The following steps will ready the Communicator app for use!
Step 1:
Add a password to your observer account. Do this with the #password command using your usual way of communication with the telescope, but don't set the password using a public Mastodon post as you will be exposing the password publicly!
#password pw=your_password
Choose a password 7-20 characters in length. Don't choose a password used for other important uses. We can't guarantee the security of the password that you provide. Once you have set a valid password, it can be changed using the #password command using the App.
Step 2:
Lookup your Observer ID - this can be done by using the #whoami command or by using one of these weblinks:
- For the Burke-Gaffney Observatory
- For the Abbey Ridge Observatory
Step 3:
Enter your Observer ID and password and select the correct observatory (BGO, ARO, or MRO) on the Setup tab of the App and press the "Save" button. You should test your account using the "Test" button. Up to three observer accounts can be setup (use the "Observer 1", "Observer 2", "Observer 3" tabs).
Step 4:
If necessary, use the "Set Scale" button on the Setup tab to adjust the user interface scale (fonts, buttons, etc.). Press the "Save" button when finished.
Two other settings that you can change are:
- Play Sound While Waiting - when enabled, if commands take more than a few seconds to complete, music is played.
- Confirm Important - when enabled, important plain text or voice commands, such as 'delete' are confirmed before they are done.