3 replies to this topic

[stevenson166]

Can the ZWO AM 5 be used with Skysafari? How is this done?

[aantonio]

Interesting question: I understand the answer is yes when using ASIAIR, but... would it be possible without it? I mean, does the mount provide a wifi network for SkySafari? What settings are required? (I know RST-135 does work this way actually, only mount and phone, no ASIAIR)

Thanks,

 

Antonio

[aantonio]

Ok, I can reply to my question after more investigation: while most attention is paid to use with AsiAir, now I understand the mount acts as an hotspot for the smartphone and can be used with SkySafari. The big limitation for pure visual use is still the lack of proper polar alignment without AsiAir (why not offering an optional polar scope to attach to it?) and without a pc, as well as the lack of two- or three-stars alignment. They seem to have released a firmware update for this, but as far as I know it does not work. As things stand, better consider the NYX 101 or the RST 135 for visual.

 

Antonio

[JohnB1989]

The AM5 worked with Sky Safari for me, but "worked" is very different from "worked well."

 

Personally, the ZWO app is far, far better/more compatible with the AM5 than is SkySafari. I used SkySafari with the AVX and found it was a great platform for non-ZWO stuff, where there's no alternative, but wouldn't advise using it with the AM5. Finicky reliability, settings issues, etc.