astromog

Thanks everyone for your help. Appreciated.

Great - that's really useful, thanks. Hmm. Good point. I do do that a lot, especially as the field of view is so narrow! However, having read about all the problems people have with the handset, think I'll see if I can get used to using the app. I found this: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/sky-watcher-synscan-wifi-adapter.html which seems like it should attach to my current mount in place of a handset and would save money... but have just realised it is out of stock. Therefore think the in-stock AZ-GTe with "free" telescope is the one to go for. Very nice that that scope, is very different to my Mak. Thanks again for your help in finding a way forward. Will now have to consult the planning department for approval 😉

I don't think you can buy them on their own, so not sure what it's called, but the standard one that came with the scope: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/az-goto/skywatcher-skymax-127-synscan-az-goto.html

I have found this, should this work? https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-mount-accessories/sky-watcher-synscan-wifi-adapter.html Are all the SynScan mounts / handsets etc. compatible? My concern is that it will need an upgrade, and the mount I have has a serial interface, which none of my computers have. Thanks in advance

Inside, assembled. I leave it set up as the occasions when there is both good weather and I have time are few, so need to be able to grab it, take it out into the garden and use. Most often I just use bins for a few mins, or even just use my eyes. The sky is amazing

Many thanks (and for your reply in the other thread) much appreciated. Reliability wise, the handset seems to be the weak point in my current set up, so simply replacing that seems like a bad move given the cost. The EQ3-2 would remove that weak point, but the reviews for it are not very encouraging. The Wi-Fi option you mentioned also seems to cut out the handset problem... however the unit is out of stock. This below is in stock and seems similar feature wise, but for £4 extra seems to have an entire extra telescope included, which may help justify the purchase: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi/sky-watcher-mercury-707-az-gte.html However I can't see any reviews. Any thoughts on this as a replacement? I note that the GTi / GTe mounts have a payload capacity of 5Kg. My scope + camera comes in at 4.3 Kg. Is that enough margin or am I likely to burn out the motors and be buying another new mount in a couple of years? Thanks

Thanks all for your suggestions. They have convinced me it's getting power but is electronically dead. It is incredibly helpful to have the benefit of your expertise. Many thanks.

Two things have coincided: 1. my AltAz GOTO mount seems to have gone kaput (see other post) 2. Thanks to being born, I am now in possession of a DSLR camera and adapter kit which fit perfectly onto the back of my SkyWatcher SkyMax 127 mak. I honestly haven't purposely broken my alt-az, but seem like a great excuse to buy a better mount. What mounts would you recommend for astrophotography (particularly planets) with my mak? Needs to be light enough to pick up and move in/out of the house/garden - ideally without collapsing, reasonably easy to use, and cost less than the scope. Oh and something that will function for more than two years would be good, otherwise per-use cost is very high! Thanks in advance for your wise suggestions

A couple of years ago I bought a SkyWatcher Mak 127 with a Goto mount. I only use the scope a few times a year, and have been wanting to have a look at Mars with it being close at the moment. However when I powered my scope on yesterday the SynScan hand controller lit up but didn't show anything on the display. The battery pack I use was delivering 12.5V, but have recharged it fully just in case as I know these units are very sensitive to voltage and now delivering 13.8V but screen still blank except for the back light. I have read that it's possible to get these into a state where the brightness / contrast settings leave the screen apparently blank but 1. don't remember fiddling with those controls recently 2. don't seem to get any response at all from the controls - normally I'd expect to hear the whirr of the gears moving when pressing up/down/left/right buttons, but these seem to do nothing. Is there anything I can do, or has it had it? Thanks in advance.