Meade LX200 GPS

[Rodstar]

:fishing:

Now that I have cancelled my order for a Celestron 11 (see thread re Dave's LX200 for sale), I am fishing for other game. In particular, I am considering the LX200.

All those with intimate knowledge of the LX200, what do I need to know, pros and cons, before giving in the to the spell of the Mighty Meade?

I am particularly concerned about its weight, and having to lug it around. I have a big car, so transportation from A to B isn't the problem, its carrying it in and out into the backyard.

How does the 10" compare with the 12"? I am an absolute lunatic to even consider the 12??!!

Rodstar:confuse3:

[Astro_Guy]

Not to further confuse anyone, but Celestron just announced a new line of GPS equipped Schmidt-Cassegrains within the last 24 hours. The details are posted on their website. Note the significant drop in price!

[gaa_ian]

Hi Rodstar
As a number of people have noted the Meade LX-90 has near the performance of some 10" scopes due to it's excellent optics.
Our club has a LX-90 & it is not to hard for one person to transport & set up.
Me Im a Dob lover:P , 5 Min's & I'm set up & observing while SCT's & EQ mounts are only 1/2 set up, same at the end of a long late observing night.
If I was buying now it would be a 12" GSO Dob :astron:

[[1ponders]]

I use both a Celestron C11 (on a losmandy G11) and an LX200GPS 8" whenever the clouds let me.

I'd hate to have to lug that 11" around on a regular basis. The 8" is no problem, though helping Striker set up his 10" the first time had me wondering how long it would be before he blew his foo foo valve lugging it around :P And unless Celestron have come up with a mirror lock I'll stick with the meade. Downright painfull trying to line an image up on the ToUcam with the Celestron's image jumping all over the place as you focus. The Meade mirror lock and microfocuser is fantastic in this respect.

Hard to decide on the image quality. The Celestron certainly seems brighter (plus higher magnification for the same lense) but my personal feeling is my meade gives a sharper image (again using the same lense).

I you get the 10" then make yourself a "springy thingy" or get the guiding bracket for mounting. The fixed central bolt idea in the meade is a poor design and makes for very nervous mounting at times.

Hope this helps

[ballaratdragons]

Nice looking scope Astro-Guy (NewCelestron) but as you said yourself - Meade and Celestron will not send to Australia. By the time it gets to the shops here and we buy local, they will cost a bloody fortune!

So much for the 'significant drop in price!'

[Striker]

Regarding price factor between the Meade and Celestron..you get alot more for your money with the meade...celestron is just too expensive here in Australia.....but very similar priced to the Meade overseas.....

I honestly dont find the meade 10" to hard to carry around but I am looking at getting a case like Aragorns just to make it a little easier......lifting into the boot instead of trying to lug around a box which is hard to handle with 1 person.

You will be happy with either!

Its good to find shops that actualy sell both Meade and celestron like Star Optics on the Gold coast...it was intersesting to find when I was asking for prices between the Meade and Celestron they sell 10 Meades to 1 Celestron.....that pretty much answered my question>

[westsky]

Anybody want to know how to get a Celestron scope from the US to OZ saving a few thousand in the process , just PM me.
Sorry I won't tell in an open forum you never know who's watching :-))

David.

[westsky]

This may apply to Meade also, I 'm not sure I bought the Celestron.

[rumples riot]

Good things about the Lx200 10"

Good views with the UHTC optics, it does make a difference.
Like Paul said, the mirror lock and microfocusor are great.
Data base for the Meade is extensive for Goto.
Sotware packages are also good. More than happy with the optics so far, despite some frustrations.

Bad things:

Heavy piece of equipment, not something that you can just sling around, I am about 92 kg (and dropping) and this is still a heavy scope. The twelve is a two man lift if you read the manual. The centre pin is a real pain also. Balancing a scope that cost 6K while trying to line up the hole is poor thinking on Meades behalf. The Wedge should not be an optional extra, it should come with the scope with the option to fit it. UHTC coating on corrector collects dirt and pollen like a magnet.

Would I buy this scope again? Absolutely but only after I got a 6 " Takahashi. Seriously the 10 is enough scope for your needs. gets most targets and you will be surprised what you can see with it even in light polluted skies.

[Rodstar]

Thanks for all of those comments....It is amazing who is looking at this site, I even had a PM from a dealer from the US who gave his "off the record" comments which for obvious reasons I cannot repeat.

I took the plunge today with a 10" LX200 from Bintel....got a great price with a bit of haggling, and they threw in an upgrade 2"diagonal and 2" 30mm eyepiece at no extra charge. Delivery date is THIS WEDNESDAY. Sorry for those in NSW - probably means showers until the second week of Feb at least.

Will put in a field report after first night's viewing.

Rodstar

[rumples riot]

Excellent and welcome to the Lx200 club.

[Rodstar]

Thanks Paul H.

I am glad that I will be part of the local LX200 community to exchange ideas. I think if I'd gone with the Celestron I would have been a little isolated (Cleestron 11 mostly used in the US where prices are a but more sensible). I'll let you know how the first night's viewing goes. I'll probably have to call upon the IceinSpace forum help with set-up, being a bit of a techno-phobe !

Rodstar

[rumples riot]

No probs, just don't drop the scope.

[Striker]

Nice one Rodstar.....

I know what you mean about who reads the forums.....I have had 2 emails from overseas company wanting to supply a product that i was looking for at the time......

You will be happy with your LX200........Celstrons are great aswell.....shame they have so much of a mark up here in OZ....

On the subject of Dropping the scope....is the best place to buy the Guide Plate for the LX200 series at Bintel...anyone know how much they are or have better prices?

[Dave47tuc]

Well done Rod on your new scope:D

You will find they are so much fun to use:P

Get a Petersons Mounting Assistant 11 plate ASAP. This will make mounting the scope so much easier.

Another must have is Bob's Knobs, did you
get them?:confuse3:

One eyepiece you should get:P is the 12mm Nagler:cool:

This eyepiece is just the best mid power one you can get.
212x @ .386deg/ 23'. Just great on the Planets, Moon.
It's my must use on Globular Clusters.:eyepop:

I'm sure if you have any ? on useing this scope, there plenty of people useing them on this forum:cool2:

Best.

:astron:

[[1ponders]]

Hey Hey. Welcome to the group Rod.:cool2: :cool2:

I see that the GS Dob FAQ postings are going strong, maybe it's getting towards time to get an LX 90 and 200 one going. God knows I needed as much advice as I could get when I got mine. All the additional information sent to me by my supplier was great but I had to wade through it to find what I wanted. A site like this then would have helped the frustration immensely. CN and Astr.com were great but they just don't have that Aussie flavour :D:P

[rumples riot]

Agreed a thread on Lx200's would be good, there are lots of things that are not covered in the manual. Differing experiences give lots of guidance.

[iceman]

Agreed, it's up to you guys to get the ball rolling, as I don't own one of those puppies.
Rod will be able to help by providing the noob input and questions, and you guys with the answers :D

[Rodstar]

I suspect we'll spend most of our time discussing how far superior LX200s are to Dobs.....

Rodstar

[Striker]

Shhhh...we don't want those Dob owners to feel inferior......lol

[rumples riot]

Yes, no my scope is better than your scope stuff. Just experiences and questions answered thanks. Remember not everyone has the same sense of humour.

Just acting in my official capacity, I don't want to stiffle conversation, but just remember the rule. Be nice.

[Starkler]

Perhaps a thread on the pros and cons of sct's vs dobs could be interesting.

[[1ponders]]

Nothing wrong with Dobs. I wish at times I had some thing with appature that I could just throw outside during those brief 30 min intervals of clear sky we've been experiencing.

[rumples riot]

That might work Geoff, though we will have to watch it quite closely. I know everyone here is cool, but I have seen this sort of thing turn into a slinging match.

However, if you think it will be constructive, then lets get it happening. Got plenty to gripe about my scope, even though I thick it is a good scope.

[[1ponders]]

Let's start with something that should be easy to fix.

That dumb idea of having a power lead connection that sticks straight out for about 5 cm to get caught up in the handcontroller and microfocuser leads. My connection is nearly snapped off after only 4 months of intermittent use. Anyone got any ideas of how to fix that.

Fixes that an electonic brick could uses please, well maybe not quite but you get the idea.

thanks

[rumples riot]

Me personally I would simply tape it into position, so that it goes down and held away from the handbox lead. As for rewiring, you go me there, don't like power and it don't like me. You could also try using velcro fixed permanantly in place and then just velcro you lead on setup.

[[1ponders]]

The problem I'm having is that the area I've circled is rigid and flexes very little. The only flex is where the end of the lead cover joins the plug. This is the part that has me concerned. Apart from the fact that the coil leads of the handbox and microfocuser are stretching and losing their "springyness". Is there a right angled plug I can replace the existing plug with?

Dn'tchajustluv digital cameras for this sort of stuff :D

[rumples riot]

You could try at Dick smiths, they have all sort of plugs. Only thing with the rewire is to make sure that the centre is positive (I think). You need to check with your local dealer for the exact polarity. Its not that hard, just some soldering and thats it. You just need to get the right plug.

[[1ponders]]

I tried "Dick's" but no luck. I've only just though of it, but I might give the Electrical Techs at work (TAFE) and see what they can do for me. If nothing else they should have heaps of catalogues that I can browse through to see what's available.

Maybe I can drop Don a line at Bintel where I bought it from. I'm sure i'm not the first to experience this.

[Striker]

Paul.....

My connection isn't as bad as your's......the flexible part is very short and doesn't get in the way.......I did however just purchase a 12v connection from Jaycar that cost $7 that hooks upto my 12 volt battery pack through the cigaret lighter. Here (http://www1.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=PP1996&CATID=&keywords=pp1996&SPECIAL=&form=KEYWORD&ProdCodeOnly=&Keyword1=&Keyword2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=)

I have tested it and it seems ok....and yes the center is positive.

[[1ponders]]

Thanks Tony. I wonder if they have a right angled connector? Time for a bit of a peruse of the Jaycar site I think

[RAJAH235]

Hi Guys, 1ponders, *JAYCAR*.part #PP-0515.(Right angled female DCPlug). 2.5mm diam. part #PP-0514.(ditto). 2.1mm diam.
A piece of equipment that IS necessary is a DIGITAL multi meter. These can be purchased for as little as $15.00.Have a look at QM-1520.
HTH.
ps. still a spark.

[[1ponders]]

Cheers thanks Rajah

[Rodstar]

Hey everyone! Just to let you know my "baby" arrived yesterday - a brand new 10 " LX200GPS UHTC!

I opened the big white Meade box with my wife and three kids watching. There was a collective gasp of amazement when we all saw just how beautiful (and big) "she" is...by the way, is it usual to give one's scope a name?....I tempted to give "her" one...

How's the weather been, you ask? Yesterday, just when I had finished putting her together it started to rain. Pelted down pretty much all night! Today- we had a sunny day in Sydney until late afternoon when a torrential downpour with hail etc came down. Our garage suffered minor flooding. It is true what they say....it really does rain for days after you get a telescope. There are some gaps opening upin the clouds but I am very cautious about how wet and spongey the ground is, and I might wait until tomorrow night. I would hate to have a disaster and drop the scope! In the meantime I am learning how everything works. The autostar suite is simply awesome. I can't wait to put it to use.

Iceman, you'll have to give me bell and arrange to drop by soon!

Rodstar

PS My tongue was planted firmly in my cheek when I made the comment about Dobs. . The 20" Dob I recently looked through was mighty fine!

[[1ponders]]

Woo Hoo:D Way ta go Rod. Gorgeous isn't it. :P Very happy for you Rod. How far up the central coast are you.? Will you be dragging clouds away from here?:)

[rumples riot]

Good stuff Rod, welcome to the club and the new bank account. If you don't know what this means you soon will.

[Rodstar]

Thanks Paul R & Paul H. I'm near Gosford...don't think that will help you Paul R.

Yes, the scope is a thing of rare beauty. So solid, well made, accurate, the ultimate toy! Will let you know how I get on.

Rodstar

[Dave47tuc]

Great stuff Rod:)

You will love this scope:cool:

If you have any problems don't hesitate to ask:D

Best.


:astron:

[iceman]

Awesome Rod, so it was you that brought the storms to Sydney/Central Coast yesterday!

Looks like it should be clear tonight, maybe a bit windy though. Should be ok for a first light though, let us know how it goes!

And i'll definitely pop over maybe next week, and we'll go out next weekend. I'm taking Jacob to the Koolang Observatory next Saturday night (12th) - are you up for another trip?

Maybe we could go to Mangrove Mountain on the friday night, it's new moon weekend after all!

[ballaratdragons]

Hey Rod,

I have a Dobsonian mount for an LX200GPS!


Want it? :D

[Rodstar]

Ken, thanks for the offer, but the fork mount is working just fine!!

Mike - the Friday/Sat night double sounds great...subject to She Who Must Be Obeyed vetting the idea...will confirm early next week. Have a great party this weekend.

I just spend three hours at the scope in crystal clear skies tonight...first night out with the new scope. Took me about an hour to work our what the f#%@$ was going on with the focus....all I could see was a big donut of light....then realised focus was off the proverbial richter scale, and managed to reign it in. Guess what I was quite inadvertently pointing at at the time?? Saturn. Never has anything looked quite so good!

Then after a few false starts with the GPS Auto Alignment program, I got straight into some auto slewing, and took in some of the gems of the cosmos. It is so easy with the auto suite. Having said that, I also took some time just to meander through the cosmos in a totally random way....stumbled across the Jewel Box, quite by accident, a bit like stumbling across a pub after a long day of work....then I went inside and got a real beer, then back out for more exploration. Our Bangalow Palm was annoyingly in the way of Orion, and I wasn't about to shift the scope and do set-up again. So maybe another night. Just missed Jupiter...I really need to get some sleep before work tomorrow.

I am already seeing the need to get a bigger range of eyepieces. I'd better go and count my pennies.

Happy stargazing everyone!

Rodstar

[iceman]

Excellent Rod!

What EP's came with the scope? Have you got a barlow?

btw i'm bringing the laptop and ToUcam next weekend (friday) when we go to the Mangroves.. we'll see if my images are due to the non-tracking mount or my poor capture/processing techniques :lol2:

Can't wait to get some Saturn avi's through an f/10 scope! :)

[Dave47tuc]

Ah Rod,
It has been said new toy great, first look second etc. :whistle:

Then oh lets look at some big eyepieces:P

Your pennie counting has just begun:P

Great scope :D

Best.


:astron:

[hawkeye]

Hi gang, just joined the Icers.
Congrats on buying the 10" Meade, Dave.
I remember opening the 'big white box' in front of the family and going quiet when I saw just how big the 10"er is in real life. I had only seen an 8"er in the shop.
Haven't looked back since, although it took me a while to work out how to safely get it into the boot of the Falcon. Made up a wooden, foam-lined tray that the scope lies in and which all slides in quite nicely.

Cheers
Hawkeye

[ballaratdragons]

Hi Hawk.

Welcome.

Not another 'press the button and go look' freak! lol

1957 WAS agood year wasn't it!!!

[Dave47tuc]

:welcome: Hawkeye.

It was Rod who brought the new Meade:D

I have had mine for some time.:whistle:

Glad to see you here with your Meade 10" Plenty of these around here:2thumbs:

Sorry ken wasn't around in 57, But I used to drive a 55 Chevy:D

Best.


:astron:

[Rodstar]

Welcome Hawkeye!

Mike, the scope came with both a 1.25" and 2" diagonal and a 1.25" Meade series 4000 26mm super Plossl and 2" Bintel GSO Superview 30mm.

I am lusting after some wide view higher mag pieces...maybe something about the 10mm, 15mm and 20mm will keep me happy. What have you got Mike?

Rodstar

[iceman]

Great eyepiece, from all reports. You'll need a 2" barlow now.

I've got a 25, 15 and 9mm (all in 1.25") with a 1.25" 2x barlow.

You can get the GSO Superview in 15mm and 20mm focal lengths in 1.25" size, that'll give you higher magnification with a wide field.. either that, or save up for a nagler 11mm or something.

Still, a 2" barlow should be your next investment.. with the 1.25" adapter you'll be able to use it for all your eyepieces, and effectively double the number of EP's you own.

Can't wait to get the scopes side by side.

[Rodstar]

Mike, between the two sets of eyepieces, next Friday pm should be a real treat!

Rodstar

[hawkeye]

Thanks for the welcome people.
Yep, '57 was a good year, Ken. I even drove a '57 Ford Zephyr for a while. It was a rocket; I drove it up through NSW doing the ton in the days of unlimited speeds outside of built up areas. Stopping it was another trick altogether.

I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with locals sky gazers, as well as my old mates on Cloudy Nights (where I met Rumple Riot, who pointed me in this direction).

Cheers