SkyWatcher Az/Eq GTi (Basic) Guide + SkySafari
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- In this video i want to share my experience with the SkyWatcher Az/Eq GTi mount, after using it for a short while.
I've seen that some people are struggling with connecting the SkySafari app so i wanted to cover that as well.
I have a telescope and autoguiding system ordered so as soon as i'll have a few nights of astrophotography behind me with the new equipment, i'll upload a new video and i'll talk about the cost and performence, since i'm on a very limited budget.
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Update- 0:50
Alignment- 3:08
SkySafari- 6:20
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SkyWatcher update:
Windows program: Motor Controller Firmware Loader - WiFi, Version 1.70
and
Firmware: AZGTi Mount, Right Arm, AZ/EQ Dual Mode, Version 3.16
skywatcher.com/...
SkyScap Pro App
play.google.co...
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Homepage:
www.tadej-skofic.com
Instagram:
/ tadejskofic
Patreon:
/ tadejskofic
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My gear:
Camera- Nikon D3300 (stock)
Tripod- Manfrotto 290xtra carbon
Mount- SkyWatcher Az/Eq GTi
Music:
Chillstep Andy Leech - Together With You Under The Stars
• Andy Leech - Together ...
Hi Tadej,
Just to say a huge 'thank you' for your video! I've been trying to set up my Az Gti for a few months with no success using EQ, but thanks to your tutorial I've just done it!!!! You're my hero!!! I'll be watching the rest of your videos in the near future. Thanks again! Clear skies!!!
I'm so glad to hear that! I wish you clear skies to David, and happy imaging, take care.
Has got to be one of the best, to the point, good interface and explanation about this mount in eq and its compatibility with sky safari as well as alignment and more.
I know a lot of people covered this mount turned into eq. But nothing as quick and concise as this video!
Thanks for sharing!
No se hablar ingles, pero lo he ido traduciendo, y te puedo decir que me ha encantado el video. GRAN TRABAJO. MUCHAS GRACIAS.
I just ordered this mount for my DSLR. I found a shop that sells an EQ package set up with the wedge and counterweights and they’ll pre-install the software updates for me. I was sold on how compact this mount is while having goto functionality. Now I just have to wait a few weeks since It’s on backorder.
Thanks for the guide. think i would have struggled without it, up and running and very happy with this setup keep up the good work.
Thanks again for a great video. When you do the star alignment and manually center, are you watching the star in live view?
Yeahh amazing pics incoming ! So excited !!!
Thank you so much! as I couldn't connect as I didn't know the right setting, but all connected thanks to you!
GREAT and THANK YOU!!! PLEASE check out the newer SkyWatcher SnyScan Pro app as under the Advance icon has PEC for PEC training could be awesome feature for astrophotography and NOBODY is talking about this new feature!!
Hey i will look into this and report about it in one of the future videos ;)
Hey man great videos keep it up I’ve learned quite a bit from you and enjoy your images! Can this be done with the az gte model? I’m trying to venture into astrophotography and that’s my goto mount. Only difference is no dual encoders and I can’t loosen the axis on the base to move manually. Again great videos!
thank you :) i got my today hope i get som great pictures with my camera and this mount
Thank you, very interesting!
Sure is interesting :)
Awesome and amazing ! Thanks !
Thanks!
Thx a lot.
So, watching the video (which is great) and reading the comments, I want to be sure I understand. I have a Canon 5dm3 and plan to use my 70-200 f2.8 for imaging. If I do a 3 star alignment, that would be enough to track w/o star trails? I wouldn't have to fine tune the polar alignment?
Eu comprei essa montagem, vou seguir seus conselhos.
Thank you
Very nice intro.. I need a sturdy tripod and a tracker and i runned in to this.
I've just bought this exact set up. Thanks for this guide.
Cool, let me know if you need any help 😉
Clear skies!
@@TadejSkofic I bought this mount over the star adventurer for the go to function and the fact you can firmware update it for EQ - However.... I cannot get the thing aligned. I know the equipment is mounted on the opposite side when the firmware for EQ is updated so I switched the camera to the other side... I've tried 3 star alignment using Sirius first and the camera starts to aim at the floor (Yorkshire is very much in the northern hemisphere). I then tried North level in AZ mode and it worked fine for the other areas I wished to view. Back to EQ and using various alignment options and I cannot get it any where close. I manually move to Sirius and then try to chose rigel and it goes the wrong way.... aaarrrrggggggggggg!! What am I doing wrong?
@@davekemp750 Do you have the correct location set? , and the right hemisphere selected in SynScan?
@@TadejSkofic Location is correct, I can't find a setting for hemisphere but the location does show 53 degrees N. I will try again over the next few days (weather and work permitting)
@@davekemp750 Well if your location is set correctly it should be actually fine, try to ''force'' it to the right orientation with the controls on your phone I know my mount made some strange moves in the beginning. So yes, do try it a few more times and please keep me posted.
Nicely done video. Unfortunately my AZ GTi find's nothing. I gave it a few tries but aligment always fails.
Nicely explained, thank you
Thanks
Super :)
Are you using the camera's viewfinder/LCD to center the star alignment using the equatorial wedge? I assume so since you don't mention a polar scope. I'm considering this as a more versatile mount than the equatorial-only camera mounts. Thanks for making this video.
Yes you are right i just increase my ISO so the stars are more visible on my LCD and then do a 3 star alignment. And it's a quite capable little mount so you probably won't be disappointed.
Great video :)
Could it track well for astrophotography? Is the two star alignment good enough for polar alignment for tracking?
It is. You can also put a guidescope for ponger exposures.
Terrific video. Quick question: when you switch over to Sky Safari, do you have to align there as well? Click the align button? Thanks again for a great job with this video!
No, after you align in SynScan the mount tracks the sky you just basically pick the targets in SkySafari.
I'm not really using SkySafari that much anymore so that's all i can say since i used it just for that but i'm guessing there is much more useful features in this app. I wish i could give you some tips :-/
Have a great day :-)
Tadej Skofic I appreciate the reply. Keep up the great work.
How do you make the small corrections once the tracker has found the object?
Hello! I’m having problems with az GTi 127 with alignment. I’ve contacted sky watcher with the issue I’m having. I try what they tell me to do. I’m operating it on az mode. I make sure the tri pod is level along with the motor being level and the telescope being pointing north and I align it with three stars and it still will not track or find the objects I want to see.
Hi, great video's, happy to have found your channel. I have just brought one of these. I have the equatorial wedge and uploaded the firmware. I am having a lot of issues with getting star trails with a 60 sec or even less exposure time. I am sure I have everything set up as it should be. Any reasons for this, could I be doing something wrong.
Hey, welcome to the hobby, and 60sec. is actually not that bad, if you are not guiding, you can improve the tracking with good polar alignment, that can get you to 90sec maybe a bit more (depends on the focal length you are using) but sadly that's about it without auto-guiding.
Thanks for the reply. I'll keep trying, I'm not getting very accurate star positioning, I align do a two star alignment making sure that the star is dead centre. Then in I pick Polaris and it's not centred. Very frustrating.
@@duxbury2002 Yes I understand what you are going through right now, the problem is that the star alignment is actually meant so that the mount knows where the telescope/lens is pointing not the mount itself, so it's not a ''replacement'' for polar alignment altho it's the only option you actually have with the GTi since it doesn't have a built-in polar alignment routine so yeah,.. the star alignment is the next best thing you got available, and yes the go-to is also not that accurate so I was using a telescope for quite a while and it worked great, I think I'm explaining it in one of the videos but I really can't remember where.
and Phil, if you have any questions always feel free to ask I'm glad to help.
Take care and clear skies!
It was a good video. Try and drop the music next time.
Looking forward to see with scope
The video is pretty cool :)
Буду ждать новое видео. Я тоже ограничен в бюджете и не давно заказал для своего телескопа монтировку Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi. Но еще не пользовался. Надеюсь не разочаруюсь. У меня
телескоп Sky-Watcher BK Mak102 AZ-EQ Avant.
What the maximum performance for tracking with autoguide, can it get 5 min sub in 450mm focal length?
How do you know when star is perfectly cantered in camera?
Hello. I want to ask about the connection between Skywatcher wifi adapter and skysafari6 pro
November 14, 2019. the present
Is it possible to connect skysafari 6 pro and skywatcher wifi adapter through iPhone(synscan pro app) ?
If you can connect, I'd appreciate it if you could tell me how to set it up.
For your information, I am using the Skywatcher eqm-35 mount.
Thank you.
Great video! How did you polar aligned as I don’t see it connected to a scope or polemaster device?
Hey, here is just pointed to Polaris and got it in the center, if you are using only a lens it's good enough for tracking the night sky.
Hi again. What is max good magnification you use for most of atmosferic conditions? I heard rumours that highest magnification for Maksutov as a type (not related to aperture) of telescope is 200x?
Hey, yes but just be aware that the magnifications depend a lot on the quality of the specific telescope optics (brand and model) no matter the type, you can look at a general number witch for Maksutov is around 200x as you mentioned but don't solely depend on this '''fact'' take a look at a few telescopes you are interested and ask on the CloudyNights forum for opinions, I think this way you will get a really good picture on what can you expect moving forward.
I'm sorry that I can't give you a direct answer, but this goes for most of the things in astrophotography, questions and answers are very specific, I would just really recommend you to get as many information as possible on any telescope before you buy so you can enjoy the hobby.
Take care.
@@TadejSkofic Thanks.
Hi, I see you changed the default screw for locking the mount to the equatorial base. I tried the star adventurer base and the locking screw blocked the path of the mount! Thanks for the video!
Hey, you are very welcome, i'm glad you like it and yes i just took a standard screw and 3D printed a grip but i have to redesign it a bit because it gets too close sometimes, but yes this is an annoying small problem to have. :-D
@@TadejSkofic what size screw does it use and do you have the 3d printer plan we could copy?
@@IanNelson Hey, you can find all of them here on Thingiverse under '' my designs? , but if I miss something let me know, www.thingiverse.com/tteeddd/designs
is it only skysafari plus you can connect your telescope... the free version i cant find it.. thanks
Can you tell which Lat degrees you have put on SkyWatcher Equatorial Wedge in Slovenia?
Sure, from where i'm usually imaging my latitude degrees are 46.
If you want to check yours here is a link, i hope this will help.
www.latlong.net/
Great info :)
Thanks for your tutorial! Yesterday I had a problem with the stability of the connection of my iPhone, lost connection to GTi every 10 seconds. Couldn’t even make the alignment. Did you ever experienced this situation? iOS and GTi Firmware is updated...Any Tipps?
Hi Tadej, great video. I followed the instructions but am having problems updating the firmware. My laptop and mount connect. I know this because the Version appears on my laptop. Then when I press Update, I get a message "Firmware update failed. Cycle power to motor controller and try again" Any tips? Thanks
Hey did you tur off the wi-fi in your home? usually, any interference is causing problems, I had to completely power off the modem in my home then it worked, so try to do the same and let me know if it helped.
@@TadejSkofic Thanks so much....that did the trick. I'm up and running. I have no "Polaris" here in the Southern hemisphere.....so a little hit and miss with the alignment. Still playing around with it. But the connection worked. Thanks for the tip. Really grateful.
@@clickandseewithg739 I am very glad to hear that and I hope you are having a lot of fun. For the alignment in the Southern hemisphere, I sadly don't know anything, I'm sure I would be very confused and lost under your skies. Maybe in the future invest in an ASiAir, there is a polar alignment routine and it's very simple to use, you also get plate-solving which makes finding and framing targets a piece of cake, it runs your imaging sequence and guiding so quite a handy piece of gear.
Ok, I wish you clear skies, take care!
I love it! But im having a problem with the skysafari app, as in the setting it doesnt appear “connect via wifi”, and then, it obviously doesnt connect to the mount and go to an object... anyone can help me???
I also have a P1000, sky-Watcher az GTI mount but would like to turn it into an EQ like yours. Is there a mounting bracket between the EQ wedge and the sky-Watcher mount?
Yes, you can get the wedge from the SkyWatcher Star Adventurer. Here's a link from Amazon just so you can see what you need to look for.
www.amazon.com/SkyWatcher-S20530-Adventurer-Telescope-Accessory/dp/B00Y1ZDK5W
Отличная вещь!
Tanks!
What is the longest exposure are everyone getting without problems? I'm considering this cheaper setup to the new Star Adventurer GTI which is $100 more with easier setup.
Great video 👍👍
For a 2 axis mount, should sidereal be at 1 or 1/2? Thanks much.
Hi, nice video, do you have to polar align the mount for astro photography?
That depends if you are just using a camera lens (xx-300mm) the 3-star alignment is enough, but if you are planning to use a telescope, like me the easiest option is to get SharpCap pro and you can find a video on that on my channel where I go over the process and let me mention that the license costs around 10$
Great video thanks, what devotail for the camera we see in the video so you use?
I made my own, and 3D printed it, so if you got a printer or a friend I posted all my models on Thingiverse.
www.thingiverse.com/thing:3559474
www.thingiverse.com/thing:3859759
@@TadejSkofic wow cool 😎, unfortunately I don't have a printer, will I be able to see the dimensions(width, height) through your files in order to find a compatible devotail?
What is the size of the tightening bolt you replaced? Just if I ever get one of these when they are back in stock - want to get the replacement bolt in as well so I can use it asap :)
Hey, it's a standard M5 screw e, and I would recommend you to file down the end of the screw a bit. And they are out of stock?, i hope you will get one soon ;)
@@TadejSkofic Thanks
Just watching your alignment - when you go to deep sky object you then say adjust to make sure it is pointing correctly, but as it is deep sky and can't be seen - how do you know what to adjust?
@@IanNelson Usually I look for the right pattern of the brightest stars or just do a shorter exposure, but now I use ASiAir, it has plate-solving so I don't need to worry about getting my targets in the center since the ASiAir does it for me
Can you please tell me how to connect the guide scope to the AZ-GTI mount with ASiar thank you very much for time.
Does it require the phone to be connected to the internet for normal operation?
No it doesn't, it's better if you turn all the wi-fi in the house (and phone) off, because in some cases it can cause a problem since the signal is interfering while you update.
@@TadejSkofic Thanks.
@@vieczurable No problem, let me know if you run into any issues 😉
@@TadejSkofic I am still before first purchases 😁. Hopefully in the summer I will get everything.
@@vieczurable Aaa ok, well anyway, when you are at the point of getting all the gear, setting everything up and you need any help,.. you know where to find me 😉
Take care!
Hi I tried this but when I connect scope to SkySafari app I get message “SkySafari 6 plus can make a wireless connection to the scope, but the scope is not responding. Make sure it’s connected and powered on. Also check that your scope type is correct “
I checked everything is as per your instructions.
Hope you can help cheers
Hey I'm not using the SkySafari any more because it's just not a stable app (at least in my eyes) so I'm really sorry but I don't know the solution if you followed the way I set it up (in theory) it should work, but it can take a few tries sometimes. Again, I'm sorry, and you could try to ask people on the CloudyNights forum, I'm sure there are a few people there that regularly use this app and will have a solution for you.
Take care,
There is one more thing is I cant make any connect to the mount using Ipad , the app I use is the skysafari too , keep on asking the IP , but I already check the IP was correct , can anyone help ? thanks
How do you find the port number for synscan?
Hello. Whats the configuration in adiar to autoguiding with this mount?
What is the skywatcher part number for the EQ base vor the AZ-GTI ?
Great video! One question, will the ip adress (127.0.0.1) in skysafari be the same as in synscan? I also use ASIAIR which has ip 10.0.0.10.
To honest, I stopped using sky safari a while ago but it seems ''logical'' that all IP addresses should be the same so the apps can communicate, however at this moment I'm not really sure so take my answer with a grain of salt, but I'm planning to make a video on ASIair very soon and I'll take a look at this and include it in the video
thank you. the last line of your video is "the mount will go to the target", and, does it track the target as well? In Synscan pro AZ-GTI has to be instructed to track, if in SkySafari the mount only go to, it is that useful at all.
I hope, i understand you correctly, but the mount will track the stars in AZ or in EQ mode after you do your star alignment
. Then you can basically exit the SynScan app, go to skySafari and the mount will still track the stars (even if you switch between targets). I hope this answers your question correctly, if not please let me know.
GoTo mounts track very well :)
@@TadejSkofic Thank you. I have upgrade the firmware but have to yet to try the EQ mode. I tried the AZ mode and the front knob originally have to be pointing the north now needs to be pointing south, thus the camera will be mounted on the right hand side, and the mount works fine.
Hello great video! question please.... am i correct that you can only use WINDOWS? i have a mac and a chromebook will i be able to update the firmware on my mount?
Hey Marcus, to be honest, I don't know that, I never owned an apple product so you caught me there, I know some are using windows simulator or something like that, Try the CloudyNight forum I'm sure someone is using a mac.
Take care.
@@TadejSkofic hey Thanks for fast reply.and your suggestion. I used the exact variables you displayed in the video but sky safari won't connect from my Android phone while skyscan is connected. Do you have any other pointers in this regard ? Thx man
Hi ! Due to my location reason I cant use the eq mode , so what I'm using now is on az mode , so can you teach me how do the star alignment on az mode ? please , thanks
Hey bro. Does it not need counterweights?
Brill
Sure is brilliant :)
Question please. Can you use autoguider with it? And control it with phd2 app? Thank you
yes you can, i'm autoguiding with PHD2, i'll have a video sometime next week on my setting for PHD2
@@TadejSkofic yes please that will help a lot. Do you have any experience with deep sky astrophotography using this set up? As the manufacturer do not recommend using it for that. Thanks
@@ebrahemmh yes you can look at one of my videos, i recently shot the Pinwheel Galaxy with this mount and a Vixen telescope
th-cam.com/video/13sy7GNsXVw/w-d-xo.html
But since the summer is around the corner and there are some big nebulas in the sky i'll probably image more with a 200-300mm lens
@@TadejSkofic I already watched your videos and subscribed. Now waiting for the next one with autoguiding
Would it be compatible with the Skywatcher Heritage 130P telescope?
I think yes since it weighs less than 5kg, but it would be suitable mainly for visual astronomy not really for astrophotography.
So this software update converts AZ to EQ and there is no switching back fromEEQ to AZ from within the app?
But late but you chose mode when connecting
I have a question about AZ-Gti. After connected the mount, chosen eqmode, do i need to turn on the auxiliary encoder inside setting before star alignment? Many thx!
Hey Tim, no you don't need to turn on the auxiliary encoder, as soon as your connected in Eq mode just do your star alignment.
But if you encounter any issues let me know so I can help! Cheers
@@TadejSkofic thank for your info, when will u show the video about the connection with asiair in detail? Thx
@@timyu9821 I think it might be the first video in 2020 because I have a few videos lined up that I want to get out before the year ends but it will definitely come early in January 😉
@@TadejSkofic Many thanks again....! i do wait for this video soon...!
@@timyu9821 No problem buddy, if I can I'll try to squeeze it in even before.
Cheers
does the mount track the sun automatically when doing solar observation?
To be honest, I never use it for observing so I'm not 100% but I think you put the mount in Alt-Az mode point the knob to north and select solar tracking. I might go over that part in one of the near future videos.
Tadej, thank you for the video. I tried to connect to my SkyWatcher mount from Sky Safari, but it is unable to connect (says can connect to wifi but cannot communicate to controller). Is that something you were facing too? Also, how did you find out what IP/port to use? Since you used 127.0.0.1, does Sky Safari use SynScan app on the phone to talk to mount?
Figured that out. On iphone, when you connect SynScan to mount and next open Sky Safari, SynScan app goes to background and disconnects. Looks like Sky Safary indeed controlling the mount over SynScan app. I had to run Sky Safari on different device while SynScan was active on my phone. In Sky Safari settings I use IP address of iphone, where I have my Syn Scan installed. If you use SynScan in access point mode, most likely 192.168.4.2 will be the phone IP.
Sorry but i'm not entirely sure how it works since i don't use it so much any more but i think you already answered your own question, the sky safari app is using the SynScan app to communicate with the mount and i didn't have that issue but i'll try to figure it out and i'll get back to you. But that is all i did and it works
Settings -> ScopeType: SkyWatcher Synscan. MountType: Equatorial GoTO, select Connect via WiFi
IP Adress: 127.0.0.1, Port Number 11882. Auto-Detect SkyFi disabled
@@andreit4169 and what is the port number?
Paul Naddaff 11882
@@pnaddaff1 Settings -> ScopeType: SkyWatcher Synscan. MountType: Equatorial GoTO, select Connect via WiFi
IP Adress: 127.0.0.1, Port Number 11882. Auto-Detect SkyFi disabled
i bought the Skywatcher Polar wedge Star Adventurer how can i connect my AZ-GTI to it ?
Hey , do you mean in the software, or how should you bolt it on?
@@TadejSkofic For the software i now i will have to do a upgrade of the firmware. What i would like to now how to bolt in on the AZ-GTI
@@NMHC1978 Can you please send me an Email (info@tadaj-skofic.com) so I can send you some pictures?
@@TadejSkofic your email adress is not recognized ?
@@NMHC1978 that's strange, then just go to my website and sen it trough the Contact form please, www.tadej-skofic.com/
After downloading the firmware updates, my computer does not recognize the firmware update. There is nothing showing in the folder! Asks if it wants to search for a program to open it.
Any ideas how to fix this. Also this is across all my platforms.
Desktop - Laptop - Andriod phone (Galaxy Note 9) - Galaxy 10" Note pad. I'm stuck in lt Az mode.
Ou that's strange, you should see a {AZGTi_RightArm_AZ_EQ_V0320.mcf} file and a {Release Note_RightArm} note. Is it possible that you have an antivirus program installed and it blocks the files to be transferred or is automatically deleted when downloaded? I'll take a look into this and get back to you as soon as I know more or find a solution.
@@TadejSkofic thanks Tadej...been looking for a solution all day. My eyes are square looking at the screen all day. On a good note..I downloaded Sky Safari 6 and managed to get everything working so thats a good outcome for today. Im now setting up my HEQ 5 Pro to Sky Safari 6 via wifi. No more hand controller. Wish me luck....lol
@@Chris_NGC6188Ara Yeah, I believe you, it's very frustrating when you can't get it to work right away, and just a heads up,... everything in astrophotography is like this, nothing has a simple solution (in most cases). And yes I definitely wish you good luck! And keep me posted if you get everything working.
Cheers
@@TadejSkofic Cheers Mate I'll keep you up to date, if I come across anything that may be helpful for you as well I will glady help out. We gotta share the love brother we are in a select club of loonies lol...
So this will work with just a rough pointing at Polaris?
Could it track well for astrophotography? Is the two star alignment good enough for polar alignment for tracking?