EQ-6R Pro controlled by ASIair Pro has been giving me .8 to 1.0 RMS guiding for about a year with .91"/px main scope and 6.45"/px guide scope, but each session I generally lose images because of long stars and (less frequently) jumps. Problem occurs in exposures from 2 to 10 minutes.
The streaks are seldom more than about 3 to 4 stars long and are always oriented in the same direction in a given session. The direction of the streak varies from session to session. The jumps—visible as two identical stars a few stars-widths apart—also occur.
Determined to fix all that, I loosened each axis and slightly adjusted the worm gears yesterday afternoon. Polar alignment total error was less than 30". Before imaging I recalibrated the guiding but the streaks and jumps persist just as before.
I've checked for loose wires, and made sure the tripod and mount are tight. There is seldom any wind and there was essential none last night. I lost 12 of 47 images.
I compared the time of the bad images against the PHD log and do see some excursions when the problems occur but no obvious telltale correction errors.
Anyone have an idea what the problem may be?
