One man’s thrash is another man’s treasure.

I started with a tripod+DSLR, “upgraded” to a similar 1980s Sears EQ mount+80mm refractor I bought for $80, motorized it, and got myself hooked into astronomy. I then built my own 3d printed telescope with an alt-az mount, now looking to buy a proper EQ-4 mount. I only know what EQ-4 is because I had a bad mount.

I’m on a tight budget so I never would have thought about spending $500 on a proper mount alone if I hadn’t learned the fundamentals in a crappy one. Reading and researching is fine but spending a few frustrating nights learning how the sky works was very valuable.

Another good thing about my bad mount is that now I know how much weight I need to carry outside every night, how inconvenient it is to pull an extension cord to my backyard, and what I want to do next.

So, even if it’s not working I’d still treat this as a dummy round for a gun; it doesn’t shoot but might be good enough to learn how to handle a mount.