Hey... You can definitely polar align any manual mount using the NINA script. I've been doing that with my Star Adventurer with my computer being completely independent of the mount and camera. I just take pictures, move the RA axis around and then plug the SD card into my PC to perform the alignment via plate solving.

Wonderful image and a very helpful video. Your cats are very sweet!

Great video. I used the Green Swamp Server + ASCOM + NINA using the USB cable out of the box. I’ve got the cable you mentioned from my previous setup but didn’t see a need for it with SA GTi

I had to laugh about your statement about the opportunity for an impulse buy because that's exactly what I did before even seeing your video. ;-) I had been into astrophotography some years ago and have a lot of really nice equipment, ie Celestron Edge 8 inch and all kinds of cameras but since I moved my location is not practical to build an observatory and began looking for a portable rig to get back into this hobby. This is a great solution for me. I live in eastern Utah under dark sky's in the desert so needless to say I had to get back into the hobby. Things have come a long way in the past ten years and I'm excited about doing this again. Great video ! Cheers and all the best from Moab Utah... ;-)

Super - thanks for your time for this :)

NINA 3 point polar alignment has a manual mount mode. It works well with non-goto mounts.

That's exactly the tripod and setup I have with the Star Adventurer Pro

Good review, I have almost the same set up, I only had plate solve issues with the L-pro on full moon during testing. Had another practice run this week set up before moon rise and no issues. As far as when it starts the wayward slewing, I only noticed after moving from multiple objects with returning to home position.

Thanks for the info!

Good info! You are so lucky to have cable & cord helpers! Sweet! 👋

Mine is currently set up with a Samyang/Rokinon 135mm, f2 and EOS600D controlled by a ZWO ASIAir mini and ZWO EAF and Mini Auto Guided. I leave this set up so I can take it out to the backyard at very short notice. I also use it occasionally with my Lunt LS 50 Ha scope and my Cat 51, but control it with my laptop with EQMod / ASCOM for these scopes as I use cameras with these that are not supported by the ASIAir mini. You are right, it does sound like a coffee grinder!

Got a Starwatcher GTI mount for my travels to San Antonio Texas next month and later to the Caribbean Island of Barbados under bortle 5 skies, I'm was using EQMOD software but I switched to Green Swamp Server witch works with the NINA software as want to use NINA 's 3 point polar alignment as Polaris in Barbados is at 13 degrees Latatude. I'm very happy so far with the Skywatcher adventurer GTI, can't wait to try it on my trip

I just got mine as well. A couple of things I noticed was that the RA (at least on mine) is reaaaaaally tight. Almost to the point where it makes balancing difficult since it sorta sticks. Guiding didn't seem to be too affected, but I've only tried it a couple of times and usually it was with a total error of between 1.5" and 2.8" (as long as my stars are round, I don't obsess about the graph to be honest). I also struggled to get EQMod to (realiably) connect until i updated firmware on it (available on Sky-Watchers pages). Seeing as the mount has a USB-port, I connect mine using a regular USB A to USB B cable (same as the EQ6-R Pro).

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:30 🌌 The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI is discussed in this video as an impulse buy, but the presenter is happy with it. 02:32 🌠 The original Star Adventurer Pro couldn't be used at the new condo due to the absence of a view to Polaris. 03:11 🪐 The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI offers a fully motorized go-to equatorial mount, enabling plate solving and three-point polar alignment. 03:39 🌟 The presenter wanted a dedicated mount for their William Optics Space Cat 51 telescope, making the GTI a suitable choice. 04:35 📚 The original Star Adventurer Pro is recommended for beginners to learn the night sky and develop navigation skills. 05:57 🌌 The Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI is recommended for those without a view of Polaris or advanced users looking for a lightweight, portable, and computerized mount. 06:25 🖥️ Testing the equipment inside before going outside is advised for a smoother setup. 07:53 🔌 The presenter prefers a hardwired connection over a wireless one for reliability. 10:04 🖥️ Demonstrates how to connect the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI to a computer using the Sky-Watcher SynScan app. 16:30 🌠 The presenter demonstrates connecting the GTI to a computer using EQMod and ASCOM, which they prefer for astrophotography. 20:26 📷 The presenter shows their setup with the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI, dedicated astro camera, and telescope for astrophotography. 24:14 🔧 The presenter encountered various issues during a nighttime astrophotography session but managed to resolve them. 25:07 📸 Despite the initial challenges, the presenter looks forward to using the Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI for astrophotography with camera lenses and small refractors. Made with HARPA AI

👏👏👏👏👏

Tambien tuve ese problema, no podia llevar la montura para hacer las tomas de luz, instale la version 2.0.12 de SYNSCAN PRO en el ordenador, y se soluciono el problema. la version mas actual no funciona con NINA. saludos.

Nice setup and great end result ! I've got a GTi as well but haven't fully tested it as I'm waiting for an additional CW. Your initial PS problem was probably due to not having enough stars in your plates so increasing the exposure time would have probably fixed it. A friend of mine shoots thru an Optolong LEnhance and he needs 30s exposures to PS.

Make sure your selecting " J2000" in Nina and EQ Mod that will take care of the Ascom Driver error

I'm seriously considering this mount to have with my Sigma 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports lens on a Nikon D780. Weight wise this would come up to about 3.7kg or 8.2 pounds. Specification wise the mount should support this but I heard you say lenses up to 400mm. What are your thoughts on the configuration I'm thinking about?

im having dificulty with the gti slewing in a nother direction. Is there a setting that changes the hemisphere you are in. im in northern and i think it maybe thinking im in southern hemisphere im unsure what is going on.

Can’t you use eqmod via the usb cable? Don’t really want to buy another eqmod cable… 😮

Not seeing Polaris from any new purchase is the deal breaker.....only kidding.

Is polar alignment in the app as accurate as 3ppa in nina?

Why are the screenshots of the software programs not sharp in the review video?

Prueva tambien la version 1.19.12.

You don't need EQMOD to work with GTi in NINA. Know this first hand :)

Can you list the settings for EQMOD? I purchased the same cable that you listed, downloaded ASCOM platform, EQMODASCOM. IT connects and I can move the mount with the move arrows but it will not slew (actually it will slew but extremely slow)

It's a fragile mount!!