Sequencing and scheduling - SGP or Voyager? - Forums

Topic starter

Mar 2, 2022

Looking for a little info here -

The permanent dome going up in the backyard will require software to run it.

I want to schedule a list targets in advance - a week or three in advance, and then the software will automatically set up and photograph targets. If a target is not possible that night due to opening late due to WX or other issues, it will go to another target on the list, execute the imaging, and then if complete, remove it from the list and go back to whatever has not yet been imaged and work it into the schedule.

I travel a lot and the dome and systems needs to run on full automation without me there.

Please tell me your experience.

Thanks.

Kevin

psenness

Mar 2, 2022

Hi Kevin,
I have a NexDome Observatory and control everything in it with Voyager. I have run it fully automatically overnight with good success. I have weather information as an input and Voyager will shut down the observatory and wait for the weather to clear and then restart. The features you are asking about (scheduler for targets with some AI about what to shoot) will be coming out with Voyager Advanced in the coming weeks. A custom horizon line to account for trees, buildings, etc. is coming later according to Leo - Voyager author. I recommend you look at the Voyager forum and search on Rowland Archer's blog on Voyager Advanced for a in-depth look at what's coming. What I really like about Voyager is that it works, it just works.
Hope this is helpful.
Paul

Kevin Cummins

Topic starter

Mar 2, 2022

The features you are asking about (scheduler for targets with some AI about what to shoot) will be coming out with Voyager Advanced in the coming weeks. A custom horizon line to account for trees, buildings, etc. is coming later according to Leo - Voyager author. I recommend you look at the Voyager forum and search on Rowland Archer's blog on Voyager Advanced for a in-depth look at what's coming. What I really like about Voyager is that it works, it just works.
Hope this is helpful.

Thanks, Paul. I'll have a look at that. I am very interested in Voyager!

Regards,

Kevin

Jose Mtanous

Mar 2, 2022

Hi,

I used SGP for 3 years with very good success until I had some issues with focusing an obstructed telescope, then I migrated to Voyager.

Voyager is far superior to SGP in every aspect. I've been running my rig with Voyager fully unattended for more than a year, I only need to update the targets I want to image on a weekly or biweekly basis. When Voyager advance is released I won't need to update the targets since the advance version will include a scheduler.

Cheers,

José

Ed Beshore

Mar 3, 2022 · Edited: Mar 3, 2022

Hi Kevin -

I have been using Voyager for about a year now and think its pretty great.

Voyager offers considerable control, plays nicely with PhD2 and TheSkyX, Cartes du Ciel, etc.
gets routine updates from its developer (with good access to him.) including suggested enhancements
Voyager also includes a very nice sequencing engine — takes a bit of practice but you can do that in full ASCOM sims.
Likewise, it has a crude programming language called DragScript, which if you bend it back and forth a bit, can do quite a lot.
If you are a programmer, you can call external scripts as well in DragScript and just plain sequences.
If you are a serious programmer, Voyager has an Application Interface, but you will need to understand threaded programming, as it requires issuing a "heartbeat" in order to keep the interface alive. I am working on some Python scripts for this, and if I can get them cleaned up will share.
Excellent error management, which will be important for you with remote operation

Downsides:

Developer is not a native engish speaker, and while the wiki/documentation is pretty ok, some of his forum posts can be harder to understand. There seems to be a good active group on the forums.

Ed Beshore