Observations from Scotland            NOVA for WINDOWS     May 2006 GM1SXX

NOVA for windows is my latest tracking program purchase.  I had many initial problems, NONE of which were due to any issues with NOVA. All were down to the way my PC was set up.  I didn't know this at the time and spent a lot of time messing around before the 'penny dropped'. My problems occurred because of the way I had set up the file and folder permissions within windows. Although ALL the problems were of my own making, this did highlight a point...... the error messages generated by NOVA are completely useless without some sort of 'insider' knowledge.  I'm a techie by day and it was difficult enough for me so how do you imagine that someone who was not computer literate would cope?

An 'error X in line 15' might be instantly recognisable to the writers of NOVA depending on the language used to compile it, but it had absolutely no meaning for me. Would it be meaningful to you?  My point is that software developers could and probably should provide more information about their products to end users. Its in their best interests to do so. In many cases, the error codes could simply be cut and pasted into the help files.

So, back to NOVA.

What attracted me to the product as no doubt will be the case with other users is the option of NOT having a flat map.  Instead, you can set up NOVA for Windows to offer a view from space (much more intuitive than flat maps) or a RADAR type map as well as text type output.

Nova is VERY user configurable and is arguably the most powerful tracking program I've ever used.  It is capable of being interfaced to most of the common rotator interfaces as standard and one of its nicer features is that you can automate things like the downloading of Kepler Elements from a variety of sources as well as using online time-setting.  Things it won't do include auto-tuning and this is probably a major issue with some users.  I like NOVA a great deal.  What it does, it does well. What it doesn't do is of course a real nuisance for me.

NOVA can be downloaded and tried at home in demonstration mode... 'crippleware' if you like. You can use all its features to see if you like it but you can't save your settings and preferences.  Some folks will like this. Others including myself don't.

Lately I've become a convert to using shareware software.  The good stuff is very good indeed and at least you can try it before you decide to buy.  Excellent examples of Shareware include MIXW, one of my favourite programs. It didn't take me long to decide that paying for my copy of MIXW was a good idea.  I've also bought some excellent FTP software in the form of WSFTP from IPSwitch.... another superb product well worth the asking price.  I don't like crippleware because although you can get it to do some things, you never can tell exactly how the 'full' version will perform.

One guy's view is perhaps not the best review there might be so the reader is advised to check out http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/2527 where you can read a more balanced series of opinions on this product.

NOVA can do a great deal, but it won't suit everyone.   It doesn't do some of the things I'd like but there again, it does some others really well. 

One really nice thing about NOVA is that the computational engine can be 'got at'. If you are capable, you can write your own bolt-ons for it.  This is one area that's quite well documented with some code fragments to be going on with.

On a personal level, I probably won't bother.  For the things it can't do that I want, I can probably write my own code.

73 Al.

GM1SXX