MDM Trouble Report for 2009 Mar 23

Telescope: 1.3m
Observer(s): Schroeder (Columbia)
Instrument: Templeton

Problem(s) Encountered:
The dec drive is extremely unresponsive to tcs and guider commands.
It seems especially difficult to move when it is in the east (HA = -2 to 0), but the problem
persisted throughout the night. Pointing often failed due to a lack of convergence on the dec drive.
Approximately once every five minutes tracking would simply turn off probably due to the fact that
there was no response in dec, though this is somewhat mysterious to me. Placing a star in the guide box
does not result in effective guiding. Rather, the star generally sits at the edge with a dx value that is 
one-sided. Hand paddle movements in dec are unresponsive for movements below approximately 30 arcseconds if
there is any response at all.

One solution I attempted to implement was to repoint the telescope every time the tracking stopped.
This worked for a bit, however, the pointing map variations caused much consternation. Finally, in frustration,
I ended the night.

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Submitted on 2009 Mar 23 [2:57:21]