LaurenceT

I'd like to make clear in my head the absolutely correct procedure for preparing the mount for alignment in AZ mode.

Mount is not yet powered, levelled using the bubble and pointed towards North, I use a compass not my phone.

Scope is mounted and levelled, this is done manually, mount is then switched on and connection made with app and a method of alignment selected.

Just another thing, I'm considering converting to EQ mode and selling my Skyguider Pro mount as I really want to learn automation. I will be keeping the WO eq wedge.

My deep sky gear is light, modified Sony A5000  with a Samyang 135mm so I'm not worried about exceeding the weight limit but I'm also learning lunar and planetary imaging using my Maksutov 127 and Altair planetary camera. In AZ mode the GTi can easily handle this but I'm concerned about this setup in EQ mode from a weight viewpoint.

Thanks for looking.

On 12/01/2022 at 11:45, Hedlund said:

Okey, thanks for your answer, do you have a picture of your setup? 

Welcome to SGL, I've learned so much about  astronomy from the friendly people on here.

2 minutes ago, Shimrod said:

Yes, I was pleased I got the updated puck which makes it look a bit neater.

I feel a lot more confident in that puck than the original, if only there was one for the AZ5.

On 12/01/2022 at 15:42, AstroNebulee said:

Good news, let us know how you get on 👍

Replacement AZ GTi received this morning from Harrisons Telescopes via Optical Vision who I believe are the Skywatcher importers for the UK. Seems to work fine in powered mode but the azimuth movement in manual mode with azimuth clutch screw fully loosened is very stiff, they say it should loosen up over time.....we'll see!

Just had a message saying that a replacement mount is on its way, I'm much relieved to say the least!

It seems that this particular problem of the mount failing to rotate in the azimuth axis is very common.

39 minutes ago, Hedlund said:

Okey sorry to hear that. My az-gti stopped working after a few days i got it to. 

When I rotated it manually and also with the app control, so at a certain position on its axis it stopped working. I got my exchange on warranty.

That would be great

That's exactly the same fault as mine!

I'm just canvassing for opinions here, as mentioned earlier I have sent my AZ GTi back to the suppliers as it has developed a serious fault. I have only had it since the 26th October with no conversion to EQ mode, it's still as it arrived in AZ mode. Under the Consumer Protection Act 2015 I know the supplier can offer me either a repair, replacement or refund. I do not want a refund as I love this little mount but neither would I be happy with a repair because of the short time I have had the mount and also because of my general lack of confidence in that particular unit.

I understand that under the terms of the Act I cannot outright refuse a repair but I'm wondering what other owners might prefer to do in these circumstances.

46 minutes ago, Hedlund said:

Okey, thanks for your answer, do you have a picture of your setup? 

At the moment my faulty AZ GTi has gone back to Harrisons Telescopes so I'm waiting on them, I only had it for a little over 2 months so I'm hoping for a replacement. As soon as one arrives I'll post a picture.

29 minutes ago, Hedlund said:

Is it possible to mount a sw 130pds on a az-gti mount without eq mode?

I mount my 130pds on the Skywatcher AZ GTI in az mode perfectly easily.

I'm using a collimation cap, I'm not sure how to rotate the secondary on it's axis.

I seem to have got into an almighty mess in adjusting the position of the secondary mirror in my 130pds Newtonian. Initially when I thought I had the secondary adjustment spot on the laser beam reflection was missing the mirror and could be seen on the opposite wall. I then tried to alter the positioning of the secondary mirror by loosening the centre screw and now the image as seen through the focus tube is tilted to the left and for the life of me I cannot rotate it back to perpendicular.

4 minutes ago, kev100 said:

Hi,

I use a combination approach: Baader laser collimator; and an Aline collimator cap - I find that any discrepancy tends to be minimal, and usually down to slack in the focuser adapter.

Kev

This is the path I am now taking. I bought a Cheshire and to my shame I simply couldn't understand it, I found the various bits of documentation confusing, put it down to my somewhat less than agile 74 year old brain 😅.

15 minutes ago, Stu said:

I saw @GavStar on the telly! Looking a little surprised here, but the boy did good 👍

What programme was that?

I managed to get a 20 minute window this evening while cooking dinner when the clouds disappeared over Surrey.

My Maksutov 127 was installed on my new AZ5 mount but the important factor was the first outing of the Baader neodymium filter my children bought me for Christmas.

What a revelation, 25mm BST eyepiece with an X-Cel 2x Barlow with the new filter, details of the lunar surface leapt out at me like never before, vary bright, probably too bright , so next time I'll use a variable neutral density filter.

Can't wait for my replacement AZ GTI to arrive and get that planetary camera out of the cupboard!

Excellent, nicely exposed.

2 hours ago, That Bear Guy said:

The FLO one does look good!  Dont know how I missed that.

As a possible cheaper alternative, I opted for this company based in UK. It is a hard-case but a good price considering sizes and considering.

delivery is about £3 on top but unfortunately the order was delayed by their courier DPD so my order hasn't arrived yet and I cannot comment on quality yet 😏 but they accept paypal so I'm not worried about returns or losing money

https://www.cases-and-enclosures.co.uk/roc-cases-flight-case-with-foam-block-silver-l310xw240xh130mm?gclid=CjwKCAiAzrWOBhBjEiwAq85QZ6Vy5FMK3wxsgEP6VZ8jBfcJ2tJRfjxbdF15Fnd7Fm9pbm9oioaxtBoCtr4QAvD_BwE

 

 

Phil (TBG)

 

I bought a case from them on advice and it lasted for 2 months, both lid hinges fractured at the same time scattering my eyepieces and filters in all directions but thankfully onto the carpet.

The rest of the case seemed good enough but on examination the hinges were incredibly flimsy.

I then bought a hard Peli type case on Ebay for about £50 and it seems infinitely better built, all fingers crossed!

On my phone at the moment but I'll try and link to it later.

Max MAX300S Waterproof Laptop Travel Briefcase Hard Case Box With Foam Black | eBay

Following these comments (and others) about the AZ5 I took the plunge a few days ago and bought one from FLO. Even though it was "out of stock" it arrived the next day, I wonder how they did that 😀.

I bought it firstly because my faulty AZ GTi has gone back and I don't yet know when the replacement will arrive but also because I realise that this is a true grab and go mount. The moon appeared by mistake above Camberley a few nights ago and I popped my 130PDS on the AZ5 and was literally viewing the moon in a couple of minutes, the Baader Neodymium moon filter I got for Christmas enhanced the experience. The only adjustment I have made is to eliminate a small amount of backlash in the altitude downward movement. I'm glad I bought this mount, I feel it's good value for money and of course I can use it on my existing Skywatcher tripod notwithstanding it's faults.  

Can you not send it back to Amazon?

I bought a Petzl Tikka head torch from them, the red light is quite muted but it's OK when working on the scope. It has a white light mode so I switch to that if moving away from the scope.

2 minutes ago, Pincs said:

Hi I'm thinking about buying a SKYWATCHER EXPLORER 130P SYNSCAN AZ GOTO TELESCOPE for astrophotography but I've heard that prime focus is not possible without modifications. Could I use an extention tube with my DSLR to fix this? Thanks.

Pincs

Is it possible for you to buy a Skywatcher 130pds instead with that mount? The 130pds is essentially the same scope as the 130p but is modified to support astrophotography.

Hello and welcome

AFAIK  the position of Polaris is in a different position relative to the orientation of the mount in each of those images. Is it not possible to re-orientate the rotation of the  reticule in the  polar scope?

I had a similar  problem with the polar scope of my Skyguider Startracker  and I had to rotate the reticule in the tube.

Welcome to SGL. I only started my astronomy journey this year and this forum has been immensely helpful to me.

12 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

I'm curious to know what mount.  At 6Kg the Startravel falls into a gap between cheap but inadequate GoTo mounts and adequate but very expensive alt-az GoTo mounts.

I think it's rated at 4.1 kg so something like the AZ GTI would be suitable.

Post deleted, talking rubbish, again 😳