bf79

So, a quick update… I managed to source a replacement motor control board as part of an upgrade / retrofit kit from RVO (who were very helpful 👍) Ive managed to get it all fitted, but theres still an issue. The hand controller still shows the fault, but the mount does now work with the wifi module on the app. Looks like i’ll need to replace the hand controller now as well 🤦‍♂️ What Ive realised though is that a few months ago I had went out to a dark sky area with my AVX mount and 2 starsense units to try them on the mount. Everything I took with me is now faulty. Nothing got wet, theres no obvious damage to anything, but none of it works now and Ive no idea why. Turned out to be an expensive trip 🙁

Mine arrived yesterday and managed to get a wee break in the clouds so had a bit of fun with it. I have to say, if you look up the phrase “all the gear, no idea” you’ll find a picture of me as the definition, but this was really easy to set up and I was getting images in a couple of minutes. First I got some pictures of the moon which was pretty spectacular, though strangely enough the device struggled to find it by itself so I had to manually locate it which wasn't exactly a problem. I then had a quick go at some DSO targets, and on the stargazing mode it had no problems at all automatically locating and centring any targets, and found everything first time. First up I tried Andromeda Then the Cigar Galaxy Then Bodes Galaxy Then the bubble Nebula Then finished up with M39 cluster Im really pleased with it. Its ridiculously easy to use, and its great to watch the images start to appear on the screen in front of you. It makes me want to get the finger out and learn how to properly use all the other astro kit thats sitting in my shed 🤣 I also need to learn how to edit my images so if anybody can recommend anything I can use on the phone / iPad it would be appreciated Brian

Hi folks, looking for some advice on my AVX mount. I went to set it up the other day and I was just getting a fault saying “No Response 17” on the handset. I tried using both my starsense handsets as well with both of them showing different faults (one being stuck on initialising and the other saying unable to detect telescope model, but Im sure they do the same on my 6SE mount so Im assuming they are both faulty as well 🤦‍♂️) Also my Skyportal wifi doesnt connect to it, and I know that does work. Anyway, I opened the mount to see if there was anything obvious, and I notice one of the chips looks like it might have burnt / melted slightly. Anybody had similar issues or able to give an opinion on the chip? It had been working fine when I last had it out a couple of months ago (other than my inability to properly polar align it due to my lack of patience 🤣) Im hoping if thats the cause of the fault then I might be able to replace the board as opposed to buying a new mount 🤔

Not been on for a while so just found your post. Apologies if this has caused you any issue, Im only posting the info I had relating to a scammer, none of it is misinformation, its just unfortunate you have the same name as what I was given. Ive also been contacted by someone else on here who has been scammed by a Julian Shaw, but this was for a trailer and nothing astronomy related, so clearly someone out there is using that name (and most likely a few other made up names) to rip people off. I didn't intend this post to single you or anybody else out, it was more a post about my frustration and a reminder to people to be careful. Again, I genuinely apologise if I have caused you any issue.

I had never tried to do a firmware update prior to it going faulty… this was just something I tried to see if it would fix the problem

It worked fine up until a few months ago, and its never been out in the rain and kept in a dry weatherproof shed with lots of computer equipment, Ive never had any issues with water ingress. I use a power supply so no issues with batteries. Power cable always seems fine and i always make sure the connection isn't taking any weight If I connect the starsense to the scope, then the firmware manager detects it no problem, but when i connect the nexstar handset it doesn't find anything.

Ive been having some issues with my 6SE mount recently. I bought it a second hand a few years ago, so it is the older style handset with the “info” button lower left as opposed to the newer style with the “celestron” button. long story short, it powers up with the original handset but doesn't seem to align properly now, and it no longer recognises my starsense or wifi accessories. When the starsense is connected I just get a fault saying it cant find the telescope model, and the wifi module says it can find the telescope but cant connect. Ive tried swapping about the aux connections incase it was one of the ports that was faulty, but that hasn't worked, and when I try to do a firmware update on my laptop it doesn't find the mount. Im pretty much at the point where I know I need a new mount, but I was wondering if its worth trying to replace the motor control board as a last resort. Had anybody had similar issues or done a similar repair and could give me an idea if its worth a try? Im planning on trying to source a replacement 6/8 SE mount, and also pick up an AVX / HEQ5 or similar as well to dip my toe into EQ mounts, but if this was easily fixable id like to give it a go and either keep as a spare or stick one of my spare scopes on to let family / friends use. Just hate seeing things go to waste 😆 thanks in advance Brian

Its a 330 mile drive for me from Lanarkshire… looking forward to it 😃

Somewhere near my house would be nice 😂 In all seriousness though, Ive recently moved into a new housing estate and everybody around me has bought these annoying soffit lights all round their houses. That together with the lamp post right outside my front garden means viewing anything is a nightmare. My nearest proper dark sky park is Galloway Forrest area which is about an hour and a half away, (and Ive still not been yet). Light pollution is a serious factor to consider when looking for somewhere, and travel time is also a big consideration, particularly if you’re taking and trying to set up a large or heavy rig. I dont know what difference concrete / asphalt would make re giving off heat, but Id think that would have to be balanced with the need for hard ground to give proper stability. Disclaimer though, Im still new to all this so my points may well be completely irrelevant in the real world 🤣

Yes I did report it, but Im not convinced it actually worked, same with the feedback system when I tried to use that. My mate that was with me did manage to report it and leave feedback though so hopefully its worked for one of us

Appreciate all the replies and advice folks. The seller “Kelly” said her husband's name was Julian Shaw, maybe the admins could see if he’s registered on here? 🤔

Unfortunately I don't think Id ever be able to prove that it was them that actually put the advert online 🙁

Absolutely, Ive bought a couple of things on here and never had any issue. I wouldnt hesitate to buy from someone on here. Unfortunately Ive got a pretty low post count despite being a member on here for a few years so I think Im the one thats not trusted when I reply to some ads 😂 Really need to start getting involved more and not just when Im having a rant 😂

Yes, thats the one. Think its removed now

Bank transfer unfortunately, thankfully it was only £25. They're not replying to any messages now so I assume I wont be seeing that again. I don't mean that in the sense I can afford to lose it but it could have been worse, Im glad I didn't take up the offer of them posting it. Its a strange one, if it was a fake advert and they were just trying to scam money, why say to my mate its sold instead of trying to scam a deposit from him as well? And I told them where I was coming from, so if someone messaged them offering more than the asking price then I get that, but why not just be honest with me and tell me that? If that was the case Id probably have matched the other offer after checking the optics etc