astrocliffs

I got my SA GTI a few weeks ago but only had a chance to use it properly last weekend. Unfortunately, I have an issue with the tracking. I have a Redcat 51, Svbony sv165 guide scope, ASI183MC-Pro, ASI120MM and use ASIAIR to control everything. The tripod is level, the equipment is balanced on both RA and DEC, and polar alignment is almost perfect using the PA feature of the ASIAIR. I did also use the inbuilt polar scope to rule out any issues with the ASIAIR. I had a set of brand new Duracell Optimum batteries inserted in the mount ( I read a comment somewhere that some unbranded batteries may cause problems). Despite all this, at 60 seconds I get very bad star trails unguided. I could only push it to 2 or 3 mins with guiding. A friend of mine who was with me this weekend has the same mount (with same batteries) and without guiding he was able to see round stars up to 3 mins. This Friday I am meeting my local astro supplier to test the mount together. In the meantime, if anyone has any idea what might be causing the problem or what else I could test I would like to hear from you. Word of warning - Do not tighten the RA clutch. I did (probably out of frustration for the tracking issue) and the green knob or whatever you call just unscrewed itself. The RA knob can be screwed in and SW must have used some glue to keep it from unscrewing when tightening or loosening the RA. Anyway, I used pliers to release the RA and super glued the green knob.