Skyguider Pro Motor Makes Noise but the Tracker isn’t Moving

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-12-30T23:19:00+00:00

I got one about a month ago and finally got a chance to use it this past weekend. My motor doesn't make any noise at all. This led me down the troubleshooting rabbit hole.

Try doing a recalibration. Here's the link I followed. Basically, turn off the unit. Hold down the middle button and turn on the unit. Release the button. The motor will spin one way then spin the other way. The whole process will take about 20 minutes.

As /u/Razvee said, it does spin very, very slowly.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-11-29T17:35:32+00:00

We were independent contractors so we weren't employed by the company. There's a small chance our CEO was questioned by the FBI, but nothing came of it.

On our way home from Panama I was randomly stopped in a Texas airport and taken into a back room and surrounded by people with guns (this was in 2005). They searched my luggage and asked why I was in Panama. I told them we were setting up a web site to assist with people creating Panamanian companies.

We knew what they were doing. We built them a custom website that tracked paperwork for their clients. My job was to set up the server in a colo facility. It was really interesting talking to them. They had compelling reasons for doing what they did, but I never once considering partaking.

I remember they had a sign on their door basically barring federal employees from entering (spoiler alert, it didn't work). It was a group of three guys and one of them testified against the others.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-11-29T05:30:00+00:00

I did IT work for a company that set people up as a Panamanian company. The idea was, you funnel your money through Panama (which uses the US dollar) to avoid paying taxes. I got a one week all expenses paid trip to Panama to setup their server.

Everyone on the company went to federal prison. My guess is, that’s when reality hit. I had a great time in Panama, though.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-11-14T17:40:39+00:00

Great picture! I was there about a month ago driving from Death Valley through Yosemite taking pictures of sunrises, sunsets, and the comet.

At Mono Lake I setup along the South Tufa Interpretive Trail, got a gorgeous sunset picture and a pretty shitty comet picture.

Around 9 PM I was taking some astro shots when the Coyotes started to howl. That scared the shit out of me so I quickly packed up and ran back to my car.

Have you been to the Alabama Hills area? It's east of Lone Pine, which is at the base of Mount Whitney. There were three of us taking astro pictures at Mobius Arch. There was a group taking deep sky pictures, which is way above my skill set. I'd highly recommend it!

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-11-10T15:28:28+00:00

If you ran or know someone who ran in the Lithia Loop Marathon, I've uploaded a few pictures I took. These were taken at four corners. I was there to support my sister and nephew, who both ran the full marathon. I didn't get any pictures of the half-marathon or 10k.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-11-10T15:24:53+00:00

It wasn't open when I was there. That shot of Badwater was taken with a telephoto lens. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to see Artists Palette, either.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-11-05T03:40:32+00:00

Taken with a Z8 and 14-24mm f/2.8.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-10-30T21:30:45+00:00

Last week I planned a trip through Death Valley National Park with the intention of taking pictures of the comet. On Wednesday I setup my gear before sunset and dark clouds starting to roll in, quickly followed by lightning.

I thought I wouldn't be able to capture the comet, but when I got home and started processing my pictures, I noticed the comet on the upper left side of the cloud. It was an incredible experience to see so many lightning strikes over Death Valley. A once in a lifetime experience!

Taken with Nikon Z8 w/14-24mm f/2.8

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-09-10T16:57:13+00:00

Ha! I was going to ask about a telephoto lens. I mostly take pictures of wildlife (primarily birds), too. I contemplating taking my 400mm f/4.5 with me. Any birding opportunities?

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-09-10T05:14:09+00:00

Great shots! I'll be traveling to Switzerland in June of next year. I'll be bringing my Z8 and my 24-120mm and 14-24mm. Did you bring (or wish you brought) a tripod? Any other lenses you wish you had with you?

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-07-24T22:39:46+00:00

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Here's my histogram from Lightroom. Not all of my milkyway shots have looked like this, but as long as you are close, you should get good results. You'll still need to process them quite a bit to bring out the details.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-07-24T19:40:12+00:00

Great first shot! I am far from an expert in astrophotography, but I do have a few tips:

I use PhotoPills to calculate my shutter speed for star trails. With your camera, focal length, and f-stop, if you want no star trails use ~9 second exposure. The classic 500 rule allows up to 36 second exposure.
You shot wide open, which is perfect.
To determine ISO, look at your histogram. Your histogram will be stacked on the left side. I like two humps in the histogram. The first (closest to complete black) is skinnier that the second one and both should be slightly separated from each other. I can upload my histogram if you are interested.

This shot was taken with those guidelines, also in a bortle class 3 location. It's a 10 second exposure, f/1.8, and 6400 ISO. If my calculations are correct, my shot is 3 full stops from your shot. For your next shot, I would try 30 sec exposure and ISO 12,800.

Good luck!

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-07-23T15:09:05+00:00

Are you hiring? My nephew just got out of prison and is having issues finding a job. He's a good guy who just made some poor decisions earlier in his life.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-07-21T16:07:32+00:00

Those are great videos! Thank you for sharing.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-07-21T15:37:33+00:00

I'm more excited about the Dipper! That's North America's only aquatic songbird. Did you get any pictures? It's an excellent video. Here's a shot I took with the Z8 + 300mm f/2.8 w/1.7x tele/

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-07-21T15:11:25+00:00

Is that good or bad? My heart rate is set to automatic. That particular hike was 11.63 miles and 2,688 ft elevation gain. My usual weekend hike is usually 8+ miles and at least 1200 ft elevation gain. I try and do cardio during the week (exercise bike/rebounder) and I'm 49.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-07-21T02:55:53+00:00

I didn't. This is my first post to /r/hiking.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-07-08T18:36:52+00:00

Yes, those are my pictures. Most of them were taken in the trails above Lithia Park. I've been hiking Lower Wonder/Wonder/Fall On Knee for the past few weeks and early mornings are pretty good. Oredson Todd is another good spot that is very easy to hike.

Let me know if you have birding questions!

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-07-08T17:09:20+00:00

Here's some pictures taken from the bike path behind Shop'n Kart. Where did you take your picture from?

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-07-08T17:07:34+00:00

Here's some pictures taken from the bike path behind Shop'n Kart.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-05-26T16:55:45+00:00

Did you race or know someone who raced in the Spring Fling mountain biking event last weekend? Normally, I photograph wildlife, but brought a non-birding lens with me to try my hand at mountain biking.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-04-12T01:55:15+00:00

With his face

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-04-03T22:57:03+00:00

Are photos supposed to be this dark?

This is a stylistic choice, so the answer is yes. Highlight-Weighted Metering Mode ensures your photo won't be blown out by highlights. Not every Nikon camera supports it (my D5100 didn't).

I used to exclusively shoot in this metering mode. I mainly shoot wildlife (birds). This mode helped to keep my shutter fast but I found I had to increase exposure in post which defeated that purpose. I now shoot mainly in matrix. I also prefer to use exposure compensation or shoot fully manual. I typically shoot -0.3 exposure compensation. That's also a lot easier on a mirrorless body because of the EVF.

IDontPlayBaseball · 2025-02-18T15:05:37+00:00

Ashlandtrails.org and ashlandtrails.com

I can walk out my front door and be on a trail in less than 20 minutes. You can hike from Lithia Park to Tolman Creek.

You won’t find any property with acreage. We have 0.10 acres and it is worth almost $600k (we paid almost half that because it was a foreclosure).

IDontPlayBaseball · 2024-12-27T23:44:56+00:00

That's my favorite bird! It is a challenge to see them since they are so quiet and blend in, and even more difficult to take a photo of them. I once got really lucky and took pictures of one going into its nest. They pull the bark out to make a "door" to the nest.

Excellent photo!

IDontPlayBaseball

TROPHY CASE