TheSkySearchers

I have the Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80AZ which I soon after purchase moved to my Dobsonian scope.
I'm assuming you entered the supplied activation code and enabled location access permission for the app in your phone and as well that your phone is on the compatibility list. Suggest you go to menu and press "Location" which will display your lat/long/elevation/hours from GMT. Press the '?' at top of screen for detailed info on location settings. You can also choose to obtain location from a list of cities or from a map in lieu of location supplied by phone.

Great information Gene, I will be saving this information in case of future questions.

Lady Fraktor wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 3:25 am Does it give you a physical location?
If just going by a IP it could be quite a bit off.
When I was in Canada my IP address said I was in a town 200km away as it was the closest service center.
Just something to check.

Yes, depending on how I access the internet I'm either in Pocatello Idaho or Phoenix Arizona when I'm at home in Pocatello.

Hi mistac.
It may sound obvious, but have you confirmed that your phone is granting permission to the app to use the location?

I've had a couple of apps that were initially denied access to the location, and I had to go into Settings | Apps to specifically give permission to retrieve the location.

Hi mistac does this help?

Update

Without realising it, the app was set up on demo mode! It is now turned off and I thought that would solve things but although the scope continues to function as a standalone device, I still cant get the app to "talk" or link up correctly - even finding the moon on the app is not working! Still don't know whether it is me or the app and dealer says persevere etc but you tube and other reviews seem to indicate  that the app should just work once aligned correctly etc. so I am getting quite frustrated with it all! any advice appreciated. I have used "current location" and manual (correct ) location on the app but still getting nowhere

Hello mistac. Wondering if you figured the issue with your StarSense Explorer set up?

A few tips to help you out:

+ Aligning the phone camera to the middle of the mirror is crucial. If you are too far right or too far left the app will have a hard time knowing where you are pointing. It will keep trying over and over without success. It does not have to be over the center of the mirror, just in the middle line.
+ Make sure you set up well away from any walls, corners, overhangs, roofs, etc. Several yards/meters away. They get in the way of the camera's view which is wider than you may realize.
+ Stating the obvious here but it has to be dark enough that you can see stars and asterisms like the big dipper for the app to know what it's looking at.
+ There is a dark mode and a normal mode useful in the initial star alignment at the beginning of the night. Experiment with both settings to see which gives you the clearest image of your target object on the phone screen for alignment. For example, you might aim at Jupiter or Arcturus and try both modes to see which one is easier to center on the screen.

Finally, I may have missed it but did you say which phone model you are using? Not all phones are compatible with the app for some reason. See Celestron's latest list here: https://starsenseexplorer.simcur.com/

Thanks - it is an iphone 8 and compatible as I had checked that before purchasing. I think the alignment process is now ok and I did manage to get the app to find/navigate to the moon the other night so I think I am getting there slowly. Still thought with the set up I purchased it would be easier than this though, but I guess I need to persevere.

Ah, the first rule of the Astronomy club; things are harder than they first appear. The second rule, please refer to the first.

Just stick with it, eventually it's well worth the effort.

mistac wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 11:15 am Thanks - it is an iphone 8 and compatible as I had checked that before purchasing. I think the alignment process is now ok and I did manage to get the app to find/navigate to the moon the other night so I think I am getting there slowly. Still thought with the set up I purchased it would be easier than this though, but I guess I need to persevere.

Glad to hear you got the app working mistac. I too have the iPhone 8 and it works very well with the SSE. After a few times out you will set it up quickly without thinking.

Besides the recommended sites for the day under the star icon on the main screen, take time to explore items under the search icon. Many objects not in the formal list, such as Comet Neowise F3, are there along with Messier and Caldwell objects among other objects.