I am so glad and thankful for people who have worked with iOptron and communicated with the community on CloudyNights about the issues. It is because of this that I decided to buy one once the board issue was resolved. I was told by the vendor that mine already included the new control board. Now, should have iOptron tested it before release? Yes, obviously, I am surprised that there was no IQ/OQ/PQ type of process, it is just a good practice and would have saved money in the long run. But glad that there are amazing people out there that will volunteer their expertise. This mount had potential from the start, it was fixed and now is a great product! Thank you to all who have made it happen!
Thanks for the video. It’s because of you that O cancelled my order for the AZ GTi, which still isn’t in stock, to the Skyhunter. Setting up was great thanks to your pointers. I even got it working wirelessly through Air Plus. Now just waiting for clear skies.
I purchased this mount back in July as well and ran into the issues you discussed. Once the new board was installed and yes very easy to do it worked wonderfully. I recently took the mount with my 51Redcat/294MC Pro/ASI EAF and ASIair on a trip and it was outstanding even with the weight of the equipment loaded onto the Redcat. I was taking 5min guided subs with guiding in and around the 1.5" range with it getting as good as sub 1" on a few occasions. This is a powerhouse mount for it's size and weight.. Thanks to iOptron for working hard to make it fully functional and thanks to ZWO's latest firmware update to get it to work seamlessly with the ASIair. Two thumbs up for the Skyhunter.
Very glad to hear your experience with the mount. May I ask what your guiding setup is? I am specifically interested in the ASIAIR selections as Pulse guiding is needed for this mount.
@@outtherewithjohnny Full disclosure, I started astro imaging about 2 years ago and really kicked into it around Fall of 2021.. I am not a techno junkie when it comes to the finer issues of the hobby like some others but I do my best to read, watch and learn. I have a WO uniguide 120mm scope with an ASI 12mm mini. the settings as far as steps and such are Calibration Steps 1000ms Max Dec 1000ms Max RA 500ms I have the Skyhunter connected to the ASIair via it's internal network and that's pretty much all. I did make a short video of the guiding one evening since I could not believe how well it was going. I am not sure if this answers your question but as I said, I am not very technically inclined to the finer details of all this.
@@stevenbarousseii7331 Truth be told, with the latest software installed on the ASIAIR pro and would also assume the Plus connection was seamless and worked like a charm. Slewing, guiding and tracking were great.
Thank you for this. I have an azgti that I have never been happy with due to backlash and goto inaccuracy and am looking to replace it with this but I don't want to buy the tripod and pier because I want to use the skywatcher pier like you. I was not sure it would work but now I am which saves me $120 from not having to buy the mount with the tripod and pier. I also want to use the asiair plus with this too.
I've been using it with a light weight setup (under 2lbs): I put the counterweight shaft in the DEC axis, and replaced the counterweight locking screw with a set screw (M8 x 1.25, 25mm long... on Amazon if you can't find one locally). This lets me move the counterweight all the way up to the RA clutch without hitting the mounting case. I do agree that the RA clutch is the weak link on this mount... wish the design were better there. But I like the portability of this mount, and the performance has been solid. It's my new favorite travel mount!
Firstly, thank you for doing this video. I’m considering getting a star tracker, and am trying to decide between the skyguider and Skyhunter. My priority is to use it as a portable mount with my full frame camera and 100-400mm lens (2.5kg weight). I like the idea of goto functionality but am not sure if I’d find the Skyhunter more bulky/heavy and harder to setup while out in the countryside. Any thoughts gratefully accepted.
Thanks for a great video. I just got this mount directly from iOptron as you suggested. Set up was easier than it might have been because of your video and the fact that I’d just spent several days getting the AZGTI to work in EQ mode. It was good for me that they sell a version without the latitude base since I already had the William Optics one. I’m not sure the wireless connection from the ASIAIR is so important. I’ve always used a cable for this. I was prepared for the clutches by your video but they still suck. The DEC clutch does not tighten that firmly. I’m So far this mount shows great promise as a low cost solution for mounting lighter gear. It will complement the larger setup I have nicely. Thanks again. First light tomorrow, weather permitting.
Turned out that the first light experience was so disappointing that I returned the mount to iOptron. Some key points: First the good. - the setup with the ASIAIR was really easy and worked immediately Now the bad. - the issue of the clutches turned out to be a deal breaker for me. The biggest problem was the DEC clutch. It was just impossible to tighten the clutch enough that I felt that the DEC axis was secure enough. The RA axis ended up seizing quite badly. I got it loose but hurt my fingers in the process. - the tracking was consistent but with about twice the error I was getting with the AZGTI in EQ mode. I suspect that this may be related to the clutch issues. I so wanted this mount to work for me. I hope they improve the clutches (so that they are securely tightened just with the clutch knobs) and that this in turn fixes the tracking. This mount is such an excellent concept.
So sorry your experience was poor. This little mount is a hate it or love it. Actually, more of a tolerate it. It does take some getting used to and can be frustrating when beginning with it. I hope you find a mount that can meet your needs.
@@outtherewithjohnny Thanks. I expect I’ll be back to this mount at some stage. Those clutches look so good but work so poorly. In the meantime I’m going to continue with the AZGTI in EQ Mode although that may well be going back for warranty service soon. I’ve enjoyed all this tinkering and significantly advanced my knowledge of mounts. I look forward to hearing more about your experiences with the sky hunter. Also imaging with that 50 mm Sky-Watcher guide scope looks like a lot of fun.
Great review and setup. I really enjoyed your photographs. What would be the largest refractor you would feel comfortable putting on this mount? Thanks.....look forward to your next one
Sorry for the delay...I would think that 400mm would be pushing this mounts limit. However I have not been able to fully test it with my other scopes as the single 3 pound counter weight limits what I can place on the mount. I have an additional weight coming for the purpose to test my 127 Mak on it. I do not expect great results but you never know. I will be posting a video on that experiment with results.
I have been looking at this mount and the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi as a lightweight Go-To alternative with my Televue 85 refractor for visual-only observation. Seems each product has it's issues but this one was more problematic. While a weight maximum is specified (11lbs) no one has tested these with a small refractor & visual accessories in the 10lb region.
Stephen, have noted the same thing. Not much if anything with this mount and scopes in the upper half of its weight limit. I have a SkyHunter on its way and will be mounting my SW 80ED. The proof is in the pudding as they so I’ll be putting it thru its paces for visual and beginning Astro imaging. Perhaps you already have some news you’d like to share regarding use of your Televue 85?
When I lock the RA clutch, and it is very tight, there is still a little play in the RA axis; dont believe this is wanted but cant figure out how to eliminate it; any suggestions?
I bought the SkyHunter just after they rectified the motherboard issue. It is still a turd. The RA clutch is just plain weird. I loosen it by grabbing onto the weight shaft and pulling toward me (from the right side when facing the front of the telescope). Then you will have enough lever arm to break the ridiculous braking power it has. Do this before you power up, or you could damage the mount. To be honest, I didn't expect the world from such a small mount (normally I use my Skywalker EQ6r-pro and there is just no comparison, however the EQ6 is a beast to lug around). I just bought the Skywalker to avoid hauling tons of mount out in the field to take Nebula images. I use a Redcat 51, ASI 183MC pro and QHYCCD miniguider on the mount and this already challenges the mount for astrophotography. It's just too dainty. I found myself tip toeing around this mount all the time. I use the Polemaster to polar align and after that is done I don't dare touch the mount in fear that my alignment will be ruined. I even have the pull the plug out of the Polemaster gently, not to disturb equilibrium. But if that all works, this thing works okay. At first I got about 0.7 to 1 RMS arcsec guiding on an average night. After several nights things got bad, wherein the RA just thrashed up and down. Next day, I tore apart the mount all the way down to the RA and DEC worms. I found the grease was like wax on the worm gear, the nuts used for adjusting end-play on the worms were far too tight and several of the mini set screws to lock position of the main adjustment screws were loose. After degreasing, cleaning and re-greasing with high quality synthetic grease, I re-assembled using less torque on the end play nuts. Also, adjustment of the hold down screws on the spring washers was temperamental .... only torque down enough to prevent tilting of the worm assembly. Spend a little extra time on the DEC backlash adjustment when reassembling, since there is no hole in the case to adjust that after the plastic housing is re-attached. And of course tighten all the mini set screws to lock down all your adjustments, with exception to the RA backlash adjustment, since you can adjust that through the hole in the plastic case when it is re-attached. And believe me, you will use that adjustment many times, as temperature differences over several nights will make a difference on that adjustment. It is a very temperamental mount to say the least, but it is very portable (light). I now get about 0.7 to 1.2 RMS guiding on average nights, which is plenty good for me wide angle shots of the heavens.
I am not sure if iOptron did a recall on third party sellers' inventory of the original mounts. It would be more prudent to purchase directly from iOptron and ask them to verify the mount has the new board and firmware.
Honestly, who on earth designs these things? Then again, who on earth accepts the designs? It seems quality design and manufacturing, or the lack thereof, is across the board with all manufactures in this hobby.
There's never enough money to do things right the first time. There's always plenty of money to fix things after they fail. My tech firm is all caught up but I would hire any of the Cloudy Nights guys in two microseconds (esp the one who reverse engineered the assembly code to the driver on the SkyHunter, or Graham who did the machining optimizations on the Az Pro mount). And of course Johnny here on the UA-cam channel what is his username on Cloudy Nights? Does he have AstroBin photos? Wish I found him sooner.
What a joke this RA lock design is. Mine was locked up and was turning the red knob while using a screwdriver in the dovetail hole, this after bending and ruining an allen wrench. I just had to use channel locks on the red knob along with a screw driver in the dovetail hole. Now there is a crack in the dovetail near the hole. I can't believe they let this bullshit RA lock design go to market. I will be returning mine for refund and I'm betting it's gonna be a fight.
Thats not the only issue with this thing, mine is unusable with the app, it constantly loses connection and I have to restart. I was gonna over look that and run it with my laptop and NINA.
Chinese junk, unfortunately if you built it in America it would be built by a union company so it wouldn’t be any better quality and it would cost 10 times as much.
I am so glad and thankful for people who have worked with iOptron and communicated with the community on CloudyNights about the issues. It is because of this that I decided to buy one once the board issue was resolved. I was told by the vendor that mine already included the new control board. Now, should have iOptron tested it before release? Yes, obviously, I am surprised that there was no IQ/OQ/PQ type of process, it is just a good practice and would have saved money in the long run. But glad that there are amazing people out there that will volunteer their expertise. This mount had potential from the start, it was fixed and now is a great product! Thank you to all who have made it happen!
Thanks for the video. It’s because of you that O cancelled my order for the AZ GTi, which still isn’t in stock, to the Skyhunter. Setting up was great thanks to your pointers. I even got it working wirelessly through Air Plus. Now just waiting for clear skies.
Excellent! Can you share how you achieved the wireless connection with the ASIAIR Plus
I purchased this mount back in July as well and ran into the issues you discussed. Once the new board was installed and yes very easy to do it worked wonderfully. I recently took the mount with my 51Redcat/294MC Pro/ASI EAF and ASIair on a trip and it was outstanding even with the weight of the equipment loaded onto the Redcat. I was taking 5min guided subs with guiding in and around the 1.5" range with it getting as good as sub 1" on a few occasions.
This is a powerhouse mount for it's size and weight.. Thanks to iOptron for working hard to make it fully functional and thanks to ZWO's latest firmware update to get it to work seamlessly with the ASIair.
Two thumbs up for the Skyhunter.
Very glad to hear your experience with the mount. May I ask what your guiding setup is? I am specifically interested in the ASIAIR selections as Pulse guiding is needed for this mount.
@@outtherewithjohnny Full disclosure, I started astro imaging about 2 years ago and really kicked into it around Fall of 2021.. I am not a techno junkie when it comes to the finer issues of the hobby like some others but I do my best to read, watch and learn.
I have a WO uniguide 120mm scope with an ASI 12mm mini. the settings as far as steps and such are
Calibration Steps 1000ms
Max Dec 1000ms
Max RA 500ms
I have the Skyhunter connected to the ASIair via it's internal network and that's pretty much all.
I did make a short video of the guiding one evening since I could not believe how well it was going.
I am not sure if this answers your question but as I said, I am not very technically inclined to the finer details of all this.
I’m looking at this mount for a very similar setup. Any tips you can give as to the quirks between this mount and the asi air plus?
@@stevenbarousseii7331 Truth be told, with the latest software installed on the ASIAIR pro and would also assume the Plus connection was seamless and worked like a charm. Slewing, guiding and tracking were great.
Thank you for this. I have an azgti that I have never been happy with due to backlash and goto inaccuracy and am looking to replace it with this but I don't want to buy the tripod and pier because I want to use the skywatcher pier like you. I was not sure it would work but now I am which saves me $120 from not having to buy the mount with the tripod and pier. I also want to use the asiair plus with this too.
I’m looking at doing the same. Have you heard of any issues or quirks regarding compatibility with the asiair plus?
I've been using it with a light weight setup (under 2lbs): I put the counterweight shaft in the DEC axis, and replaced the counterweight locking screw with a set screw (M8 x 1.25, 25mm long... on Amazon if you can't find one locally). This lets me move the counterweight all the way up to the RA clutch without hitting the mounting case.
I do agree that the RA clutch is the weak link on this mount... wish the design were better there. But I like the portability of this mount, and the performance has been solid. It's my new favorite travel mount!
Firstly, thank you for doing this video. I’m considering getting a star tracker, and am trying to decide between the skyguider and Skyhunter. My priority is to use it as a portable mount with my full frame camera and 100-400mm lens (2.5kg weight). I like the idea of goto functionality but am not sure if I’d find the Skyhunter more bulky/heavy and harder to setup while out in the countryside. Any thoughts gratefully accepted.
Thanks for a great video.
I just got this mount directly from iOptron as you suggested. Set up was easier than it might have been because of your video and the fact that I’d just spent several days getting the AZGTI to work in EQ mode.
It was good for me that they sell a version without the latitude base since I already had the William Optics one.
I’m not sure the wireless connection from the ASIAIR is so important. I’ve always used a cable for this.
I was prepared for the clutches by your video but they still suck. The DEC clutch does not tighten that firmly. I’m
So far this mount shows great promise as a low cost solution for mounting lighter gear. It will complement the larger setup I have nicely.
Thanks again. First light tomorrow, weather permitting.
Turned out that the first light experience was so disappointing that I returned the mount to iOptron. Some key points:
First the good.
- the setup with the ASIAIR was really easy and worked immediately
Now the bad.
- the issue of the clutches turned out to be a deal breaker for me. The biggest problem was the DEC clutch. It was just impossible to tighten the clutch enough that I felt that the DEC axis was secure enough. The RA axis ended up seizing quite badly. I got it loose but hurt my fingers in the process.
- the tracking was consistent but with about twice the error I was getting with the AZGTI in EQ mode. I suspect that this may be related to the clutch issues.
I so wanted this mount to work for me. I hope they improve the clutches (so that they are securely tightened just with the clutch knobs) and that this in turn fixes the tracking.
This mount is such an excellent concept.
So sorry your experience was poor. This little mount is a hate it or love it. Actually, more of a tolerate it. It does take some getting used to and can be frustrating when beginning with it. I hope you find a mount that can meet your needs.
@@outtherewithjohnny Thanks. I expect I’ll be back to this mount at some stage. Those clutches look so good but work so poorly.
In the meantime I’m going to continue with the AZGTI in EQ Mode although that may well be going back for warranty service soon.
I’ve enjoyed all this tinkering and significantly advanced my knowledge of mounts.
I look forward to hearing more about your experiences with the sky hunter. Also imaging with that 50 mm Sky-Watcher guide scope looks like a lot of fun.
Great review and setup. I really enjoyed your photographs. What would be the largest refractor you would feel comfortable putting on this mount? Thanks.....look forward to your next one
Sorry for the delay...I would think that 400mm would be pushing this mounts limit. However I have not been able to fully test it with my other scopes as the single 3 pound counter weight limits what I can place on the mount. I have an additional weight coming for the purpose to test my 127 Mak on it. I do not expect great results but you never know. I will be posting a video on that experiment with results.
Thank you, look forward to your next video
I have been looking at this mount and the Sky Watcher Star Adventurer GTi as a lightweight Go-To alternative with my Televue 85 refractor for visual-only observation. Seems each product has it's issues but this one was more problematic. While a weight maximum is specified (11lbs) no one has tested these with a small refractor & visual accessories in the 10lb region.
Stephen, have noted the same thing. Not much if anything with this mount and scopes in the upper half of its weight limit. I have a SkyHunter on its way and will be mounting my SW 80ED. The proof is in the pudding as they so I’ll be putting it thru its paces for visual and beginning Astro imaging. Perhaps you already have some news you’d like to share regarding use of your Televue 85?
When I lock the RA clutch, and it is very tight, there is still a little play in the RA axis; dont believe this is wanted but cant figure out how to eliminate it; any suggestions?
Let me take a closer look at mine tonight and I will let you know what I find.
Don check out the new video. I talk about the clutch issue
I bought the SkyHunter just after they rectified the motherboard issue. It is still a turd. The RA clutch is just plain weird. I loosen it by grabbing onto the weight shaft and pulling toward me (from the right side when facing the front of the telescope). Then you will have enough lever arm to break the ridiculous braking power it has. Do this before you power up, or you could damage the mount.
To be honest, I didn't expect the world from such a small mount (normally I use my Skywalker EQ6r-pro and there is just no comparison, however the EQ6 is a beast to lug around). I just bought the Skywalker to avoid hauling tons of mount out in the field to take Nebula images. I use a Redcat 51, ASI 183MC pro and QHYCCD miniguider on the mount and this already challenges the mount for astrophotography. It's just too dainty. I found myself tip toeing around this mount all the time. I use the Polemaster to polar align and after that is done I don't dare touch the mount in fear that my alignment will be ruined. I even have the pull the plug out of the Polemaster gently, not to disturb equilibrium. But if that all works, this thing works okay. At first I got about 0.7 to 1 RMS arcsec guiding on an average night. After several nights things got bad, wherein the RA just thrashed up and down. Next day, I tore apart the mount all the way down to the RA and DEC worms. I found the grease was like wax on the worm gear, the nuts used for adjusting end-play on the worms were far too tight and several of the mini set screws to lock position of the main adjustment screws were loose. After degreasing, cleaning and re-greasing with high quality synthetic grease, I re-assembled using less torque on the end play nuts. Also, adjustment of the hold down screws on the spring washers was temperamental .... only torque down enough to prevent tilting of the worm assembly. Spend a little extra time on the DEC backlash adjustment when reassembling, since there is no hole in the case to adjust that after the plastic housing is re-attached. And of course tighten all the mini set screws to lock down all your adjustments, with exception to the RA backlash adjustment, since you can adjust that through the hole in the plastic case when it is re-attached. And believe me, you will use that adjustment many times, as temperature differences over several nights will make a difference on that adjustment. It is a very temperamental mount to say the least, but it is very portable (light). I now get about 0.7 to 1.2 RMS guiding on average nights, which is plenty good for me wide angle shots of the heavens.
If I got this mount after September, would it come with the new circuit board or old?
I am not sure if iOptron did a recall on third party sellers' inventory of the original mounts. It would be more prudent to purchase directly from iOptron and ask them to verify the mount has the new board and firmware.
Does the mount have an app to access it from a smartphone?
There is "iOptron Commander Lite" for ios and Android.
However it is very basic and drops its connection with the mount frequently.
Honestly, who on earth designs these things? Then again, who on earth accepts the designs? It seems quality design and manufacturing, or the lack thereof, is across the board with all manufactures in this hobby.
There's never enough money to do things right the first time. There's always plenty of money to fix things after they fail.
My tech firm is all caught up but I would hire any of the Cloudy Nights guys in two microseconds (esp the one who reverse engineered the assembly code to the driver on the SkyHunter, or Graham who did the machining optimizations on the Az Pro mount). And of course Johnny here on the UA-cam channel what is his username on Cloudy Nights? Does he have AstroBin photos? Wish I found him sooner.
What a joke this RA lock design is. Mine was locked up and was turning the red knob while using a screwdriver in the dovetail hole, this after bending and ruining an allen wrench. I just had to use channel locks on the red knob along with a screw driver in the dovetail hole. Now there is a crack in the dovetail near the hole. I can't believe they let this bullshit RA lock design go to market. I will be returning mine for refund and I'm betting it's gonna be a fight.
Thats not the only issue with this thing, mine is unusable with the app, it constantly loses connection and I have to restart. I was gonna over look that and run it with my laptop and NINA.
Chinese junk, unfortunately if you built it in America it would be built by a union company so it wouldn’t be any better quality and it would cost 10 times as much.