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New Skywatcher AZ GTi goto wifi mount

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#901 carl67lp

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Posted 01 February 2019 - 10:25 AM

Just got my AZ GTi mount the other day, and am excited to use it.  I saw that there are issues using Skysafari on iOS, that two devices are required -- but it occurred to me, would the use of Station Mode get around this at all?

 

For that matter, is Station Mode even useful?  I tried getting it set up on the mount the other night but didn't have immediate success.



#902 davidparks

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Posted 01 February 2019 - 01:03 PM

 

Still have a question thought - normally I do PA first before star alignment. For AZ-GTi, the order seems reversed. Is it really the case?

 

Um... yes and no?...   The SA, PA, SA method is more a requirement for Synscan to do PA without requiring a camera, polemaster, or perfectly repeatable starting position (like home position on a pier).  It's not a requirement of the AZGTi itself.  However, because the AZGTi doesn't have a built in mount for a Polemaster, you generally have to use either Synscan, or Camera aided method.   Needless to say, with the camera aided method with Sharpcap, EKOS etc. you can certainly just do a PA followed by SA.  This is what I do.

 

Synscan PA requires you to choose a star from the list, to which it then GoTo's, asking you to center it (if needed) via Synscan arrows.

   It then moves the mount slightly, asking you to re-center using altitude adjustment knob.

   It then moves the mount slightly, asking you to re-center using azimuth knob.

 

The SA before the PA merely allows Synscan to do that very first GoTo.  The sky model created with that first SA may also (I don't know for sure), play a part in how Synscan calculates the small movements it makes for your knob adjustments.  Or it may simply be all about that first Goto, and nothing more.

 

Of course the SA after the PA is to establish the new sky model.


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#903 davidparks

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Posted 01 February 2019 - 02:30 PM

Just got my AZ GTi mount the other day, and am excited to use it.  I saw that there are issues using Skysafari on iOS, that two devices are required -- but it occurred to me, would the use of Station Mode get around this at all?

 

For that matter, is Station Mode even useful?  I tried getting it set up on the mount the other night but didn't have immediate success.

 

Station mode can be useful.  For example, it is the only way to use the ZWO ASIAIR with the AZGti wirelessly.  Also, Station Mode allows you to connect to a network that may have other services available, like the internet, which is very handy for doing live broadcasting.  However, Station Mode won't help getting around the iOS issue...  and to be sure it is an iOS issue, not AZGTi, not Skysafari....  Unfortunately iOS doesn't do true multitasking such that Synscan continues to communicate in the background while Skysafari is in the foreground.   Skysafari sends instruction to Synscan, Synscan then sends instruction to the AZGTi... this second part can't happen with only one iOS device.  The good news however, is that the good folks over at Simulation Curriculum (makers of SkySafari) have been working on the ability to control the AZGTi directly.

 

Also of interest may be the fact that the AZGTi can run in Access Point and Station Mode simultaneously.  Versatility is always a good thing waytogo.gif


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#904 LRSibb

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Posted 01 February 2019 - 02:43 PM

I want to thank all the posters here for all the info on this mount - especially David Parks..  I am just back from Tanzania and have a story to tell.....

 

My wife and I are beginner imagers (started last year-we live in Calgary Alberta) we have two scopes, an Orion ED80T CF and 8 Inch Edge HD .  We have and AVX mount for the refractor and a CGEM II for the reflector.  

 

We planned to go on a photography safari tour of Tanzania and being more into astrophotography, I wanted to see if a light,travel friendly Goto mount with EQ tracking would be available.  Finding this forum encouraged me and I purchased an AZ-GTI and got it the second week in January, a few days before we left on the trip.

 

Everything about this astro pic effort was non-optimal - new equipment, Southern Hemisphere - just South of Equator alignment and proximity to full moon restricting quality imaging time.

 

I packed the mount, ED80T CF,  and other sensitive components including our ZWO ASI071 MC Pro camera in a Pelican Air Case. Mount tripod and other hardware in checked luggage and we were off...

 

After only a few trial sessions at home, the mount tested fine at the Tarangire Park in Tanzania - but clouds prevented any extensive imaging.

 

The safari went on and many animal sights and pictures were obtained.

 

Finally on the night of January 26, the sky cleared when we were in Ndutu wilderness camp...  Protected from wildlife (including lions) by Maasai warriors, imaging was possible.  Polar aligning was rudimentary as the 3 degrees South Latitude could not quite be reached, but the mount was pointed South as low as possible, and a two star alignment done with the mount in EQ mode. Goto seemed to work reasonably well and APT was used with plate solver to do refined targeting. Starshoot autoguider was engaged and guiding was a bit rough but sufficient for imaging.  

 

Managed to get the sculptor galaxy, NGC 2362 cluster.  Finally the Great Nebula in Carina rose and took RGB (before moonrise), Ha, and OIII images.

 

The image shown is the Halpha version - 15 x 60 sec at gain of 140.  Very dark skies until the moon began to rise just before the Halpha subs were taken. Stacked with DSS and quick wipe with Startools , refined marginally with Photoshop..  We will attempt to integrate RGB, Halpha and OIII later with Pixinsight... 

 

 

https://astrob.in/388793/0/

 

 

This portable mount works very well..

 

Thanks again to all posters. 


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#905 Evil510

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Posted 01 February 2019 - 06:36 PM

I agree David has been a great resource for the AZ-GTi community. The method below is what I have been using since he explained it to me in a previous post. I use live view on my DSLR to center the stars.

 

Synscan PA requires you to choose a star from the list, to which it then GoTo's, asking you to center it (if needed) via Synscan arrows.

   It then moves the mount slightly, asking you to re-center using altitude adjustment knob.

   It then moves the mount slightly, asking you to re-center using azimuth knob.

 

The SA before the PA merely allows Synscan to do that very first GoTo.  The sky model created with that first SA may also (I don't know for sure), play a part in how Synscan calculates the small movements it makes for your knob adjustments.  Or it may simply be all about that first Goto, and nothing more.

 

Of course the SA after the PA is to establish the new sky model.

I feel like I have a handle on alignment, but I have a few of follow up questions.

  1. During PA, after the mount moves slightly and I adjust using the Alt knob as instructed, I can't center it exactly. Same after adjusting using the Az knob. Should it recenter precisely using only the knobs? or should I use the manual slew buttons to center exactly? 
  2. Is it normal that I get different exposure times before I see star trails for different objects. For example last night I was shooting Pleiades at 15 secs each sub, slewed to Bode's and exposed for 15 secs, then I tried Bee Hive Cluster and was able to get 30 secs. All are at 500mm on my lens. Does this seem right?

 

Amazing photo! This new hobby is getting expensive. I think I need to get an H alpha filter now. Plus, staying up late it's costing me lost surf time. Too many hobbies, not enough time!

 

Thank you for all of your support.


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#906 Cmichael

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Posted 03 February 2019 - 12:08 AM

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest as a first post I'd like to take the time to thank David and all the other posters in this thread for finally getting me to make the time to start a hobby I've long been interested in, but always made excuses not to start. After reading thru the thread (30ish pages and at the time) I finally took the leap and purchased the AZ-GTI and the skywatcher eq base. 

 

Seeing as it's winter here in the Northwest I've had only a few opportunities to get out and use it however I've been more than happy with it. I did have some Wifi connectivity issues at first but was able to fix them by buying a usb wifi dongle and I can live with losing the port. All that said I do have a couple questions number one I'm fairly positive is a yes but I just want to confirm.

 

1. After a go to If I make later adjustments to better center the object is the skymap updated as I go?

2. Concerning the eq base with the latitude clutch disengaged there is a lot of play before the gears engage? Is that normal for that wedge or should I look into another option?

 

Once again i'd like to thank everyone here and especially David whose posts here and in the Control Method thread have been incredibly informative.


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#907 davidparks

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Posted 03 February 2019 - 10:36 AM

 

1. After a go to If I make later adjustments to better center the object is the skymap updated as I go?

2. Concerning the eq base with the latitude clutch disengaged there is a lot of play before the gears engage? Is that normal for that wedge or should I look into another option?

 

 

Welcome and congratulations for making the leap!  This can be a very enjoyable and rewarding hobby, I hope you find it so for many years, even a lifetime. waytogo.gif

 

1.  I believe the latest versions of Synscan allows you to turn on/off the Sync after Alignment in the Advanced/Advanced settings.

2.  It sounds normal to me, and something I too struggled with a little.  While I had success using the Skywatcher Latitude Base, I eventually switched to the iOptron Alt/Az Base and find it to be much more stable, without the gear slop.  Note: others have reported just the oppisite with these two products.

 

70yte0.jpg



#908 Evil510

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Posted 03 February 2019 - 12:13 PM

Welcome and congratulations for making the leap!  This can be a very enjoyable and rewarding hobby, I hope you find it so for many years, even a lifetime. waytogo.gif

 

1.  I believe the latest versions of Synscan allows you to turn on/off the Sync after Alignment in the Advanced/Advanced settings.

2.  It sounds normal to me, and something I too struggled with a little.  While I had success using the Skywatcher Latitude Base, I eventually switched to the iOptron Alt/Az Base and find it to be much more stable, without the gear slop.  Note: others have reported just the oppisite with these two products.

 

1. Does that mean the "Align with Sync" should be turned ON all the time? It seems like it should be if one is making adjustments after the GoTo is set.

2. Cmichael, on my Skywatcher EQ/Latitude base, I have the locking bolt tightened all the way down, but it still allows me to turn the latitude adjustment knob. There is some play in the knob before the latitude adjustment moves, but it doesn't seem to affect the latitude adjustment I made. Previously I was loosening the locking bolt then adjusting for latitude then retightening the locking bolt. But this shifted the "left/right" alignment. So now I just keep it locked down and just use the latitude adjustment knob.

 

Anyone have suggestions for the questions I have in my previous post? smile.gif

Thanks.



#909 Cmichael

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Posted 03 February 2019 - 01:56 PM

I also have tried that as well because I get the same thing with it unlocked. I also have the same issue you have in that I can't get it to center exactly during the PA but it's intermittent sometimes it centers exactly other times it doesn't. I wonder if maybe that slop is throwing it off slowly even with the clutch locked down and seeing as David had that problem as well I may just get the iOptron base and see which one I like better.

 

As for your second question I'll leave that to those more knowledgeable than me.

 

Also I'll check out that setting to make sure it's on it wouldn't surprise me if it was off and I missed it. Just the other night it took me way longer than I'd care to admit to figure out that my goto's where off because I clicked East instead of West when setting my location


Edited by Cmichael, 03 February 2019 - 02:00 PM.


#910 Evil510

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Posted 03 February 2019 - 02:26 PM

Ok, so I'm not the only one with PA issue. I think I've only got the knob adjustment to exactly center maybe just once.

 

I just went ahead and ordered the iOptron base right now. It was my last day to return the Sky-Watcher base, but I have to pay for return shipping. undecided.gif It also looks like I'm also going to stick with the AZ-GTi, instead of going to a EQ only mount, like the SkyGuider or Star Adventurer. I think the GoTo is worth it to me. confused1.gif  I should've ordered both and test both at the same time. Oh well. 

 

My "Align with Sync" was off, I think it's off by default.


Edited by Evil510, 03 February 2019 - 02:27 PM.


#911 tkottary

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Posted 03 February 2019 - 02:29 PM

@Evil510 : Do you give some time for it to settle down after goto? Even with plate solving it takes me good 2-3 attempts to center it., there is good 2-3 secs settle period.

 

For the trails on different images did you check if the mount+OTA is well balanced? 



#912 Evil510

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Posted 03 February 2019 - 02:48 PM

Thanks for the reply.

 

@Evil510 : Do you give some time for it to settle down after goto? Even with plate solving it takes me good 2-3 attempts to center it., there is good 2-3 secs settle period.

Is this in regards to the PA issue? I don't deliberately wait a few seconds after goto or each star alignment/PA.

If it is in regard to imagining in general or star trails, it does take me more than a few seconds before I start imaging.

In either case, I will make sure to wait a few seconds between steps for it to settle.

 

For the trails on different images did you check if the mount+OTA is well balanced?

 

I don't have my equipement balanced. I guess this is the next step. My camera and lens combo is 8.3 lbs (3.76kg). How much counterweight do you think is needed?

 

Thanks again.


Edited by Evil510, 03 February 2019 - 02:48 PM.


#913 TeeD

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 12:36 AM

Hey everyone, i'm new here and i hope this question won't be out of topic since you are talking about the Sky-Watcher AZ GTi mount. So i want to buy my first mount and i'm deciding to buy the SkyWatcher AZ GTi or the SkyWatcher Star Adventurer , i plan to do some astrophotography using a 300mm lens and in the future a small telescope, so i was wondering which one do you prefer?



#914 mhstoker

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 10:06 AM

Ok able to load some photos probably not in the order i stated but the last one is the locking i had the problem with

67qhc4.jpg

6ifm1g.jpg

2urxfya.jpg

2nlh1nd.jpg

2dtskti.jpg

o9fi8n.jpg

Thxs for sharing those ones - I was able to fix my mount with loosen both screws on the last picture. Now it rotates smooth on a full turn.



#915 Evil510

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 01:41 PM

Hey everyone, i'm new here and i hope this question won't be out of topic since you are talking about the Sky-Watcher AZ GTi mount. So i want to buy my first mount and i'm deciding to buy the SkyWatcher AZ GTi or the SkyWatcher Star Adventurer , i plan to do some astrophotography using a 300mm lens and in the future a small telescope, so i was wondering which one do you prefer?

I was in the same place as you and also considered the iOptron SkyGuider. The GoTo feature of the AZ-GTi was what pushed me over to it. I do wish that they sold it without the tripod, but with other accessories like the way the SkyGuider is sold. I'm thinking that the two EQ only mounts, Star Adventurer/SkyGuider, would make for easier setup with a polar alignment through the PA scope. But you'd have to know where to aim your lens. I think any of these mounts will yield amazing results and you can't really go wrong choosing any of them.


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#916 EastAnglian

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 02:20 PM

Hi all

Okay, an update to my saga. After lots of correspondence between myself and the UK importers, and my decision that I didn’t want to disassemble the unit and repair it myself, I’ve taken the decision to return it for refund. This has been agreed between the importers, the seller, and myself. Inasmuch as Skywatcher were concerned, they were, from a distance, very helpful, but I felt that as the unit was less than two months old it wasn’t up to me to repair it. I should add that there was no quibble over this. The importers /main dealers informed me that they have no stock at present and don’t expect there to be any until the end of February beginning of March. 

So sadly, my participation in this particular forum is, at least for now, at an end. I’d like to thank everybody who’s helped me here, especially David. 

See you elsewhere 

Max


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#917 davidparks

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 03:24 PM

Max,  I'm sad the issue couldn't come to a resolution that left you with a great working mount frown.gif , it may have turned out differently had they had more units in stock...

 

I hope we do indeed see you elsewhere, and always, Clear Skies!

 

D



#918 Carl Kolchak

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 06:38 PM

I am curious if this mount, the SkyWatcher AZ-GTi, could be used with my 102mm f/7 refractor. It weights in at 10 lbs 6.5 ozs with rings, dovetail and RDF. The manual states the Payload is 5 kg or 11 lbs. How much wiggle room if any is there in that weight figure? If this is too far off topic, I can delete it and start a new topic.

 

Thanks,

 

 



#919 organge

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Posted 04 February 2019 - 06:50 PM

I am curious if this mount, the SkyWatcher AZ-GTi, could be used with my 102mm f/7 refractor. It weights in at 10 lbs 6.5 ozs with rings, dovetail and RDF. The manual states the Payload is 5 kg or 11 lbs. How much wiggle room if any is there in that weight figure? If this is too far off topic, I can delete it and start a new topic.

 

Thanks,

The other day I mounted 6" f5 reflector on it which weights exactly 5kg. I used BCO eyepieces so not much weight in that department. The whole setup was usable and mount didn't struggle at all moving the scope around but the stock tripod is a no go for 5kg. I will test it out next time with another tripod.

 

Everything below 4kg I tried ( 80ED, ST80, Mak 102, Mak 127, Vixen A80M ) was perfectly fine. The only thing with Vixen was that you could see the motors somehow struggling but this was with previous AZ GTi I had. This new one I have now seems much more ready to move around. I suspect it's kind of lottery on what you get with these since this latest one I have has the issue of unscrewing from the base - previous one didn't have that.


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#920 Alexdz57

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Posted 05 February 2019 - 04:48 PM

I am curious if this mount, the SkyWatcher AZ-GTi, could be used with my 102mm f/7 refractor. It weights in at 10 lbs 6.5 ozs with rings, dovetail and RDF. The manual states the Payload is 5 kg or 11 lbs. How much wiggle room if any is there in that weight figure? If this is too far off topic, I can delete it and start a new topic.

 

Thanks,

I use mine with a Celestron 102mm F6.5 refractor (22150) with a Baader 8-24 zoom fairly often, doesn't seem to have any trouble at all.

 

I've also used it with a C6 SCT, and while the mount didn't complain I personally can't stop worrying about it.



#921 organge

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Posted 06 February 2019 - 06:32 AM

I use mine with a Celestron 102mm F6.5 refractor (22150) with a Baader 8-24 zoom fairly often, doesn't seem to have any trouble at all.

 

I've also used it with a C6 SCT, and while the mount didn't complain I personally can't stop worrying about it.

C6 is well within mount's limits at 4.54kg. If you use lightweight eyepieces you should be fine. The mount will handle it. Now, the stock tripod....not so much.


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#922 Alexdz57

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Posted 06 February 2019 - 11:53 AM

C6 is well within mount's limits at 4.54kg. If you use lightweight eyepieces you should be fine. The mount will handle it. Now, the stock tripod....not so much.

I don't own a scale so haven't measured but despite the similar listed weights, the C6 definitely feels heavier to me--even without the tube rings. With the C6 I also feel the need to counterweight, which seems to result is smoother free motion. Of course that's more weight still but it levels the load on the bearing surface I think.

 

I actually bought a Sky-Watcher 3/8" tripod from FLO, not realizing how substantial that thing actually is. It seems heavier than even the tripod on the 8Se. So now with the C6, counterweights, and the new tripod my "grab&go" system is about as heavy as the 8Se (although easier to pack). :(

 

With the heavy tripod though the view is absolutely stable, forget any motion after focusing, etc.



#923 LRSibb

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Posted 06 February 2019 - 01:38 PM

This was my setup for Africa:

 

Az-GTi LRS Ndutu.jpg

 

I used a stone bag - 

https://www.bhphotov..._Stone_Bag.html

 

 

Note the large piece of Tanzania in the Stone Bag.

 

This setup was "rock solid" even using the stock tripod. 

 


Edited by LRSibb, 07 February 2019 - 04:31 AM.

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#924 Taylor

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Posted 06 February 2019 - 01:58 PM

I realize that Android devices are the only ones that can run Sky Safari and fully control the AZ GTI since the iPhone needs an additional iOS device to run Synscan and Sky safari separate.

Wall Mart has a cheap $50 Android phone, anyone buy a cheap phone for sole use as a controller with Android?

#925 davidparks

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Posted 06 February 2019 - 03:44 PM

LRSibb, I have that same weight bag waytogo.gif sometimes I put the battery in it lol.gif

 

Thanks again for sharing your great travel story!

 

Dave


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