Skywatcher AZ GTI mount owners thread

[LaurenceT]

I've just emailed the supplier, Harrisons Telescopes, they've been very helpful to me in the recent past. Thanks for the replies.

[AstroNebulee]

21 minutes ago, LaurenceT said:

I've just emailed the supplier, Harrisons Telescopes, they've been very helpful to me in the recent past. Thanks for the replies.

Hopefully they can sort it for you very soon, as badhex said let us know how you get on. With all this cloud your mount will be back to you before the next clear sky easy. 

[LaurenceT]

17 minutes ago, AstroNebulee said:

Hopefully they can sort it for you very soon, as badhex said let us know how you get on. With all this cloud your mount will be back to you before the next clear sky easy. 

I've had a reply from them and they're contacting Skywatcher for advice. What concerns me is that the mount came as part of a package with a Skymax 127 Maksutov and I really don't want to have to send that back as well.

Thanks for the reply.

[badhex]

16 minutes ago, LaurenceT said:

I've had a reply from them and they're contacting Skywatcher for advice. What concerns me is that the mount came as part of a package with a Skymax 127 Maksutov and I really don't want to have to send that back as well.

Thanks for the reply.

Skywatcher do sell the AZ-GTi as a separate unit so hopefully it won't be an issue just to swap out the mount. Fingers crossed 🤞 

Edited December 29, 2021 by badhex

[AstroNebulee]

1 hour ago, LaurenceT said:

I've had a reply from them and they're contacting Skywatcher for advice. What concerns me is that the mount came as part of a package with a Skymax 127 Maksutov and I really don't want to have to send that back as well.

Thanks for the reply.

Once again +1 for badhex comments. I'm quite sure they'll just swap the mount and the scope won't come into consideration. By the way that's a stunning scope, I had one but sold it to fund dental work haha. 

[badhex]

2 hours ago, AstroNebulee said:

Once again +1 for badhex comments. I'm quite sure they'll just swap the mount and the scope won't come into consideration. By the way that's a stunning scope, I had one but sold it to fund dental work haha. 

I have the 102 in storage - cracking little scope and punches above its weight IMO - so I can only assume the 127 does as well! 

[AstroNebulee]

1 minute ago, badhex said:

I have the 102 in storage - cracking little scope and punches above its weight IMO - so I can only assume the 127 does as well! 

Was thinking of eventually getting a second AzGti setup with a 102 sw mak on it for lunar and planetary imaging to save dismantling my deep space AzGti eq setup but that will be after I've hopefully bought the zwo asi 294mc pro. 😬

[LaurenceT]

45 minutes ago, AstroNebulee said:

Was thinking of eventually getting a second AzGti setup with a 102 sw mak on it for lunar and planetary imaging to save dismantling my deep space AzGti eq setup but that will be after I've hopefully bought the zwo asi 294mc pro. 😬

I haven't yet tried the EQ conversion, I probably won't yet as so many people seem to have problems but if it gets sorted out in the near future I too would consider getting another AZ gti for astrophotography only and sell my Skyguider pro.

[AstroNebulee]

On 29/12/2021 at 14:29, LaurenceT said:

I haven't yet tried the EQ conversion, I probably won't yet as so many people seem to have problems but if it gets sorted out in the near future I too would consider getting another AZ gti for astrophotography only and sell my Skyguider pro.

The new eq firmware sorts out any issues most have had. I think having two az gti setups, one in EQ one in alt az is a perfect combination. As I said once afforded I'd buy another AzGti set and keep in alt az, perfect for lunar and planetary imaging and much easier to get up and imaging than dso where you needed cloudless windless nights, I really miss the Lunar and planetary imaging. Spent so much on my eq set up I wouldnt sell it, so another alt az set up compliments perfectly. 

Edited January 4, 2022 by AstroNebulee

[RobN]

I was out at -18c and my phone could find the AZ GTi wifi network but would not connect.  I am using 8 AA alkaline batteries in the mount.

Has anyone else had problems connecting in similar temperatures?

I'll see if using a different power source will help.  The Canon T2i and intervalometer were working fine.

 

 

[badhex]

On 29/12/2021 at 15:29, LaurenceT said:

I haven't yet tried the EQ conversion, I probably won't yet as so many people seem to have problems but if it gets sorted out in the near future I too would consider getting another AZ gti for astrophotography only and sell my Skyguider pro.

I think lot of the issues also seem to be related to firmware updates failing, which (according to skywatcher and other's experiences) can be solved by using a USB adaptor or FTDI cable rather than WiFi to update. 

[badhex]

8 hours ago, RobN said:

I was out at -18c and my phone could find the AZ GTi wifi network but would not connect.  I am using 8 AA alkaline batteries in the mount.

Has anyone else had problems connecting in similar temperatures?

I'll see if using a different power source will help.  The Canon T2i and intervalometer were working fine.

 

 

Lowest temperature mine has seen is around zero or maybe a touch below and didn't have any issues.

That said, erratic mount behaviour is sometimes a symptom of undervoltage or other power issues and alkaline batteries are generally considered to perform poorly in very cold weather. I believe that -18°C is at the lower end of the recommended operating temp for alkalines. 

As a first troubleshooting step I would certainly try a different power source as you suggested - one that is already proven to work correctly in those cold temps. 

[AstroNebulee]

11 hours ago, RobN said:

I was out at -18c and my phone could find the AZ GTi wifi network but would not connect.  I am using 8 AA alkaline batteries in the mount.

Has anyone else had problems connecting in similar temperatures?

I'll see if using a different power source will help.  The Canon T2i and intervalometer were working fine.

 

 

As @badhexsuggested and yourself is to try another power source that is suitable to the extreme temperatures your having and see if the problem persists. I have been down to around 0 to - 1  also and had no issues powering with my talentcell battery pack but now run from my asiair pro via a mains electricity supply. 

Edited January 4, 2022 by AstroNebulee

[TerraC]

Anyone had this odd one with AZ-GTI?  

EQ mode. Polar aligned.   3 Star Alignment.  Goto target - M42 in this instance.  Frame it up fine tuned how i'd like the shot. I Finish the movement with up and to the right.  No tracking.  Sidereal active but test exposure shows trails. The mount just isnt tracking.    Working from external fully charged Skywatcher 7ah power supply.    Restart alignment and do it all again.  Still no tracking even though it says it should be tracking. 

Power Down and on again.  Go through process.  Still no tracking.  It just wont track!   Now i'm getting frustrated and think the GTI is broken.  

From the top.  I Power Down again..   Reset Synscan, Reset Alignment, Polar Align, 3 Star Alignment, Slew to target.   Now it tracks fine.   An Hour wasted..  ARGHHH..  You tempramental %%$£       Now my target is behind a tree..   Much swearing, frozen fingers, packing up and giving in for the night.

 

 

[Ags]

And that's why I now just do level-tripod-alt-az-point-and-track, it minimizes software points of failure!

Edited January 5, 2022 by Ags

[badhex]

1 hour ago, TerraC said:

Anyone had this odd one with AZ-GTI?  

EQ mode. Polar aligned.   3 Star Alignment.  Goto target - M42 in this instance.  Frame it up fine tuned how i'd like the shot. I Finish the movement with up and to the right.  No tracking.  Sidereal active but test exposure shows trails. The mount just isnt tracking.    Working from external fully charged Skywatcher 7ah power supply.    Restart alignment and do it all again.  Still no tracking even though it says it should be tracking. 

Power Down and on again.  Go through process.  Still no tracking.  It just wont track!   Now i'm getting frustrated and think the GTI is broken.  

From the top.  I Power Down again..   Reset Synscan, Reset Alignment, Polar Align, 3 Star Alignment, Slew to target.   Now it tracks fine.   An Hour wasted..  ARGHHH..  You tempramental %%$£       Now my target is behind a tree..   Much swearing, frozen fingers, packing up and giving in for the night.

 

 

Sounds like a bit of a nightmare! I cannot speak with any authority on the EQ mode setup as I don't use it - @Ags and @AstroNebulee have much more experience with EQ mode so they might have some tips.

The only thing I can say is that Skywatcher have publicly stated that EQ mode is *technically* not fully supported even through they released firmware for it and loads of people use it. I guess that the buggy behaviour might be the reason they don't make any promises. All of that said, your best bet is to ensure you've got the most recent EQ mode firmware etc, and failing that - point and track mode seems to work remarkably well as @Ags will attest!

[TerraC]

20 minutes ago, badhex said:

Sounds like a bit of a nightmare! I cannot speak with any authority on the EQ mode setup as I don't use it - @Ags and @AstroNebulee have much more experience with EQ mode so they might have some tips.

The only thing I can say is that Skywatcher have publicly stated that EQ mode is *technically* not fully supported even through they released firmware for it and loads of people use it. I guess that the buggy behaviour might be the reason they don't make any promises. All of that said, your best bet is to ensure you've got the most recent EQ mode firmware etc, and failing that - point and track mode seems to work remarkably well as @Ags will attest!

Point and track was actually greyed out and not selectable in this instance for some reason. Maybe part of the glitch or because I was in EQ mode.   Only sidereal and lunar were available and switching to either had no effect on tracking. 

I'll persevere with EQ for a while.   Previously the mount did actually work 100% perfect in ALT-AZ.   Just wanted to give some longer exp's a go and try EQ.   To be fair it's worked fine in EQ mode for the past few outings just for some reason this time it was not playing ball.   Hopefully i'll get a another chance tonight before the clouds roll in. 

 

 

[AstroNebulee]

2 hours ago, TerraC said:

Anyone had this odd one with AZ-GTI?  

EQ mode. Polar aligned.   3 Star Alignment.  Goto target - M42 in this instance.  Frame it up fine tuned how i'd like the shot. I Finish the movement with up and to the right.  No tracking.  Sidereal active but test exposure shows trails. The mount just isnt tracking.    Working from external fully charged Skywatcher 7ah power supply.    Restart alignment and do it all again.  Still no tracking even though it says it should be tracking. 

Power Down and on again.  Go through process.  Still no tracking.  It just wont track!   Now i'm getting frustrated and think the GTI is broken.  

From the top.  I Power Down again..   Reset Synscan, Reset Alignment, Polar Align, 3 Star Alignment, Slew to target.   Now it tracks fine.   An Hour wasted..  ARGHHH..  You tempramental %%$£       Now my target is behind a tree..   Much swearing, frozen fingers, packing up and giving in for the night.

 

 

Sounds like a real pain in the posterior to say the least. 

Can I ask.

1.what firmware your running on the az gti

2.how are you controlling the mount, via synscan app or pc. 

3. How are you polar aligning it. 

4.when you move the mount manually do you feel any resistance in RA or dec and when moved via synscan does the mount move freely. 

5.also another thing how are you connecting the mount to synscan. 

A picture of your setup in EQ mode woukd be cool if possible. 

Cheers 

 

Lee 

Edited January 5, 2022 by AstroNebulee

[TerraC]

2 minutes ago, AstroNebulee said:

Sounds like a real pain in the posterior to say the least. 

Can I ask.

1.what firmware your running on the az gti

2.how are you controlling the mount, via synscan app or pc. 

3. How are you polar aligning it. 

4.when you move the mount manually do you feel any resistance in RA or dec and when moved via synscan does the mount move freely. 

5.also another thing how are you connecting the mount to synscan. 

Cheers 

 

Lee 

 

Hi Lee

Running firmware 3.34   I know there are a couple of updates since then but they didnt seem to show much of a difference on the changelog.   I think if I get more issues i'll flash to the latest one just to be sure. 

I'm using Synscan pro app on my Phone via synscan wifi connection.  I'm standing next to it so shouldnt be an issue with signal. 

Roughly polar aligning with a HM5 alignment scope attached to mount.  Gives a decent enough PA for upto 120sec non guided.   Future plans to link to Astroberry on my Pi (when I get around to setting it up).  

I usually tighten the clutches then release them so that I can still move by hand.  Not too tight and not too slack.   They both move smoothly when fully released. 

Ray

 

 

 

[AstroNebulee]

1 hour ago, TerraC said:

 

Hi Lee

Running firmware 3.34   I know there are a couple of updates since then but they didnt seem to show much of a difference on the changelog.   I think if I get more issues i'll flash to the latest one just to be sure. 

I'm using Synscan pro app on my Phone via synscan wifi connection.  I'm standing next to it so shouldnt be an issue with signal. 

Roughly polar aligning with a HM5 alignment scope attached to mount.  Gives a decent enough PA for upto 120sec non guided.   Future plans to link to Astroberry on my Pi (when I get around to setting it up).  

I usually tighten the clutches then release them so that I can still move by hand.  Not too tight and not too slack.   They both move smoothly when fully released. 

Ray

 

 

 

Hi Ray 

It's been a long time since I used my mount via the synscan app.  I use mine via an asiair pro now, so I shall raid my memory banks for the synscan app one again. 

Can I ask is it still in warranty?

I would definitely suggest updating the firmware just to be sure on that side of things. 

You say 'I usually tighten the clutches then release them so that I can still move by hand.  Not too tight and not too slack.   They both move smoothly when fully released.' 

You shouldn't be able to move the mount by hand when the clutches are tightened up. Sorry if I got confused there. 

What kind of counterweight have you and scope on the mount. 

I think the point and track will be greyed out in EQ mode. 

Just had another thought, have you tried another device to connect to your mount via the synscan app and does your app need updating atall. 

Edited January 5, 2022 by AstroNebulee

[Ags]

I got derailed by a new software glitch tonight. My phone could not connect to synscan wifi. The network kept disappearing and I got fleeting popups saying something like "could not validate mac address".

[AstroNebulee]

4 minutes ago, Ags said:

I got derailed by a new software glitch tonight. My phone could not connect to synscan wifi. The network kept disappearing and I got fleeting popups saying something like "could not validate mac address".

Not good Ags, was the software glitch the app, phone or mount. 

Edited January 5, 2022 by AstroNebulee

[Ags]

The glith is new, but no software has been updated 😀

[AstroNebulee]

5 minutes ago, Ags said:

The glith is new, but no software has been updated 😀

Very strange glitch that, I wonder if trying another device to see if it connects 

[Ags]

Maybe. But I  lose a clear night. I made progress, and connected to the synscan network, but then got this error: