Meade LX90 Advice

[ghusko]

Hi again,
Acquired a Meade LX90 UHTC 8" F10 with heavy field tripod and autostar with a full set of series 5000 eyepieces some still in plastic for what I believe was the bargain price of $500 everything seems to work fine optics are pristine.

What would be a first good upgrade for the setup considering everything is stock, diagonal / spotting scope ect

would you go for a focal reducer first or upgrade the diagonal to a 2", interested to hear opinions, at the moment I will just be doing some casual observing, planets some DSO's hopefully.

TIA Gordo.

[gaseous]

You got the scope AND the eyepieces for $500??? Or just the eyepieces? Either way, not a bad score.

Maybe just get familiar with the scope before accessorizing too much (I understand the temptation), although a decent narrowband filter will help you in your search for nebular DSOs.

[Gundary5]

You definitely picked up a bargain!

If you’re thinking of taking it to dark sky sites, consider a good external power supply.
A dew shield and possibly heaters are almost essential, depending on your location.

[ghusko]

Yep got the lot for $500 and yes forgot has an external PSU already forgot to mention that.

It was listed on eBay for 10 mins, I check regularly, emailed them, for a buy it now price acted dumb asked if they would take its listing price $500 ...new owner:eyepop:

Dark sky is in the backyard for me close too Wisemans Ferry closest light pollution is Castle Hill 20 odd kms away.

Narrow band filter will check it out thanks for the advice

Cheers Gordo.

[SkyWatch]

A great buy Gordon! Congratulations!

Regarding your query, I would add a GSO 2" quartz diagonal as a first upgrade. I found with both my Celestron CPC and a friend's LX90 that the star images immediately improved from fuzzy to text-book with the new diagonal.

I would wait until you have used it for a while before deciding on a focal reducer.

All the best, and happy observing!

Dean

[ghusko]

Thanks Dean noted cheap enough upgrade

[iborg]

Hi Gordo

As others have said great buy!

The best thing I think I have done for my LX90 is a red dot finder.

Makes getting the guide star into the finder scope much easier for alignment.

And you will probably need at least a dew shield, and probably heater. If nothing else, the dew shield helps keep out stray light.

Philip

[ghusko]

Thanks Phillip was toying with the idea of a Telrad cheap enough

Cheers Gordo.

[iborg]

Hi

I think the Telrads are good units, but, I REALLY don't like the look of them.

I went for this style, but, don't really remember where I actually bought it from. I think it was Bintel while they were still in Melbourne.

https://www.bintel.com.au/product/bintel-red-dot-finder-multi-target/?gclid=CjwKCAjwlIvXBRBjEiwATWAQIjQO uIexCvmKyKnK--7m7JfzringtHLJdIQ2YjkIpp3FHCbWM3701 RoCDOgQAvD_BwE

[ghusko]

Yeah agreed, that unit look pretty nice looks like it attached to the existing rail as well?

[iborg]

Hi

A link to photos of my setup for those interested.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=1224977#post122497 7

Philip

[ghusko]

Nice setup very tidy.

[iborg]

Thank you, not so tidy looking with the cables on as well!

[tempestwizz]

From memory, I think you need to be careful what 2” diagonal you choose, as some can be too long to fit under the base when the scope is near zenith. Otherwise a good choice.

[iborg]

Hi

I can testify that Brian is right. With my 2" diagonal, no zenith.

Philip

[ghusko]

Okay good advice, so is there one that is recommended for the LX90 series?

[yoda776]

Depends on your budget. I have found the Meade 5000 series enhanced dielectric diagonal has worked well on my LX200 8". The Baader diagonals can be very nice and very expensive. I would check ebay and sometimes even places like Agena Astro in the US that have a good range and shipping cost is pretty good.

Bintel have a couple although their range is a lot smaller than I recall - https://www.bintel.com.au/product-category/other/diagonals/

Or you could watch the accessories section of the classifieds as diagonals do come up from time to time (or put a wanted ad up). Sometimes a well cared for secondhand diagonal does just as well with the bonus of cheaper cost.