My astronomy project:
Setup astroserver with Raspberry Pi5

Content:

1. Introduction
2. Setup 64-bit OS
3. Setup KStars and Ekos 64-bit
4. Change Bookworm Waylane to X11
5. Disable Auto-mount
6. Setup a GPS
7. To be continued

Note:
I take no responsibility or liability for what are written here, you use the information on your own risk!

6, Setup a GPS:

If you always have your observatory at a stationary place with LAN connection there is no need for a GPS. But I who take the car and drive to remote dark places have a need for the GPS clock and position. The GPS installation has always been difficult, maybe easier now with the more to update OS 64-bit.

Info about KStars and GPS:

• https://www.indilib.org/ aux/ gps.html

This is what we don't want it to do.

GPS device:

The GPS dongle I use is the recommended U-blox7. It works much better than the earlier ones I have tried. But one disadvantage, it's sensitive to electro magnetic disturbance. I can't attach it direct to the Raspberry, I must have some distance between them. An extension USB cable of 0.5 meter solve it. I have also placed it on the opposite side of the telescope.

Check GPS port:

For later use if the connection to the GPS device fail, it's good to know where the GPS' USB connect. Disconnect the USB cable and give this command in the terminal window:

• ls -l /dev/tty*

And then connect the USB cable again, note which new lines appear. In my case it's the port /dev/ttyACM0 that the GPS connect to.

Activate GPS software and driver:

In the profile I have setup in KStars I add GPSD. GPSD is the driver that communicate with the GPS device. I add it on Aux 1. You find GPSD under Others devices.

GPSD attached, if it's okay, Save.

Installing GPS software and driver:

I think it's not so common to use a GPS because it's not installed as default. Follow the link to Indi forum at the begging of this page. Here are the details, the command below installs the indi-gpsd:

• sudo apt-get install indi-gpsd

After one third of the installation it ask you if you want to proceed, answer "y" and Enter.

The three following commandos do the rest of the installation, enable and restart:

• sudo apt-get install gpsd
• sudo systemctl enable gpsd
• sudo systemctl restart gpsd

To clean up after the installation, type in following command:

• sudo apt autoremove

Reboot your Raspberry.

Test of GPS receiver:

To listening of what the GPS receiver get, type this commando:

• cgps -s

Quit with "Ctrl+C"

A first test if the GPS receive any data, this normally never works, to my surprise it connect to the satellites and receives data.

Indi control panel:

Next check is to open the Indi control panel and see if there are any data received there from the GPS. It connects after less than a minute, it looks like the new OS 64-bit is updated. Never been so easy earlier.

In the Options menu. Set your location, this is used if you don't get any GPS data. Note: I don't give the exact position, easier then to know If there is real GPS data or only default data. Don't forget to Save.

GPS set KSatars time and location:

There are more, open the Options setting.

Let GPS update the Time and Location, enable the Independent window which isn't done here. Make it much easier to handle the windows later.

Check in the KStars star chart that it use the GPS Location. But don't be fouled, there is a virtual GPS too, normally it should be disabled. But I'm not sure with this new version. I come back later when I have tested the GPS function.

Disable Virtual GPS:

There is a built-in Virtual GPS, it can override the GPS data. We need to disable it. These two commands should do it, normally. But the Virtual GPS couldn't be find. Maybe they have changed something:

• sudo systemctl disable virtualgps
• sudo systemctl stop virtualgps

If there is no Virtual GPS installed then there is no to disable. I come back about this later.