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Controller Via Wi-Fi using free SynScan App for iOS and Android devices or Synscan Hand Controller (available separately) I've got WIFI working very easily with my old laptop and my smart phone, using the dedicated Synscan Pro App, but you can use any Syscan handset, using the hand controller port as well. The Star Adventurer GTi with an astrophotography telescope mounted (Radian 61). Astrophotography Tests and Results
The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi consists of a compact and lightweight mount head, a polar scope, a counterweight shaft, a pier extension, and a tripod with an accessory tray. The mount head, which is the main part you’re paying for, is what does all of the pointing and holds your telescope. The Star Adventurer GTi’s mount head couples to any telescope with a Vixen-style dovetail saddle, which then must be balanced on the declination axis (by sliding along the saddle or in its tube rings) and on the right ascension axis (with the counterweight). My SA GTi came with a USB-B to USB-A cable (basically a printer cable). That's how it's supposed to hard connect to the ASIAIR. Unlike the original Star Adventurer, the GTi model also has the ability to find deep-sky objects in the night sky using the SynScan GoTo system. It includes a dedicated WiFi-connected smartphone app, and can be used with autoguiding. You will also see some more values such as Astigmatism and Coma. Again, these are measured by the interferometer when we take measurements of the optical surface after adjustment. These are values which ideally would be at 0 but as our test optics are all curved lenses, there will always be astigmatism and coma present. The lower the number, the less of these aberations you will effectively see but with most refractors, you can buy field flatteners which will compensate for the coma anyway. The astigmatisms value is explaining the error between the symmetrical curvature of the lens. Basically, no lens will be perfectly symmetrical, the lower the astigmatism, the more symmetrical the lens surface is. Now there is the problem of how to precisely polar align your Az-GTI, as it does not come with a polar scope (although it has a polar alignment routine you can use after executing a star alignment for the mount).I have now run the Star Adventurer GTi with the ZWO ASIAIR Plus, complete with a dedicated astronomy camera, guide camera, and autoguiding. Controlling the GTi mount through the ASIAIR interface ( plate solving, object centering, etc.) was absolutely fantastic, and the autoguiding performance was impressive (Total RMS Error hovered between 1.0 – 2.0″). To connect the mount to the ASIAIR for mount control (and autoguiding) you need this cable. You may find a similar option available online through one of the many astrophotography equipment vendors, but this is the exact one I use. If you need a tripod for your Star Adventurer, the Sky-Watcher field tripod costs 90€, and 35€ goes for the pier. Since the Star Adventurer PRO 2i and the AZ-GTI in a bundle with tripod+pier cost the same, the actual difference between the two setups is about 130€, with the Star Adventurer being the cheaper. The ASIAir controlled the GTi very well, first for performing an electronic polar alignment, then slewing to targets and performing plate-solving moves based on the ASIAir app’s built-in database. The Air also auto-guided the GTi fine through the USB port, rather than via the GTi’s ST-4 autoguider port, again applying dithering moves with no issues. (I did not test the GTi with N.I.N.A., Astro Photography Tool, PHD2, or other Windows desktop control or autoguiding programs.) I can’t believe this is how far the hobby has come, and it’s not even fair that newcomers entering now have options like this. I’ll end this article with some photos captured using the GTi with a compact refractor telescope.
While I am a hard-core fan of the Star Adventurer, I have to admit that the Az-GTI is today a better choice for starting with astrophotography, and I would advise you to get that over the Star Adventurer PRO. Some Az-GTI Pros: It should not be this difficult to connect I feel and any help with this issue would be greatly appreciated. Surly there is an easy way.
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To get the most out of the Az-GTI for deep sky astrophotography, you should use a fully computerized setup, such as the ZWO ASIAIR PRO, the Stellarmate, or a computer. While you will benefit from these systems with a Star Adventurer too, at least for guiding, with the Az-GTI it is almost “mandatory” to go down that route and the theoretical initial 130€ extra budget we calculated before is much more likely to increase dramatically; And, of course, for those of you that want full control of the mount and with plate solving and pulse guiding (ASCOM/EQMOD), you can connect the mount to your laptop using the USB Type B port. This thing seriously feels like a miniature EQ6-R Pro. It even kind of looks like one. Alt/Az mounts are great for observing the many wonders of the Universe with your telescope, as they are easy and intuitive to use. Interfaces: USB, ST4 Auto-guiding, SynScan Hand Control Port (Synscan handset available separately), DSLR Shutter Release Port, Built-in Wi-Fi Module
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