5 replies to this topic

[MJB87]

Hi,

 

Sorry to ask another Sky Safari question. I tried to find this info elsewhere without success. 

 

How do the Plus and Pro versions of Safari 7 compare, and which should I use?  I've used SkySafari 5 Pro for years with success. The three things I don't like about it are (1) I can't store multiple telescope setup configurations, (2) the display automatically changes magnitude setting when you zoom in or out (I really dislike that) and (3) there is no RST-135 mount selection so I can't combine ASIAIR and Sky Safari with a RST-135 mount.

 

Are any of these fixed in Sky Safari 7? Are there differences in these fixes between Plus and Pro?

 

Another concern about Sky Safari 7 is that it seems heavily internet dependent. I do not want to do "social" stargazing or have to rely upon an internet connection for functionality. I don't want to store my configuration data in the cloud. I just want to point my telescope using a planetarium model stored on my iPhone and to use Sky Safari and my iPhone as a hand controller.

 

Can I turn off the internet-enabled feature without affecting required functionality?  Does this vary between Plus and Pro? If I don't want to use LiveSky can I still use Sky Safari 7? Does that vary by Pro vs. Plus?

 

How do I update and manage equipment setting in Sky Safari 7? LiveSky's equipment feature only works in Sky Safari 6, according to the software. So how do I do it in Sky Safari 7? Can I edit my equipment settings without a premium LiveSky subscription?  The LiveSky documentation appears to suggest you can't.

 

Really appreciate any guidance.

 

Marty

[btschumy]

Marty,

 

I can try to answer your questions:

 

(1) With SS7 you can store multiple scope configurations.

 

(2) Almost every planetarium program I've used adjusts the limiting mag displayed when zooming in.  SS7 still does that.  In SS6 and SS7 you can specify a "Do not show fainter than:" magnitude.  Then, regardless of how much you zoom in, it will never show stars (or DSOs) fainter than the value you specify.  Perhaps this will help.

 

(3)  SS7 hasn't added an RST-135 mount type.  Presumably this mount uses some already defined protocol such as LX-200.  I would look into that.  SS7 also has added support for ASCOM, INDI and Alpaca.  Perhaps one of this will help you.

 

SS7, like all previous versions, is not dependent on the internet.  Yes, you will not be able to use the OneSky feature without internet, but it sounds like you are not interested in that anyway.

 

LiveSky works fine with SS7.  If you stumbled on a web page that says otherwise, it probably just hasn't been updated.  You do need the Premium subscription to edit equipment in LiveSky.  However you can still edit it from within the app and have those changes synced to all you devices using a non-Premium account.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Bill

[Bob Denny]

This differences chart on  the SimCur site should help

 

https://skysafariast...ison-chart.html

 

Also on the RST-135 product page I see  this:

 

Edited by Bob Denny, 31 May 2022 - 10:56 AM.

[Lead_Weight]

Here's a Youtube video on how to connect your RST-135 to both ASIAir and SkySafari.

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=M7fHvFhic3w

 

Newer versions of ASIAir come with a planetarium app, so make sure you've updated the software.

 

Also, as mentioned above, you can connect via the LX200 Protocol and the built in WIFI. You have to set the mount controller to use LX200 instead of the RST protocol. You have to turn on WIFI on the mount, and you have to connect to the WIFI through your phone, which means you lose connection to your local network. But this can be handy if you want to point to objects in SkySafari for visual use.

 

The mount is also supported on INDI and ASCOM. As long as you have a small computer set up at the mount connected via one of these drivers, you can connect SkySafair 7 to them using that method.

[Bob Denny]

We can hope that these people will build in Alpaca support and eliminate the need for external drivers, cables, etc.

[MJB87]

Thanks, everyone. Some very helpful info.

 

Let me clarify one thing. I know I can control the RST-135 with SkySafari. But to do this you have to set mount type to LX200. When you do this ASIAIR will not function. It need the mount type to be set to RST. I know of no way to get SkySafari, ASIAIR and the RST-135 to function all together. So I have to choose: SkySafri or ASIAIR. Other users have raised this as a feature request for SkySafari.