Feature Request: Star Alignment for AMx Mount

paulitoweb

Dear ZWO Support Team,

First of all, I want to express my appreciation for the AMx mount—it’s a fantastic, portable solution that has truly elevated the quality of harmonic mounts. It’s widely loved by astrophotographers, but as a visual observer, I also find it invaluable for traveling light under dark skies, bringing only a tripod, the mount, my scope, and a selection of good eyepieces.

However, one key feature that seems to be missing is a star alignment procedure. This would be incredibly helpful for visual observers like me, making setup and navigation much easier. All major mount manufacturers include this functionality, and adding it to the AMx would greatly enhance its usability for a broader audience.

I hope you will consider implementing this feature in a future update. Thank you for your time and for your continuous work in improving your products!

Best regards,
Paolo

ASIMount-ZWO

paulitoweb Thank you for your valuable suggestion. We will seriously consider the feasibility of its implementation.

paulitoweb

Hello ASIMount-ZWO , Any plan to deliver the feature?
best regards,
Paolo

ASIMount-ZWO

paulitoweb Hello, could you please tell me if you often use ASIAIR or SkyAtlas to control your equatorial mount?

Paulito Webb

Hello @ASIMount-ZWO ,
unfortunately, due to this limitation, I’m currently using my AM3 about 80% of the time with ASIAIR and 20% with the SkyAtlas app.
I would really like to use it more in a grab-and-go setup, as I used to do with my previous mount (the iOptron HEM15).
The sky alignment without ASIAIR works very well and shows the great potential of this mount — it’s just missing a bit more flexibility in ASIAIR to fully take advantage of it.
Regards,
Paolo

ASIMount-ZWO

Paulito Webb Do you want us to add the star alignment feature in ASIAIR or SkyAtlas?

paulitoweb

Hello ASIMount-ZWO If I may share my opinion, I would suggest adding this feature first to the SkyAtlas app. Then, it would be great to make it accessible also from the Mount section of the ASIAIR, when an AMx mount is connected. The option could be included in the advanced configuration settings for the AMx mount.

This would be a great added value for the system. 😊

Best regards,
Paolo

ASIMount-ZWO

paulitoweb Hello! I consulted the APP product manager, and he replied: The "Sync" feature on the main page of SkyAtlas can achieve the calibration function. You just need to go to different targets and use the Sync feature to perform calibration.You can test this feature to see if it meets your needs. Please provide feedback, and we will continue to optimize this feature.

paulitoweb

ASIMount-ZWO
Hello,
first of all, thank you for taking the time to address this feature request.

Regarding the current sync functionality: from what I’ve observed, it seems that only the last sync point is taken into account. For example, if I level the mount and point it roughly north, then perform a GoTo to Jupiter, adjust the position, and sync—it works fine. But if I then GoTo Vega, adjust and sync again, and later return to Jupiter, I have to manually adjust and sync it once more. The same happens if I go back to Vega—it has lost the previous correction.

It would be very helpful to implement a three-star alignment (or even better, an N-star pointing model), so the mount can refine its accuracy based on multiple sync points.

Additionally, it would be great to have a way to view a list of synced stars, with the option to add or remove individual sync points (e.g. in case one was poorly aligned).

This kind of feature would significantly improve the experience for visual observers and anyone not using a dedicated plate-solving workflow.

Thanks again for your support and for continuing to improve the mount's capabilities!

Best regards,
Paolo

R0k9pZfT

I had the same problem with inconsistent goto and sync on an AM5 a couple years ago using it for visual. I returned it because it couldn't perform as advertised on alt-az or eq mode for visual. I have since purchased an AM3 for astrophotography but haven't used it for visual.