Telescope Reviews: CG5 mount with NexStar hand controller problem?

How old is your mount?
Has it ever worked correctly?
What are you using to power the mount?

We'll assume that the clutches are snug and that there aren't any gross hardware problems.

1) Ed's suggestion about the Factory Settings reset is definitely a good place to start.

2) Power

3) Power ... no kidding. The most popular reasons for strange problems is power. An undersized 12v power supply or a battery that's starting to fail (not holding a full charge) will cause all sorts of strange problems. The mount needs a solid regulated 12v at 1.5 to 2amps (and more amperage is just fine). The power connection needs to be a 2.1mm x 5.5mm connector and not the similar looking 2.5mm connector that is often used on Meade products. The power switch can also cause problems. There were some bad switches on a few mounts where the internals of the switch would break down. You can try cycling the switch on/off over and over with the power off. If you find the switch is a bit flaky it's best to leave it in the on position and use the power plug to turn the mount on and off.

4) External connectors. Remove and clean the small connectors for the hand controller and for the DEC cable. You can use something like an old tooth brush on the connector side. For the socket side a paper towel folded tightly and dipped in a little alcohol or better yet real contact cleaner (available at places like Radio Shack if your in the US) works well.

5) Internal connectors. Only a last resort you may want to take a peek inside the mount and look at the connectors on the boards. Carefully removing the connector from the board and reattaching it can help clean off the connections. This is something you need to be careful doing but you can sometimes also find a loose connector or wire.

6) The rest of the possibilities are beyond the capabilities of most folks. Encoder problems affect the pointing accuracy and can sometimes be diagnosed by swapping motor/encoders between the RA and DEC axis. Board or component failures can sometimes be intermittent and not solid which will show up as "strange" pointing problems.

With good data input after the Factory Settings reset and good power and connections you should have all the fundamentals covered. Point the scope roughly at Polaris, do a two star alignment using well separated stars on one side of the meridian (you don't have to take the hand controller's default choices), add two to four calibration stars and you should be good for accuracy.