Meade 20 Inch MAX-ACF Advanced Coma-Free Telescope on MAX Robotic German EQ Mount

[mbaddah]

Anyone have a spare $35k US lying around :)

http://www.telescopes.com/telescopes/catadioptric-telescopes/meade20inchrcx400advancedritcheychr etienonmaxroboticeqmounttripod.cfm

[renormalised]

I wish...but I'd go and save for a little while longer and grab me one of these.... CDK 28" (http://planewave.com/index.php?page=1&id0=6&id=0):)

[TheDecepticon]

I'd have either if they were giving them away!! Sure beats my 8" LX90!:eyepop:

[renormalised]

Same here...yep, my 8" ACF LX90 doesn't quite cut the mustard with these guys :)

[astroron]

The Meade scope weighs 600 odd pounds :eyepop:how would you lift anything:shrug:

[renormalised]

I read an article about a year or so ago, where a few of the guys who bought the first of these Meades setup an observatory and it took 4 of them to lift it into place on the mount!!. I would be more inclined to hire a small portable crane and use a sling arrangement to lift it. That way, two people could guide it into place whilst the crane took the weight.

Mind you, I would be permanently mounting a scope like this. You could hardly call a tripod mount and this scope portable!!!. Unless, of course, you're Big Arnie!!! :):P

[GrampianStars]

http://planewave.com/files/images/products/w_500/DSC_0052.jpg

CDK 700 Mmmmmmmmm! :eyepop:
Do Ya want Fries with that :lol:

[renormalised]

Nope...black and red caviar, please :)

[mbaddah]

Drool!

[icytailmark]

Id rather a 50 inch Dob

[traveller]

How woudl you get a wedge to fit that fork mount :question::P

[Stu Ward]

Not sure you would need one with the Field de-rotator it has inbuilt

[frolinmod]

What an old thread you guys have dredged up!

I certainly would never send off that much cash to Meade for anything. The PlaneWave scopes are far superior. A CDK20 on a Paramount ME would be much better. I am certain that several members of this very forum can attest to that.

[Gama]

Having owned a 14" RCX, and currently own a 20" CDK for the last 3 years, i can tell you that the optics for the RCX are pretty good.
In fact, pretty impressive actually. Of course, not on the same level, but more than enough to produce great results.
Add to that the electronics for the RCX, it was a well packed scope, with great features, and good overall performance.

Theo

[Paul Haese]

I would not write these off too easily. I have been considering one of the 20" models for planetary imaging. Auto collimation and sharp optics are attractive. Not sure about cooling though. What size is the secondary on the planewave scope? No one seems to be using RC or CDK's for planetary work. I wonder if there is something in that? Otherwise I would go with one of those.