My old star tracker gave up on me during a meteor shower shoot

I was out near Flagstaff two months ago trying to catch the Perseids, and my Sky-Watcher tracker just stopped moving after about an hour. The motor made a grinding noise and froze up, leaving all my 3-minute exposures completely streaked. I had to pack up and drive home with no good shots. Has anyone had a tracker fail like that, and is it worth trying to fix?

3 comments

3 Comments

keith_henderson18d ago

That's a real bummer, happened to my old tracker too.

the_piper17d agoMost Upvoted

My Garmin's been solid for five years now.

reeseanderson15h ago

My old Fitbit band snapped after a year, just popped off during a run. Keith Henderson, your comment about trackers dying early is too real. My friend's watch face got all foggy from sweat, and another guy at the gym had his just stop charging. Seems like a lot of these things are built to barely outlast the warranty.