AM5 Mis-alignment of mount head?

[pmrid (Peter)]

I would be grateful for input from other owners of an AM5 mount. I have noticed that when
ASiAirPlus returns my mount to the polar position, there is a perceptible alignment difference between the mount body and the head. (And before you ask, this is after accurate PA using AsiairPlus) The difference is about 3 degrees. And it has been there since new. The head points to the right (as seen from behind). The attached photo illustrates.

My measurement is pretty accurate - using a digital inclinometer.

I can’t locate any discussion on this anywhere so I would appreciate other AM5 owners’ input about the behaviour of their own mounts.

[joshman (Josh)]

You just need to set the mount home position.


Download the AM5 Mount app to your phone or tablet. connect the mount hand controller. Connect to the AM5 Wifi and open the app. Enter into the "mount" (middle symbol that looks like the mount, bottom left) there should be a setting somewhere there to set the mount calibration. you just slew the mount using the hand controller, and save this position as "home"


Now when you mount tracks home, it will go to the position it is in currently, then it will move to the home position you have set. i guess that is has a set of sensors in this position that it runs homes to, then steps its way to your calibrated home position.

[pmrid (Peter)]

Thanks Josh. Done and seems to be right now. I haven’t used the Mount App - been using the ASiAir App instead since I am imaging and therefore don’t use the HC.


P.M. Nope - no good. It still reverts to that 3 degrees off position after you set Home in Mount and then start ASiair and then Park to Home. It still goes back to that skewed position.

Peter

[gbeal]

Opportune time to update the H/C and mount firmware too Peter.

[TrevorW]

Has the Am5 lived up to your expectations

[pmrid (Peter)]

Originally Posted by TrevorW

Has the Am5 lived up to your expectations

Yes and no. It’s very versatile, portable, easy to use. Guiding is not as good as my EQ6R though and I find that the Mount App lacks things like a simple “off” switch in software. The result is that there are areas where, for example, Mount and ASiair don’t play well. As an example, a Home position set in Mount disappears when you open ASIair and then Park after a session. I find there is a difference of up to 3 degrees between the position you first set and the Park position in the latter.

[TrevorW]

Originally Posted by pmrid

Yes and no. It’s very versatile, portable, easy to use. Guiding is not as good as my EQ6R though and I find that the Mount App lacks things like a simple “off” switch in software. The result is that there are areas where, for example, Mount and ASiair don’t play well. As an example, a Home position set in Mount disappears when you open ASIair and then Park after a session. I find there is a difference of up to 3 degrees between the position you first set and the Park position in the latter.

Just ordered one via ZWO as a second mount for my 110ED without their tripod as will be mounted on a Losmandy G11 tripod,. I'LL HOPE TO SET IT UP WITH MY Qhy183C with OAG all run via NINA,

[joshman (Josh)]

Originally Posted by pmrid

Yes and no. It’s very versatile, portable, easy to use. Guiding is not as good as my EQ6R though and I find that the Mount App lacks things like a simple “off” switch in software. The result is that there are areas where, for example, Mount and ASiair don’t play well. As an example, a Home position set in Mount disappears when you open ASIair and then Park after a session. I find there is a difference of up to 3 degrees between the position you first set and the Park position in the latter.

Hmm... my experience has been different. Once i set my preferred home position, the "goto home" trigger in the ASI air went to my predefined position.


I don't have an eq6 to compare to, but when I'm set up at my folks place in the country, and the skies are good I've seen my guiding dip below 0.4" RMS, but it will reliably sit around 0.6" RMS.



I don't think the skies at my current place of residence near the coast will let me reliably image at a scale lower than 1"/px. The skies have been really turbulent here in the last spell of good weather so my guiding has been all over the place, from 0.7" to 1.2" RMS, but last year i had a good run and the guiding was most often around 0.6-0.8" RMS.


For my use case, this mount has been perfect, mostly because i can leave it setup inside and take it outside and down a few stairs into the back yard. i can be setup and imaging in <10 minutes.


It's not a mount i'd permanently setup in an observatory, but as a grab and go/travel mount it's pretty perfect.