Wilson 801201 still viable?

gatorcq wrote:
astronomy apps, what about the good old technology call , lets see if I can remember. Think they are called BOOK. LOL and a small laptop can be use to control also

Nor sure of your point. Yes charts and "BOOKS" can be used to find objects as well and we, more often than not, use any one of half a dozen of them, with a Telrad, to locate objects with our non-GoTo telescopes like our 18" truss dobsonian. We also often generate and print Telrad charts, which show exactly where to put the reticle circles, before a trip or night of observing.

Laptops can also be used but they require more setup and I don't go to the effort unless I am imaging and autoguiding. For visual observing the stock computerized controllers on our GoTo equipped mounts are more than adequate.

The Goto controllers on our mounts can connect to the "smart devices", via Bluetooth or Wifi, with adapters hooked to the USB, ethernet, or serial ports on the hand controllers or wired via ethernet. Astronomy applications, which can be frequently updated, on smart devices are most useful for finding transient objects, like comets and even asteroids, which may not be in the less-frequently updated mount controller's database. The ephemerides for such objects can be entered into a controller manually but sometimes it's easier, and a heck of a lot more fun, to control the mount with the smart device. At public outreach events the public sure thinks it's cool when you slew a telescope without touching it and with a command from your smartphone.

The smart device apps (as well as computer applications and websites) are also useful to show upcoming passes of man made objects like the ISS and satellites. This is especially fun at public outreach events.