AdeKing

You don't connect the WiFi adaptor directly to your Laptop, but you can connect your Laptop to the SynScan WiFi wireless network when the WiFi adaptor is connected to the mount and powered on. You will however need to install the Synscan App on your laptop, but I think this is only available for Windows PCs. I'm not sure why mobile data needs to be turned off, but I need to disable mobile data with my phone too, mine won't work properly with mobile data turned on in the phone. So to confirm the WiFi dongle is plugged directly into the AZ Goto Mount using the short cable with the smaller plug. Once the WiFi dongle is connected and the AZ GoTo mount and the mount is powered up, tell your mobile phone to connect to the WiFi network with a similar name to "SynScan_WiFi_####" but do this before you start the SynScan App on the phone. When connected to the SynScan WiFi network on your phone start the Synscan App on the phone and click "Connect" This should find your mount, click on your mount to connect to it. Now you should be able to select the "Align" command and perform the alignment of the mount. Hope this helps, Ade

I'm pretty sure that one of the short cables supplied (with the smaller plug) is for an Alt AZ mount whereas the other is for an EQ mount. I need the cable with the small plug for the AZ Goto mount and the other cable for the EQ5. Neither of the supplied cables plugs into the handset, both plug directly into the relevant mount.

Is the weather today giving you food for thought regarding securing everything down Dave or are you fairly sheltered from the southwesterlies? Waves were spectacular breaking over West Bay Harbour a few minutes ago and I thought of you and your obsy plans. Ade

Great news as I'm saving for an AZ Pro but am still a long way off yet. Good to know that I can source from FLO when the Piggy Bank is full though. Ade

Thanks Steve, I'm loving the ED120 and I'm grateful to @Grumpy Martian for selling it to me. I do have a Moonlite theme going on now, which is an expensive habit. I'd like to fit one to my ZS66SD to replace the awful stock focuser but as that setup is pretty back heavy anyway, I'm worried that a Moonlite would make it too difficult to balance. Ade

Not the postman, but yesterday I met a friend and collected two new (and hopefully final for a while) additions to my astro arsenal. 1) a new to me Giro Ercole Mini and counterweight bar. 2) an ED120 of the gold coloured vintage complete with a very nice red Moonlite dual speed Crayford. Unusually the weather gods smiled on me and we had a cold but clear night down here in Dorset and I got to use them both. How often does that happen? The mini ercole was fantastic to use with much more progressive tension on the axes unlike the Giro GR2 mini which I find a very much on or off affair. Now just need to decide on the fate of the Starwave f/11 which hasn't seen much use.

My Starwave f/11 trying to see the total Lunar eclipse through impenetrable cloud........ Without any luck I might add.

A new to me, though actually of 1990s vintage and still working perfectly, Manfrotto 058 tripod for my SolarQuest mount and Lunt LS60. Love the way that this model has a lever to release all three legs at once, which makes levelling a whole lot easier.

It was lovely this morning. Quick shot with an old Samsung Galaxy A5 from my front garden. Earthshine very clear.

I got one of these as my first refractor and despite now having several Fracs, including an ED100 this one still gets loads of use. To be honest, I don't find the CA too bad, even when lunar observing, but I think that CA annoyance varies from observer to observer, it doesn't bother me much on the example that I have at all. This little scope has given me some cracking views of the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, WL Solar and loads of brighter DSOs. In terms of performance compared to cost, I think that this little OTA scores pretty highly and I'll certainly be keeping mine. Ade

I didn't go for one in the end, I managed to pick up a used iOptron Skytracker for a reasonable price. However, I'm still interested to know how folks get on if anyone gets one.

Thats how I understood it too. Ade

I really need to get a move on with mine but need to magic some spare time to do it from somewhere.

I have successfully hijacked the end of this post, so I'm going to resurrect my old threads with updates now that I've been inspired to tackle it again. More info here too:

Not in its current form I don't have a long enough vehicle to transport it. Even my Navara pickup was too short unless you left the tailgate down. Possibly will convert it to a Truss Tube eventually or maybe a split tube like @Moonshane did to one of his solid tubes.

That was the image when I first received it and it was covered in dust. I have now cleaned it so it's slightly less hazy now but does need recoating. The Base came with it, I think it's the original Base. However the dodgy wheels and barrow handles have been disposed of. The "tool rack" on the side is actually a small handle to assist with lifting it there is one on the other side and a third on the box work around the tube. It's a 12" mirror but the tube is either 14 or 16 inch diameter and about 1600mm long. I'm 1.8m tall and the whole assembly is about 4" taller than me. 

Looks very similar to my primary mirror cell with the deflated bubble wrap between the mirror and wooden primary holder. My base is in very good condition, but the mirror is slightly sorry for itself.

Apologies to @Stub Mandrel, I didn't mean to Hijack your thread. Your thread has however inspired me to get my posterior in gear, drag my 12" Dob out and complete the renovation job that is part finished. Ade

I've added some thin aluminium plate with a hole drilled in it between the mirror and the 45 degree plumbing pipe holder. I'm then attaching the secondary to the aluminium plate with silicone, and then siliconing the aluminium plate to the plumbing pipe holder. I'm also attaching a length of string to the back of the secondary mirror, threading it through the hole in the ally plate and attaching it securely through the secondary holder to the spider so that if any part of the secondary assembly fails the secondary will be caught by the string and will hang a short way down the tube rather than striking the mirror. As I've replaced the spider with an old Orion Optics one, I've replaced the secondary adjustment bar with a length of threaded rod with nuts to adjust the mirror up and down. I'll resurrect my 12" Dob thread in a bit when I've made a start and got something to show for my efforts.

No you're not alone, mine is in a worse state than @Stub Mandrel as the previous owner had managed to let the secondary fall off and strike the primary and had then refitted the damaged secondary the wrong way around. I have a new secondary to fit, the secondary spider was knackered with several of the spot welds having failed so I now have an old Orion Optics two-vane spider to fit. It also needs the hideous helical plumbing pipe focuser replacing with a Crayford. Then I can test the mirror and see whether its worth re-coating.

A magnetic knife rack, seems to be a popular choice for attaching counterweights to. That is what I'm adding to my 12" Dark Star now that my garage has been tidied and I can access it to finish the renovation I started 18 months ago. Hopefully it'll see some use this season.

I think you'll really enjoy it when the new gear Permacloud disperses. Not much going on in WL at the moment, but there are a couple of small sunspots up there at the moment.

I'm regularly using mine to mount an ED100 which is 900mm focal length. It's a little bit shaky when focusing but the mount handles the tube OK on a goto so long as the tube is balanced. I've also tried it with a Starwave 102 at 1120mm focal length. Again the mount carried it OK but the extra length meant that it was too shaky when focusing for my liking so I haven't tried it since.