ProTrack™ is TPoint-specific software technology that improves the Paramount’s tracking accuracy. Based on your pointing calibration data, and the resulting pointing model, small corrections are periodically made to the telescope’s position that compensate for mechanical tracking errors, such as tube flexure and out of round gears as well as other systematic errors, such as atmospheric refraction. This same tracking enhancement technology is used on many of the world’s largest telescopes, such as the 8-meter Gemini telescopes.
ProTrack gives amateur astronomers the ability to take long unguided exposures (up to 20 minutes at 100-inch focal length) with pinpoint stars. Unguided exposures of this duration at moderate to long focal lengths, with pinpoint stars, are simply not possible without this type of software and hardware integration.
ProTrack works best with a Super Model that has been generated from an extensive set of pointing calibration data set (50 or more pointing samples) and is typically used in permanent installations. However, ProTrack can provide useful tracking corrections using a smaller number of pointing samples, making it useful for semi-portable or mission critical portable setups.
ProTrack requires the following minimum hardware and software.
· A Paramount robotic telescope mount, or MKS Series Software Bisque Telescope Control System (Bisque TCS).
· TheSky Professional Edition.
· The TPoint module.
· A telescope with a fixed mirror. (The random motion caused by mirror flop can make precision tracking nearly impossible.)
· An extensive set of TPoint modeling data (50 up to 300 maximum stars recommended).
A robust mount coupled with superb telescope pointing is required for optimal TPoint-assisted tracking. Here are the keys to getting excellent ProTrack results:
· Make sure every component of the imaging system is robust, from the pier mounting to the camera mounting and everything in between. Loose mechanics, or even cables sagging off the telescope can introduce random errors that cannot be corrected degrade ProTrack’s performance.
· Use the TPoint’s Automated Pointing Calibration feature to obtain an accurate pointing calibration data set.
· Employ a TPoint Super Model that is based on at least 100 pointing calibration samples.
1. Click Telescope > Connect.
2. From the TPoint Module window, ProTrack tab, turn on the Activate ProTrack checkbox to view a table of ProTrack corrections that are applied when the mount is tracking at the sideral rate.
To apply the TPoint-assisted tracking corrections to the mount’s tracking, turn on the Enable Tracking Adjustments checkbox.