Skywatcher AZ GTI mount owners thread

[Elp]

18 hours ago, jjohnson3803 said:

What is the practical load limit? I've seen 5 pounds but also 10 kg listed as maximum load.

 

It's supposed to be 5kg. I've just reweighed my setup and it's 3.2kg for the imaging train and 2kg for the counterweights and bar.

[Ed the Fox]

I have a 130m on my Az gtl and it's no bother at all. It's very stable and at 4.1kg it's within it's weight limit. Having said that it's the longest OTA I'd put on the gti mount.

Edited February 23, 2022 by Ed the Fox

[AstroNebulee]

3 hours ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

So , last night i hastily set up the mount and used the 130pds . Now , i didnt properly level the tripod and only roughly pointed north and only did a one star alignment !! thats three bad marks for me ! 

Have to report that , as you would expect , the goto was a few degrees off but completely manageable . I viewd the favourites ie Orion , Plaides , Hyades... a few doubles , andromeda , Starfish Cluster and the Beehive cluster . The beehive was a lovely sight . I did notice that after centering Beetlguese the star had drifted towards the edge of view ( i left it for about 25minutes for this to happen ) I put this down to my laziness and its a lesson to everyone that preparation is key when using a Goto mount . 

I used just one EP , the 2" 28mm Ep that came with the scope . First i thought collimation was well out but in reality the scope just needed to cool down and stars were pin point . Another point is the extension pier from skywatcher that i used was probably not a good idea . The mount sitting directly on the tripod would certainly give a better centre of gravity and stop any potential unwanted instability although that in itself may bring into play the issue of the scope coming rather close to the tripod legs when pointing near the Zenith .  The 130pds really sits well on the AZ-Gti and i have no problems reccommending this scope . I am going to try it with a dslr at  the weekend , when i have more time . All in all , a very nice hour and a half . 

Sounds great Stu. You had a good observing session there and be better next time setting up, been there in the excitement and forgot to add my cw once! Thank you for your report and feedback, it's nuggets of info and advice needed on this thread 👍

[AstroNebulee]

2 hours ago, Elp said:

Good feedback, might try mine later this week. Was out last night too, terrible session due to issues setting up and then target disappeared from view after taking just 7 subs. Then clouds rolled in. And when I started dismantling after waiting a while it was clear again...

Sorry to hear you had an awful session too. I was much the same, trying out my adjustments made during the clouds didn't work out, so back to the drawing board. Needless to say I'll probably be selling the ED80 0.85x flattener reducer I bought as its not compatible with my sw 72ed as its not the short tube version (not enough inward focus) Think I need to add another 5mm of back spacing to my imaging train of sw rotator, ovl FF, 55m spacing then 294mc pro as still getting eggy stars, but this is in another thread. So last night was a complete waste and sacked it off by 8.30pm even though it was clear still. Hoping Friday will stay forecast clear and carry out more tests and will work with 60mm of back spacing, if not my astrophotography gear will be going in the classifieds 😒

Edited February 23, 2022 by AstroNebulee

[Elp]

Does it work at 55mm without the rotator?

[AstroNebulee]

41 minutes ago, Elp said:

Does it work at 55mm without the rotator?

No, I was still getting the eggy stars at 55mm with the thumbscrew focus adapter and FF nose piece. Since then I've recollimated the scope, bought a tilt adjuster and bought an Ed80  0.85x ff reducer which isn't compatible with my scope as its the older one (it would of been compatible if it was the short tube) not knowing if I had the new or old one though. I think it's all to do with the ovl FF and the older 72ed (not short tube) as after a trawl on here a couple of other members on here have the same setup and use 60mm of spacing. 

Edited February 23, 2022 by AstroNebulee

[OK Apricot]

Ooo look what came today 😁

[Elp]

Bet on cloudy skies for a while then...

[LaurenceT]

18 minutes ago, OK Apricot said:

Ooo look what came today 😁

Splendid, I have one and it's superb value for money, you will enjoy it I'm sure. You may want to consider upgrading the clamp, it's saved me from a few heart attacks.

Oh, and welcome to the world of Maksutov focus wobble.....😀

[AstroNebulee]

38 minutes ago, OK Apricot said:

Ooo look what came today 😁

Beautiful indeed this set up makes me drool. This was my first az gti set up. You're going to love the crispness and contrast of moony and for doubles she's a beauty. 😍When the funds allow this will be my next az gti set up. Have fun with it, you won't be sad now you own one of these. +1 for upgrading the clamp to adm one as @LaurenceTsays 

[OK Apricot]

Cheers guys, had the Mak since the weekend, came with an AZ5 but couldn't resist the Mrs' offer to buy me the GTi. It really is an excellent scope so far, though being really limited by poor skies - be nice to see its full potential under some dark stable skies. 

Had some teething problems tonight though. The goto accuracy was way off - about 75% off from centre toward the edge of the 6x30 finder. The tracking, however, was spot on - I jumped back in the van for half an hour to warm up a bit and my target, which was Rigel at the time, was there when I returned to the eyepiece (albeit slightly away from centre where I left it). I'm not sure if I'm putting in my location coordinates correctly or not? Mount was level, 12v 7Ah power pack, clutches snug. What have I missed? 

Edited February 24, 2022 by OK Apricot
Spelling

[LaurenceT]

If you're using a phone or tablet your coordinates should be automatically found. What alignment methods have you tried?

[OK Apricot]

I have to enter them manually with results for my location from Google. The other option is "use location sensor", which, when switched on, says "no sensor found" or something like that. 

I tried 2 star, brightest star and 3 star alignments. I have been reading in the mean time, a lot of users saying the mount needs to start off facing north and level - I'm not sure I did that, I just leveled the mount and went on the above alignment methods 

[OK Apricot]

Another thought - is my scope on "the right way"? 

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

21 minutes ago, OK Apricot said:

Another thought - is my scope on "the right way"? 

Yes.😀

Have you checked in your phone settings, Synscan app has permission to use location?

Also before alignment ensure the telescope is level and pointing north.

Edited February 24, 2022 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[LaurenceT]

11 minutes ago, OK Apricot said:

Another thought - is my scope on "the right way"? 

Looks fine from your photo

[OK Apricot]

14 minutes ago, ScouseSpaceCadet said:

Yes.😀

Have you checked in your phone settings, Synscan app has permission to use location?

Also before alignment ensure the telescope is level and pointing north.

I hadn't, but since reading I have enabled permissions for the app. Good to know the scope is on right - I did think it was. I'll make sure to start as close to level and north as possible. 

A few things to try tomorrow evening... and Saturday - good run of clear nights recently! 

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

43 minutes ago, OK Apricot said:

I hadn't, but since reading I have enabled permissions for the app. Good to know the scope is on right - I did think it was. I'll make sure to start as close to level and north as possible. 

A few things to try tomorrow evening... and Saturday - good run of clear nights recently! 

I assume you can now run Synscan and choose 'Use Location Sensor'? If so, you're good to go.

 

[Elp]

Do you use a crosshair eyepiece to ensure your stars are aligned dead centre? Use only one to centre, either your finder or the scope (preferred). You will at some point have to align your finder to your main scope too though at times you will experience some form of differential flexure where they become misaligned from each other hence why I recommend only to use the main scope for centering the star alignment. Though it shouldn't have too much impact on star alignment the collimation of the main scope might also need to be checked, I'm not personally familiar with the type of scope you have but I know Newtonian reflectors for example you need to check this often.

Edited February 25, 2022 by Elp

[Elp]

You might also find the goto isn't 100% perfect for centering targets but for the price of the mount I find it good enough. If you're into imaging with plate solving this issue is negated.

[AstroNebulee]

5 hours ago, OK Apricot said:

I hadn't, but since reading I have enabled permissions for the app. Good to know the scope is on right - I did think it was. I'll make sure to start as close to level and north as possible. 

A few things to try tomorrow evening... and Saturday - good run of clear nights recently! 

I think with the adjustments you've made your gotos will be much better now. If you can align the finderscope with the main scope during the daytime, focus on a far away chimney or telegraph pole, have fun and enjoy 👍

Edited February 25, 2022 by AstroNebulee

[OK Apricot]

6 hours ago, Elp said:

Do you use a crosshair eyepiece to ensure your stars are aligned dead centre? Use only one to centre, either your finder or the scope (preferred). You will at some point have to align your finder to your main scope too though at times you will experience some form of differential flexure where they become misaligned from each other hence why I recommend only to use the main scope for centering the star alignment. Though it shouldn't have too much impact on star alignment the collimation of the main scope might also need to be checked, I'm not personally familiar with the type of scope you have but I know Newtonian reflectors for example you need to check this often.

I don't have one, but each time I centred I put the object bang in the centre, to my eyes anyway. The finder and scope are spot on - I align those before anything. Collimation is also excellent with a star test. I'm not looking for pin point accuracy, just want an object in the eyepiece every time 🙂. 

[Elp]

You're doing the right things then with the checks you've already done.

You'll find that using a crosshair eyepiece can highlight just how off centre the view can be, alternatively though I've never tried it this way, you can defocus the view so stars appear very bloated circles and centre one of them in the eyepiece that way. The longer the focal length of your scope any centering of a target (or off centre) will become more apparent.

[OK Apricot]

25 minutes ago, Elp said:

You're doing the right things then with the checks you've already done.

You'll find that using a crosshair eyepiece can highlight just how off centre the view can be, alternatively though I've never tried it this way, you can defocus the view so stars appear very bloated circles and centre one of them in the eyepiece that way. The longer the focal length of your scope any centering of a target (or off centre) will become more apparent.

Thanks for the tip, should help me to be more consistent 👍

[JBadger]

I've started using a Svbony illuminated crosshair eyepiece for my initial alignments. It is surprising how far off you can be doing it by eye. This makes it easier to align the finder accurately too.