Spent $600 on a tracking mount and it's been nothing but trouble

I bought an iOptron SkyGuider Pro last spring hoping to get sharper deep sky shots without breaking the bank. But after a dozen nights fighting with polar alignment and random tracking errors, I honestly wish I had saved longer for a proper equatorial mount. The cheap motors just can't handle any breeze at all, and I've missed some great conditions because of it. Has anyone else had better luck with a different entry level tracker, or am I just expecting too much from gear in this price range?

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3 Comments

fisher.charlie5mo ago

The Star Adventurer is way more stable in light wind.

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jade7385mo ago

First night out with my Star Adventurer in 15mph gusts I got perfectly round stars at 200mm for 90 seconds. My old iOptron SkyTracker would've been useless in that breeze.

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riley_price5mo ago

Gotta disagree with you there, Fisher. I've used both and my SkyTracker Pro actually handled 20mph gusts better at 135mm than my buddy's Star Adventurer did at the same focal length. The real issue is tripod stiffness more than the mount head itself. A shaky tripod with a Star Adventurer still gives you oval stars in wind, no matter how smooth the worm gear is. Maybe your experience was with an older iOptron model, but the current SkyTracker lineup has a stronger base plate and a better clutch system. I'd take that extra weight and beefier build over the SA's lighter footprint any day, especially if you're shooting in exposed locations.

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