Many thanks to everyone for their comments and advise. I will certainly try
and hook up with some locals and benefit from their experience.

Regards,

Phil

"David Feindel" wrote in message
...
I second Jon's comments. I bought an LX90 as my first scope, and am very
glad I did. The downsides to it:
1. The tripod is 20 lbs, the scope and mount are 33 lbs. So depending on
your strength, it my not be terribly portable.
2. Like all SCTs, it does not have a wide field of view. So you'll
likely
find planets, the moon, globulars, and DSOs your favorite objects; open
clusters won't be terribly impressive, because you won't see all of them.
3. Will take 30-45 minutes to cool down and get excellent images (though
most 8" scopes will take the similar length of time for this).
Now for the upsides:
1. Most people have found their LX90 to be very reliable.
2. GoTo helps you learn where everything is. The LX90 is pretty
accurate,
when aligned properly and calibrated.
3. Lots of support from other amateurs, books, magazines, and the web.
There's a yahoo group on the LX90; superb source of info, both for
newcomers
and experienced people.
4. If Meade still has their eyepiece special on... a great deal. Take
it.
5. The Meade LPI option ($150 here in the US) is a great way to start on
astrophotography.

You will need a dew shield and likely a dew heater. Comes with living in
England.

Buy an issue of Astronomy Now, and find one (or more!) astronomy clubs
nearby in the clubs listing section. Attend a star party so you can
freeload views from various kinds of scopes. We're all quite happy to
share
and deliver our opinions.