Hi Paul.

You might want to try get getting your scope repaired under the guarentee.
It might have just run out, but since it's already been repaired once, they
might still do it. I'm not sure how true this is, but in the EC there's a
statutory right now, that says that a piece of equipment is supposed to last
for a good lifetime before failure, regardless of what the manufacturer's
guarentee states, so a telescope like the ETX105 should reasonably last for
over 20 years with proper care! It's worth checking out to see if this is
true, and get it repaired. If you check this out, please let me know if
it's true or not.

Regards

Colin Dawson
www.cjdawson.com

"Paul Evans" wrote in message
...

"J" wrote in message
...
Phillip Brown wrote:
Hi, I live in the UK and am looking to purchase a good quality, good
value, computerized telescope. I have intermediate experience but
consider myself an amateur at present. I have used £800 binoculars with
image-stabiliser, but would prefer a telescope.

Looking for 5" or above so I get decent results, and it doesn't have to
hook into a computer, it could just be the keypad type on the side where
I enter the data.

My budget is around £200-£400. Is there a telescope that fits the bill
that is generally regarded as the best budget computerized telescope?

Thanks!
Check out the Meade ETX series. ETX-90, -105, and -125; the numbers
indicate aperture in mm. Recommend paying a little more for the UHTC
coatings.

This may be a good time to purchase one because Meade has just introduced
the ETX Premier Series (or something like that) and dealers may be
offering discounts on their ETX inventory to clear the way for the new
ones. You should be able to purchase the scope w/UHTC coatings, tripod,
and #497 Autostar as a package.

Check out Mike Weasner's Mighty ETX Site:
http://www.weasner.com/etx/menu.html

A year ago I would have agreed with that choice - indeed yesterday I would
have agreed with it. However since my ETX105 has gone wrong again - the
second time in a year - I am less than convinced.

It is a superb scope although some of the mechanics seem fragile. It has
so far had a control panel replaced under guarantee - it just stopped
working one day, and now the RA motor rotates without moving the scope and
the guarantee just ran out :-(

P.