34 replies to this topic

[amitshesh]

Has anybody been successful at running skysafari 7 pro on windows using BlueStacks or any other emulator? Evidently it needs android 10 or later which BlueStacks does not support.

[Notdarkenough]

No. I am in the middle of this issue right now. There is a great way to use the windows machine as an Alpaca Remote Device and then use SkySafari, but to set that up you need a static ip for the windows machine so the Remote Device understands how to keep finding it. However, I have Comcast ISP. Comcast apparently does not allow static ips for home use. Maybe you could pull this off if you could use static ips for your network? 

 

As for the Alapaca end of things, it appears solid and well constructed. 

https://www.ascom-st.../FAQs/Index.htm

[amitshesh]

I have successfully done this. I set up an alpaca remote server on my windows machine, run skyscan pro app for my mount on the same machine, and then control the mount using skysafari on my Android phone. My question is simply how to run skysafari 7 pro on the windows machine as well.

[Notdarkenough]

I think using Alpaca is the simplest solution. I am anxious to see what the corporate knowledge thinks.

[amitshesh]

I am not sure we are talking about the same problem. I can already use skysafari on a mobile device to control a mount that is connected to a Windows machine.

I want to run skysafari on windows.

[Notdarkenough]

Then you would probably have to go the Linux route on the windows pc.once you portion a big chunk of HDD space to Linux use I have seen that way works. I haven't had any success running SkySafari on a BlueStakes emulator, and I have tried several emulators. In the end, they are a massive resource hungry suite of software built primarily for gamers.No Joy for me.

[Dan Crowson]

No. I am in the middle of this issue right now. There is a great way to use the windows machine as an Alpaca Remote Device and then use SkySafari, but to set that up you need a static ip for the windows machine so the Remote Device understands how to keep finding it. However, I have Comcast ISP. Comcast apparently does not allow static ips for home use. Maybe you could pull this off if you could use static ips for your network?

Can you use dns names instead of ip's? Use a free dynamic dns service.

Dan

[Cey42]

You cannot run SS 7 on BlueStacks. SS requires Android 10 or higher. While BlueStacks only supports up to Android 9. It really sucks because I love running SS under BlueStacks on my Windows machine and I wanted to upgrade but I cannot.

[Jon Isaacs]

You cannot run SS 7 on BlueStacks. SS requires Android 10 or higher. While BlueStacks only supports up to Android 9. It really sucks because I love running SS under BlueStacks on my Windows machine and I wanted to upgrade but I cannot.

 

Functionally, there is little difference between SkySafari 6 and SkySafari 7.  Why not just run SkySafari 6 and be happy like you were before SkySafari 7 hit the scene?

 

Jon

[jp071848]

Then you would probably have to go the Linux route on the windows pc.once you portion a big chunk of HDD space to Linux use I have seen that way works. I haven't had any success running SkySafari on a BlueStakes emulator, and I have tried several emulators. In the end, they are a massive resource hungry suite of software built primarily for gamers.No Joy for me.

How would you suggest running Android inside Linux? I have a few dual-boot systems with Mint running alongside either Win 10 or Win 11. I'd love to be able to run Android inside Mint. Right now my brute force method is to literally plug my Android phone into the PC running Mint and use the great little app scrcpy to flawlessly throw the Android screen onto the PC, but that's obviously not the same as actually running Android inside Linux.  Thanks for any advice (and apologies for the slight hijack)
 

[Xeroid]

Take a peek at this previous post titled: 'View or Control Android SkySafari 6/7 on a Windows or Linux Desktop PC"

 

 

 

Has anybody been successful at running skysafari 7 pro on windows using BlueStacks or any other emulator? Evidently it needs android 10 or later which BlueStacks does not support.

Edited by Xeroid, 22 October 2022 - 02:45 PM.

[astrophile]

@Cey42:  Appreciate the warning about Bluestacks not (yet) supporting Android 10 and SS7, I had not realized that.  Can you tell me which "instance" of Bluestacks 5 would be best for SS6 on a modern Win machine?  They offer Nougat 32 bit, Nougat 64 bit, and Pie 64 bit... I assume SS6 is 64 bit but don't know which emulator instance would be optimal.

 

[edit: Further research, Pie is Android 9, Nougat is Android 7...assume I'll go with Pie.  Cut me a break, I'm an iPhone guy... ;-)

 

Thanks!

Edited by astrophile, 24 October 2022 - 04:00 PM.

[amitshesh]

BlueStacks 5 now has Android 11 (beta). I just tried it and I can confirm that skysafari 7 pro runs on it!

I haven't had a chance to control my telescope using this, but I don't see why it wouldn't work!

[Cey42]

WOW! That is great to hear that SS7 is running on BlueStacks5. Now I need to wait for another SkySafari sale so I can get SS7.

 

Please keep us updated if you find any issues running SS7 under BlueStacks5.

[CHnuschti]

Here installed Bluestacks says 5.3.70.1004 P64(beta). Clicking "update" says I've the latest version. I'm still not able to install SF v7 down from google play, still says "not compatible" bla.

 

Now: from www.bluestacks.com directly, downloading gives a "BlueStacksInstaller_5.10.0.1085_native_....exe". Installing it, it results in a v 5.10.0.1085 N32. Newer, as it looks. There indeed one can install SF v7. BUT ...
there are some additional steps to go, explained here: https://support.blue.../10499358452237 (hope it is in english?, was "native" german here).

 

Is working here, can confirm it. But only over that shortcut "bluestacks instances manager" or similar, that is set during the install.

 

regards

[amitshesh]

Here installed Bluestacks says 5.3.70.1004 P64(beta). Clicking "update" says I've the latest version. I'm still not able to install SF v7 down from google play, still says "not compatible" bla.

Now: from www.bluestacks.com directly, downloading gives a "BlueStacksInstaller_5.10.0.1085_native_....exe". Installing it, it results in a v 5.10.0.1085 N32. Newer, as it looks. There indeed one can install SF v7. BUT ...
there are some additional steps to go, explained here: https://support.blue.../10499358452237 (hope it is in english?, was "native" german here).

Is working here, can confirm it. But only over that shortcut "bluestacks instances manager" or similar, that is set during the install.

regards

Right. So this is what I did:

1. Download latest BlueStacks 5.
2. Install it. It creates a nougat instance by default.
3. Opening BlueStacks player starts this nougat instance.
4. I could not find the BlueStacks multi instance manager, until I realized that it had put a shortcut for it on my desktop. Clicked it.

5. Created new instance for Android 11 beta. Gave other hardware configs (matched resolution to my screen, dual CPU, balanced, etc.).

6. Started this instance.

7. Opened playstore, logged in using the same Google account as my phone.

8. Went to my apps, found skysafari 7 pro that I have installed on my phone.

9. Installed it in the instance.

10. Started skysafari, downloaded all the files it wanted me to, and then verified that it worked.

11. Noticed that it created a skysafari shortcut on my windows desktop.

Now to open skysafari directly I use this shortcut (without having to first start BlueStacks). It opens the Android 11 instance in BlueStacks player and opens skysafari automatically!

Edited by amitshesh, 19 December 2022 - 10:14 PM.

[Cey42]

I have successfully installed SkySafari 7. I did run into one issue. SS was frequently crashing. To fix that, I went to Settings under BlueStacks, under Performance set Frame Rate to 15. No more crashes.

 

I am so happy!

[amitshesh]

Confirmed that I can control my mount using this setup. I use a remote alpaca server running on the same mini PC as this, and it works just as well as from my phone.

[Cey42]

You have SS & Alpaca connecting and running on the same computer? If so, can you describe how you got it working?

 

Thanks

[amitshesh]

You have SS & Alpaca connecting and running on the same computer? If so, can you describe how you got it working?

Thanks

I followed this video, which I believe is attributed to you!

https://www.cloudyni...ng-alpacascope/

I use more or less that setup to run the alpaca remote server on my mini PC, and connect to the mount using alpaca connection in skysafari 7 on my Android phone.

Once I got skysafari 7 working via BlueStacks on the same mini PC, I didn't really have to do anything extra.

1. Start gs server on mini PC, connect to mount (as before).
2. Start remote alpaca server on mini pc, which connects to GS server (same as before).
3. Start skysafari pro 7 on BlueStacks 7. I created a livesky account that basically synced all my skysafari setup from my phone onto this installation.

4. Connect to the alpaca mount from BlueStacks, exactly as I used to from my Android phone.

5. I do all of this by connecting to the mini PC via remote desktop. The mini PC is at the mount outside, connected to my home wifi. I am inside, with a laptop.

I was hoping that there would be a more "direct" way to connect to the mount as everything is connected to and running on the same computer. There may be such a way, but for now this works and I did not encounter any problems or lag.

Edited by amitshesh, 22 December 2022 - 12:08 AM.

[Cey42]

Yeah, that is my video. I had not tried yet and figured I would ask to see if there were any gotchas.

 

I had time last night to try using Alpaca from SkySafari and it did take some work and I got it sort of working. I ran into an issue where using Goto in SS is not working. I will likely start a new post on that.

[amitshesh]

Yeah, that is my video. I had not tried yet and figured I would ask to see if there were any gotchas.

I had time last night to try using Alpaca from SkySafari and it did take some work and I got it sort of working. I ran into an issue where using Goto in SS is not working. I will likely start a new post on that.

My biggest struggle was for skysafari to find the telescope on my network when I was adding it. Giving a static IP address to the computer that the mount is connected to, turned out to be the easiest way.

[nicknacknock]

Just did the Win install myself via Bluestacks and connected it to my mount. Also dropped in a panoramic of my location and works like a charm. You need to download a separate file manager from the Google Store to be able to copy the panorama from the media folder to the appropriate folder of SkySafari.

 

All in all, works like a charm. Paired with the ASIAir app, I now have a full fledged solution on Windows with my favorite apps!

[Notdarkenough]

Just did the Win install myself via Bluestacks and connected it to my mount. Also dropped in a panoramic of my location and works like a charm. You need to download a separate file manager from the Google Store to be able to copy the panorama from the media folder to the appropriate folder of SkySafari.

 

All in all, works like a charm. Paired with the ASIAir app, I now have a full fledged solution on Windows with my favorite apps!

Can you put a little more meat on that fire? I have been,  casually, pfaffing around with this exact project for a few months. 

 

Sorry to the OP is this feels hijacker-esque. Say the word and I'll move to a DM, if that helps.

[nicknacknock]

Just PM me