beren
31-01-2005, 10:41 PM
I was unsure when i wrote up a review of my meade LX200 wether to include my problems in getting a lock with the included GPS function . I thought maybe it may taint a otherwise great scope given that the feature is handy but not a primary part of the system.
When i first got the scope i put the problem down to the obstuctions around my home location , but when i finally got a chance to take it to a wide open rural locale and it still didnt work i knew something was amiss. I quickly tried all the tips offered by the net and still nothing , took it to the dealer and he arranged a new GPS unit to replace it.
Well this is the interesting bit , this was done last Sept and today i finally recived it , installed it and hooray it works . But as you can probarly understand the wait was somewhat ....long :whistle: ....i was orignally told it would take a week and then a long list of promises and excuses followed until finally today . My guess is the dealer was filling a quota before getting shipments in , if anybody is thinking of purchasing a costly bit of kit ask questions first to escape the kind of frustration ive had {bintel for instance has i think orders for meade come in bi-weekly}.In any event my decision to go local proved to hold no advantage.
Well at least it works now , in fact as soon as i powered it up the GPS had acquired a signal within a couple of seconds ...cool . Just a note to other LX200 owners , check inside the left arm cover and check the clips that hold down the GPS cable , they come very close to the balance sensor as it swings when you move the OTA in elevationplus they are stuck on and maybe with extreme heat changes they may fall off. Also the new GPS unit is different from the orignal one , the outer casing is squarish and looks better i think :) .
Lastly i tried at one stage to contact meade directly over the phone to hasten the process {the dealer couldnt provide me with consignment numbers etc}but that proved fruitless. Had to endure the usal ping-ponging from different operators until finally a customer support person told me to contact Meade Australia to sort the problem out , this was after he told me he didnt know meade exported scopes outside the US :whistle: .....:P
When i first got the scope i put the problem down to the obstuctions around my home location , but when i finally got a chance to take it to a wide open rural locale and it still didnt work i knew something was amiss. I quickly tried all the tips offered by the net and still nothing , took it to the dealer and he arranged a new GPS unit to replace it.
Well this is the interesting bit , this was done last Sept and today i finally recived it , installed it and hooray it works . But as you can probarly understand the wait was somewhat ....long :whistle: ....i was orignally told it would take a week and then a long list of promises and excuses followed until finally today . My guess is the dealer was filling a quota before getting shipments in , if anybody is thinking of purchasing a costly bit of kit ask questions first to escape the kind of frustration ive had {bintel for instance has i think orders for meade come in bi-weekly}.In any event my decision to go local proved to hold no advantage.
Well at least it works now , in fact as soon as i powered it up the GPS had acquired a signal within a couple of seconds ...cool . Just a note to other LX200 owners , check inside the left arm cover and check the clips that hold down the GPS cable , they come very close to the balance sensor as it swings when you move the OTA in elevationplus they are stuck on and maybe with extreme heat changes they may fall off. Also the new GPS unit is different from the orignal one , the outer casing is squarish and looks better i think :) .
Lastly i tried at one stage to contact meade directly over the phone to hasten the process {the dealer couldnt provide me with consignment numbers etc}but that proved fruitless. Had to endure the usal ping-ponging from different operators until finally a customer support person told me to contact Meade Australia to sort the problem out , this was after he told me he didnt know meade exported scopes outside the US :whistle: .....:P