Wanted : An astronomical club or similar association willing to take over (at no cost) a Meade 12” LX200 for permanent installation and use by members.
I no longer use my much loved 12” LX200 “Classic”, preferring to concentrate on imaging with lighter equipment. The LX200 was bought in 1998 from Astro Optical Supplies in Sydney and was permanently pier mounted in a fibreglass dome until it was decommisioned in late 2013. Since then it has been boxed indoors. There are probably many years of useful life left in it and it deserves to be put to productive use. It is a heavy beast and when mounted on its substantial equatorial wedge it is really only suitable for permanent installation.
Equipment included :
Fork mounted 12” LX200 OTA with star diagonal and 8x 50mm finder
240v to 18v power supply
Keypad hand controller
Piggyback bracket
Superwedge
Counterweight bar + set of 3 weights
Kendrick vinyl wrap-around dew shield
Losmandy 12”dovetail plate
Losmandy Guidescope rings
Losmandy camera mount
Condition :
OTA – one small part of the film inside of the front corrector plate is missing following cleaning and the removal of some mould by Astro Optical. This does not seem to noticeably degrade the optical performance. Otherwise in good condition.
Finder – the attachment of the 45o mirror needs some attention.
Electronics and keypad – generally good but I never did succeed in connecting to a computer for remote control (may need some TLC?)
Wedge and other items – all in good condition.
Available for inspection at, and collection from, northern Sydney. If needed can be couriered at new owners' cost.
Please send a PM expressing your interest and plans for its intended location and further use by club/association members.
Last edited by DavidLJ; 27-05-2015 at 07:10 AM.
Reason: Suitable club has been found
The 'scope has now found a new home with an active astro group where it will be used by members and interested visitors on public nights. It's hard to say goodbye to an old friend but it will be put to much better use there.
