Got the system to work, even during the rain here in Denver 
Went with the simple wire connection with one controller, found master valve and bypassed the solenoid, all working now.
I went back to my original wiring.
and now both controllers function manually and with the app.
I must have a bad solenoid on the master causing this headache.
Thanks for both your help Gene and Emil! Now, i’ll need to program all 24 zones once the weather permits.