Hi all,
Just hoping to get a little help as I feel I am doing something wrong.

I have a scenario where I wish to use a tripod only (doing time lapse photography not tracking) and my Canon DSLR and I would like the ability to plate solve an image to allow Kstars to show what I am pointing at time of plate solve and then allow Kstars to have sky move whilst my camera remains stationary.

I am operating via remote mode (hot spot).
I have setup a profile with a canon DSLR as the CCD, Astrometry in AUX1 and GPSD under AUX2.
This profile will connect and I can operate the camera to capture and download images.
When I go to the alignment tab, all functionality is greyed out, see attached image of alignment tab.
I am just wondering what I am missing.

Kind regards,
Jamie

Hi Jamie, I responded to your StellarMate support ticket with instructions on how to workaround this.

Any chance you could post that here? I just encountered the same problem for the first time tonight.

I have done something similar where I wanted to use plate solving to try to point my camera while it is on a sky tracker using multiple plate solves and turning the camera till I am happy.

To do that, I just setup a profile using the camera and the mount simulator. That way KStars sees a mount "attached" and then enables plate solving ability.

Yep, I figured out that I was having the problem for a similar reason: Ekos wasn't seeing my mount. Or it would see it long enough to put the tab up in the INDI control panel, but then have timeout issues and the like. No mount, no Alignment tab. So thanks for the tip.

Of course, I still can't do plate-solve GOTOs without the mount connecting properly, but I can't guide, either, so plate solving is the least of my problems! Fortunately I did deduce a few reasons why the problem occurs.

Hi all,

Sorry for bringing this topic back from the dead, but I have the same issue. I tried to setup the mount simulator, but the only simulator option I see is for a Telescope simulator

Is the Telescope simulator the same as the mount simulator? Or is there another option I can choose?

Yes the same.

Thanks for the prompt response, will try it out tomorrow.

I have a Sky Watcher Star Adventurer, which Option do I choose if I want to connect it for auto guiding in the future?

Using a Mount Simulator allows me to fire up the Polar Alignment module, but Solving keeps failing.

Both Astrometry and Astap timeout, regardless of whether I was shooting "live" or loading an image from SD card to solve.

What am I doing wrong?

logs

Astap
[2020-05-17T01:23:11.478 AEST INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Starting solver..."
[2020-05-17T01:23:11.484 AEST INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "/opt/astap/astap -z 2 -f /tmp/_5153327.JPG -o /tmp/solution"
[2020-05-17T01:25:18.158 AEST INFO ][ org.kde.kstars.ekos.align] - "Solver failed. Try again."

Astro.net Offline
2020-05-17T01:57:56 Solver aborted after 181 seconds
2020-05-17T01:57:55 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-41.fits, field objects 11-20).
2020-05-17T01:57:44 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-42.fits, field objects 11-20).
2020-05-17T01:57:36 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-43.fits, field objects 11-20).
2020-05-17T01:57:27 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-44.fits, field objects 11-20).
2020-05-17T01:57:12 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-45.fits, field objects 11-20).
2020-05-17T01:57:02 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-46.fits, field objects 11-20).
2020-05-17T01:56:52 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-47.fits, field objects 11-20).
2020-05-17T01:56:45 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-00.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:44 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-01.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:44 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-02.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:43 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-03.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:43 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-04.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:42 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-05.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:42 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-06.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:42 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-07.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:42 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-08.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:41 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-09.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:41 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-10.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:41 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-11.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:41 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-12.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:40 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-13.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:40 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-14.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:40 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-15.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:39 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-16.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:39 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-17.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:39 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-18.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:39 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-19.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:38 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-20.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:38 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-21.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:38 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-22.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:37 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-23.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:37 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-24.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:37 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-25.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:36 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-26.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:36 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-27.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:36 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-28.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:35 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-29.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:35 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-30.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:35 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-31.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:34 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-32.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:34 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-33.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:34 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-34.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:33 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-35.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:33 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-36.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:33 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-37.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:33 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-38.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:32 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-39.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:32 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-40.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:31 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-41.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:31 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-42.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:31 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-43.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:30 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-44.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:30 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-45.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:29 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-46.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:29 Field 1 did not solve (index index-4200-47.fits, field objects 1-10).
2020-05-17T01:56:29 Reading file "/tmp/_5153327.axy"...
2020-05-17T01:56:27 Solving...
2020-05-17T01:56:24 Reading sort column "FLUX"
Sorting sort column
mmapping input file
Copying table header.
Writing row 0
Done
2020-05-17T01:56:20 simplexy: found 3545 sources.
2020-05-17T01:55:14 Downsampling by 2...
2020-05-17T01:55:14 Extracting sources...
2020-05-17T01:55:09 Read file stdin: 5184 x 3888 pixels x 1 color(s); maxval 255
Using 8-bit output
2020-05-17T01:54:57 jpegtopnm: WRITING PPM FILE
2020-05-17T01:54:56 Reading input file 1 of 1: "/tmp/_5153327.JPG"...
2020-05-17T01:54:56 /usr/bin/solve-field -O --no-plots --no-verify --resort --downsample 2 --config /home/pi/.local/share/kstars/astrometry/astrometry.cfg -W /tmp/solution.wcs /tmp/_5153327.JPG
2020-05-17T01:54:56 Starting solver...
2020-05-17T01:54:56 Solver iteration #1
2020-05-17T01:54:56 Index files index-4201 to index-4206 are missing. Astrometry.net would not be able to adequately solve plates until you install the missing index files. Download the index files from astrometry.net
2020-05-17T01:54:35 Detected Astrometry.net version 0.76
2020-05-17T01:54:23 World Coordinate System (WCS) is enabled. CCD rotation must be set either manually in the CCD driver or by solving an image before proceeding to capture any further images, otherwise the WCS information may be invalid.
2020-05-17T01:54:23 Idle.

Tried to solve with Astro.net online,and that failed after 180 seconds with this message.

2020-05-17T02:05:26 Solver aborted after 180 seconds

BTW, this is the image I am using as the first image for solving. The original is a 12 MB file, had to downsize it to upload here.

Installed Kstars / Ekos on a fresh build of Raspian Buster and tried offline plate solving again. It still fails.

However, online solving with Astrometry.net is a success!

2020-05-17T21:01:05 Solution coordinates: RA (02h 21m 12s) DEC (-82° 33' 29") Telescope Coordinates: RA (02h 30m 56s) DEC (-81° 26' 48")
2020-05-17T21:01:05 Solver RA (35.56057) DEC (-82.65091) Orientation (229.62533) Pixel Scale (17.00967)
2020-05-17T21:01:05 Solver completed in 107 seconds.

I see that the FOV is 362.9' x 290.3', which corresponds to the astrometry-data-4208-4219 file. I have this installed in Ekos, why isnt offline solving working for me?

Anyone who can help me get offline solving working?

Bump...