Spent $150 on a star tracker mount... biggest regret of my astrophotography setup

I bought a cheap star tracker mount off Amazon last spring for about $150. It worked okay for the first few nights, but then the motor started skipping during long exposures. Tried to return it, but the seller ghosted me and I was stuck with a paperweight. Anyone else get burned buying budget gear for tracking?

3 comments

3 Comments

eva90820d agoMost Upvoted

You ever just buy something and instantly give it a job it wasn't qualified for? That $150 tracker might as well have been a toy compass for how much it actually helped. Sounds like you paid for a lesson in why you don't cheap out on motors that hold all your gear in place. Bet that paperweight feels real expensive now sitting in the closet.

jennifer96520d ago

Respectfully, @eva908, that tracker did its job until a cheap part failed.

norathomas20d ago

Heard from a guy in my local astronomy club that the cheap trackers are basically a gamble with cheap stepper motors that crap out after a few sessions. He had the same problem with one from a random brand on Amazon, motor started stuttering during 30-second subs. Ended up replacing the motor himself with a better one from an old printer, but that took some tinkering. Most people in the club say to either save up for something like a Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer or just stick with wide-field untracked shots until you can swing it. Sucks that the seller ghosted you, happened to me with a budget telescope mount once and it's a total waste.