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

51 minutes ago, robhatherton said:

Yes, a way round the problem: if you set up sky safari to control the mount The you can set the slew speed before you hit goto. Obviously it will slew more slowly but will be a lot quieter!

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

9 hours ago, Stu said:

It’s definitely possible to do, this was with an iPhone 6 and the P30 will be much more capable than that.

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

46 minutes ago, bomberbaz said:

Having just checked, it is only £23 for the bar and weight anyway https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-star-adventurer/skywatcher-star-adventurer-counterweight-kit.html

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

47 minutes ago, bomberbaz said:

Might be cheaper to just buy the weight and a bolt like this https://www.fastco.co.uk/m12-x-260mm-zinc-plated-coachbolts-with-nuts-pack-of-10.html?kw=pla-78642209055+c&fl=1000&ci=144812954065&network=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0Mb3BRCaARIsAPSNGpU76fzLCXIUxptcoj0vlw7U32sn92ZxtUs3YIH2JKlDbSJ2ACHM9DwaAsf2EALw_wcB

I'll take a look - thanks

Thanks

1 hour ago, bomberbaz said:

it isn't difficult to convert to eq mode, just need the star adventurer wedge and a counterwieght/bar and away you go.

Download the relevant frmware of course, it's easy enough to do. Use eqmod and reduce the slew speed to 6 or 7.

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?

18 minutes ago, bomberbaz said:

it isn't difficult to convert to eq mode, just need the star adventurer wedge and a counterwieght/bar and away you go. Use eqmod and reduce the slew speed to 6 or 7.

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. 

1 hour ago, Peter Drew said:

Have you asked your neighbours if they can hear it and if so does it bother them?     🙂

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 🙄

16 minutes ago, endlessky said:

This thread prompted me to do a little research about setting custom slew speeds at least with a planetarium software. If I find anything, I'll let you know here. As for the price of the planetarium softwares, you shouldn't worry: there are plenty free ones and they are all great (Cartes du Ciel, KStars, Stellarium, for example).

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?

2 hours ago, endlessky said:

If the noise my mount makes - and pretty much all the Sky-Watcher mounts I heard on YouTube videos - is indicative of it being a constant, despite the higher or lower end models, taking it back won't be a solution. The only mounts that I have heard on the videos that do not make that kind of noise are the ones that have been "belt modified" or that have belts to begin with.

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. 

6 minutes ago, endlessky said:

My NEQ6 Pro is pretty loud, too, when slewing. It's always been a concern of mine, as well, from the neighbours point of view. Unfortunately, whether I use the hand-controller or a planetarium, the slewing rate of the GO-TOs is always chosen to be the highest possible, completely disregarding the rate I chose (in the hand-controller or the planetarium). I guess the chosen rate is only accounted for when making the adjustments with the arrow keys. "Plan D" seems the only solution, for me as well, I guess...

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

2 hours ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

How we perceive loudness, often depends on the environment that is in, e.g. reflective surfaces, our approximation to the source of the sound, any extraneous noises, if you are being sensitive to noises etc.

As you say, unless you will always be slewing around, then the mount is effectively silent during operation, therefore, as a test, slew the mount when you are at different distances away, to get an idea of the nuisance volume..

You may then find that being a number of metres away from the mount makes the slewing sound more tolerable....

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!

1 minute ago, Freddie said:

Set the rate to something slow like 3 or 4 and move to roughly where your target is and then use GOTO for the last bit of movement. That will keep the overall amount of noise down.

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