I have been playing with PHD2 for auto guiding and reading up on it. I think I have learned something but I am not sure. What the Tutorials seem to be indicting is that if you connect your guide camera through ASCOM and also connect your mount with ASCOM in the PHD2 set up then you do not need a cable going from your guide camera to the port on the mount. It appears that this cable is only used if you have to select the ST4 Autoguide mode. If you can use pulse guide then no cable, the guide corrections go through the serial cable to the mount.
Have I got this right??? I would love to take out the cable between the guide camera and the mount as it is the one that tends to get fouled on long slews.
Ed