Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi AZ GoTo Mount - Further Experiences

Further Experiences | AZ-GTi in AZ Mode at the StellarMate Astronomy Computer | Preliminary Conclusions | Links

On this page, I present further experiences with my Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi mount head (ordered on January 27, 2021, arrived on January 29). The tripod of the Sky-Watcher AZ Pronto mount makes it an azimuthal GoTo mount, controlled via a smartphone using the Sky-Watcher SynScan app or the SynScan handbox (V4 and V5). I use the Celestron C5 and Omegon PS 72/432 tubes on this mount.

Update: In February 2021, I purchased a Sky-Watcher wedge for my Sky-Watcher AZ-GTi mount head, in order to operate is also in EQ mode. Together with the tripod of the Sky-Watcher AZ Pronto mount (or any other tripod, such as the Sky-Watcher stainless steel tripod) both form a parallactic (or EQ) GoTo mount, controlled via a smartphone using the Sky-Watcher SynScan app or using the SynScan handbox (V4 and V5).

Update: In May 2021, I purchased a stainless steel tripod for the AZ-GTi mount head, to provide more stability. This solution is only for home use, not for travelling. More on the steel tripod on page Sky-Watcher Stainless Steel Tripod (AZ5) - Information!

Update: At the end of October 2021, I purchased a StellarMate astronomy computer, in order to control the mount via plate solving algorithms and use it for EAA. More on this on page Ikarus StellarMate Plus and further ones!

See the appendix for the data.

See also:

 

Further Experiences

In June 2021 I was contacted by a star friend who had purchased the SynScan WLAN module for his Sky-Watcher EQ mount, which he had operated with the handbox until then. While the alignment with the handbox worked correctly, it went completely out of control with the WLAN module, and so he asked me for advice. I had only few experiences with EQ mounts, only ones with AZ mounts, and I also thought that the results from AZ mounts might be transferable to EQ mounts. But they were not, as I found out...

The whole affair had four "dimensions" for me:

That would create 16 cases if you wanted to examine everything systematically... Here, I will only deal with the AZ mode (8 cases); I will describe the EQ mode on the corresponding pages!

Direction of the Tube, Position of the Dovetail Locking Knob

During my first attempts with the AZ-GTi, I did not pay attention to the tube direction, at most I noticed that the alignment sometimes worked correctly and sometimes was completely off. In a video about the AZ-GTi mount, it was also claimed that the software can handle both tube orientations, but I found no way to set them in the app. In retrospect, this claim seems to be valid only for the EQ case...

To cut a long story short, my tests with the mount in spring 2021 clearly showed that the alignment works correctly one with one tube orientation. However, this is not described in the AZ-GTi manual! I am left-handed and have a certain "orientation weakness", I therefore marked the preferred direction on the mount. Thus, this question could be clarified. In June 2021, I checked this on the occasion of the mentioned question again and was able to confirm it for both the handbox and the SynScan app - and both need the same tube direction.

However, I had overlooked the fact that the position of the dovetail locking knob might also play a role. My EQ tests showed that it did not matter, whether the knob was on the left or right side in the homeposition. In AZ mode, the holder for the prism rail is vertical, so the issue here is whether the knob should be at the top or bottom in the home position. Another test (8 cases) showed that the position of the knob is irrelevant (as it is in EQ mode).

Photos: Correct tubus direction marked on the mount and shown (June 2021)

As the only point of confusion remains for me that Sky-Watcher shows the tubes mounted exactly the other way round in the AZ-GTi manual, without any comments, of course...

Handbox versus SynScan App

Note: The AZ-GTi mount is delivered as a "wireless" mount (WLAN). However, it can also be controlled using a handbox, if you own one or want to buy one. I own the handbox V4, which allows to operate the mount (after a firmware update) in AZ as well as in EQ mode. According to a star friend this is also possible with the newer handbox V5!

The handbox has two alignment methods in AZ mode: 2-star alignment and "Brightest Star Alignment"; the latter is a 2-star alignment for dummies. This was also the case with the SynScan app at the beginning, but at some point in time, the 2-star alignment was replaced with a 1-star alignment. This makes comparisons more difficult, because you work with different alignment methods: The 1-star alignment starts from the home position (tube horizontal and pointing north), the 2-star alignment from the first alignment star. Thus, any deviations at the end of the alignment are usually quite different, but can be explained by the different starting points. Nevertheless, I was not able to find any differences concerning the tube direction. Both control methods behave the same in this respect!

You can also operate the mount with the handbox and the SynScan app at the same time. But since both have and apply their own "alignment model", and also do not communicate with each other, the simultaneous operation of both controls does not make any sense to me.

Summary

In the AZ mode, both the handbox and the SynScan app, have a preferred direction for the tube; fortunately it is the same (the position of the dovetail locking knob is irrelevant). I marked it on the mount so that I do not forget it and thus, lose time during alignment due to unnecessary failed alignment attempts.

 

AZ-GTi in AZ Mode at the StellarMate Astronomy Computer

At the end of October 2021 and at the suggestion of YouTuber Cuiv, I purchased an Ikarus StellarMate astronomy computer to allow me to control my GoTo mounts via platesolving algorithms and use it for EAA (however, the Sky-Watcher Star Discovery mount does not work with the StellarMate, whereas the AZ-GTi does ). At the beginning, I connected the AZ-GTi mount via WiFi to the StellarMate and experimented with different hotspot configurations. In the end, I was able to make all possibilities work, but preferred the solution with the StellarMate as the hotspot. Since other StellarMate users and also a Sky-Watcher guru preferred a cable connection using the Sky-Watcher USB dongle (according to them, this should work much more stable...), I also purchased such a dongle and use it without any problems (an additional USB printer cable is needed for the connection). But this solution has one cable more than the WiFi connection... On the other hand, the SynScan app (and the smartphone on which it runs) is not needed!

Sky-Watcher Synscan USB dongle and USB printer cable

AZ-GTi connected to Stellarmate via WiFi

AZ-GTi connected to Stellarmate via USB dongle and USB printer cable

I describe my StellarMate experiences with WLAN and with USB dongle on the pages Ikarus StellarMate Plus - First Experiences (Part 1: with Wi-Fi only) and Ikarus StellarMate Plus - First Experiences (Part 2: with USB Dongle). However, the mount plays rather a minor role on these pages...

 

Preliminary Conclusions

Summary "Preferred Tube Direction" in AZ Mode

In the AZ mode, both the handbox and the SynScan app, have a preferred direction for the tube; fortunately it is the same (the position of the dovetail locking knob is irrelevant). I marked it on the mount so that I do not forget it and thus, lose time during alignment due to unnecessary failed alignment attempts.

AZ-GTi in AZ Mode at the StellarMate Astronomy Computer

For the moment, I decided to try to control the AZ-GTi mount using the StellarMate astronomy computer and to connect the mount in AZ mode to the StellarMate using the Sky-Watcher USB dongle. Controlling everything with the StellarMate, however, still presents a lot of challenges...

 

Links

 

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21.07.2022