Stu1smartcookie

i love this mount ... i actually had one a couple of years ago ... but i must have bought the wrong one this time . I aim to go down a different route now .. when i return this mount i will use the money wisely ( hopefully ) I was going to just get a replacement but im now a bit wary .

its partly that , but , to be honest Mark , i am an impatient astronomer ... i realise those two things do not readily go together but i sure you know what i mean . If i have now found my niche in this wonderful hobby then the time trying astrophotography has been well spent . i will still take photos , but of course they wont be of the standard that i see on here. But , i am ok with that ... i actually , for probably the first time ,realise what i want from astronomy . Namely a fairly large Dob that gives me quick gratification . For some that my seem a bit simplistic , but as we ALL know . Astronomy has many paths and thats the beauty of the hobby

oK , so i need to post an update to the above ... everything was sharp last night , as in stars ... i only took lights , because my aim (joke) was to frame everything ... i failed. I will accept that the astrophograhy side of things is not for me and i will happily go back to visual . So , all of my gear will be put on the FOR SALE section . I will buy a light bucket ( hopefully with a goto system ) probably an 8" Dob. A sad day , but heres to a new , and in my case , happier begining . My god this astronomy hobby puts you through the ringer lol .

Just had another go with the AZ-Gti ... same thing happened .. i was (hopefully) taking shots of M81, and then i told the mount to go to M101 .. at which point i heard a series of clicks , followed by alot of clicks as the camera slipped ... its almost as if the mount got stuck but then freed itself . One things for sure ... its going bak on Monday to the nice telescope man and lady ... i will keep everyone posted about the outcome lol im now trying to take shots of the pinwheel , on the star adventurer , but i doubt if its in the frame .. also i hastily did a polar alignement .. never a good thing !

Hi Sorry , ive only just seen your reply ... thanks a bunch .

yeah i saw the reviews on the wedge , Peter Zalinka trashed it and advised either the SW one or the real deal WO.. WO make good stuff , i love my little refractor , but my patience with that is getting tested at the moment . I used to have a 250 Flex dob and i sold it to get an EQ5 mount which i really hated . Ive spent a lot of money finding out where i want to be in this hobby , and it aint over yet , thats for sure £££££££££

i am going to download stallarium for the phone .. i really like the program , Nigh Sky is ok but a bit sensitive . It does seem that all of us have had or are having problems trying to frame DSO'S . How do you rate the Skyguider Pro ? it was either that or the SWSA . In the end i went fpr the SA only because it has a nice L bracket rotator and it can be upgraded to do more indepth time lapse.. but i havent tried that yet . I like the look of the Ioptron model .

i looked at the ASIair , but i wanted the older model , just to keep the cost down . There will be very clear skies here tonight so i am going to pull out all the stops and give it one more go ( no pressure ) i havent got a guide scope yet so i cant guide .. i do have a zwo120mc-s camera and of course a dslr so ive been using my 100d camera . i tried out the zwo on venus the other night .. it was ok , but its not a target im interested in . Oh and i also am in the apple eco system so sharp cap isnt a solution i can use . i presume the ASIair will work with Mac.

I only used the 1kg counter weight maybe that wasnt enough ? I really do like the mount ... its so convenient , tell me do you use a guide cam? And do you Polar align this mount in EQ mode ? i thought about getting the polemaster or an ASIair . (More Expense zzzz) .

Hi Mark ... i placed the laser pointer on top of my refractor , there will be some margine for error there im sure . But as the z61 is quite a wide field scope i thought i would get something in the frame .. i have stars of course , but not what im looking for . Another problem is , because its a small refractor and im viewing everything through the camera i cant see much , even after zooming in . That probably releates to my area which is qhite light polluted . I do use the app , Night Sky , to roughly see where i need to be . I am just about to post a farewell to astro photography ... i am so frustrated . i think i would be better served going back to visual using an 8" Dob , i actually took some cool one shot pics with a dob , and better success than i am having now .

Good evening , i bought a Star Adventurer and an AZ-Gti .. mainly to compare the two mounts and then make a decision on what to keep . The trouble is , i am getting nowhere fast with either . Th AZ-Gti is great but it " slipped " a couple of times , as if there was too much weight (i only had a dslr on a ball head , fixed to the L bracket with a 1kg weight when it first happened ) so , any thoughts on that would be appreciated . As for the SA .. what a lovely bit of kit .. it sits really well on the Wedge and a really sturdy steel tripod ... but ... why cant i find any of my targets ?.. I have a laser pointer which i use but to no avail . When i look at images taken with the SA i feel im doing something wrong ! .. Any thoughts please .

Since those carefree days and nights of last year i have owned an EQ3 and a Star Adventurer.. The EQ3 has since been sold and i hanker after my AZ-Gti .. yep i know its very similar to the Star tracker but , with the goto feature it certainly helped in my light polluted back garden . I have upgraded my tripod to a steel one from Skywatcher ... its a game changer ! These small portable mounts are absolutely brilliant . I will purchase another AZ-Gti but i have to sell off a few bits and pieces first . One question ... can i use an auto guide scope with the AZ-Gti .. i only ask because they really do make a difference to length of exposure when using a camera on my star tracker . The AZ-Gti doesnt have an st4 port as i remember . Sorry if that is a ridiculous question !

Brilliant pic ... in fact this thread has been really good to read . I have the same issues sometimes in finding the galaxy etc . I am using a Wo ZS61 and i am a bit frustrated that it didnt come with a finder bracket and or guide rings , which the 73mm scope did have! I know its a wide field scope but its still sometimes a nightmare to find a target , especially under light polluted skies .

i read this with much interest as i am new to star trackers too ... i have a z61 which pushes the weight a bit once the flattener and the camera is fixed . Like your ioptron my star adventurer has a payload of 5kgs .. i usually go for 30second exposures without any problems ... the problems i do have is actually making sure i have the target in the frame . Even with the night sky app i struggle sometimes . I have also read that its possible , indeed preferable to use a guide cam as this will almost ceratainly increase exposure time . Its all really interesting ..and like Rick said .. its actually fun ( and frustrating ) learning on the job .

Hi Nathan ... in no way am i an expert on this but i did do a lot of research before i bought the Skywatcher Star Adventurer ... if you want some really good advice go on you tube and search out a guy called Peter Zelinka . He posted a video comparing four trackers . I have to say the ioptron is also a very nice little tracker but it costs an extra £100 ... you can pick up a Star Adventurer Pro pack which has everything you need for £260 from Rother Valley Optics . Ive only just bought mine and i have to say its a brilliant bit of kit .

If ever there was a case for "learning on the job " then our fascinating hobby is it ! I can literally spend hours looking at a piece of sky and then referencing it to the app "night sky " on my phone . Smaller scopes may not seem a great option for visual stuff but i love the fact that my wide field refractor means i can literally see wide field . I think your scope is a nice bit of kit .. how wonderful that your kids are enthusiastic too . Enjoy every moment , even the frustrating ones, as thats actually when you learn the most . I reckon you should get some great views of the planets with that scope . Clear Skies to you .

oops ... in answer to my own question i have downloaded the wrong firmware zzz ... i have now found the correct firmware and , well basically i am back to where i started . hopefully everything is ok . Message to self ... dont be too hasty !!!!

can you advise me please ... i have downloaded the latest firmware motor controller (ver 1.74)and the updated firmware ( not the Advanced Firmware) .. the thing is i check the auto detect com port but there is another checked square referencing a synscan hand controller ... when i leave it checked the firmware takes about 3 minutes to upload ... whereas when i uncheck it the firmware is done in about 20 seconds . What is right and what is wrong ?

Soooo glad i didnt do the Advanced firmware update ...i was going to but instead it looks like i just downloaded version 03_06 and the motor firmware program . I accept that its a brilliant update , but, for now , im happy using my intervalometer .

Sorry , i'm a bit late to this discussion but i've just purchased a star adventure .. i too was debating whether to go for the sky guider pro .. in the end , as this is my first tracker , i went for the less expensive option . I did watch loads of you tube vids on these trackers and to be honest there were very few differences between the 2 trackers . i liked the look of the skyguider better .. it also had a built in polar scope light .. but i heard not such good reports regarding the wedge . The star adventurer had the best wedge , and had a few more tracking speeds too. It was also £115 less !! thats a fair bit of dosh when you consider these trackers are basically doing the same thing ! I had to buy the star adventurer on its own , the pro pack had sold out everywhere (ANNOYED) ..but i did have the L Bracket already so i ended up purchasing the unit , wedge and counter weight ! the unit came with a polar scope light ( JUNK) and a ball head adapter . I purchased a GEEKOTO tripod from amazon for £65 .. it came with a ball head and it seems fine . I bought the aluminium rather than the carbon fibre (CHEEP SKATE) . So i set everything up ...in the lounge and was looking forward to taking advantage of the glorious weather we've been having in the south of the country... its at this point i wish to apologise for the cloud and rain which has now decided to turn up ! Of course its the usual pattern that if you buy any astronomy equipment you also seem to get a subscription for cloud and rain !!! Anyway , i am looking forward to using my new gear asap . I just wanted to share my enthusiasm with you on purchasing some more astro photography stuff . I wish you Clear Skies .

Stu , didn't get to see M32 + M110.. sorry to say … I cannot wait for September when the skies darken at around 8pm . hoping for longer session at the weekend , especially as the skies are looking good . I am going to try a bit of imaging but , I really want to "know" the sky more .

Hi everyone … So , last night I had my best ever night of observing . I set up my mount about an hour before use … levelled and balanced the scope (130pds ) … I successfully Polar aligned ( all these things are getting easier and faster to do ) . The air was still and fairly mild and every target I set on my GOTO was found without problems . This really was a bit of a triumph for me as I've always had issues in polar alignment and I was getting a bit disillusioned, if I'm completely honest . I was like a child in a sweet shop as I busily scanned the skies for any visible planet (Jupiter and Saturn ) and double stars and galaxies (I love you Andromeda ) I could see in the short viewing time I had . Getting up at 5am has many drawbacks , one being having to sleep before midnight ! I only used low power EPs last night but the sheer thrill of what I saw last night was enough in itself. So , apart from the obvious , why am I writing this …well , I suppose the reason is the one thing I am rapidly learning with this amazing hobby is to be patient . I sometimes look at glossy pictures from the likes of the Hubble and to be honest , I would rather actually see a grey fuzzy patch and tease extra detail from my light polluted back garden . Sorry if this is preaching to the converted , but , I just wanted to share my glory . Clear skies to all !

Well done, Kirk … I've yet to produce my first image but if its as good as yours then I will be more than happy .

Thank you , Just need the rings for my z61 to give it a go . I am a bit cautious ( that's why I asked the question) , but that's one for and one against lol . As I say , I can't test it yet .