Olli

1 hour ago, david_taurus83 said:

Your almost there with a full setup so I would put hand in pocket and fork out for a guide camera and small guide scope. It will make things so much easier from the get go. With a guide setup you can use Sharpcap for polar alignment which will be far more accurate than eyeballing through the mounts polar scope. Apart from Sharpcap which is £10 for a years licence, all software is free that you need to guide and image. With a DSLR I would recommend APT for starting out. 

 

Edit: Here's is what I would recommend. 

 

Thanks for the photos I was looking at the guide scope seems like a good choice for the price I will keep looking . 

5 hours ago, PeterCPC said:

If you can get your Polar Alignment spot on then you should be ok for reasonably long unguided shots. I know some people have managed 500secs or so with an HEQ5. I've never had one so cannot comment.

Thanks  Peter, polar alignment is something I’m a bit worried about but I guess it takes practice. Will try and read up about a bit more.

Thanks everyone for the advice has been really helpful. When guiding I assume you will need a laptop for this to be able to work? I have seen you can buy mini pcs and can remote onto them, would this be a good idea? What would be the easiest soloutio, would like to try and keep it as clean as possible without too many wires.  This is all new to me so a lot to take in.

Hi everyone, 

To keep the story short in a drastic turn of events I have just been gifted a HEQ5 pro which I’m over the moon with.  My plan for this mount now is going to be for a permanent imaging set up. I have  a WO73 and today just ordered a flatner and an adapter for my DSLR. 
 

the one thing I’m a bit confused with is guiding will it be possible to start imaging with not using a guide scope for a while to get used to the mount and everything else? Bit overwhelmed . Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks everyone can now control it with the app. Feel a bit silly now but one step closer I guess. Hopefully this will help out a lot with alignment! Thanks again.

49 minutes ago, AstroNebulee said:

Ahh I see, it will be moving thats what the noise from the mount will be. That's because its moving so slowly you can barely see it move. If you change the speed just above the keypad circled in orange, one is more speed one is less speed. Then the speed indicator is circled blue in the attached image. So add more speed when centering your target for alignment (not to much or you will overshoot each time, speeds are 1-9) or to try it now just put to 9 and see that baby turn 😁 Once you get the alignment star in the centre I think the keypad will flash the up and right buttons, so just tap these 2 to proceed to your next alignment star, then repeat. 

Cheers 

Lee 

 

Just had a quick look on the app and the number is on 5 in the middle. That maybe the issue! Will try when I get home thank you.

1 hour ago, StevieDvd said:

How were you doing the alignments if the arrows are not working?

Just by selecting alignment on the app and choosing the stars it then goes off and does the alignment without me having to use the keypad though with it being quite off. So I’m unable to Center the stars.

2 hours ago, AstroNebulee said:

That seems strange to me. With the mount switched on and connected to the synscan app you should be able to move the mount with the keypad. 

What are you using device wise with the synscan app? 

Cheers 

Lee 

Hi lee, Tried using it with my iPhone and also my iPad but having the same issues, when I go to use the keypad I can here it making a noise but it basically doesn’t move at all. It was with both the non and pro version of the app.

1 hour ago, AstroNebulee said:

I don't use mine in ALT az mode anymore but what I used to do is the North level alignment. Firstly I levelled the tripod then place a spirit level on my scope and level it. Then I used this compass app on my phone that can be set to geographic North. Do a 3 star alignment, 1st star would be slight off but next 2 would be in fov then just centre them, you have to confirm in the app by pressing the up and right arrows I think after each alignment star. 

Maybe the firmware needs updating I'm not entirely sure though. I think there's one for the left hand mounting here? Hopefully someone can confirm. 

http://skywatcher.com/download/software/motor-control-firmware/

Cheers 

Lee 

 

Thanks lee, I still haven’t updated the software yet so I will give this a try tonight. I will read a bit more to see if I do need to do it. That sounds like a good idea about the leveller , that’s one thing I can’t do on the app is manually control it. As I have seen videos where pressing the arrows you can slew it around but unfortunately this doesn’t work for me I’m not sure if buying a SynScan handset might be better as I’m having difficulty with the app itself most the time.

4 hours ago, Elp said:

@Olli don't worry about asking questions.

This should help a little bit more though probably overkill if you're near enough to Polaris: Your next port of call I'd say is try to setup the mount to point to true geographical north as this does not change as dramatically as magnetic north does. I do this with a manual compass which has a declination scale on it, depending on your location in longitude E or W of the meridian you orient the compass until the north indicator is pointing toward the value of your E/W angle, that is true north in very rough estimates. As youre still using a compass it still won't be super accurate but it makes for fascinating reading how seafarers navigate at sea via their equipment, stars and charts.

Did you manage to complete any of the 2/3 star alignment processes?

When aligning a star into the centre of the field of view you can use a crosshair illuminated eyepiece or slightly defocus the alignment star so it's a bloated doughnut shape so you can better align it to the centre of the eyepiece, you'll realise when centering a star how off you are.

It would be good once you've achieved your result to update here and finalise the thread you started so others can find a solution if they have had similar problems to you.

I tried a two star alignment in at the start of the session and it was way off but I haven’t tried it after it got a bit better at aligning.  At the moment the Star I choose is Arcturus and I then tried Polaris as my second star not sure if these are good choices. I did use a compass on my phone last night to Try and be accurate but I’ll try and get a physical one. ( they are fun to use anyway) I will have a look into Thor illuminated eyepieces and will make sure to close the thread once I figure this out… hopefully. Thanks

13 minutes ago, badhex said:

Don't worry Olli, that's what the thread's for 🙂

I could have missed it earlier in the thread, but might be worth detailing step by step what you are doing from the start, and at what point you start to run into problems. If you have a photo of your setup that would also help? 

Hi, I had put it in another thread but happy to write it again. After contacting Flo and reaching out on here I have been told to point to north  and level the scope w with the horizon which I have tried tonight and had better results then the last two days as it had started to point to the ground 😆 I then power on the mount and connect the wifi and reset the alignment. I also have the scope on the left hand side. haven’t got a photo of my exact set up but hopefully this helps a bit I will try and get one soon. Thanks 

Hi all, first of all sorry to keep asking questions about the mount. After using @Elp’s advice about the power tank I have somewhat gotten closer to good alignment, however It is still quite a bit off though pointing in the right direction this time! I had got confused about my norths ( was using Polaris) and it has seemed to help. What am I still doing wrong? As the targets never seem to be in the field of view. This is being used In it’s al az mode.

8 hours ago, Elp said:

I'm not 100% certain, but I'm pretty sure the pro app is the one to use.

Also what firmware version are you using for the azgti (you can check this via the synscan app under motor board version, or via the desktop firmware updating utility (think it's windows only)). If it's factory default and you're using it in alt az mode the telescope should be mounted on the LHS pointing forward.

You are correct in the mount needs to be pointing north (ie telescope aligned parallel to the ground pointing north), true north not magnetic north though for the purposes of testing it won't make too much difference. Your tripod needs to be level too. Your location in synscan app needs to be accurate too and you may have to input it manually if it doesn't read from your phone's GPS.

Once all that's confirmed you have to perform a one star alignment minimum, 3 is best, 2 is usually enough as long as the alignment stars are in different quadrants (side by side stars won't work, the app effectively doesn't allow this anyway by removing any star options which are near your first choice). If you're lucky the star once the azgti slews will be near or in the telescopes/eyepiece field of view, you then have to centre it via the synscan mount controls before confirming the alignment for that star.

The azgti remembers the alignment hence if it's off or you haven't aligned the mount as per the prior session any gotos will be off. The previous alignment can be cleared in the synscan app I believe.

Please go through and confirm the above, it took me a few tries to sort it myself when I first started with it.

The power issue is also very real, I used new batteries and fully charged ones, the mount kept disconnecting it's WiFi and gotos weren't working, slew commands kept pausing. I bought a Celestron Lithium LT and this problem went away.

Also, do you have access to another phone or a tablet which you can try the synscan app on? There is also the windows version of the app you can try off a laptop.

Hi Elp,

I am using the default firmware that came out of the box, I haven’t updated it as I assumed it was only to  put it in eq mode,I have the telescope mount on the left ( as per picture). I have attached a photo for you how I set it up though I did also try with the scope horizontal pointing forwards and still had the same issue, as well as pointing the scope north to Polaris though I have a feeling this may be wrong.is the diagram correct? I will double check the coordinates within the app. I can try using my tablet to see if that works better . I guess I won’t try anything until I get a better power source just to see if that is the issue. With the power supply does it come with the correct cable to charge the mount or will I need to buy that separately if so what type? But if it needs updating I will do that too, the instructions weren’t much help that came with it. Thanks .

14 minutes ago, Shimrod said:

I've used external batteries with mine (a Celestron Powertank pro) but that is quite expensive. @ScouseSpaceCadet has used a relatively cheap Talent battery pack. Worth having a search for his threads to find the exact details of the pack used.

Thanks, I will be using the for photography too in the near future so I guess it will be worth buying a decent power bank. I will have a google and see what comes up hopefully this is the problem. 

8 minutes ago, Shimrod said:

Have you read this thread - it includes comments on using rechargeable batteries - they will probably not be giving you sufficient power for the mount even with a full charge.

 

Thanks for the thread, I cannot slew the scope using the app manually so maybe this is the issue. I will try and find a good power supply. Hopefully this will fix the problem.

2 minutes ago, Peter-uk said:

I think this sounds like low battery power to the az gti (but you don't say how you are powing the mount)

Hi Peter, I am using batteries to power the mount. They were delivered on Saturday with the scope from Amazon ( rechargeable ) so they should have full battery. Sorry forgot to mention. 

Hi all, 

I’m hoping you could help me, i am trying to use the SynScan app on an iPhone along with the az gti mount. I am really struggling to align the mount up using the app.

I have had a look on previous posts stating the mount should be pointing north and the scope. I have tried this but the scope seems to be all over the place when trying to align Arcturus for example it will point south or sometimes north or even the ground.  I know it’s stated to reset the alignment every time within the app but I cannot do this as most the time it’s greyed out even when force closing the app. Had to re download the non pro version for it to work.

these last nights with the scope have been pretty disappointing and frustrating as I’m sure it’s a great bit of kit when it works. Hoping some of you can help me get this resolved. 
 

thanks 

So first of all I just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone here  for the help on picking my new scope as well as Ian and Alex at @FLO. 
 

I was quite surprised that I was able to test the set up so soon after receiving the scope and mount yesterday. Upon unboxing I was amazed at the build quality of the scope with the all metal design and the unboxing experience as it came with its own bag.  So far it seems to be worth the money all ready. 
 

Fast forward to Sunday night and the clouds had started to clear after they where hear all weekend and went to set up my scope nice and easy being able to carry everything with one hand is amazing after the struggles I’ve had with my Dob. I went to align the scope for the first time using the az gti  as I could see Arcturus nice and high in the sky within the process I  had ran into some major difficulties trying to get it aligned with 1 star on SynScan pro app.  For some reason it never seemed to Center the Star and was quite a way off in the end I had to manually make sure that it was Center in the scope and then complete the alignment though still not completely Center. 
 

I had a short amount of time so I thought I’d stop trying to get it perfect and whilst I was there look for m3 as I quite enjoy clusters. After all the frustration I managed to finally get m3 and it was great to see especially how it was framed in the scope using the Morpheus 14mm eyepiece which gave crisp views and even some bonus satellites .  This made  up for the earlier frustration and can see the potential of this scope and look forward to see more once I can get the alignment sorted out. All in all very pleased with this scope.

So first of all I just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone here  for the help on picking my new scope as well as Ian and Alex at @FLO. 
 

I was quite surprised that I was able to test the set up so soon after receiving the scope and mount yesterday. Upon unboxing I was amazed at the build quality of the scope with the all metal design and the unboxing experience as it came with its own bag.  So far it seems to be worth the money all ready. 
 

Fast forward to Sunday night and the clouds had started to clear after they where hear all weekend and went to set up my scope nice and easy being able to carry everything with one hand is amazing after the struggles I’ve had with my Dob. I went to align the scope for the first time using the az gti  as I could see Arcturus nice and high in the sky within the process I  had ran into some major difficulties trying to get it aligned with 1 star on SynScan pro app.  For some reason it never seemed to Center the Star and was quite a way off in the end I had to manually make sure that it was Center in the scope and then complete the alignment though still not completely Center. 
 

I had a short amount of time so I thought I’d stop trying to get it perfect and whilst I was there look for m3 as I quite enjoy clusters. After all the frustration I managed to finally get m3 and it was great to see especially how it was framed in the scope using the Morpheus 14mm eyepiece which gave crisp views and even some bonus satellites .  This made  up for the earlier frustration and can see the potential of this scope and look forward to see more once I can get the alignment sorted out. All in all very pleased with this scope.

Sounds like a great experience!

On 23/04/2022 at 15:09, Ratlet said:

Look forward to reading your observation report!

Will hopefully get to write one soon!

39 minutes ago, Elp said:

Having owned both SA and WO one, I'd recommend the WO, I was in the same position and baulked at the added cost and got the SA one first. Many people have used the SA very well, I got annoyed with it. Now I can PA within 2 minutes sometimes, usually within 5 to less than 30 a/s, closest I ever got before stopping was 4 a/s.

Synscan pro app, are you installing v1.19 or another version? I've used this successfully on Android 11 and 12. Any prior version just turned off (crashed/minimised itself) immediately upon loading.

I have just downloaded the app for iOS on the website. It unfortunately doesn’t say which version it is. I’m not sure why it’s worked for my other device , I did a quick Google and people have had similar problems I will try and have another look.

This thread has been extremely helpful. I just have a couple of questions, hopefully hasn’t been asked. I am looking at a Eq wedge for the mount and have seen the star adventurer or the wo mount which is nearly double the price. What mount would you recommend out the two? Also when trying to set up SynScan on my phone the app constantly  crashes when searching for the scope.  I have managed to set it up on my iPad but would prefer to use the phone I tried downloading it from the website but still no joy.

1 hour ago, callisto said:

Enjoy 😊

Thank you!

Postman just delivered  my new portable set up which includes a Az gti , WOZ73 , along with WO diagonal and 78 degree Morpheus eyepiece. So apologies in advanced for the clouds 😁