newbie alert

SGP uses the same platesolvers as all the rest, ie ASTAP, platesolve 2, ASPS etc... Platesolve 2 was developed by platewave instruments and have been kindly donated freely open source... The Celestron CPWI ( Celestron plane wave instruments) software is built around this ... ASTAP is very fast, very accurate... Like blackmagic

The op is using a 2600, which is APS-C

Easy, plate solve the image in apt and transfer the coordinates to the framing wizard in Nina and check the orientation

Yep, polar align first then star align

With my 80 I think I either used a diagonal or a 2 inch extension adapter, or maybe both...

I take it by Polaris alignment you mean polar alignment? For a goto ( pointing) to work correctly you need to star align, usually 3 star alignment and to more accurately you center the star the more accurately the targets will be... Moving on you can use platesolving software to very accurately point to the target but this is usually done for people deepsky imaging Enjoy the learning curve, and ask plenty of questions to help you along the journey

So a eq5 pro is run on gears and not belts? If it's a gear to gear then that indicates that they're not meshing that well... Are you meshing the gears or adjusting the worm with the grubscrews? Screeching usually means the worm is too tight but could mean the clutch is too tight and pushing the ring gear over to one side meaning you're getting binding on certain parts of the rotation

If doubt it , as the shortest exposure will still be far too long to expose the moon properly

It's a ccd, no adjustable gain

Yes you do

The settings etc all used to be accessible from the brain tab on the older versions, it's fairly easy to find although I could tell you exactly where it is now without looking at PhD .. once you get the hang of PhD it's fairly straightforward and hassle free..

Quite a difference in prices... £515-£1800

Well good luck with them Jon, hope they exceed performance but having a Eq8 and a cem120 to compare to puts the bar fairly high to begin with....

No machinery needed...

Can you do a review Jon as not much feedback from mount users dispute many now being shipped...

It would bloat all stars not just the bright ones.. bloat and halo's are caused by different things

It could be from the worm carriage housing... I've got a cem60 and had an issue where in PhD it would guide fine for a minute or so and then dive off a cliff edge and eventually lose the guide star... It caused me no end of trouble... Thinking it was belt tension I opened up the cover ( mine was on the Dec axis) and the belt looked ok, seemed to have the right tension but lucky I moved the axis and physically see the cradle move I just tightened up the 2 grubscrews and never had an issue since... Might be worth a check, assuming your 40 shares the same setup Your backlash result pic, you know it's measuring your Dec axis, so nothing to do with Ra

It will work fine, no need for a air Have you installed the ascom drivers for all cameras, devices, are you using eqmod for the mount?

If you took your car in for a super tune and the mechanic replaced a few components and a re-grease is that just a service?? There's a whole host of other things you can do to a mount that wasn't paid enough attention to , even at the factory... And yes a gritty bearing should be replaced

Hi and welcome , also from Kent... Ashford

Makes no difference with a small sensor Scrap that .. read it as a 462,which I assumed being used for planetary..

The colour comes from the processing, so white light can still be yellow, or red or whatever colour you want... Same applies with HA ...

Are these bites out from the sides from collimation clips, does anyone know?

I remember seeing that scope and drooling, I've always wanted a 130mm frac and that was affordable ( but not for my pocket at the time) and slightly different, ie carbon tube, f6.5... Did the previous owner experience the same issues, as I remember it, he sold up all his kit The issues you have saddens me as more and more often I'm seeing secondhand unfit for purpose items sold for quite high prices... Been on the receiving end of that a few times but not to the level that you're experiencing...makes me questioning if buying second hand really worth the lottery but puts the honest people in the same category as the dishonest Hope you get it sorted, but taking a breather may make you re-evaluate things clearer..

Sounds like you're talking about the locking nuts on the worm shaft, the part with the 2 holes is an outer case and the part that needs a special tool is underneath.. you only need to undo those if you want to change the bearings or if you have lateral movement on the worm shaft itself... That only if it's the part you're talking about... I try to find some pictures to save some crossed wires