Martin,
Yes good gear sure helps but I set out with a HEQ5 PR0 and even with EQMOD I found it frustrating. The Mewlon was just too heavy for it . My wife built herself a wooden 6 inch f5 newtonian, perhaps 1 third the weight of the Mewlon,total cost two mirrors and a focuser from Bintel.
That now rides on the HEQ5 and the mount handles it with ease, but she is not into asto photography (just woodwork) so I can't give an RMS figure for this setup. But PA with Synscan 3 star and polar alignment is easy.
The other thing which helps no end is a pier, it makes for an absolutely steady scope.
My pier is described at
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...d.php?t=135400
A neighbor supplied the steel and built it for me at no cost, I had helped him significantly in the past!
It took time to arrive at this configuration, my active limit now is my lack of processing skills.
Chris