SkySafari

Network Setup

First, make sure your device is on the same network as the PiFinder. See the User Guide for changing WiFi modes and finding the PiFinder’s IP address.

App Setup

Connecting requires SkySafari Plus or Pro. Start by setting up a telescope profile from the Telescope section of the settings page:

Setup

Click ‘Presets’, then use the + button at the bottom right to add a new profile.

Type

Select ‘Other’ as the telescope type.

Setup

Choose ‘Alt-Az. GoTo’ as the mount type, even without a GoTo scope — GoTo lets you send objects from SkySafari to the PiFinder observing list.

Setup

Select ‘Meade LX200 Classic’ for the scope type and click ‘Next’.

Setup

Use pifinder.local for the IP address; if that doesn’t work, check the Status screen for the numeric IP. Set the port to 4030, the SkySafari default.

Click ‘Next’ to continue.

Setup

The default Readout rate and Timeout are fine. Name your profile and click ‘Save Preset’ to save it and make it active.

Now select the Telescope icon on the main SkySafari screen and click connect to start receiving position updates. Until the first solve completes, the PiFinder sends a default location (0 degrees RA/DEC).

Using SkySafari

Once connected, SkySafari and the PiFinder work together in two main ways:

  • Follow your scope on the star chart. As you move the telescope, the PiFinder reports its solved position and SkySafari marks it on its chart — a large, zoomable view of where you are pointed. This is especially handy near the zenith, where the PiFinder’s own Push-To numbers become twitchy.

  • Send targets to the PiFinder. Pick an object in SkySafari and send it to the PiFinder’s observing list, then use Push-To guidance to find it — a comfortable alternative to entering objects with the keypad.

A few things are worth knowing about the connection today:

  • SkySafari does not command the PiFinder to slew or auto-center a GoTo mount. The connection reads out position and sends targets; GoTo control is in development.

  • Only one device can connect to the PiFinder at a time. To connect a different phone or tablet, disconnect the first one.

  • The PiFinder cannot talk to SkySafari and a GoTo mount at the same time — choose one.

  • SkySafari 5 Plus, 6, and 7 all work; version 7 is the most reliable.

Note

If the PiFinder drops into power-save mode it stops sending position updates, so SkySafari appears to freeze. When you are relying on SkySafari, lengthen or turn off the sleep timer (see Adjusting Brightness).

Troubleshooting

SkySafari won’t connect, or the connection keeps dropping. The usual cause is your phone or tablet quietly leaving the PiFinderAP network. Because it has no internet access, many devices switch back to cellular or a home network in the background, breaking the link. Re-select PiFinderAP in your WiFi settings, and turn off any “smart network switching” or “auto-switch to mobile data” option.

``pifinder.local`` doesn’t resolve. Some phones and networks can’t reliably look up the .local name. Use the PiFinder’s numeric IP instead — you’ll find it on the Status screen. In Access Point mode that address is 10.10.10.1.

It connects, but the position never updates. Until the first plate solve completes, the PiFinder reports 0°/0°, so give it a moment with the camera focused on the sky. If the position was updating and then froze, the PiFinder has most likely entered power-save mode — see the note above.

The connection is intermittent at a star party. Two nearby PiFinders using the same network name (SSID) can interfere with each other. Give each one a distinct network name to avoid this.