My first image solely taken with the new setup using the 2x Televue 2" Powermate to increase the focal length to 1850mm with my WO FLT132 (did I ever mention that I just love this scope? 😊). 
So this is my desperate trial (one of several to come) to overcome buying an 8" refractor (or even larger) to be able to "compete" with an SCT. Many people might say: why don't you get one? Well ... one day I certainly will, but for me there is nothing that can compare with a wonderful refractor, the images just look different, smoother in general, they have a touch that I love, cannot really explain it. Maybe because my main instrument that I did visual observations with during my university time was a huge refractor, nostalgic I am.
I chose multiple targets for the trials, this is my first one, the "easy" one since all 3 galaxies are fairly bright and have some nice structures that are so awesome when looking at galaxies far far away 😊.
Main obstacles/refinements/etc. were:
1. Flats: as already shown in the M42 image that I recently posted, the flats are enormously important when using the 2x, it seems that it just brings out the tiniest of dust particles that reside on your glasses. And no, my environment is not a dirty one, flats taken at 1x do not show those at all. So every night after my sessions I took flats, and they definitely helped me a lot when stacking the images together.
2. Settings in SGP (and certainly in all other auto capture programs as well): Beside the normal adjustments to the new FL and pixel size, it was very important to adjust the autofocus. The step size needed to be lowered since just a 1000 steps in or out resulted in images that the star detection mechanism could not deal with anymore. Also, increase the exposure time for plate solving and autofocus, at f/14 everything is much less intense.
3. Plate Solving: even with the prolonged exposure time, it was for some targets (I targeted 8 in total so far) not possible. Luckily, my mount is adjusted well enough to point to the correct destination within a few hundred pixels by itself.
4. Integration time: Yes, you need much more than what you would need with an SCT, but I take it, especially since the weather was just phenomenal the last month, many clear nights for us here in Florida.

All in all, I am quite impressed on how this trio turned out (compare with my "old" image from March 2020 in Version B)! I know it is not a special target, I believe almost everybody on Astrobin has it on her/his catalog, but I wanted to get as best as possible details out of the galaxies, which I think was successful. The stars are not as nice as they could be, mainly because this trio spanned across the whole frame, and at the edges the back focus adjustments are super sensitive with the 2x. Smaller targets are in the making, where this does not play such a role anymore.

A sneak peek on my next targets show that there is a limit at f/14, but this is "reserved" for the projects that will be presented in the following weeks. I collected quite some data in the last weeks, cannot process them fast enough, which is good since Summer will be upon us soon (actually, the next 4 days show already thunderstorms after thunderstorms), and then I will share the suffering that a lot of you had in the last 2–3 months, no clear skies.

In my next clear nights I will try to get the same area at 1x and see if I can use at least the stars from those images and integrate them in this one, this might be possible, and it would probably enhance the overall image quality. It will be also interesting to see the difference in resolution inside the galaxies, is it really better at 2x?

Let me know if you have any questions about the setup (Version C) if you also want to dare to take the route of very high f ratios from your light polluted backyard.
* This image was not submitted for IOTD consideration