[jeff.cotter]

Hi All,

I seem to have a bad problem with my brand new Celestron VX 9.25.

Got it all set up and did an (indoors) test alignment. I uses the "quick alignment" option (which doesn't require stars but builds a sky model based on your site and time information only).

I told it to go to the Moon (which is about 30 degrees above the horizon almost due west. The mount slewed to what looked roughly like the correct position (i.e. low in the west). I then told it to go to Venus, which is high in the east. But this is when the trouble started. Nothing happened (or rather the motors whined a bit with very little slewing actually happening).

Since then I get different behavior each time I power up and follow through with the exact same sequence (i.e. go to the Moon). The first couple of times it went to the roughly correct location and then tracked. On the third try it went to a location that I thought was a bit short of where it should have been and then went totally silent (i.e. no tracking). And most alarmingly, the last time I tried it (go to the Moon), it slewed just a few degrees on both axes at fill slewing speed, but then slowed right down and began making a knocking sound (at about twice a second). I tried the entire sequence again and got the same behavior as last described. I haven't been game to do anything with it since.

Does anyone have any thoughts, things that I can try, or suggestions as to where I could have gone wrong (I'm desperately hoping that the mount itself is not buggered, and it's just me that's missing something).

Assuming the worst, does anyone have any experience as to what I can expect from the dealer/Celestron? I bought the telescope last week from Andrews. Will it be up to me to ship it back to Celestron (that would be a nightmare), or can I reasonably expect Andrews to replace the mount?

Thanks in advance.