Hi Mike
With the lunar and planetary shots that did work out ok, did you use a barlow then? Can you post the results?
If there's dust on the chip, it'll appear as the same size in the image whether you use a 2x or a 5x barlow.
Can you post an image of what the results with the 5x look like? What are you trying to image? Have you tried it in daylight to ensure it can reach focus?
btw
to IceInSpace!