Hey Chris,
Planetary imaging revolves around seeing. The strategy is to be at the camera when seeing is above average. I use clear sky clock, Unisys Weather, Weather Underground and Meteoblue to predict when seeing will be the favorable. This strategy is not foolproof---good seeing can manifest in average or below average forecasts. You need to put an eyepiece on it to verify. It may be that in your location, seeing is just not that good. If this is the case, lower magnification must be used, OR road trips to good seeing must be arranged.
Control what yoy can---collimation must be checked and or tweeked before every session. The scope MUST be acclimated to outside ambient temperature. Don't put your laptop under the front end of the scope----you and all heat sources must be behind the business end of the scope. Be patient....if seeing seems to be improving, hang around a while. Use a motorized focuser for fine adjustments. I stll focus by hand for 75% of my captures, but I learned how to do it years ago. If there is any question, get the motorized focuer.
Dan Llewellyn
