Full EQStar Pro Review

[Trippelforge]

On 01/01/2023 at 14:07, Celerondon said:

You should receive that kit soon if you don’t already have it.  Please let us know your impression of the sounds that the stepper motors make when idling and slewing.  Because users report different levels of irritation with these tones, I suspect that there is a strong subjective aspect to this “noise” issue. 

To me the sounds are noticeable but not annoying.  If I even suspect that my neighbors can hear these steppers running then I will stock up on mercury and silver bullets and further limit my observations around the full moon!   🌔 🐺. 😉

Here is a software tip that may help you if you plan to control your mount with SkySafari.  This EQStarPro controller works fine with a smartphone or tablet but I suggest that you should use an Android tablet.  The reason why I am warning you away from iPhones, iPads, and Android smartphones did not exist a few months ago.  I make this suggestion despite the fact that, until recently, I lived in a pure Apple bubble of iOS and OSX bliss that barely tolerated Windows hardware and refused any contact with Android devices.  Because a recent software update for the SynScan and SynScan Pro apps broke their ability to connect with some non-Sky Watcher hardware, it necessary to use an older version of the apps.  Using old versions of apps has become challenging because of intertwined mandatory updates for apps and operating system software.  On networked devices like cell phones and Internet ready tablets, avoiding mandatory updates is essentially impossible.  (Believe me, I have tried!)  

My refurbished Samsung A8 tablet arrived the other day and it works like a champ. It only connects to my home WiFi when I allow it to and has very few apps installed.  The tablet is stuck on version 11 of the Android OS and I will probably leave it there.   I hope that this advice smooths your installation routine.  
 

For power, I use a TalentCell battery pack that I purchased on Amazon.  This compact LiFePO4 unit has three power outputs and an impressive capacity.  

Sadly I have not received it yet. It's been over 5 weeks since it went out and seemingly has been sitting in Turkey since December 23rd. I however reside in the US, so I am not shocked it is taking awhile. Kind of sucks that there hasn't been any movement lately though.

Thanks for the tips, I planned on running it straight through the computer... but it sounds like that can be an issue? I don't own a tablet, just a Samsung phone. So basically your running safari on your tablet and using it to slew to the targets. Are you able to align it with the tablet? I really don't know how that works.

Battery / adapter wise I haven't bought one yet, I will check that pack out. 

Thanks!

[Royboy]

Hi all,this is my first post on here ,

I saw this post and decided to say what my experience with the eqstar pro kit,

I have had the kit on my Eq5 for about 3-4 years now, presently I am narrow band imaging and can manage 10 min subs most nights,I regularly get around 0.6-0.7 on my guiding,

The system is pretty quiet I think,I did have a problem with the control box which Alexander sorted out brilliantly.

I have found that balance of the scope really has to be spot on to get the best out of the system,I run Ascom and eqmod to control it,I have not had any problems with parking the scope but I always reset the encoders at the start of a session in eqmod.hope this might help someone 😃👍

[Trippelforge]

On 08/01/2023 at 05:57, Royboy said:

Hi all,this is my first post on here ,

I saw this post and decided to say what my experience with the eqstar pro kit,

I have had the kit on my Eq5 for about 3-4 years now, presently I am narrow band imaging and can manage 10 min subs most nights,I regularly get around 0.6-0.7 on my guiding,

The system is pretty quiet I think,I did have a problem with the control box which Alexander sorted out brilliantly.

I have found that balance of the scope really has to be spot on to get the best out of the system,I run Ascom and eqmod to control it,I have not had any problems with parking the scope but I always reset the encoders at the start of a session in eqmod.hope this might help someone 😃👍

Nice, thanks for taking the time to share your experience! I only have an EQ4 so I don't expect hitting the 10 minute mark but it still IMO was a good upgrade for the cost. 

Glad to hear yours isn't screaming loud, it seems so hit and miss with the units. Still waiting on mine (48 days) but it finally got to the US yesterday. I am hoping the setup goes fairly smoothly, but it is what it is. 😁

Welcome to the forum also, this place has really amazing and helpful members. 

[bosun21]

Regarding the EQ5 pro with the asiair. Once I have polar aligned and set the home position. It will return accurately to this position if asked throughout the session. I can usually attain 0.7-0.9 for guiding. Another point is after PA I slew to a different part of the sky and plate solve, then sync to the mount and return to the home position. Target acquisition is a breeze.

[Trippelforge]

12 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

Regarding the EQ5 pro with the asiair. Once I have polar aligned and set the home position. It will return accurately to this position if asked throughout the session. I can usually attain 0.7-0.9 for guiding. Another point is after PA I slew to a different part of the sky and plate solve, then sync to the mount and return to the home position. Target acquisition is a breeze.

I just got an update that says mine has just arrived at my local distribution center! It took about 48 days in total to make it to the US. 😬

Now I gotta install it and learn the process, but excited to do that with my son. 

[bosun21]

3 hours ago, Trippelforge said:

I just got an update that says mine has just arrived at my local distribution center! It took about 48 days in total to make it to the US. 😬

Now I gotta install it and learn the process, but excited to do that with my son. 

I wish you the best of luck when you receive it. There’s plenty of great videos on YouTube explaining everything. May you have many happy nights with your son. All the best  

     Ian 

[Trippelforge]

On 09/01/2023 at 17:52, bosun21 said:

I wish you the best of luck when you receive it. There’s plenty of great videos on YouTube explaining everything. May you have many happy nights with your son. All the best  

     Ian 

Do you happen to have a link to a good one to check out? I am going to start setting it up either tonight or tomorrow and currently going through the installation .pdf. It seems easy enough but I really want to make sure I do everything perfectly, especially the software steps. For instance it mentioned in the guide to install some virtual com-port software. It lists the exact executable name,  yet the software package doesn't contain it. /shrug

Side question for anyone that uses it, I see it mentions Sky Safari Pro on the product page. Does this system also work with Stellarium? 

 

[bosun21]

40 minutes ago, Trippelforge said:

Do you happen to have a link to a good one to check out? I am going to start setting it up either tonight or tomorrow and currently going through the installation .pdf. It seems easy enough but I really want to make sure I do everything perfectly, especially the software steps. For instance it mentioned in the guide to install some virtual com-port software. It lists the exact executable name,  yet the software package doesn't contain it. /shrug

Side question for anyone that uses it, I see it mentions Sky Safari Pro on the product page. Does this system also work with Stellarium? 

 

If you just type in Asiair plus tutorial on YouTube you get many. The one I found most helpful is this one 👇

I also enquired about Stellarium but it’s only designed to accept Sky Safari. To be honest it’s that accurate at target acquisition and annotation you don’t need either . HTH  

      Ian 

 

[Trippelforge]

22 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

If you just type in Asiair plus tutorial on YouTube you get many. The one I found most helpful is this one 👇

I also enquired about Stellarium but it’s only designed to accept Sky Safari. To be honest it’s that accurate at target acquisition and annotation you don’t need either . HTH  

      Ian 

 

Thanks Ian,

I don't own an air, but I assume towards the end it might talk about connection that mirrors what we have to do? Ya I am not against Safari, I just am familiar with Stellarium. I will buy the PRO version and put it on my laptop. Side question; does it matter what AP software you use when setting everything up? I didn't know if you used Sky to slew, then opened something like NINA and ran that on it's own without integration.

EDIT: OK just noticed Sky Safari is only mobile. Obviously you guys are not having issues connecting to it, but I did notice it had to be in WiFi mode. So how are you guys connecting when not near a router?

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by Trippelforge

[bosun21]

5 minutes ago, Trippelforge said:

Thanks Ian,

I don't own an air, but I assume towards the end it might talk about connection that mirrors what we have to do? Ya I am not against Safari, I just am familiar with Stellarium. I will buy the PRO version and put it on my laptop. Side question; does it matter what AP software you use when setting everything up? I didn't know if you used Sky to slew, then opened something like NINA and ran that on it's own without integration.

 

As far as I understand as long as you have a decent polar alignment then slew to a bright star away from Polaris and centre it. Then sync the software to your mount. All the well known Sky software works with Nina/ASCOM etc. Someone with vastly more astrophotography experience will be along to keep you on the rails. Good luck 

[Trippelforge]

1 hour ago, bosun21 said:

As far as I understand as long as you have a decent polar alignment then slew to a bright star away from Polaris and centre it. Then sync the software to your mount. All the well known Sky software works with Nina/ASCOM etc. Someone with vastly more astrophotography experience will be along to keep you on the rails. Good luck 

Can it compensate for a slight misalignment? I just assumed I needed to be dead on in order for any tracking to work, and obviously I don't have a guide camera. I only ask due to manually PA being a huge pain. lol

[bosun21]

32 minutes ago, Trippelforge said:

Can it compensate for a slight misalignment? I just assumed I needed to be dead on in order for any tracking to work, and obviously I don't have a guide camera. I only ask due to manually PA being a huge pain. lol

It will depend on the length of your exposures I reckon. The longer the exposure the more accurate you need to be.

[Trippelforge]

12 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

It will depend on the length of your exposures I reckon. The longer the exposure the more accurate you need to be.

So I guess technically no. I wasn't sure if you just needed to make sure the mount was due north, and generally aligned overall. And the system would correct any small errors. That would be pretty neat, but I guess that's kind of the point of running a guide camera.  Anyhow thanks for the help, I am excited to get started. 

[Trippelforge]

I got everything setup last night and messed around with it a bit. I am a bit confused on a few things and there obviously aren't many places to ask for help. So hopefully you guys don't mind answering a few questions that I have, which are probably very basic.

At the moment I have everything setup and so far and only have messed with the settings application in Windows. And I also connected via Wifi to SyncScan Pro. The program looks pretty simple and does pretty much everything you need to use in regards to go-to capability. In regards to that why would anyone need SkySafari Pro? Is it just due to a pretty interface? 

SyncScan shows a few alignment methods (one star, two star etc). I am going to assume I need to polar align the mount as usual, then run one of them so the system knows where it's at. Once it knows, I can use the program to fully control tracking? That brings me to the question of what do people mean by having to park things after each session? I know what the term means, but considering you have to Polar align, then star align why would it ever need to go "home"?

Alright so I opened the settings program in windows (as mentioned) and while looking at the manual noticed none of the settings matched up. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to tweak anything or not. The manual slew speed is non-existent right now. But I don't see when using go-to why it matters. Overall though did you guys find a few of settings making a positive difference when changing them?

Lastly is this system supposed to be doing anything else outside of SyncScan as far as functionality? For instance AP software integration etc?

I really appreciate the help, over all the system was pretty easy to setup. My motors do make noise, it's a higher pitched whine that "surges" rhythmically. If I hadn't known about it being normal I would've freaked out.

[Celerondon]

On 11/01/2023 at 07:26, Trippelforge said:

Do you happen to have a link to a good one to check out? I am going to start setting it up either tonight or tomorrow and currently going through the installation .pdf. It seems easy enough but I really want to make sure I do everything perfectly, especially the software steps. For instance it mentioned in the guide to install some virtual com-port software. It lists the exact executable name,  yet the software package doesn't contain it. /shrug

Side question for anyone that uses it, I see it mentions Sky Safari Pro on the product page. Does this system also work with Stellarium? 

 

Check again for that virtual com-port software.  If it really isn't present, then you can download a compressed version of the entire software and documentation package from the AstroGadget website on the product page for your kit.

The EQStar kits work with both SkySafari Pro and Stellarium.  For some reason, most of us prefer SkySafari Pro on mobile devices and Stellarium on Windows machines.  Other than the SynScan update issue, there should be no problems other than minor configuration questions with getting this system to connect to mobile devices or Windows machines.  There is no Windows connection problem for AstroGadget kits.  

Edited January 15, 2023 by Celerondon

[Celerondon]

On 11/01/2023 at 08:11, bosun21 said:

If you just type in Asiair plus tutorial on YouTube you get many. The one I found most helpful is this one 👇

I also enquired about Stellarium but it’s only designed to accept Sky Safari. To be honest it’s that accurate at target acquisition and annotation you don’t need either . HTH  

      Ian 

 

Ian, Trippleforge's original question was about AstroGadget kits rather than ASIAIR systems.  The answer to that question may depend upon the platform that the software will run on.  Android, iOS, OSX, and Windows each have their own availability or compatibility issues.  Did you really mean to say that AstroGadget kits are "only designed to accept Sky Safari"?  Many of us use Stellarium and other planetarium programs with EQStar hardware.  

Edited January 15, 2023 by Celerondon

[bosun21]

12 minutes ago, Celerondon said:

Ian, Trippleforge's original question was about AstroGadget kits rather than ASIAIR systems.  The answer to that question may depend upon the platform that the software will run on.  Android, iOS, OSX, and Windows each have their own availability or compatibility issues.  Did you really mean to say that AstroGadget kits are "only designed to accept Sky Safari"?  Many of us use Stellarium and other planetarium programs with EQStar hardware.  

 I was under the impression that he was using or enquiring about using an asiair plus. I have obviously been mistaken in my assumption. Apologies.

        Ian 

Edited January 15, 2023 by bosun21
Typo

[Celerondon]

On 11/01/2023 at 08:27, Trippelforge said:

Thanks Ian,

I don't own an air, but I assume towards the end it might talk about connection that mirrors what we have to do? Ya I am not against Safari, I just am familiar with Stellarium. I will buy the PRO version and put it on my laptop. Side question; does it matter what AP software you use when setting everything up? I didn't know if you used Sky to slew, then opened something like NINA and ran that on it's own without integration.

EDIT: OK just noticed Sky Safari is only mobile. Obviously you guys are not having issues connecting to it, but I did notice it had to be in WiFi mode. So how are you guys connecting when not near a router?

 

No router is required for a mobile device to connect with and control your mount when you have and EQStar kit installed and powered on.  The EQStar controller has a WiFi switch that illuminates an LED indicator and broadcasts a wireless access point when it is switched on.   Connect your cell phone or tablet to that "EQSTAR" WiFi access point and SynScan should be able to connect to your mount.  Once SynScan is connected, you can perform an alignment and then use SynScan or Sky Safari to control your mount.  Don't just switch things off when you are finished.  Always use SynScan to hibernate your mount when you end a session. 

[Celerondon]

On 13/01/2023 at 05:27, Trippelforge said:

... The program looks pretty simple and does pretty much everything you need to use in regards to go-to capability. In regards to that why would anyone need SkySafari Pro? Is it just due to a pretty interface? 

SyncScan shows a few alignment methods (one star, two star etc). I am going to assume I need to polar align the mount as usual, then run one of them so the system knows where it's at. Once it knows, I can use the program to fully control tracking? That brings me to the question of what do people mean by having to park things after each session? I know what the term means, but considering you have to Polar align, then star align why would it ever need to go "home"?

Alright so I opened the settings program in windows (as mentioned) and while looking at the manual noticed none of the settings matched up. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to tweak anything or not. The manual slew speed is non-existent right now. But I don't see when using go-to why it matters. Overall though did you guys find a few of settings making a positive difference when changing them?

Lastly is this system supposed to be doing anything else outside of SyncScan as far as functionality? For instance AP software integration etc?

I really appreciate the help, over all the system was pretty easy to setup. My motors do make noise, it's a higher pitched whine that "surges" rhythmically. If I hadn't known about it being normal I would've freaked out.

I think you nailed it about the SynScan versus SkySafari Pro question.  If you don't care about the flashy GUI or extra features, then the menu driven interface of SynScan is adequate for your needs.  I like SkySafari Pro for visual sessions.  When using a tablet, SkySafari Pro makes it easy to show others how to navigate the sky.  Although a laser pointer can do something similar, it is nice to have a map of the celestial sphere visible as you explain the sky.  BTW- Switch on your telescope crosshair indicator in SkySafari Pro to display a real-time pointing indicator that shows the current orientation of your mount.   I use similar features in Stellarium if I use it during Windows managed sessions.  

I wouldn't worry about the answer to your parking question.  Sooner or later, you will forget to park.  It is not as bad as neglecting your parking brake when you are driving a stick-shift car in San Francisco.  But it is not fun either.  Park it, pal!  😉   Failure to execute the hibernate function will deprive your mount's "brain" of a home orientation.  Thus, when you "wake" the mount by turning it on and initiating a connection, it may be disoriented.  This is not a good thing for a GPS aware pointing engine.  

If your setup is working, then I would leave those settings alone.  Don't fix it if it isn't broken.  When you get more used to the system you may want to push the slewing speeds.  I was impressed by the level of control that the Windows control utility gives over this simple setting.  To me it made a huge difference during GoTo operation because of the large percentage increase in the slewing rate.   1800x slewing takes much less time than 700x slewing.  

 

 

[Trippelforge]

22 hours ago, Celerondon said:

I think you nailed it about the SynScan versus SkySafari Pro question.  If you don't care about the flashy GUI or extra features, then the menu driven interface of SynScan is adequate for your needs.  I like SkySafari Pro for visual sessions.  When using a tablet, SkySafari Pro makes it easy to show others how to navigate the sky.  Although a laser pointer can do something similar, it is nice to have a map of the celestial sphere visible as you explain the sky.  BTW- Switch on your telescope crosshair indicator in SkySafari Pro to display a real-time pointing indicator that shows the current orientation of your mount.   I use similar features in Stellarium if I use it during Windows managed sessions.  

I wouldn't worry about the answer to your parking question.  Sooner or later, you will forget to park.  It is not as bad as neglecting your parking brake when you are driving a stick-shift car in San Francisco.  But it is not fun either.  Park it, pal!  😉   Failure to execute the hibernate function will deprive your mount's "brain" of a home orientation.  Thus, when you "wake" the mount by turning it on and initiating a connection, it may be disoriented.  This is not a good thing for a GPS aware pointing engine.  

If your setup is working, then I would leave those settings alone.  Don't fix it if it isn't broken.  When you get more used to the system you may want to push the slewing speeds.  I was impressed by the level of control that the Windows control utility gives over this simple setting.  To me it made a huge difference during GoTo operation because of the large percentage increase in the slewing rate.   1800x slewing takes much less time than 700x slewing.  

 

 

So does the app have a "park" option, and does it just move it back to where you aligned it to begin with? I haven't had a chance to dive back into it as it's been cloudy again.

[Celerondon]

On 16/01/2023 at 09:28, Trippelforge said:

So does the app have a "park" option, and does it just move it back to where you aligned it to begin with? I haven't had a chance to dive back into it as it's been cloudy again.

If your mount is indoors, then the clouds cannot stop you from getting familiar with the SynScan control routines.  Just do like I did, practice indoors! 

There is no instruction that they call "Park" in SynScan.  Other mounts with other firmware may do different things.  The Hibernate function gives you the ability to send the mount to its "Home" position (Pointing north/CW down) and save the awareness of this position.  At this point you can disconnect your WiFi connection and shut the mount down.  The next time that you power up and connect to the mount, SynScan will give you the option to restore your saved position data.  If you have ensured that your mount is facing north with the CW down, then alignment should go smoothly, and you should be observing or taking pictures in no time.  

[Trippelforge]

5 hours ago, Celerondon said:

If your mount is indoors, then the clouds cannot stop you from getting familiar with the SynScan control routines.  Just do like I did, practice indoors! 

There is no instruction that they call "Park" in SynScan.  Other mounts with other firmware may do different things.  The Hibernate function gives you the ability to send the mount to its "Home" position (Pointing north/CW down) and save the awareness of this position.  At this point you can disconnect your WiFi connection and shut the mount down.  The next time that you power up and connect to the mount, SynScan will give you the option to restore your saved position data.  If you have ensured that your mount is facing north with the CW down, then alignment should go smoothly, and you should be observing or taking pictures in no time.  

OK so basically you setup your mount and polar align and your good to go. That makes sense to me now. And the park option is just simply called "hibernate".

Ya I messed with it indoors a bit, then ran into the issue where I could no longer get it to connect to the settings software. It was fine on day one, but luckily Alex cleared it up and told me that Wifi cannot be turned on during that process. I haven't tried it since but it was a relief that it was so simple. I don't know however if anything should be changed, or what is safe to change anyhow. lol

I got clear skies tonight, but 20'F temps... stupid worm gear got tight the last time, so I am crossing my fingers. 

Thanks for the help!

[powerlord]

yeh early versions had crappy home/hibernate funtionality which meant the mount would go all over the place. He's fixed that now, so it just expects the mount to be in home position when you power it up. I use it with asiair right enough, but same idea. Now it's fixed, I don't find it matters if I hibernate (aka home aka park) or not.

[Trippelforge]

Just a quick report. I finally got it working and somehow with some mount tweaking got a tracking issue sorted. I tried to use it last week and the tracking was off... I was worried it was the system. Once I got it aligned and picked an object I was blown away, it gave my son and I a rush of excitement seeing it zip onto the target. All this time having to star hop, and constantly adjust only now to sit in a chair with our feet up is awesome. I will say one thing, going through so many years of manually targeting DSO's gave me a huge appreciation for these systems. I actually kind of feel bad for those who never got to struggle. LOL

Anyhow so far I love this system, hats off to Alex. 

 

[Celerondon]

Yes indeed!  After years of star hopping and wandering the heavens, GoTo is a big change.  GoTo has already changed my observing patterns, and it will certainly make me more ambitious with photographic target selection.  

On Friday, I did a hectic outreach event at a local middle school.  Normally, I would not spend time or effort searching for fuzzy faint objects at such an event.  It was almost intoxicating to see comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) drifting into the field of a 20mm eyepiece after I clicked "GoTo" in  SkySafari Pro.  To my further surprise, the students enjoyed viewing the comet, and most saw it without much difficulty.   BTW, we were in a suburban environment, with poor seeing and a waxing moon near the meridian.  

It is good to hear from powerlord that the EQStar controllers are less finicky about the hibernate/home/park commands.  My controller already has the latest firmware update so I will check to see how critical hibernation is with my current software and usage combination.