badhex

From what I understand, yes - I've read some of the Gitzo documentation and video reviews etc. @Highburymark or @Stu will know more. Interested to know if Mark's has the M10 bolt or an adaptor.

I think they are commonly 3/8", but I believe you can swap out the central part for other sizes.

They are certainly a lot cheaper. I only know a tiny bit about the Innorel and Artcise tripods, would be great to hear some real life experience of them. That said you do kinda know what you're getting with the gitzo, and I like the idea of the systematic series; the ability to swap out the mount point for different bolts or a central column etc.

No problem, hope some of it might be helpful. Doesn't sound like a power issue then. Normally I think the app suggests the brightest visible stars, rather than optimum per se. Were the two runs at different times? Regarding potential inaccuracies of other alignment methods: as far as I understand it, the mount either creates a new sky model (if one doesn't already exist) or adds to an existing one based on your initial alignment, and then continues to do so as you pick Goto targets throughout the session, refining each time when you make adjustments and 'confirm center'. This sky model exists in the individual instance of the app on your phone (or I think in each handset). Do you use a dedicated device for this? Could it be that the location is somehow not updating in the app/phone? In theory, after a few successful targets, any method you pick should be reasonably accurate. This is exactly what @happy-kat is describing above, and it matches my experience as well. Worth noting as well that the existing sky model seems to only be completely wiped if you choose to reset alignment, so if you have a working sky model in one evening, you shouldn't need to reset alignment every time. FWIW I have never needed to reset alignment apart from when being in a completely different timezone and lat/long. Much of what I am saying here is based on personal experience plus other stuff talked about in this thread, but seems to also match the findings in the post I found yesterday on CN - well worth reading. Maybe I will grab the content and post here if the owner is comfortable with it.

Sorry for the late response - I've been doing some digging as have never seen this error before. I don't even understand how it can fail! It seems like this is not completely unknown and in fact some older SGL threads mentioned that it is quite common when doing three star alignment, but I can't find much with that exact error message. Most of the threads were for Synscan SW mounts with handsets but not necessarily the AZ-GTi. At least once, there was mention of failing due to power issues; we've also seen various other issues crop up on this thread related to power. Forgive me if you have already said but what power source are you using? Any possibility that it's dipping below 12v, or any loose connections? I looked on some of the official documentation but oddly again this error is not mentioned! It does have some interesting information on alignment and recommendations about targets. The manual is a dated a couple of years ago but seems to be the most recent one: https://skywatcher.com/download/manual/synscan-hand-control-and-synscan-app/ I've also attached it. I did find a very useful thread on CN about AZ-GTi alignment which someone hypothesises various details on how the mount software works, and it generally seems sensible and plausible. Search "Skywatcher Synscan/AZ-GTi Alignment Instructions" and I'm sure you'll find it. Relevant to your issue, it seems that when the alignment is completed, it stores the sky model/map in memory based on the alignment you performed, and then uses that when performing goto. Could it be that when trying to save the model, it is failing to save for some reason, possibly power as above? Finally, 3 star alignment seems to have the added step of triangulating the mounts position/direction and any errors during alignment and so theoretically should be the most accurate. Could there be something else in the last step that is causing the issue? When experiencing the error, did you try any other alignment types to see if the same thing happened? Sorry, quite a lengthy reply but hopefully of some help! synscan_app_manual_en_20201008.pdf

Wow, love the colours in this! Great stuff Lee 👏

After researching different options for slow motion controls for my Zero, I was ready to give up and wait until I could get the ADM ones from the UK next time I go, but chanced upon an idea: Anodised metal control knobs for audio equipment. Available in a variety of colours, €11 from a well known online retailer. Unfortunately the red is not quite a match for the WO saddle so I might have to get black instead, but otherwise a good fit, and being a bit smaller they fit the compact nature of the Zero.

Agreed, I am thoroughly enjoying the F7 for that very reason - and being able to switch up to respectable high power views with just an eyepiece change is also very pleasing.

Also depends on if you're using AZ or EQ mode I guess. You can be pretty fast and loose with AZ mode in my experience.

It was your great idea, and everyone's great input that has made it a success 🙂 Glad we can all share and help each other like you said! Happy to help contribute to trawling through for the stickies when you get round to it 🙂

I presume this doesn't use the same glass as the Photoline 102 F7 or they'd call it out - although that's “only" about a hundred euros more. From an AP perspective I assume the Evolux 82 night be a better shout?

In other news, I have made the really rather dangerous mistake of reading/watching Gitzo series 5 reviews online and realised it's probably exactly what I'm looking for 😱

Oh, I just realised that I've put this in completely the wrong section 🙄 Should be in mounts really - mods could you move please?

When you say it failed, what exactly happened? As in it just didn't work, or did you get error messages or similar?

Crikey! Doesn't seem that long ago since we had a conversation about needing this thread Lee, and look at it now. 31 pages in 4 months!

Thanks for the heads up! Sadly as I'm in Germany it's not really feasible to purchase second hand stuff from the UK, the customs issues make it a nightmare for everyone involved and the import fees often negate the saving 🙄

Thanks Mark. the Gitzo 5 is very tempting in terms of looks, capability and portability... everything except the cost in fact 😂 Might keep an eye out for second hand but not holding out much hope, my access to a trusted pool of second hand Astro stuff is a bit limited.

So I would be using the tripod + Zero + 102 ED F7 which is a similar setup, perhaps only a touch shorter/lighter than the FC100DZ. Bit worrying that you say it's at the limits of the 312/Zero combo (specifically, do you mean limits of the tripod?). I also read just now that the 212 has a slightly higher max load (20kg instead of 18kg) presumably due to the max height being lower?

Oh wait - you said you had used it with a Skytee so it must have been the M10 ver.? Berlebach do an M10 - 3/8" adaptor so if I did go with the Berlebach maybe it would make sense to get both for flexibility reasons?

Thanks John! Just to confirm, is that the Report 312 (with 3/8" bolt)?

Thanks John, that's good to know. I would really like to see both tripods in the flesh as were to get a feel for them. I understand the report payload is about 18kg and it weighs about 4.5kg itself? How portable do you find it? Would you say it's light enough to be classed as grab and go? My biggest concern with the steel SW is as mentioned, still too big and heavy to nip upstairs with on a whim and therefore not a big enough difference from the EQ6.

Was out with the AZ-GTi and ZS73 last night for the first time since last November! I had momentarily forgotten several things, like how much additional stuff you have to do for setup vs completely manual alt-az. That said, the manual alt-az I've been using recently was a Skytee-2 and EQ-6 tripod which I did not miss carrying up two flights of stairs. I luckily plonked down the tripod in spot where it was completely level, and after setting everything else up including first proper use of the Celestron battery I bought last year, I started north-level alignment which took two attempts: the first slew being completely off as the time was wrong on the dedicated android phone I use. Second attempt after fixing the time issue, I used Mizar and Sirius. Mizar was miles out until I corrected, Sirius also pretty far out but after that every target was spot on! Spent the rest of the session touring a few objects I've recently observed in a bigger scope for a comparison of the experience. A fun 3 hour session! Just before I packed up, I fired up Stellarium on the phone to see if I could connect the scope. There was an error with Stellarium having no data to download additional star charts which was not an issue, but although it said the mount was connected and knew where it was in the sky (helpfully shows you on the map) it did have additional sync errors. Another story for another day, but definitely something I want to play around with! Anyone who has experience of using Stellarium mobile with the AZ-GTi, I would be glad to hear about it.

Not that I wish to undercut anyone 😅 but in the field those kerfs, the extra grippy rubber covering and the ability to switch to 2“ without an adaptor (and obviously the giant eye lens and eye relief extensions) are remarkably useful and more than make up for the ugliness. The glow-in-the-dark writing is completely useless though.

As mentioned, definitely USB3 - B connector. Sounds like a great session despite the missing tech!

Hello all, As mentioned in another post, I recently bought a Scopetech Mount Zero and made the unfortunate if perhaps predictable discovery that none of my current smaller tripods are up to holding it with my 102 F7 ED. This has had the side effect of a temporary loss of mojo and me missing out on a stretch of clear nights. I was really trying to avoid buying yet another tripod but at this point I just want to stop moping around feeling sorry for myself and solve the problem. As it stands, I have an EQ6 tripod and was using that with a skytee. It's a great, rock solid combo but quite a heavy endeavour to get up two flights of stairs, if I just want to do an hour or so observing, hence the Zero. I could buy an adaptor for the EQ6 tripod, but it sort of defeats the object of portability. Looking at other tripod options, I suspect my answer is one of two things: either a Skywatcher steel-tube 1.75“ job, or a Berlebach, probably the Report 312. At the risk of having my SGL posting rights rescinded, though I understand the attraction to the Berlebach for many but I'm still not totally sure myself if I'm a fan of wooden tripods as I've never owned one, and not totally sure about the aesthetics 😱 The steel SW option probably makes most sense overall from a cost/sturdiness, but is it honestly much smaller/easier to move about than the EQ6 version I already have? As you can see I have got myself into a right pickle. Outside perspectives welcomed!