indicator going buggy. The SS has helped me identify and find quite a few objects when I bother to take it out. Still a great gadget. particularly with a group of kids and the little speaker hooked up to it.

[jrw11]

Have had mine since it first came out. Haven't used it for awhile, though. Wish it had a feature where it would have alist of objects feature that can be seen at that time. At least to a standard binocular magnitude.