Skywatcher AZ GTI mount owners thread

[AstroNebulee]

5 hours ago, bomberbaz said:

Bit fed up here Lee, about 4 hours data (cocoon) apparently corrupted but I am unaware as to why. DSS error 107 is all I know. 

I have been using memory sticks for data transfer, I have checked both but nothing conclusive.  I am going to transfer data directly to my pc from the AIR+ next time first and then also transfer to mem stick. I shall then try to stack to dss from both directories to see what transpires but I am actually concerned it might be a AIR+ issue but nothing to ground that concern.

Anyway, grabbing new fresh data right now for the cocoon and also a new object. I will see how that performs.

 

That is Demoralising for you, do you use the memory stick provided with your AAplus? I just googled error 107 for dss and couldn't find anything. Hopefully the new data capture method will be ok for you. 

Maybe it will be possible to format your memory stick and cure the issue. 

Hope you got some good data this time and looking forward to seeing your results. 

Lee 

[bomberbaz]

Nothing conclusive this regarding my corrupted data error 107 but highly likely that the onboard ASI memory had gotten corrupted.

When I plugged it directly into the PC it flagged up a possible error and advised run a diagnostic, an error was indeed found and then fixed.  The data on the ASI card was then transferred over and seems to be fine, currently stacking now.

Total data loss probably about 6 hours but at least I know where the issue lay. 

[AstroNebulee]

2 hours ago, bomberbaz said:

Nothing conclusive this regarding my corrupted data error 107 but highly likely that the onboard ASI memory had gotten corrupted.

When I plugged it directly into the PC it flagged up a possible error and advised run a diagnostic, an error was indeed found and then fixed.  The data on the ASI card was then transferred over and seems to be fine, currently stacking now.

Total data loss probably about 6 hours but at least I know where the issue lay. 

I'm pleased you resolved the issue in the end but 6 hours of data lost 😔

Lee

[LaurenceT]

Having now gone back to using my mount in EQ mode for sort of grab and go EAA I'm wondering whether my Mak 127 would be too heavy for the mount when used for remote lunar/planetary imaging. I know could strip the mount back to use as a right side mounted AZ mount but I'd rather leave it in EQ setup. I know I could use my EQ5 but the thought of literally moving the Az GTi and tripod out into the garden in one movement is very appealing.

[Stu1smartcookie]

52 minutes ago, LaurenceT said:

Having now gone back to using my mount in EQ mode for sort of grab and go EAA I'm wondering whether my Mak 127 would be too heavy for the mount when used for remote lunar/planetary imaging. I know could strip the mount back to use as a right side mounted AZ mount but I'd rather leave it in EQ setup. I know I could use my EQ5 but the thought of literally moving the Az GTi and tripod out into the garden in one movement is very appealing.

Hi Laurence , i think the Mak127 will be fine on the AZ-Gti in EQmode , as long as its balanced well . I have used that set up before without any issues . I know its not the same but a guy on YouTube uses the mak127 with his StarAdventurer for luna photography and as both the SA and the AZ-Gti have the same weight capacity , i see no problems for you . 

Maybe other will comment differently but i can only speak from my own experience 

Stu

[LaurenceT]

17 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

Hi Laurence , i think the Mak127 will be fine on the AZ-Gti in EQmode , as long as its balanced well . I have used that set up before without any issues . I know its not the same but a guy on YouTube uses the mak127 with his StarAdventurer for luna photography and as both the SA and the AZ-Gti have the same weight capacity , i see no problems for you . 

Maybe other will comment differently but i can only speak from my own experience 

Stu

Thanks Stu, that's interesting. I've remembered seeing a guy called Masa Schumit on YouTube mounting a Mak 127 on an AzGti so maybe it's worth a try.

As you rightly say balance is the key.

[Gfamily]

I feel like an idiot that I've not really looked at the 'Point and Track' functionality before.

This morning however, the waning gibbous moon was looking lovely in the clear blue sky, so I quickly dragged the mount out.

I wasn't sure how it was meant to work, but I manually moved the scope to point to the moon, before selecting Moon from the Solar System menu and hitting Point and Track.

20 minutes later the Moon was still centered. 

Not only that, but it keeps tracking even after you've disconnected the app.

[Stu1smartcookie]

1 hour ago, Gfamily said:

I've not really looked at the 'Point and Track' functionality before.

I think most of us forget this is available , but , its a fantastic feature of this mount . A quick set up and go .

[Pixies]

36 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

I think most of us forget this is available , but , its a fantastic feature of this mount . A quick set up and go .

Does it not require alignment of some kind?

[Elp]

Think you just say point and track with the correct sidereal rate for the application. I did it on the sun a while back and it stayed in view for over an hour at 400mm FL.

Regarding Mak mounting, I have used a C6 quite well on this mount, both in alt az and EQ mode, kind of at its (over?)limit though if you've got a reasonable sized guidescope on top with cameras etc.

Edited September 16, 2022 by Elp

[Stu1smartcookie]

33 minutes ago, Pixies said:

Does it not require alignment of some kind?

As  @Elp says , it seems to work "out of the box" so to speak . 

[Gfamily]

40 minutes ago, Pixies said:

Does it not require alignment of some kind?

Nope - if you can see something and it's in the app, you can 'Point and Track' - so long as the mount is level, it will track remarkably well. 

It doesn't set the encoders, so its internal pointers aren't aligned automatically (so if you then connect with another app it won't necessarily give you the right scope location)

ETA - as per the handbook, this only works in AltAz mode - but it is a great thing for a very quick set-up. 

Edited September 16, 2022 by Gfamily

[adyj1]

41 minutes ago, Gfamily said:

Nope - if you can see something and it's in the app, you can 'Point and Track' - so long as the mount is level, it will track remarkably well. 

It doesn't set the encoders, so its internal pointers aren't aligned automatically (so if you then connect with another app it won't necessarily give you the right scope location)

ETA - as per the handbook, this only works in AltAz mode - but it is a great thing for a very quick set-up. 

I'm confused - If you haven't done any form of star alignment, then surely this has to be at least 'level-and-north' (the AZ equivalent of a rough polar alignment)? 

[LaurenceT]

.

Edited September 16, 2022 by LaurenceT
irrelevant, didn't address the question.

[Gfamily]

16 minutes ago, adyj1 said:

I'm confused - If you haven't done any form of star alignment, then surely this has to be at least 'level-and-north' (the AZ equivalent of a rough polar alignment)? 

Not really - if you centre on a target, and it knows where that target should be, then once you have it, it can compute what its path should be.  It assumes that the mount is level, but apart from that it's relatively straightforward (in principle - I wouldn't like to have to work it out on paper of course 😀) . 

Do you have one ?  Try it out. 

ETA - to be honest, it came as a surprise (and a delight) not only that it worked, but also how well it worked. 

Edited September 16, 2022 by Gfamily

[Pixies]

Ah - I see. It's not a case of point and track at anything, it need to know what you are already pointed at. So it's effectively a one-star-alignment.

Edited September 16, 2022 by Pixies

[Elp]

If you're using a goto mount it needs to be level and aligned prior to switching power on. Saying that a motor is a motor, it will continue to move regardless unless told otherwise. When I viewed the sun last I only made sure the tripod was level and scope was facing roughly north, I couldn't do it accurately as I didn't have the compass with me and the scope was pointing directly at a wall rather than my usual spot. Power was switched on, I declutched it and manually aligned it to the sun, then simply chose point and track.

[adyj1]

1 hour ago, adyj1 said:

so long as the mount is level, it will track remarkably well

Thanks for trying to clarify. My confusion is caused by this statement;

  "as long as the mount is level"

whereas I would have thought it would be;

  "as long as the mount is level and was pointing North when you switched it on." 

You've said it doesn't need any star alignment routine, but surely it needs some idea where North is...

 

1 hour ago, Gfamily said:

Do you have one ?  Try it out. 

once I work out what I'm supposed to be doing I will 😉

Cheers,

 

Ady

[adyj1]

23 minutes ago, Elp said:

and scope was facing roughly north,

This. There are three posts that say 'just level the mount'. 

Ady

 

(I was writing my previous reply when you posted this and so the posts are a bit out of sync, apologies)  

[Gfamily]

31 minutes ago, adyj1 said:

You've said it doesn't need any star alignment routine, but surely it needs some idea where North is

Not really (or rather, yes!)

When I set it to Point and Track the Moon, it was at 9:30 am and the app could calculate the Moon's then Azimuth and Altitude (256° 59' , 37° 48').

Because I was already pointing at the Moon, it knew it was at 256° 59', so it would thus know where North is.

It only works if you are already pointed at the thing you want to P&T.

Edited September 16, 2022 by Gfamily

[Elp]

I've always made it routine to make sure the tripod is level to the ground and also the mount+scope is pointing north (in either alt az or EQ mode), because from the start I was always getting goto errors even after 2 or 3 star alignment. Once I made this step routine, Goto's have been fine. You can get major goto errors in EQ mode if the home position (ie scope+mount pointing north toward Polaris) is incorrect, so I always make sure it's right from the start, even if sometimes it's a rough thereabout setup. It doesn't take much to do this step, so why not do it.

[adyj1]

Thanks for trying to explain @Gfamily, but you're going to have to talk to me like I'm a five-year old...  😉

I said "surely it needs some idea where North is?"

and you answered "not really"

then clarified by saying it knew it was pointing at the moon "and so it would know where North is"

😉

 

I can see that if the mount knows a) your location b) the time and c) what the mount is currently pointing at, then it can roughly work out North. I hadn't gleaned that information from the 'just level your mount and point at it' comment that I first queried...

Edited September 16, 2022 by adyj1

[adyj1]

Apologies if I've sent this down a rabbit-hole.

In an attempt to have a positive contribution to this thread, for those that may not be aware similar functionality can be had in EQ mode (as long as you carry out reasonable polar alignment when setting up).  

You don't even have to tell the mount what you are looking at, just point your scope at the object you want to view (you can use a combination of manual slew and fine-tuning with the RA/DEC buttons) and then turn on tracking in the app/on the handset...

Ady

[LaurenceT]

26 minutes ago, adyj1 said:

Apologies if I've sent this down a rabbit-hole.

In an attempt to have a positive contribution to this thread, for those that may not be aware similar functionality can be had in EQ mode (as long as you carry out reasonable polar alignment when setting up).  

You don't even have to tell the mount what you are looking at, just point your scope at the object you want to view (you can use a combination of manual slew and fine-tuning with the RA/DEC buttons) and then turn on tracking in the app/on the handset...

Ady

I didn't know that, it will be very handy for me if that is the case, I thought it only functioned in az mode.

[Gfamily]

44 minutes ago, adyj1 said:

Thanks for trying to explain @Gfamily, but you're going to have to talk to me like I'm a five-year old...  😉

I said "surely it needs some idea where North is?"

and you answered "not really"

then clarified by saying it knew it was pointing at the moon "and so it would know where North is"

Yes, I could have been clearer - What I meant is that You don't need to do anything to give it an idea where North is

44 minutes ago, adyj1 said:

I can see that if the mount knows a) your location b) the time and c) what the mount is currently pointing at, then it can roughly work out North. I hadn't gleaned that information from the 'just level your mount and point at it' comment that I first queried...

As you say, because it knows a), b) and c), then it can work out where North is without any 'initial conditions' such as starting from Level and North. 

 

Edited September 16, 2022 by Gfamily