Sky & Telescope - July 2023 - 66

S&T Test Report
get expensive quickly if you use the
telescope often. Rechargeable cells
worked for me. The best bet, though, is
the AC/DC power adapter Sky-Watcher
sells for $49. One caveat is the power
input port rotates with the telescope, so
the adapter's cord can get wrapped up
in the mount.
Before first light, I always check the
alignment of the primary and secondary
mirrors. Sky-Watcher includes a
" collimation cap, " a plastic cap with a
small hole in its center that fits in the
focuser and aids optical alignment.
The company also conveniently marks
the center of the primary mirror with
a circular sticker. While I used my own
collimation tool, I verified the cap also
showed the mirrors in alignment. The
instructions in the manual will allow
most beginners to adjust the scope
properly. Out of the box, mirror alignment
was pretty close anyway.
The telescope's focuser is a helical
model, a threaded tube that screws in
and out to focus. I'm not a fan of the
design, and this one seemed poorer
than most. Its threads are coarse, and
black paint on the unlubricated threads
makes the action particularly rough. It's
a bit wobbly and lacks a lock screw to
reduce wobble and hold focus in place.
Before using the telescope, users
have to download the SynScan Pro app
to allow the Virtuoso to find and track
objects. An optional SynScan hand
control can be used with the telescope
(and adds $155 to the price). The app,
however, is free from both the Apple
App Store and the Google Play Store
and runs on most any smartphone or
tablet. There's also a basic SynScan app,
but it has fewer options and was slower
to connect to my iPhone. However, the
pro version downloaded and installed
without problems.
I spent some time reading the
SynScan Pro app documentation I
downloaded from the Sky-Watcher
website at https://is.gd/synscan_app
(the printed manual included with the
scope says little about the app). Ideally,
these instructions should be included in
the main manual. Despite the docuThe
telescope comes with 25- and 10-mm
long-eye-relief " super " eyepieces as well as a
simple but functional collimation cap to help
users align the optics.
ment's lack of illustrations and step-by
step instructions, after reading it and
exploring the help files built into the
app, I was ready to go. However, I still
had to decide where to use the scope.
Sky-Watcher calls this a " tabletop "
Dobsonian, and they aren't kidding.
The eyepiece is a mere 76 cm off the
The optical tube assembly attaches to the
single-arm Dobsonian mount with a standard
Vixen-style dovetail clamp. This permits users
to balance the scope when adding heavier eyepieces
and Barlows, or to swap in other OTAs,
provided they clear the Virtuoso's drive base.
The outside face of the altitude arm contains
the battery compartment as well as inputs for
an optional SynScan hand paddle, a DC power
input, and a SNAP port to control certain DSLR
and mirrorless cameras (seen left to right,
respectively). The Wi-Fi power indicator flashes
red twice per second when the scope is on.
66 JULY 2023 * SKY & TELESCOPE
The Virtuoso 150P focuser stands just 76
centimeters above the ground at best, so users
will need a table or some other lift to bring the
scope to a comfortable viewing height.
https://www.is.gd/synscan_app http://skyandtelescope.org
Sky & Telescope - July 2023

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