Sky Watcher Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTI Mount Kit with Counterweight, CW bar, Tripod, and Pier Extension - Full GoTo EQ Tracking Mount for Portable and Lightweight Astrophotography

For the price point, it is a great go-to mount for compact set ups (max payload weight 11 lbs/4.98 kg). The tracking isnt bad once you have calibrated it, easy to set up and connect to the app.The weight is slightly heavier than what I was expecting, but definitely needed based on your set up. The legs can easily be upgraded down the road if you're looking for something more sturdy.Overall design is great but the cover for the sight lens is a tad bit flimsy and access to the batteries require a screw to be removed. Despite this, I would still recommend this product for anyone looking for a go-to set up.

So far, it works great. During the first outing, I had it aligned and autoguiding on the first try! I love the small size but it isn't light. Portable yes!

I also have the Star Adventurer 2i Pro, here is a comparison to the Star Adventurer 2i Pro:Pros:+ Easier to polar align: The crosshair is always up, unlike its predecessor, where you need to adjust it.+ Built-in illuminator: Helps a lot with the alignment process. The predecessor had an extra part which may fall off or get blocked by your camera equipment. They solved this issue.+ GoTo function: The biggest upgrade, directly ppints your camera to the sky object you want to image.+ I found the overall quality to be a bit better.Cons:- A little heavier but it is still portable- Taken a bit more space but still, if you have a car, no problem.Overall, well worth the extra couple of hundreth dollars but you can also survive with the predecessor, just needs some extra work (therefore time). I will update the review with some results after experimenting with a couple of deep sky images.

Used it for a few nights now. Does great on it primary job for tracking the stars. But we all know we dont get rated with 5 stars at our jobs for just doing the work. We need to go beyond, which this one does not, there is a lot of room for improvement. Whoever designed the battery compartment and the polar scope rear cover should be fired. That design just make the tracker and the company feel substandard. Every time before I mount the tracker on the tripod, the polar scope cover falls off.Another issue is the counterweight. The tracker is rated for 11lb but the included counter wight is not enough to properly balance over 10lb capacity. I had to get a 2.5lb bar weight and 3/4 inch washer to balance load over 10lb. Polar aligning with the app is a hit and miss. Couple of days it took only a few minutes to plate solve with 3 star alignment but sometimes it took me hours. No problems aligning with AsiAir. It would have been nice if there are markings to show whether the dec/ra axis are parallel to the mount. No issues on tracking with 11 lb payload so far(svbony 550 80, flatener, Canon T7i, svbony sv165 scope, Asi120 mini guide camera, asiair, dew heater, dot finder). Able to track dsos upto 2 minutes without guiding and 5 minutes guided.

The Star Adventurer (SA) GTi is an option if you are seeking to extend the length of your astrophotography image exposure. The Star Adventurer GTi is a low-cost and ultra-portable mount for astrophotography. Having experience in astronomy and DSLR astrophotography will soften the learning curve, but not eliminate it.I found the User Manual lacking in some explanations on how to set up and use the SA GTi. I had to read some parts multiple times before I grasped what needed to be done. If you live in the northern hemisphere and can't see Polaris at night, you will need additional software tools to polar align the mount. Practice polar alignments during the day to learn how to make all of the alignment adjustments you will have to make in the dark. Once aligned, it did a decent job of pointing and tracking objects. Don't overload the mount. Overloading the mount will degrade the GTi's ability to point and track accurately.

This is a lite weight mount that is easy to carry out into the yard on clear nights, and I've been happy with it. Even so, there are some things one should consider before buying.1) There is no tech support ... or rather Sky Watcher's tech support department seemingly consists of just one person, Alex, and he does not want to talk to you ... at all ... ever. Stop bothering him. I tried calling multiple times, hoping to get someone else, but got Alex every time. I tried sending emails, but again, Alex every time, and he had exactly zero interest helping me resolve the issue that I had.2) The GOTO functionality is really GO(near)TO. The reason for this is that star alignment is nearly impossible unless you live out on the plains somewhere with zero obstructions on your horizon. What I found was that every time I tried to do a star alignment, I could pick any 1st star I wanted, but then was only given an option of 3 or 4 stars for the 2nd star ... every one of them right on the horizon. I have a fine view of the sky where I am, but not of the horizon. From the horizon up to 10°(ish) above the horizon, I can't see. The result of this is that I can only ever do a 1-star alignment, which means that I only have GO(near)TO functionality.3) The leveling bubble is VERY poorly placed. You can only see it from the side, and not straight down. This makes leveling the mount a little bothersome.On the bright side, this mount works well with my battery pack jump starter that I got from the auto-parts store to jump start my mower. I didn't even have to buy a cable as the cable that came with the jump starter was the right size for the plug on the mount.Had I to do it over again, I would still buy this mount. The price is great for a GO(near)TO mount. It's easy to use, well built, lite weight, and it tracks just fine. It supports the weight of my 80mm refractor and camera without any issue.