Mount tried to track a satellite and it failed hard

Last week I set up my star tracker to get a pass of the ISS and the mount just gave up halfway through. Turns out the clutch was slipping because I didn't tighten it enough after leveling. Anyone else have a mount randomly crap out during a satellite shot and have a fix that doesn't involve buying a whole new head?

2 comments

2 Comments

alicehernandez20d ago

Terry's right about the clutch, but also check if your mount head has a little tension screw on the side for the azimuth. On my Star Adventurer, that thing loosens up over time and makes the whole head sag, not just the clutch. Once I cranked that down, satellite tracking got way more reliable.

terryw6720d ago

Tighten the clutch more than you think you need to. I've had my mount stop tracking because the declination axis slipped on a long exposure once. Even a tiny bit of play will kill a satellite pass since it's moving so fast across the sky. Check that the head's locking mechanism isn't worn out too, sometimes a dab of thread locker on the bolt helps.