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Here is my rendition of M101 taken this week over 2 nights for a total of 4 hours worth of exposures here in North Cornwall, even with the bad transparency. Skywatcher 72ed AzGti eq mode, asiair pro, zwo asi294mc pro and guided with zwo asi120mc-s. 80x180 sec subs, 120 gain, - 10°c 30xflats and flat darks, darks Stacked in Dss, processed in Startools and a high pass tweak in photoshop.

Hi, first post so please bear with me, having issues with autoguiding, looked at numerous forum threads and cannot find the issue specific to my setup and the issue I am having. Equipment in question: ZWO 224 using as guide camera plugged into raspberry pi running Astroberry via USB3, Lynx Astro EQDIR cable plugged from USB on raspberry pi into hand controller port on AZ GTI. Configuration: Synscan android app successfully connected to AZ GTI via wifi and can control via mobile phone, AZ GTI setup to connect to raspberry pi (so it's on the raspberry pi network) AZ GTI connected successfully as it is recognised in PHD2 and EKOS, In PHD2 the mount is setup as INDI mount (AZ-GTI) and connects. Issue: PHD2 is unable to guide in either RA or declination (see screenshot error showing up), it is always one or the other. I have tried setting up multiple times, tried using the network cable which came with the camera directly from the camera into the hand controller port and setup in PHD2 as "on camera" (I suspect this setup is wrong anyway and was one of the first I tried). Polar alignment has been checked multiple times, the end result is always the same, the star field within PHD2 window will always drift in one direction so any star chosen will eventually disappear out the field of view as the mount isn't moving to follow it. Looking at the PHD2 graph I know it is trying to send pulses to the mount but either the movement is too much for the mount to move or something isn't happening as it should, in the example screenshot provided I tried this indoors on a fairly fast (compared to in the field) rotating star field looking at a screen so it will fail, though the mount didn't adjust at all, no matter how I've setup prior the AZ GTI refuses to adjust to follow a guide star. I have tried manually moving the mount in PHD2 and it doesn't seem to move in any direction, manually moving however does work in EKOS so the hardware seems to be plugged in correctly. EKOS even knows where the mount is pointing and can issue go-tos (although it is slightly off target at the moment). I am kind of at my wits end to why autoguiding isn't working, if anyone can help please assist. On another note if someone can advise how to configure PHD2 so the off yellow warning box colour can be changed so the error message can be read clearly - I know theres a line of code I can use in the terminal window which refers to a resource file to change to the default PHD2 colours and launches the software but the changes are never saved.

I received the new ADM saddle for my AZ GTi this morning (direct from ADM). I have now fitted it to my AZ GTi mount and my Borg 107FL is now a million times more secure than it was before - its a great upgrade! Here are the parts received from ADM... The new saddle is longer and chunkier than the feeble standard offering. Here is the AZ GTi mount before I start the upgrade.. Remove the centre circular cover which is stuck on with a sticky pad underneath. I used a small flat head screwdriver to lift the edge of the tin cover then pulled it off with some pliers (there are the remains of the sticky pad underneath to be cleaned off afterwards).... Remove the 4 black screws and then the standard saddle pulls off... Re-use the four screws to secure the ADM adapter plate to the mount... Use the supplied 2x 1/4×20 SHCS screws to secure the ADM dual dovetail saddle to the ADM adapter plate... (You will need an imperial Allen key) Test it out with the Borg 107FL... The leftover standard parts... This looks a great upgrade, my scope's ADM dovetail fits very securely into the ADM dual saddle and my peace of mind is restored! Alan

I'm new to astronomy, I got my first telescope in November (StarMax 90mm f/13), I was really happy with the view of the moon and double stars, but disappointed I could see but barely make out nebula (initially the ring nebula). I also tried to take a photo of the moon with my phone but trying to get a stable shot was too difficult, even with a basic smartphone adapter. I did a bit of research, found about about Video Astronomy/Electronically Assisted Astronomy (EAA) and decided I needed a better mount and took the opportunity to get a faster telescope (StarTravel 102 f5/). I really like the Sky-Watcher -102 AZ GTe with the ZWO ASI 224MC. I've only used it for 4 nights as there is so much cloud about but it's allowed me to take images of things my eyeball wouldn't see. Although my setup is below the minimum specification most would consider for imaging and entry level for visual observations I think I've found a setup that seems to work for me. I like that with SharpCap I can get instant results and the day after when it's back to cloudy I can get a bit more out of the images with Deep Sky Stacker and Gimp. I have tried looking through the eyepiece at the Pleiades, that was a pleasure as well. I can see how observing with a big Dobsonian and amazing eyepieces would be great, but many objects seem better with a camera than eyeballs. The Horsehead nebula wasn't found until astrophotography came into being. The photo above was taken on my first night with the setup. The January 2019 issue of Sky at Night Magazine has a review of the Sky-Watcher StarTravel-102 AZ GTe and they give it 4.5 / 5. Combining it with an Explore Scientific UHC filter seems to reduce most of the chromatic aberration and increases contrast relative to the stars, and light pollution. Video Astronomy/EAA seems to offer a great window into both the visual and imaging worlds of astronomy. As First Light Optics say "Your first telescope is arguably the most important because if the views do not amaze and delight, your interest in astronomy will crash and burn on the runway!" I understand cost could be an issue, but if the beginner had a suitable camera Video Astronomy could be as accessible as a Go-To visual setup, and seems more likely to amaze (especially in the skies of a typical house). My question is why is video astronomy not the first suggestion for beginners interested in both visual and imaging?

Can confirm my second project with the lattepanda has been a success. Chuffed to bits, Flashed my az gti to the az/eq firmware Installed,, CdC, Ascom, eqmod onto my Windows 10 laptop. Plugged az gti eq mod cable from FLO into laptop and azgti, configured to cdc and eqmod,, azgti now controlled via cdc.. Disconnected the laptop,, plugged the lattepanda in its place,, had to reconfigure comm port,, working via lattepanda now,, Last bit of the project,, install tight vnc on laptop,, put in panda ip address,, Laptop,, lattepanda are connected to my smartphone hot-spot. I now have wireless remote desktop control of the panda,, eq gti / eq panda is born,,

Some confusion on settings and have just managerd to get it running. In SkySafari go to Settings and scroll down. In Telescopes select SETUP In Equipment section select Scope Type and change to Skywatcher SynScan. still in Equipment select Mount Type and change to Alt-Az GoTo In COMMUNICATION SETTINGS..... select Connect via WiFi then change IP Address to 127.0.0.1..... change PORT Number to 11882. (DONT USE THE IP AND PORT GIVEN ON THE LAST PAGE OF THE MOUNT BOOKLET) Back out of Setup to SkySafari main screen. HIT CONNECT and your driving by SKySafari. Note is a collaborative effort. The native app is running first but allows collaboration with SkySafari....... Well SAFARI So GOOD.... Hope this helps. Clear Skies

I'm new to the forum and astronomy in general. I have just bought a Sky-Watcher StarTravel-102 AZ GTe. After some help from FLO I'm all set up and ready for the rain/clouds to pass. I also have an Orion StarMax 90 on a table-top/tripod mount and have done some observing with that. I really like observing the moon with my little Mak, but thought adding tracking would help a lot as trying to keep Mars in view was tricky. I bought the Sky-Watcher StarTravel-102 AZ GTe as it seems to cost not much more than the Sky-Watcher AZ GTe mount. The telescope seems to complement my little Mak and they're both fairly cheap as starter scopes. I'm sorry if the introduction was a bit long but I thought it may be useful to introduce myself. The reason for this post is to ask if anyone has managed to get the EQ firmware to work on the AZ GTe. I know it's unsupported and just a bonus. I managed to get the AZ GTi EQ firmware loaded on the AZ GTe, but it kept pointing to the ground instead of the sky for all objects. It did this in AZ and EQ mode in the Windows version of SynScan Pro. I saw a forum post from January about the AZ GTi pointing downwards but there was no solution. Does anyone know if the EQ firmware works on the AZ GTe, or if pointing downwards has been a problem with the AZ GTi as well? I was running the 5 November 2018 Right Arm Dual AZ/EQ firmware version 3.16. I reverted back to the AZ GTi stock AZ only firmware and it works fine and points at object in the sky as expected. John

Hi! I purchased a Raspberry pi 4 4gb not so long ago with the intention of running a NAS and some other stuff on it. I have since then considered the possibility of using it to control the alt/az position of a mount like the Skywatcher AZ GTi with a python script running on the raspberry pi. I haven't purchased the mount yet since I'd like to hear if it would be possible. A little more information on my main objective: Weather satellites and radio has recently caught my attention and I'm therefor considering to mount a directional antenna on the skywatcher AZ GTi mount which then tracks a chosen satellite across the sky. The raspberry pi would be running a program that would send the alt/az coordinates to the mount. I have thought about sending the alt/az coordinates through a TCP socket but I'm not sure how I would connect (and if it's possible) the mount to the raspberry pi or the opposite way. Here's a video of the current software I'm working on: I've seen people control mounts like the Celestron nexstar ones but it would be ideal to make the small and light weight AZ GTi perform the same job. If you have any experience with the AZ GTi mount and raspberry pi I would highly appreciate your advice:) Thank you in advance! Victor

Hi, since i started work on my observatory there hasn't been much time for AP, but since lunar photography is done in minutes i had a go yesterday. Gear: SW AZGTI with the Skymax127 and Sony A6300 and Baader Neodymium Moon & skyglow filter. 100 frames taken and 50% used to stack in autostackerd.

Hi All, I am currently researching which setup to purchase as my first proper scope (once they are back in stock). I thought I had settled on the Skywatcher Explorer 130ps AZ GTi but then I saw the Skywatcher Star Discovery 150i for just a little more money. Could anyone please tell me the difference between the 2 OTA's (other than the different aperture size), and also the difference between the 2 mounts? I realise that the AZ GTi can be modified to run in EQ mode whereas the Star Discovery can't. Can the Star Discovery view all the way to the zenith or does the OTA catch the mount or tripod before it gets there? Thanks