Ioptron cube anyone?

[inferno]

Hi guys i havent had much chance to get on the forums lately because of working 7 days a week and the cold weather but i wanted to ask about ioptrons cube and where i can get one? I seen the review in as&t and it is at my price range (cheap) lol. The wife wants to buy me something for chrissy and this is the thing. I have looked on the net and most places are us based. I am in newcastle nsw and was wanting a link to an australian based or even more local outlet. I am just a hack when it comes to astronomy but i am getting there. I have a 114 mm cheapy but i can get the planets and some galaxys and stuff but it would be good for my family to use.
any help is appreciated thanx

[wasyoungonce (Brendan)]

More to read on the cube here:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ioptron/messages

Aust dealers:
http://www.extravision.com.au/contact_us.htm
http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/telescopes.htm

[Gargoyle_Steve (Steve)]

You could send a pm to jjjnettie on this forum, she has an Ioptron cube, and has been achieving some spectacular results with it astro-imaging wise.

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=36441

She also posted this message about a month ago....

"I love my little Ioptron Cube with the 80mm refractor.
For $465 for the basic model with a 5000 object database, it's great value.
http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/ioptron_refractor.htm
I've barely used my 10" dob since I bought it."

[asterisk (Geoff)]

I too read jjjnettie's post on the iOptron Cube and thought I would get one. Sirius Optics http://www.sirius-optics.com.au/index11.htm sells these locally and I found Ron to be very helpful.

The only one he had in stock when I made my purchase in August was the SmartStar-G GOTO Alt Az Mount. I had no luck with it at all - would not talk to my laptop, the GPS continually put it in the Northern Hemisphere 2 time zones east, would not track or GoTo. Manual setup was needed always.

I put a little 80mm refractor on top. I could either balance the tube or setup in the start up position (tube vertical), but not both. The GoTos were very interesting - most objects were either "not available" (I was looking at them) or below the ground.

I investigated the iOptron group and found that these SmartStars had many problems (unlike the earlier model which jjjnettie may have). I contacted iOptron support in the US, had a reply that my problems would be looked into and nothing since.

I contacted Sirius and Ron offered to refund the purchase price, an offer I accepted.

My problems were not unique. Check out the Yahoo group. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/i...ec=group&slk=1

Based on my experiences, I would not recommend the iOptron Cube unless they have vastly improved their current offering.

Cheers

[Geoff]

Hi all, I bought a cube some months ago for an 80 mm refractor. Very portable. The cube? well its ok for tracking but for finding objects is not reliable. Sometimes it was 5 degrees out, sometimes it was spot on. Use the sync to target often helps. I used the auto list and dialed in 10 objects for 20 sec each. Spot on for each. For the price and using a small refractor I guess it is worth it. For the tracking alone it is good.
Geoff

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Hi,
I do love my little Cube and it suits my needs very well, however, there are pro and cons for everything.
I have only ever used it in conjunction with the Gstar-Ex camera, observing live via a computer screen. Using the camera, the views through the 80mm refractor are better than what I could see visually through my 10" Dob, (which I have since sold because I don't use it anymore).
I haven't used the Cube for visual work, but I would imagine that what you can see through your 114mm would be comparable to the refractor.
So if you are looking for bigger and brighter views, you will be disappointed.
If you want aperture for just $399 you can get a nice big 8" Dob from http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm
But the allure of Go-To can be very strong.
The Go-To can be very accurate, so long as the mount and scope are levelled properly ie. don't use the mounts round bubble level, buy yourself a small 3 or 4 inch level to do this. Correct and accurate alignment is essential too.
I have had some troubles with the hand controller, but fixed that by reinstalling my location and time data.
It's very much a grab and go scope. You can pick the whole unit up with one hand, and it packs up into one smallish box that takes up very little room in the boot.
The refractor comes with ditzy little finderscope, you'll want to replace it with something bigger.
So, if you are looking for a nice little grab and go scope, with go-to, for under $500, I definitely would recommend the Ioptron Cube with 80mm refractor.

[inferno]

Thanx for all your help and info guys,
I have emailed sirrus last week for no reply as i would have to buy it and get it shipped to me so i might try the other dealer= extra vision. Has anyone ever purchased from overseas?
thanx jjjnettie for all your info. I have as i said 114mm but you are talking about 80mm refractor? Ok so is it worth it for me to buy the whole package or just the cube?
This site is so helpful thanx guys.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

The payload of the mount is only around 5kg, and you need to have a scope that has a short focal length so you don't hit the mount legs when viewing at zenith.
The Ioptron refractor is a light weight and compact so it suits the mount.