ScopeDriver comments by Berto Monard, Bronberg Observatory:

I just discovered SN 2007gj (CBET 1022). This is my 55th find, an ever more leading score in the southern hemisphere. ScopeDriver is a great help in the searching, thanks to the observing lists and the ease in which to add and edit the targets and their coordinates in real-time.

ScopeDriver comments by user Stephen Mills:

Thank you! I have an LX200 classic, that I am now able to run inside my house, thanks to some special USB cables AND ScopeDriver! I am very excited about using it, after only a few weeks using it under the Demo mode.

ScopeDriver comments by user Woodrow Dukes:

This is really, really cool. ScopeDriver is so easy to use and the small control windows don’t clutter up the screen, especially the Global Control Palette. The more I look through the ScopeDriver User’s Guide, the more things I find that this program does. It will take some time to learn them all, but what is great about ScopeDriver is that a novice can open it and use it “right out of the box.” I look forward to a long relationship with ScopeDriver, a ’scope and the stars.

ScopeDriver comments by user Carlos Alberto Boton:

My first impressions were so impressive (pun intended) I purchased ScopeDriver immediately.

ScopeDriver has been reviewed by Dr. Neale Monks at AppleLust:

This online review has a great deal to say about ScopeDriver’s powerful observing lists. It’s an older review, but Dr. Monks does a good job of explaining what differentiates ScopeDriver. AppleLust gives ScopeDriver its highest rating, describing ScopeDriver as “An alternative to the ‘point and click’ telescope control paradigm: a powerful list-based utility for Autostar and LX200 telescopes.”

ScopeDriver comments by user Stephen Voss:

As posted to the Gemini_Users Yahoo Group:

I do wish to make use of this reply to just put in a bit more a “plug” for ScopeDriver. I’ll apologise now for the fact that this sounds like an advertisement, although I can assure everyone that I have no financial interest in the product or Steve Hutson’s company, and my only involvement has been as a beta-tester...

...There are a huge range of features built into ScopeDriver, but the emphasis has always been on assisting with “in the field” observing, without letting the computer get in the way. For me the most versatile feature is the extensive database of objects combined with the ability to easily create customised observing lists. Add to this the ability to upload these observing lists to the L3 Gemini User Catalogue, and that alone is worth the shareware fee in my mind. There are plenty more features - focussing control, built in observing log, ability to enter orbital elements, very slick night vision options, etc etc. But the best way to find out about it is to try it. You get a 30 day free trial with no limitations, so give it a go! I think you’ll like what you see!

Stephen has captured some excellent CCD images with his Gemini setup!

ScopeDriver comments and photograph by user Howard Visser:

This is my second foray into astronomy and what intrigued me the most this time around are the current ’scopes with their goto and remote control capability, as well as the ability to use these ’scopes to capture images digitally. My research led me to acquire a small but sophisticated ’scope in the ETX90EC, and complementing the ’scope by adding accessories such as the Autostar and electric focuser. Since my primary interest in astronomy this time around was to capture images digitally, I acquired a web camera and the various software tools required to capture and process this information.

What was missing was the glue to pull all these pieces together and allow me to control, focus and image remotely, especially during the sometimes harsh winters we experience here in Edmonton.

ScopeDriver was the answer to my problem and the glue to address all these requirements together in one user-friendly application. Stephen Hutson has developed a sophisticated yet reasonably priced application that allows you to select an object to view, fine tune the ’scope once it is located, focus the object, log all pertinent information and much much more, all from your computer.

The following images were taken on the morning of January 4th 2004 using ScopeDriver to control the ’scope and focus while imaging Jupiter’s disk as Callisto’s shadow traversed it. Throughout four hours of imaging and controlling the ’scope remotely, ScopeDriver performed flawlessly and allowed me to capture these images from the warmth of my home.

This would not have happened without ScopeDriver and, with the temperature dipping to -25 degrees Celsius or -13 degrees Fahrenheit, even the most dedicated astronomer would have succumbed to the cold.

One last thing to note is the support Stephen provides to all those who use this product. I had some initial problems with my Autostar and ScopeDriver but with Stephen’s help we were able to identify and solve the problem. I was very impressed with his timely response to my e-mails and his ability to develop and send a fix to address the issues with my Autostar. So not only do you get a wonderful product but if you do run into issues or have questions you’ll find the support equally impressive. Enjoy!

ScopeDriver comments by user Shane Ross:

Thanks for making such a useful piece of software. It’s exactly what I’ve been wanting for my ETX/Mac OS X setup... Best $30 I’ve ever spent.

ScopeDriver comments by user Frank Schiralli, Jr.:

Just a quick note to let you know everything works fine and I am exceedingly happy with ScopeDriver. I would like to go on record to say that ScopeDriver is, by far, the most useful and well thought out astronomical software I own. 

The GUI you designed has a clean, convenient, and intelligent layout, and gives every piece of vital information one could possibly hope to have at the ready when observing.  It more than lives up to its intended purpose as an enhancement to observing. Furthermore, the feature which synchronizes the telescope to the computer time and date is an absolute joy to use! No more lengthy handpad entries!!!

Lastly, I find the link between computer and scope is astonishingly robust and the driving of the scope works flawlessly. Congratulations on a truly fine program!

ScopeDriver comments by user Ralph Megna:

Let me congratulate you on achieving an impressive level of responsiveness under OSX. Most OSX apps seem sluggish (could be my three-year-old G3 PowerBook), but ScopeDriver 2.0b7 was snappy. The look-up speed for the internal catalogs was also quick.

It seems like a minor thing, but I continue to appreciate the straightforward way ScopeDriver handles time and location, and the ease of updating the LX200’s computer with the data from my laptop.

Thanks again for your contributions to amateur astronomy, as well as the Macintosh Way.

ScopeDriver comments by Bill Arnett, software engineer and creator of the excellent site The Nine Planets:

Try it, you’ll like it! Really.

The real credit goes to Stephen; he has done a fabulous job. This is one of the most professional pieces of software I’ve seen in some time. It’s useful, well documented, it does what it’s supposed to and it doesn’t crash. And it’s great fun! :-)

ScopeDriver comments by user Robert Simmons:

I appreciate software that does what it says it will do — I have 4 other applications that said they would operate my scope that can’t make a connection or don’t slew or . . . But ScopeDriver so far works like a charm.

Review of ScopeDriver by author and pilot Tom Harnish, as posted at Mike Weasner’s Mighty ETX Site:

Tycho Brahe’s immense contribution to astronomy took place long before the personal computer and even before the telescope. But if he were around today he’d probably use a laptop and a ’scope with a goto controller. One good reason is the new shareware ScopeDriver software just released by Steve Hutson at AquilaDigital Partnership.

Designed for Macintosh in Classic and OS X versions, ScopeDriver adds a “find” capability to the LX-200 and AutoStar “goto” function, the ability to quickly create new objects in a personal database, automatic synchronization with your computer’s clock, and the most useable observing list builder and log writer available.

Your ’scope is controlled from a clean, easy to use on-screen main panel with time and position readouts, current object, telescope position, field information, alignment mode, reticle state, and more. Click to focus. Click to find. Click to goto. Click to slew.

Other functions for building observing lists and compiling logs are only a keystroke away. If your handwriting and eyes are as bad as mine, the capability to keep a tidy log with the help of your computer will be a compelling reason to spend the few dollars for ScopeDriver. A night vision mode is even included to prevent ruining your dark adaptation looking at a bright computer screen.

ScopeDriver doesn’t include a sky map... yet (Starry Night, are you listening?), and it doesn’t include a $100-$200 price tag either. You can use its full functionality free for 30 days. Then for just the...shareware fee you can have an easy to use, very useful program with excellent customer support.

I know first hand about the quality of their customer support. I’m a dunce, and configured my iBook wrong so my LX-90 just sat there and stared at one spot in the sky. But they patiently helped me work through the problem, and even e-mailed a special version of ScopeDriver with built in diagnostics to help find the exact point where my system was losing its mind. With it I pin-pointed the problem, slapped myself in the forehead, and spent the evening happily hopping all over the sky.

In this era you probably won’t lose your nose in a duel as Tycho did, but you can lose your shirt on poor quality shareware. Not with ScopeDriver from AquilaDigital.us. Try it, you’ll like it.

ScopeDriver comments by Tim Crawford, West Beaver Lake Observatory in Big Lake, AK:

Foremost, I am very happy with this product. I have had four extensive sessions with my 12" scope and it has performed flawlessly.

Again, thank you for a well designed and extremely useful product. It enhances my observing sessions. I am just getting into variable star observing and the viewing list options sure make this effort more efficient.