@nwchris 

Thanks for the this, really appreciate it ! It is becoming a little clearer

So a couple more questions...

1 - Do I have to create a separate bat files for turning on and turning off (so 2x bat files to match the 2x tasks required) ?

2 - Do you have to have the task scheduler app open and running all the time for it to work or does it just work in the background on the PC ?

I only use the PC for running the 2x cameras live on my webpage, at full pelt running everything including remote controlling the PC from home, live streaming and the contacam detection the CPU sometimes hits 80%, mostly it is hovering around 50-60%, when I stop remote controlling this should drop a bit so I hope it'll be OK.   

  @nwchris 

Quick update, I just set up 2x batch files (one for on and one for off).

If I click the file for 'on' I get this...

The one for 'off' looks like this...

I think this kinda looks about right ? Should it also mention the words 'on' or 'off' somewhere tho ? Is doing an 'on' file and an 'off' file like this the correct approach to take ?

Thanks

G

  @nwchris 

Further update... OK, I got the recording to turn on at the correct time this evening and at the correct sensitivity ! It should record overnight and hopefully turn off in the morning when the next task runs. Lets see... 

  @GazUpNorth Great!

The Windows Task Scheduler seems to run in the background on my PC, I've never had to go back into it since setting up, at any rate. Maybe I selected that when configuring it? I can't remeber, as with most things these days, that's why I like helping you out here, it's good to review and document somewhere for when my hard drive fails. Because the one in my head already has!

-Chris

  @nwchris 

Update - It worked ! Thanks for all your help !

Did what you said, pasted the code into notepad and saved it as .bat.

Turned the windows task scheduler off and it is running in the background. Looks like you can schedule tasks to run on single months only or between certain dates, might be useful as the seasons change and days get longer/shorter but would involve setting up a few different tasks to cover each period. You can also amend the existing tasks to change on/off times which might be an easier route to start with.

Thanks again.

  @nwchris 

I'm back !

Quick question have you tried turning the motion sensitivity in contacam down ? I'm getting a few triggers from fast moving clouds and wondered if turning it down would still catch meteors ?

Ta

G

  @GazUpNorth I have the same problem. I have a ton of captures from last night of clouds and more clouds, especially with a moon behind them.

I have not experimented with setting sensitivity below 60%, so I'm not sure how that might work.

I have emailed Oliver, the author of Contacam, about this issue (as well as slower moving airplanes) and he said the program is not AI based and just looks at squares changing intensity. He said he may give some thought to filter out slower moving objects in the future, but no promises. We can only hope!

I'll keep you posted if I hear anything.

-Chris

  @GazUpNorth and @nwchris  hi guys,  sorry about my lack of participation, I have been away / busy quite a bit lately.  Thank you Chris for your input on this.

I generally set the sensitivity to 50% when there are clouds around and I still pick up meteors.  Having said that, I've been mainly using a C320WS version 1 which has better contrast and sees more stars than the version 2 hardware (sadly).  On nights with a perfectly clear cloudless sky, I set it to 70%.  I never set it to more than 70% due to too many false detections.

I recently bought a C325WB which sees a lot more stars than my C320WS v1 but I find that on the same settings and with both cameras looking in the same direction, the C320WS v1 detects a lot more meteors (using ContaCam) than the C325WB.  I have both cameras set to continuously record to their onboard SD cards so I am able to check the C325WB for any meteors ContaCam didn't detect.  Following Chris's earlier suggestion, I have also set "drop motion shorter than" from 1 to 0 seconds and this does seem to help detect more meteors - and a lot more bugs and birds!  

Although the C325WB sees a lot more stars (it can even see the large Magellanic Cloud - I'm in the Southern Hemisphere), the C320WS v1 seems to be better suited for meteor detection at least.  I doubt the C320WS would perform very well at seeing the aurora.  I'm too far toward the equator to see the aurora from my location so I can't test that..

A while back I emailed Oliver (the ContaCam developer) and asked him "I wonder if it is possible to introduce a detection option that would be better suited for detecting fleeting bright streaks?"  He replied "Detecting meteors is something quite specialized, right now I do not have the resources to implement such a feature.".  He was very interested in seeing the meteor detections and I sent him a sample video.  I have found Oliver to be very helpful.

I will also try setting up scheduled recording using the bat files.  It is annoying to discover I have forgotten to turn the recording on, especially on nice clear nights.

Cheers, David

 @KiwiDave & @nwchris

Sorry it's been so long for a reply, I've been tied up with family stuff. Anyway an update from here, as suggested the CW325WB works pretty well for auroras ! Managed to catch that big aurora in May.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLlmXI6sGvc

Last month my CW325WB developed a fault, I got a line in the corner of the image after some torrential rain, like something had moved inside the camera ? A pic is below. I contacted TP link and they agreed it was faulty and sent me a replacement because it was only 6 months old and within the 1 year warranty. Happy with that customer service !

I've been running the camera on a 24/7 livestream to look for auroras and it works well apart from a few issues with OBS. I was suitably impressed so I bought another one and pointed towards a big sky to look for meteors.

https://northumberland-astro.space/sky-cameras/

ContaCam is now working on both of these streams so let's see what it gets. 

Thanks for all the advice and help so far.

  @GazUpNorth

Fantastic aurora with the ruins! The bit of cloud just adds to the picture.

Our nightime hours are quite limited at this time of year, basically 10 PM to 4 AM.

So my Contacam has been tripping mostly on dragon flies and fireflies at dusk.

Here is a youtube of three dragonflies having dinner:

https://youtu.be/Hb9pPA0dims?si=AIurI_1kU3Cpb8Rt

Stay tuned for the fireflies!

-Chris, NW Ontario Canada