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Hey Warren,
I never really had an issue with cables or the component side of things.
It was more the understanding of all the pieces of the puzzle and how they fit together. How do I PA? What the hell is "platesolving"? Why is my guiding not working? What's gain and offset?
I'll agree with Ryan's speed bump - getting a good polar alignment is difficult / daunting for beginners. I lost track of how long it took me to find the blasted Octans 'bowl' in the sky and then within the Star Adventurer polar scope before the HEQ5 and PoleMaster Yes, you can call a PoleMaster "cheating", but given the choice between a PoleMaster and a polar scope, it's a no-brainer.
As for the financial side, it's the same as any other hobby. It all comes down to how much you're willing to spend. I do archery, and just spent a bit over $300 on a dozen arrows.
How much is your happiness and mental health worth?
On the positive side - getting an image of something mind-bogglingly far away that you can't see with your naked eye still gives me a huge thrill.
Cheers,
V
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