Skywatcher Star Adventurer Setup Tutorial
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- Опубліковано 16 вер 2024
- In this tutorial I show two ways of setting up the Skywatcher Star Adventurer portable tracking mount for Astrophotography....One with a ball head (purchased separately!) for maximum flexibility of composition and the other with the counterweight bar for maximum load capacity. Note that Polar Alignment is not covered in detail as this is already the subject of a separate tutorial on my channel.
Tripod : NOVO Explora T20
www.amazon.co....
Ball head : Vanguard BBH-100 (£79)
www.amazon.co....
Right-Angle Polarscope Adapter : Omegon (£85) via Rother Valley Optics
www.rothervall...
Skywatcher also supply one (£79) via Harrison Telescopes
www.harrisonte...
New astrophotography late to this video. Two major takeaways that I must thank you for were one the right angle polar scope. And two how to use the illuminator with the dovetail attached. I almost overlooked the extension portion in the box. Thank you very much I might have actually thrown that out by accident.
Glad it was helpful. Thank you for commenting. Clear skies.
Thanks for your support to learn how to use the skywatcher tracker
Didn't realize Skywatcher made a Right-Angle Polarscope Adapter, Hopefully Harrison can ship to the states, good vid BTW.
I just ordered one from a place called First Light Optics in the UK from here in Canada.
Great tutoriel😊
Thank you.
just the video i needed to setup the tracker.
I gave you a thumbs up. Recently purchased it and everyone does an inside setup making it look easy. Out in the cold and dark well it's another dance. I found even using a hvy duty expensive Manfraoto
Awesome, thank you!
This video was excellent! Thank you
Thanks Christopher. Clear Skies!
Thanks, great video!
Very nice video. Thank you!!
Good video!
bonjour, c'est une bonne video , j'ai appris plus chez vous que sur les chaines you tube francaise... merci a vous
Mon plaisir Marie. Merci beaucoup pour votre message!
Thanks just bought one
Those funny high speed modes (6x, 12x) are useful if you want to use these trackers as a camera panning device. You point the RA axis completely vertical then either do time lapse video or just a bunch of still shots which you can compile into a video later. You can get lots of nice effects either during the day or the night (e.g. star trails, clouds, city lights, ocean waves, sunsets or all of the above). By switching from northern to southern hemisphere, you can pan either right or left. The result looks like a really professional video.
Yes, a fun idea for those into photography/videography. Thanks.
If you can't achieve balance with a single counter weight then you have exceeded the mount's payload capacity.
It’s certainly not ideal, I agree, and Sky-Watcher would probably not condone it. However I have seen it done and good tracking was achieved. Whether it is harming the mount with such a high angular momentum is a different question. Thanks for the comment William.
Very well explained and very interesting Martin
Couldn't you use the counterweight with a ballhead ?
Thanks Siegfried. Yes, that’s a useful combination as well. Clear Skies.
Great video! I just took mine out of the box today. After assembling it I went looking for videos like yours. Great balancing and alignment info. I going to watch your polar alignment video now. One question: How tight do you keep the RA clutch? (Complete noob here).
Hi Randy. Thanks for your really positive comments. The RA clutch on the Star Adventurer is great in that it locks firmly but doesn’t get jammed easily. Best bet is to experiment with how tight it needs to be. Start with a moderate tightening and see if you get good tracking. If it slips or doesn’t track properly then tighten it a bit more. Avoid over-tightening it. Any clutch will wear excessively and jam if over-tightened. Clear Skies!
Thanks. Could you add a link to your Polar alignment tutorial in the video subscription?
Did you mean ‘description’ rather than ‘subscription’? If so, sure, I will add that.
For now, here it is:
Astrophotography Polar Alignment Tutorial
ua-cam.com/video/AlCq_TDYDGg/v-deo.html
@@martinsastrophotography yes. Thanks
Great tutorial.
Thank you!
Thanks Martin for another great video. I've been working with an SWSAPro for about 3 months now. Few things I've learned. 5 lbs max of camera gear. Thrown out frames go up exponentially from there. I've tried 11lbs total(counter+dec plate+gear) and consistently throw out 50% of frames. My SWSA also has terrible RA clutch slop. Don't know if yours does as well. Support told me about the set screw to adjust under the front of the clutch ring, but it's not a straight forward adjustment.
Thanks for the comment. If you have success adjusting the RA clutch let me know.
Isn't the max capacity 5 kilos (11 lbs) and not 5 lbs? I am planning on using D500+200-500mmf5.6 lens. Which is definitely well beyond 5 lbs.
@@deepakfrenzy The specification states 11lbs as the maximum capacity but it’s advisable to stay well below maximum capacity on any mount. As you push towards the limit you should expect to see degradation in the performance. How far you can push it varies with your setup, how well balanced it is, and where in the sky you are imaging. And of course a longer focal length setup will show up the performance shortcomings more than a shorter focal length of the same weight....but in practice will probably also be heavier!
Muy buen video. Suscrito a tu canal. Congratulations!
Hello.Your videos are excellent for noobs like me and I thank you for that.I have two questions:I own a scope skywatcher 72ED APO with it's dedicated reducer/flattener.Yeah,I know it's close to the limit of SA.I was wondering,before you begin balancing on SA,first you have to get the focus and framing done?And how much do you untighten(losen) the clutch?I found out that if I losen the clutch too much,then the balancing becomes practically impossible.If I losen it enough for the RA axis to rotate then I can balance.Iwould very much appreciate your advices as a pro in this field.Thank you
Hi there. Thanks for the kind words. The order in which you do things is VERY important, and you need to change it a bit. Here is a list of what you should do, in the order you should do it: 1. Set up tripod on firm, level ground. 2. Fit SA head with approximate alignment to Polaris. 3. Fit counterweight bar and counterweight, telescope, camera, dew heater, all cabling etc… 4. Open RA clutch. 5. Balance in RA using counterweight. 6. Open Dec clutch as well. 7. Balance in Declination. 8. Point telescope at a bright star and lock both clutches. 9. Adjust focus using Bahtinov mask. 10. Unlock both clutches and move telescope roughly into home position (counterweight down, telescope pointing towards Polaris). 11. Lock both clutches securely. 12. Polar align using polar scope and azimuth/altitude bolts. FROM THIS POINT BE VERY CAREFUL TOUCHING ANYTHING AS IT CAN MESS UP YOUR POLAR ALIGNMENT! 13. Switch on tracker to sidereal rate. 14. Slew to target and frame your shot (if you do this without unlocking the RA clutch then great. If not, open RA clutch very carefully to avoid messing up polar alignment, move to target, then lock clutch again.) 15. Start taking photos!
@@martinsastrophotography Thank you kindly for your detailed answer.
Great video! Thanks for sharing this. One question: Do you recommend the Star Adventurer over the iOptron SkyGuider Pro?
Thanks Fernando. Great question. A very difficult choice. They are both great products. Personally I prefer the iOptron Skyguider Pro because of the built in polar scope illumination and the more sensible slew rate on the RA when you press the arrow buttons to fine tune the RA pointing. Other key differences to be aware of are the better Declination adjuster on the Sky-Watcher and the Sky-Watcher taking regular batteries compared with the built-in rechargeable battery on the iOptron. I actually bought a spare Sky-Watcher declination adjuster and adapted it to fit my iOptron Skyguider Pro! Hope this helps. Clear Skies.
Hit send by mistake...even slightly touching the unit, let alone loosen the clutches threw off the PA. The 2nd time out l went back n rechecked and touched up after each step. At least you said do the PA at the end...thanks for that. The diagonal is way too pricey. Yes it would help my back arthritis but not at that cost. The illuminator is a dud. I used light black thread to loosely tie the 2 pieces so they'd be thethered to the mount. If they fall as i experienced since it's only a cheapo slip fit, they don't hit the grnd and need be found. Put the plastic objective plug on the thread too. I won't lose them out in the field.
Thread is a good idea. I actually just ordered the 90° adapter. I agree it’s pricey, but even setting this up in my living room I couldn’t get down to the right angle to look into the scope without painful contortions to my old neck and back. The further North you live the steeper the angle required. Up here in Canada at 49° it’s a bit of a challenge. I think the author lives in London which is 51°. That would even be worse!
Hi Herb. Do you have excessive play in the altitude bracket? I have seen this and fixed it using a simple shim made from plastic sheet and that fixed it.
Hi thanks for the great video. I’m about to buy two ball heads and noted the one you use ... why did you buy that one over any other as they are comparable in price? Ie vs 3 legged thing / manfrotto / etc etc. i want to get the 40kg payload as you have here. Thanks for your advice!
It is a really good quality one and when I bought it the price was much lower than it is now! I don’t know why they increased the price. Clear Skies!
@@martinsastrophotography ahh thank you for your quick reply. I’m presuming you’d buy the same again rather than another well known brand? We have fuji x-t4’s so a bit awkward to get an L bracket though i kind of think we’d be in landscape orientation mainly anyhow. Do you suggest getting a different arca swiss base or use the one with it? Finally are you on commission with Amazon? Do you benefit if i buy via your link? Just realized I put 40kg not 20 in original message!
@@miarosie Yes, I would buy it again. If you cannot get an L bracket then go for a simple Arca Swiss plate instead. No, I don’t get anything at the moment if you click my links, so buy from wherever you wish...but thanks for thinking of me!!
@@martinsastrophotography thanks a lot. That’s a shame, can you set up an affiliate link any time soon? I have a number of items to buy, seems a shame to miss out on it. 🥳
@@miarosie I will look at doing that, yes. Which items in my video are you looking to buy?
So, it doesn't go automatically to a location you choose?
That’s right. You would need a ‘GOTO’ mount to do that, such as the HEQ5, EQ6-R or similar.
acetate? How do you write that?
Just as you have written it.