ABSTRACT
Remote operation is an extremely convenient, if not mandatory, requirement for astrophotography. For the duration of time it takes to acquire images with depth, it makes no sense to sit out in the open, even in an enclosed observatory. There are different levels of “remote operation”, some of which may not occur in the same continent. In this study we are within a stone’s throw, where it is easy to reset power or USB connections in the case of a problem. I operate my system from indoors and initially used a USB extender over CAT5 cable with considerable success. Using this configuration I was able to prove the reliability of the entire system with the applications running on an indoor desktop PC. It did not, however, allow me to acquire video images, since the bandwidth of its USB 2.0 hub was insufficient to stream uncompressed video at 60 fps. This and the fact that in some instances it required three nested USB hubs, prompted an evaluation of other means of remote control. There was something else; at a recent outreach event at a local school it was apparent that I required a wireless system to remove trip-hazards between the computer and the telescope mount.
