ZWO AM5 Review for Visual Astronomy
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- Опубликовано: 3 июн 2023
- The ZWO AM5 dan in fact be used for visual astronomy. Not much is talked about concerning this but it can be done and there are actually three methods that I have used so far.
Method 1.
Using an asiair paired with a guid camera and printable guid scope to plate solve the sky and thus point to targets. It takes some extra setup but once you have done it pointing to obscure objects in the sky is so easy it is almost like cheating. Not to mention the reliability of the pointing is superb.
Method 2.
Just slewing to your targets using the hand controller. It is quite simple and this more primitive way of doing it does teach you the sky a lot faster.
Method 3.
This is my favorite. It is easy to use and requires no additional equipment. It is in some ways similar to doing a three star alignment on a traditional mount too. I also think it teaches you the sky better than using an archaic hand controller.
If you would rather read a nice and detailed page on controlling the mont Wido did a great writeup here.
astroforumspace.com/controlli... 
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I purchased an AM5 a few months ago and, until last night, had used it exclusively for astrophotography. Coincidentally, I used it for visual last night (the day before this video was released) for the first time. I used a version of 'Method 1'. Because I have a refractor, I first put the mount into alt-az mode (5 minute process that, for me, involved moving the mount into a different latitude configuration). I aligned the scope physically so that the altitude axis was in line with polar north (starting with the mount in the home position the raising the altitude to the level of Polaris, then rotating the mount head). Then, just used 'solve' in the asiair which took less than three seconds. I could then use the asiair to slew the scope to any target. One lesson I learned: cable management is more of an issue with visual observing. Typically, when doing astrophotography, you are targeting one (or two) objects in a night and cable management around that object is easy. When visual, you could be slewing all over the place in one setting so really testing the robustness of your cable management setup. Also, for me anyway, this was and all-new cable setup so had not been tested before last night. Likely this is more of an issue with 'Method 1' than the other two options. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the comment and feedback. Ya cable management is something i have done very minimally so far but it will be a major topic in the DSO review ill do next.
Thanks for the excellent review. I have been watching many reviews on this mount and it is good to see everyone's perspective. Perfect timing with the rooster!
Thanks he is a cackler.
Thanks for the upload 👍
Its a topic no one else had covered yet.
Very helpful review, thank you.
My pleasure!
Good review! Good to see someone who appreciates the telrad😁.
Thanks! 👍
LMAO, the rant about hand controllers! I agree, time for an update, along with your point about learning the night sky. Well done!
Thanks Daylon!
Great video! It was worth the wait.
Glad you liked it and hope it is helpful. Have some fun under the stars soon.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel Thanks to you, I will.
😁
just got my am5 in. was thinking about the visual side last night. to do a polar alignment you have to have a main camera designated in asi air. what im thinking is either using the guide cam as a main cam, or a main cam( when it gets here) do the polar alignment and then switching the guide cam back. then when you slew to a target, turn on the guide cam and sync it. i tried doing just a rough polar alignment last night and it would go roughly to where the object was but it was often off quite a bit. so im thinking the polar alignment is a must, then remove the camera and use eyepieces. or i was thinking about just slewing to a target, centering it, and turning on the guide cam and syncing it to see it it would just track that way. second method seems simplest. but youre right, no one talks about using the am5 visually.
You can just use the guid cam for both imagine/plate solving and for guiding. Just swap its purpose in the settings. I would not bother guiding though while imaging. No need for it even if observing and object for 20 min it should stay in view. Beside you will probably want to slew around some anyway just to force your eye to look for more details.
Hi, I've just purchased an AM3, mainly for visual. I was quite dissapointed and surprised to see that when the mount goes into connection mode on start-up (Flashing red/green awaiting connection) it simply never gives up. There appears to be no way to boot up the mount without at least connecting it to my phone via wifi. It will simply sit in connection mode until the end of time. I would really like to be able to simply switch it on and use it as a manual alt-az mount with the hand control, even with no tracking. The hand control is such a pleasure, manual tracking even at high power would be a trat compared to the old slow-mo cables. The mount seems to track in alt-az simply by connecting my phone by wifi without even opening the app. does the mount have all the necessary firmware to track on it's own? Or is it using data from the phone to track?
A great video for us visual astronomers wondering whether upgrading to the AM5 would be worth the cost.
It really is!
Nice one ben. I’m gonna get the am5 too, as soon as the wallet allows. Want to see how it works for DSO photography
That will be my next review! Ill try to cover everything i can think of.
Great review. And it also looks cool. I know what telescope you are waiting for....🙂
Yes I hope it get here soon so I can start configuring it and getting wire management down.
I have my mount configured Altaz. And pointing North in a Horizontal fashion. How do I sync it so the goto features work? I have the ASI Mount app loaded on my Tab.
Sorry I am not familiar with that configuration.
Love the Telrad!
Ya such a dinosaur but hay it work and works so well.
Thanks a lot for the video. I have a question for method 3, so what is the starting position/ home position for using this method ? Like for EQ mounts scope pointing to north? Or the vertical AZ ALT home position ?
Tes it always points north. The more precisely you have it pointed the better your star hopping will go
@@TheNarrowbandChannel Ok I see, getting my mount tomorrow and will test with the PS Align app daytime alignment followed by your method. Hope it works for solar and moon. Would be very straight forward. Thanks:)
What size and how heavy is that newt?
So how are you doing polar alignment for AP? No polar scope, no adapter for PoleMaster... Maybe use SharpCap with your guidescope, or is PA part of the ZWO ware?
Thanks much :).
John
If I am using the air and guid camera to plate solve then I also use it to polar align. It's pretty simple. I have done this many times with other rigs too. I have not looked through polar scope in 5 years. Much easier and more accurate.
Btw. Since I have not seen this huge light-bucket before. Do you consider them as a good alternative in Deepsky? I mean, if u take like $1000, u get more reflector than refractor, for that kind of money.
🤔😀
For visual reflector all the way. And i even like them for imaging too. I have had very good success with this scope and my 178mm even if it is horrible over sampling.
OK! I paniced when you said "You will "NEED" an asiair and a guide scope. You should have started with the simplest method then added complexity and add-ons.
Good tip!
How much counterweight are you using? They look like 5kg each? Thank you for your presentation. Clear skies from the Southern Cross Observatory-Tasmania 42 South.
They are 2.7kg
Hey great video. How much weight is the tube and how much are the weights?
The weights are 7.5lbs each. Not sure about the scope. Its an 8in Orion f5. I think they stopped making them. At any rate though it seams to handle it just fine.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel Thanks for your response. I talked to ZWO and Celestron to see if I needed to add more than the 10 lb counter weight for my c-11 and they both told me the same thing, that I could not add more than 10 lbs counter weight to the AVX or the AM5 and that my C-11 would be to heavy? But I've seen other backyard astronomers with water bottles taped to their counter weight bar with over 10lbs of counter weight on the bar like you. So the question is can I use more than the one 10lb weight on the AM5 and AVX mount bar? Can anyone give me an answer to that?
It looks like this guy is using two 11lb counter weights for his 8in. ruclips.net/video/OpMHecn7FrU/видео.html
I think the only thing you have to do is jus stay bellow 55 lbs total. 10lbs of that being the counterweights.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel ok. So I can add at least 5 to 10 more lbs to my set up just in case.
@@figzastro-photography The mount is rated for 45lbs that is on the top side. The counterweight it just to keep it from tipping over. :) So yes feel free to add the counterweight.
When do you think you will make a vid on the hem and the new 294
Hem?
By 294 i assume you mean the 294mm pro i started using. I will do a review on that soon. I like it a lot.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel the iOptron HEM27 or the 44. Looking forward to the 294 pro
@@simmias9397 I would only get one if they had a version with a capacity in the 70lb range. For me that would be the HEM69 which I actually did not even know about until two days ago.
Thanks Ben. Good review. I'm not sold on the AM5, it just looks weak and cheap. Maybe if the price was half of what they are charging, I might get one, otherwise I'll pass on it.
It is pretty solid but when I start doing DSO imaging that will be the true test. It handles my Newt just fine for visual at least and this is my heaviest rig.
Ah your waiting for the SVBONY SV550 122mm FPL51 Triplet OTA Refractor....
Yes sir I am!
@@TheNarrowbandChannel Good, PLEASE take that heavy 122mm Triplet and please try without counterweights and see what you guiding RMS is, and with so to see how well the AM5 handles that weight please...
@@whatmattersmost6725 Ok I will give that a try. I had actually not thought of doing that. Had always planned to just use the counterweight.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel Thank you In Advance!
Oo the rooster.😂😂
Ya he has been busy lately. We lost two hens to coons so i suspect he is still looking for them.
@@TheNarrowbandChannel aww that’s sad. Predators getting among the hens. 😞 now I feel sorry for the rooster as well. Poor fellow must be worried sick.
He was right on cue!
Actually, actually, actually...
I know I need to work on that word trip. "Basically" is another one I do a lot.
WHAT?????? WHAT??????? ARE YOU TRYING TO TELL ME THAT YOU CAN'T ALIGN AND TRACK IN ALT-AZ MODE WITHOUT A $500 ASI AIR AND GUIDE CAMERA???? Although I can find no one else willing to even discuss using it for visual, that is what I just ordered an AM3 for. My understanding is that you can turn it on, connect the hand control, connect your phone and it is away... goto, track, slew with joystick in hand. Are you telling me that is not how it works?
You do not need an AIR. :)