Newbie Question

Anybody got any experience of the Meade ETX-80AT Good or bad?
Is it an Ideal starter scope?
http://www.tecno.co.uk/Store/s42547/...e/details.aspx

SJP wrote:

Anybody got any experience of the Meade ETX-80AT Good or bad?
Is it an Ideal starter scope?

http://www.tecno.co.uk/Store/s42547/...-80AT-Astro-Te
lescope/details.aspx

It just came out top in a recent Sky At Night magazine group test. I
umm'd and arr'd over it myself, but ended up with a 6" Dobsonian and a
4" Maksutov.

It all depends on what you plan looking at I guess. If you really need a
hand with searching stuff out, then the GOTO will help you find them. If
you want to really learn about the sky, then getting a better scope on a
simple mount might be better.

--
Andy Hewitt
http://web.mac.com/andrewhewitt1/

Cheaper at telescopehouse.com


"SJP" wrote in message
...
Anybody got any experience of the Meade ETX-80AT Good or bad?
Is it an Ideal starter scope?
http://www.tecno.co.uk/Store/s42547/...e/details.aspx

Yes, I have. Had one!
Optics are excellent, its a super little scope.
However-
Be prepared to sort out some problems even straight from the box.
On mine, the screws holding both drive motors were not tight, making a
nonsense of the GoTo.
Once that was sorted, it was better than I expected.
It is worth learning how to set the scope up, in its home position. The
instructions that I got, two years ago, were like most manuals - did not
tell you what you needed to know!
Get a Compass and a small spirit level, to point the scope North (the tripod
might be magnetic) and to level the tripod and the scope tube. This gives
you the home position.
The various books that I saw, written esp. for the ETX, were not much
better.
Get to know Weasners Giant ETX site. Covers most of what you will need to
know.
Once you sort the out-of-box problems and learn to set it up, it's a super
scope.
I have spoken to several members of an Astro club who have had no such
problems with the Celestron equivalents and say that theirs are much easier
to set up and align.

Health, Wealth and Happiness

Pat



"SJP" wrote in message
...
Anybody got any experience of the Meade ETX-80AT Good or bad?
Is it an Ideal starter scope?
http://www.tecno.co.uk/Store/s42547/...e/details.aspx




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