dd999

Yes really good for a phone! Good shot - the descriptions helpful too

My Plan D right now is to use SkySafari and manually control my mount at a slow slew to roughly where I want to go - and then hit goto for the last 'bit'. Doing this via the SkySafari interface on an Android device, rather than looking up at the sky and doing it with Syncan, is at least easier. Think it's going to bug me until I can find someway around it

I've tried that but unfortunately it doesn't work. You can slower the speed and control the scope through SkySafari Plus, but it doesn't matter which speed you have slew at - the moment you hit the goto button on SkySafari (or Synscan) it's straight back to maximum speed again

I've lost a few hours to this too. Trying to combine Synscan SkySafari and an AZ GTi is sketchy at best. I'm also using the Hauwei (so an Android device) and although it's 'possible' to run both Synscan and SkySafari from an an Android device - I found it much more stable running from two devices (Synscan from a tablet and SkySafari from the Android phone). The connection drops a lot less than before. My biggest issue now is my AT GZi in goto mode working just fine after alignment and slewing to items just fine, and then out of nowhere it seems to change the location of the scope - even though the scope hasn't moved. Both Synscan and SkySafari showing my scope is in a location that my telescope simply isn't, and was quite far away from - and out of nowhere. What made it worse is I used the manual controllers to point the telescope towards the horizon, and both Synscan and SkySafari showed, in real time, I was moving the telescope straight up towards Polaris! It means the aligning I did at the start of the night is useless, and I have to start again. It's done this on two consecutive evenings now 😡.....but that's a story for another night

Which scope were you using for this?

seems to have resolved itself

Yes alignment was done first - in the Synscan app

Hi - I wondered if anyone else experienced a similar issue. I have connected by ALT GZi to SkySafari 6 Plus on my Android (Hauwei P30 Pro) - and the Synscan app via a tablet. All connects just fine. I know I can connect both apps via my android phone but it's buggy at best, so am using two devices which seems more stable. I then align in the Synscan app using one star alignment. In the SkySafari 6 app I can manually control the mount using the up, down, left and right buttons - but when I hit 'goto' it doesn't move! I can then press left, right, up and down and it controls the mount again, but if I select an object and hit goto, nothing! - it's not like it hasn't worked, it worked again tonight then went back to this issue again even after resetting everything again, just very hit and miss. Just to make sure it wasn't positioning, and the wrong location set, I chose a star nearby to where SkySafari told me my telescope was pointing too. Still the same problem. I have reset everything and started again, but exactly the same issue. Anyone come across anything similar?

Try experimenting with these settings: ISO = 320 Shutter speed = 1/17s EV = 0 You can't set to infinity on the standard camera app (that I'm aware off) but you want to lower down the ISO with a reasonably fast shutter speed. You won't capture Jupiter's main four moons, as you've reduced the light intake, so you'll need two photos (one at a higher ISO's to capture the moons) and then post process. I think this was just holding the phone to the telescope's eyepiece, as I was playing around with the settings, but gives you an idea

Don't know if this helps but here's Jupiter using a P30 (although the Pro model) - I'll try and find the settings I used I just grabbed a screenshot to upload, so the quality isn't as good (just a 12kb screenshot) - but gives you an idea

This looks at least promising for the AZ GTi considering the scope and camera he claims to have used - https://www.astrobin.com/380781/?page=3&nc=all

Has anyone tried the AZ GTi in EQ mode for photography? I know SkyWatcher have said in their firmware update for EQ mode it's not intended to be used for AP, but is anyone having any reasonable success using it in this way - particularly with how accurate the tracking is? I'm not necessarily looking for 1 hour exposures, but is it accurate enough for 1-3min exposures? I'm reading mixed reviews.

Handy having 2 x weights. Looks to be the same price setup as the Star Adventure weight and bar plus 8mm to 12mm thread bar too

Yeah - I think the weights are around £25-£30 on their own. I have an EQ2 which has a bar - I'll have to have a look to see if this is a m12 connector. The weight is more than 1kg though, so would have to get one anyway

I'll take a look - thanks

Thanks

I'm struggling to track down a counterweight and bar for EQ mode. There's suggestions of getting the Star Adventurer counterweight and bar, and then buying a M8 - M12 connector - is this still the best way to go?

This is going to be my next step. I assume the firmware upgrade allows both Altaz and EQ modes? Although I was on the understanding I'd have to connect to a laptop or PC to control the mount using EQMOD - which I'm not too keen on doing. Is it available as an app? Last night I tried again. I used the Skysafari Plus app (cost of £6.49) - it's really buggy though and the connection to the mount drops every few seconds (have to go back to Synscan app, tap any button, go back to Skysafari and all is fine) - and although I still can't control the slew of goto I can 'visually', via the planetarium view, manually slew the scope to where I'm trying to get - and then use goto when I'm near. I did contact Skywatcher yesterday about this. In fairness they did reply and said they would speak to their developers to see if there's any workaround - I'm sure I'll get a token reply, but will post if anything meaningful comes of it.

Yes ..... and yes I'm afraid Sounds like a damn cement mixer going off in the garden at 1am

Looks like someone had the same issue 11 years ago! - with the same workaround suggestions..... Maybe one day SW will get round to taking a look 🙄

Thanks I appreciate that. I've also contacted Optimal Vision and Rother to see if they have anything to say. If they do I'll let you know. I'm really keen to solve this too - probably because it seems like a really annoying inconvenience that could so easily be fixed! Oh I thought only the pro paid for versions of the planetarium apps allowed the control of a WiFi mount?

No I meant just getting a refund, rather than a replacement. I agree I don't think any goto in the price range of the AZ GTi is going to be quiet enough. As I said it's just nuts that the ability of the mount is there (just automatically slew in slow motion on speed 5 or 6) - just not the functionality I don't care if it takes 5mins for the telescope to reach the desired location rather than 15 seconds..........but it's just nuts for SW (and others) not give the user the option.

Thanks - that's helpful to know before I shell out on a pro version of a planetarium app to find out!

I did a number of tests on the noise of the mount - putting it on full skew being downstairs, then upstairs, windows open and shut. Even had the missus inside to see if she could hear. Guess I'm a considerable neighbour - and I'd be miffed off if a neighbour of mine were making noise at night. Even she, whilst being upstairs and windows just ajar, felt it was too loud in full goto slew mode to use at night - and she's quite a tolerable person (well to everything except me that is!). It's very quiet here at night, so much you can hear a pin drop. Doesn't help. Perhaps noise is relative - but unless I can control the goto to a max speed of '6', it's probably going to have to go back. Shame as it's a nice piece of kit, just lacking such a stupidly obvious feature!

Thanks - this was my Plan D ................. was just hoping for a Plan B or C first