Stu1smartcookie

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 .

I hadn't even thought about the bearings side of it 😕 … plus of course my z61 has a field flattener etc adding extra weight … also never even considered a side by side . I must admit , I did expect this answer although I was rather hoping it wouldn't be the case . But at least I haven't had any extra expense , so thank you for the advice , Steppenwolf . Since I bought the mount , I have not had a clear night !! But of course that's the way it goes when you purchase new astronomy stuff zzz

Hi all … I would like to ask if the following is feasible . I have a SW 130pds mounted on a SW EQ3 Pro Goto . I also have a lovely small WO ZS61 . My question is , these two scopes weigh about 6.5 kgs … would I be able to piggy back the Z61 onto the 130 and still use the mount . I am looking to upgrade the tripod to a steel one , as the aluminium one supplied feels thinner than a supermodel on hunger strike . This should give extra weight and stability , but I think I may be pushing it beyond its limits. I am not able to try this , at present as I do not have any rings to fix the z61 to the 130 yet, hence the question .

Good call on the counterweight .

I agree … sky watcher actually do not endorse the firmware upgrade themselves , which is a little strange as they offer it on their site .. but as you rightly say , the mount isn't really designed for astrophotography . The trouble with me is that I don't really know what I want from this hobby lol … its costing me a lot of money to find the right combination of scope and mount. I really do like the az-gti. Though a steel tripod is certainly the way to go with it as it wobbles like a jelly on the aluminium one .

Not sure I can be of much help but , last night I took off the wedge and reverted back to the original firmware for the AZ-GTi… apart from having to rearrange the dovetail bar to accommodate fitting the scope on the left of the mount instead of the right , the whole system worked so much better . I had excellent views of Jupiter , considering its elevation, with my 130pds and even saw what looked like one of the moons transiting the planet . At least using the AZ-Gti in its original form worked for me . I never had much success with the wedge and using the updated firmware . I think the tripod is too lightweight for the mount and a couple of times the scope would "drop" and my heart would stop beating for a second .

Lol I will use that line , maybe once ! … I have decided that I am going to get an eq3 pro goto mount … I feel that it will cope if only a bit better with additional weight such as a camera . I suppose I am not alone in changing my set up … especially trying to find the "sweet spot" of equipment owned . I could have bought part of the Hubble with the money ive spent so far.

I would prefer to use a handset ….but … that's another £100 spent if I do ! … I think I'm getting into "my wife will kill me territory " as it is lol

Hi Space ... the 130 pds is quite a light scope though and ive seen many reports of people using it on this mount ... i too have a counter weight , its a really good set up ...when it works .I will be upgrading the tripod ..The current one really isnt up to holding everything steady . i'm also conscious that the total money spent on this mount is actually nearing the cost of a Skywatcher Eq3 goto mount or an ioptron Smart EQ ...Which are both fairly portable mounts and have similar payload abilities . And they have the avantage of the synscan handset . i actually prefer that to using a mobile to connect to the az-gti .