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Skysafari8-Android

Hello, I am following up on request #86386. The issue is still unresolved. I have now also received a response to my Google Play review explicitly asking me to contact support and report the bug — which I had already done here. The links previously sent concern SkySafari 7 / general SynScan Bluetooth configuration and do not address the reproducible SkySafari 8 Plus / Android 16 failure described in my original report. To restate the key point: Android 16 pairs with the HC-05 correctly, the device is visible and selectable in SkySafari 8 Plus, the mount/controller/adapter chain is independently confirmed working, yet “Verify Connection” does nothing and “Connect” fails with a wireless connection error. Could you please treat this as a technical bug report and confirm one of the following: SkySafari 8 Plus on Android 16 is expected to support an HC-05 serial Bluetooth adapter connected to a SynScan V4 hand controller; if so, please escalate this reproducible failure to the development team. or This configuration is not supported in SkySafari 8 Plus on Android 16; if so, please state that explicitly. I am happy to provide any additional logs or perform a specific diagnostic test if your developers need one. Regards, Olivier
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  • Avatar
    Ros Hartigan Official comment

    Hello Olivier,

    Thank you for your extensive documentation of this problem.  

    SkySafari 8 Plus will interact with your SynScan V4 controller through the SynScan app, as SynScan uses a proprietary protocol.  I realize the configuration screen is very confusing in this case and we will try to address it.

    To connect via SkySafari 8 Plus:

    First launch the SynScan app and make sure it is connected to your mount via Bluetooth.
     
    Then to set up SkySafari 8 Plus, at the main screen:
    • Click on Observe Menu
    • Telescope Mount Configuration
    • Add Preset
    • Select Other Connection
    • Select SkyWatcher SynScan, then Next
    • Select Mount Type, then Next
    • Select Connect Via WiFi
    • Enter IP Address: 127.0.0.1, Port: 11882 (this should match the port in Connect Settings/SynScan Communication Protocol port in the Synscan app)
    • Click validate connection, it should correctly validate. 
    • Click Next, rename the preset if desired, then Save
    • At the Telescope Presets List, make sure the new preset is selected

    You should now be able to connect.

    Let us know how it goes.

    Ros

     

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    Olivier delhove

    Thanks Ros.

    This is very useful, but it leaves two points I still don't understand.

    First, I need to keep the Android device's Wi-Fi available for normal Internet/network use.
    My intention is to connect the mount through Bluetooth.
    When SkySafari asks me to select “Connect via WiFi” while SynScan itself is connected to the mount via Bluetooth, am I correct that “WiFi” here only refers to SkySafari's local TCP connection to the SynScan app at 127.0.0.1:11882, and does not actually require the tablet's Wi-Fi radio to be connected to the mount?.
     
    Second, and more importantly, we tested an older SkySafari/Android combination, SkySafari 7 pro and Android 14 yesterday and it works without this problem.
    That seems significant!
    Could you explain what changed in SkySafari 8 and/or newer Android versions that makes the present configuration necessary?
     
    I am trying to understand whether this is simply a confusing configuration screen, as you suggest, or an actual change/regression in the way SkySafari 8 communicates with SynScan on recent Android versions.
     
    Regards
     
    Olivier
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