The SkyWatcher Virtuoso GTi mount is currently the most affordable fully featured GoTo system for compact small and medium-sized telescopes.
The mount can communicate with your smartphone or tablet via its built-in WiFi connection; simply download the SynScan App from Google Play or the App Store. Optionally, a SynScan hand controller can also be used. The app or hand controller provides access to data for 42,900 objects, allowing you to locate countless spectacular targets under dark rural skies, within the limits of your telescope's aperture.
Although the Virtuoso GTi Mini Dobsonian is best placed on a table for convenient use, it can also be mounted on a tripod with a 3/8-inch photo tripod thread, such as the StarAdventurer. This allows the complete mount head to be raised freely to a comfortable height, making the telescope usable while standing. As the dovetail clamp can be released on both axes, the telescope mounted on the mount can also be moved freely by hand. Thanks to the built-in encoders, the mount does not need to be realigned after manual movement.
The unit can be powered by 8 AA batteries placed in the built-in battery compartment, or optionally by a 12 V mains power supply or gel battery. Instead of a telescope, a digital camera can also be mounted on the mount for astrophotography landscapes or time-lapse videos. Via its jack connector, the mount also supports timed shutter release for DSLR and MILC cameras.
Its maximum payload capacity is approximately equivalent to a 127 mm Maksutov-Cassegrain, a 130/650 Newtonian optical tube, a 150/750 FlexTube Newtonian optical tube, or short-focus refractor telescopes up to approximately 102 mm in aperture. The base of the mount would obstruct overly long optical tubes.
