Half a year ago we were told that native support for Synscan AZ-GTI was coming. Is there any news here?
i am considering buying such a mount, but I am holding back while I do not know if the support is coming or not.
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8 comments
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Steenkh I have seen the reply in the other threads (that I did not realize were about the same thing) that the native support has been implemented.
Great! My new telescope and AZ-GTi mount is in the mail and will arrive later today :)
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Keiron Smith Excellent! If you have the time and the will, please post your setup, with steps, photos, screenshots, to share with other SkyWatcher WiFi users in our community.
Thanks!
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Steenkh The weather has been unkind to my wish to try out the new telescope, but I did manage to connect and align the scope once before clouds closed in.
This is what I have done:
I turned on the AZ-GTi and chose its network in my Wi-Fi settings.
The next step was to open the SynScan app (this is not an equatorial mount so I did not install the SynScan Pro app. If anybody know a reason why I should rather use the Pro version, please tell me).
I pressed Connect and it immediately found the mount, so I could proceed to the alignment process. This is not necessary for controlling the mount, so I have left out this part in the screen shots.
I then opened SkySafari and pressed Settings - (Telescope) Setup, and selected SkyWatcher SynScanLink.
The next step was to go to SkySafari’s main screen and press the Telescope icon.
Finally, I pressed Connect, and SkySafari opened the SynScan app and made the connection.
It does not seem to be necessary to use the SynScan app at all except for alignment, because SkySafari always opens the app when it is necessary. SkySafari’s Align command is, however, not aligning the mount, but moving SkySafari’s focus to the selected object. This is very useful for small alignments, but if more is needed, I still think it is necessary to go to the SynScan app and make a Brightest Star or North-Level alignment.
A curiosity, at least with my two mounts (I have another SynScan mount where I use a SkyFi to connect) is that when controlling the telescope, SkySafari apparently does nothing when selecting Rate 1. Fortunately, Rate 2-4 are adequate for the job.
I am very fond of using the Tilt Device to Slew option to control the telescope when I look through the eye piece, so here is a recommendation:
When pressing the buttons icon ...
... you get this instruction:
... and you can now control the slewing by tilting without looking at the screen. Nice!
But remember to turn it off before you pocket your iPhone!
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Keiron Smith Why are you not aligning your mount using SynScan app?
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Steenkh I am aligning the mount with the SynScan app. As I mentioned in the post, I skipped that part because it is not necessary for showing the connection, and at the end I specifically say “It does not seem to be necessary to use the SynScan app at all except for alignment”. :)
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Keiron Smith OK, I understand. So your post is a success story, with advice for others about how to better align/focus, if using SkySafari’s Align command, and if required?
SkySafari apparently does nothing when selecting Rate 1. Rate 1 is the finest micro-adjustments that would be used when using a high powered eyepiece. Have you tested under that kind of setup?
And, you would like us to add "But remember to turn it off before you pocket your iPhone!" to the alert?
Have I summed up your feedback correctly?
Thanks!
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Steenkh You are right, this is a success story. I am absolutely delighted that this worked immediately without any kind of configuration, except for choosing SynScanLink. I might however, add that it is not obvious that with the SynScan app you should not use SynScan, but SynScanLink.
You do not need to change anything to the alert, but the advice is relevant, as any observer with a phone that needs to be shielded from the cold in a pocket will find out.
I have another mount which I have used for years with SkyFi and SkySafari, and I have never found a use for rate 1, not even for high-powered eyepieces. The slowest speed set with my SynScan hand controller is discernible, but not rate 1 set with SkySafari. Rate 2 is a little bit too fast for my high-powered eyepiece, and if rate 1 moves the telescope at all, it certainly is too slow for my purposes. But I can live with it, and when circumstances permit, I’ll check out the speeds again
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