Advice on a mount

[xvariablestarx]

I recently moved back to Ireland, having been in the USA a long time, and I had to leave my 8 inch Dob behind. What i did bring was two OTA, a 80 mm Orion Goscope refractor, and an Explore Scientific  100mm Mak. Now i do has a basic alt az mount for these but i have a longing for a very basic GoTo system like the iOptron cube-e. Would that work ok?

 

P.S. sorry if this shouldnt be a beginner question

 

Edited October 27, 2020 by xvariablestarx

[johninderby]

The AZ-GTi Alt-Az mount is pretty popular and easily handles a 100mm mak or small refractor. Can be used in EQ mode as well with the addition of a simple wedge and counterweight.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi-alt-az-mount-tripod.html

[bomberbaz]

I have never used one of those but I use this regularly. It is goto and tracks, operates off AA batteries which last for ever and operates via a smart phone app. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi-alt-az-mount-tripod.html

 

BAHHH you beat me to it John, haha 😆

Edited October 27, 2020 by bomberbaz

[johninderby]

2 minutes ago, bomberbaz said:

I have never used one of those but I use this regularly. It is goto and tracks, operates off AA batteries which last for ever and operates via a smart phone app. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-mounts/sky-watcher-az-gti-wifi-alt-az-mount-tripod.html

 

BAHHH you beat me to it John, haha 😆

Great minds think alike. 😁😁😁

[xvariablestarx]

I saw the GTI mount, but I know that the Celestron wifi go-to mount with WiFi has had complaints of the WiFi signal being too weak. Any such problems with the skywatcher gti mount?

[johninderby]

The SW and Celestron mounts are a totaly different design. Not had any problems with the WiFi on my AZ-GTi.

The only problem people seem to have with the WiFi is the initial setup with their phone. You do need to have the WiFi settings on your phone set up properly. The auto power off is the usual problem if settings not changed..

Edited October 28, 2020 by johninderby

[JeremyS]

Wifi worked flawlessly for me until my iPhone undergoes autopower off. My employer's IT dept has set this to max 10 mins for security reasons. Connection drops after that. Hence I use SW handset instead.

[johninderby]

Time for a cheap android phone perhaps? 🤔

[bomberbaz]

As per the above you just set your phone so it does not auto sleep, also make sure your phone is connected to the mount wifi and away you go. It really isn't complicated and I have never had any problems with it. 

As mentioned above mine is also flashed to do EQ mode and I added a cheap wedge so now it has multiple uses.

[xvariablestarx]

Would the OTA of the Skywatcher Heritage 130P work ok with this mount, or would the tube be a little too long?

[bomberbaz]

Would work fine, no problem whatsoever

[Gfamily]

Usefully, you can also connect to it from the Plus versions of the Stellarium and Sky Safari apps, so you can use those for GOTO as well as the SynScan apps (each around £6.50 - £7.50)

You may need to adjust the battery optimisation settings for the app, but it's a neat way of using the mount. 

I use the Stay Awake app to keep my phone from sleeping. 

Edited October 29, 2020 by Gfamily

[xvariablestarx]

What about the Heritage 150p? The specs say the scope is 7.5kg, a couple of pounds heavier than the 130p but not sure how much of that is the wooden mount that comes with it.

[xvariablestarx]

I did some research and the OTA of the 100mm MAk is 4 pounds which is under the 7 pound handling capacity of the iOptron cube e, so i might try that combination. Still curious on the weight of the OTA for the Heritage 150p though 😉

[bomberbaz]

I don't think the 150p would work, its the length as well you see. Slightest bit of wind and it will flap like a flag