Astronomy store at Sun River Nature Center worthy?

Anyone done business with them? They offer to set up and test
telescopes before shipping them to the end user, and meet valid prices
(not that it doesn't seem like the price "fix" is in on these things
....).

Answering my own question: sorry to say they don't seem to follow up
their promises to get back on availability, costs, ets, or perhaps are
so into astronomy that a "prompt" reply is measured on a galactic time
scale. I'll give them a bit longer, since presumably (being an
observatory of some kind) they know what they're doing, and are
willing to make sure a new Celestron (potentially a POS out of the
box, alas) is okay.

JT wrote:

Anyone done business with them? They offer to set up and test
telescopes before shipping them to the end user, and meet valid prices
(not that it doesn't seem like the price "fix" is in on these things
...).

JT wrote:
Answering my own question: sorry to say they don't seem to follow up
their promises to get back on availability, costs, ets, or perhaps are
so into astronomy that a "prompt" reply is measured on a galactic time
scale. I'll give them a bit longer, since presumably (being an
observatory of some kind) they know what they're doing, and are
willing to make sure a new Celestron (potentially a POS out of the
box, alas) is okay.

JT wrote:


Anyone done business with them? They offer to set up and test
telescopes before shipping them to the end user, and meet valid prices
(not that it doesn't seem like the price "fix" is in on these things
...).


Sun River is a retirement community south of Bend, OR-----the Nature
Center is open on a limited basis, and (I believe) staffed with volunteers.

Wayne Howell
Photon Phlats Observatory
Port Townsend, WA

thanks Wayne. It does feel as if it's staffed by well-intentioned
volunteers, from the casual email interface I've had with them.

But on their web site
http://www.sunrivernaturecenter.org/...omy_store.html they
have a page listing new telescopes for sale that looks like a lot of
retail telescope shops (and reminding that the proceeds go to a worthy
cause, them).

That their policy is to set up each Celestron and check it out before
shipping it on to the likes of me is a huge bonus, imo, since the
Celestron mailing lists suggest that there's something quite
significant that the factory has failed to make right on practically
every telescope they're delivering these days. While most of these
defects can be repaired or adjusted away, they seem to be frustrating
to a lot of newbies.

Now if only I could get them to do the deal....

Wayne Howell wrote:

JT wrote:
Answering my own question: sorry to say they don't seem to follow up
their promises to get back on availability, costs, ets, or perhaps are
so into astronomy that a "prompt" reply is measured on a galactic time
scale. I'll give them a bit longer, since presumably (being an
observatory of some kind) they know what they're doing, and are
willing to make sure a new Celestron (potentially a POS out of the
box, alas) is okay.

JT wrote:


Anyone done business with them? They offer to set up and test
telescopes before shipping them to the end user, and meet valid prices
(not that it doesn't seem like the price "fix" is in on these things
...).


Sun River is a retirement community south of Bend, OR-----the Nature
Center is open on a limited basis, and (I believe) staffed with volunteers.

Wayne Howell
Photon Phlats Observatory
Port Townsend, WA

Hi JT,

I bought a CGE-1400 from Sunriver Nature Center.

In my case, I did not go through their web site. I spoke directly to Bob
Grossfeld, their Observatory Manager. I've seen him at the major Pacific
Northwest star parties for many years. At Table Mountain Star Party last
July, I arranged to buy the CGE and take delivery at Oregon Star Party in
August.

I was very satisfied with the experience. It turns out that the Starbright
XLT coatings were announced the first day after Table Mountain. Bob
contacted me via email to check to see if I wanted the new coatings (I did).
Also, while I like Anacortes Telescope and Wild Bird - they are a 2 hour
drive from my home, Sunriver was able to sell me the telescope at
significanly less cost. Bob offered a break off of the typical price that
you'll see advertised, and there was no shipping cost since I picked it up
from them at OSP. I have a friend who bought an LX200 from Anacortes, and
they charged him the shipping cost even though he picked it up at
Anacortes's store.

As for setup and testing, Bob told me that this is a service that they
typically provide, but that they double check with purchasers of high end
scopes whether they want it, or whether they want unopened packages. I told
them to go ahead an play with it before bringing it to the star party. They
have a C14 on a CI700 mount at the observatory, and they did side by side
comparisons with my CGE. They were pretty impressed with the new scope.
Also, Bob did take the trouble to ask me if I'd ever been to OSP. The dust
conditions are such that it's a very harsh environment for any scope, let
alone a brand new one. I've been to OSP many times, and knew what to
expect, but I appreciated the "heads up."

I don't know what your experience level is with this type of equipment, but
I would like to add that their setup and test will probably only catch
things like missing or obviously damaged parts. If you are planning on
doing astrophotography, and need to minimize periodic error or fine tune the
mount, I doubt that this step would help. Also, I'd guess that the vast
majority of "problems" that new users experience are really user error, and
not problems with the scopes themselves. The best thing that you can do to
help yourself here is to find someone that has experience with a modern,
goto scope and have them help you out. They would be able to teach you to
do the basic setup and help you to correctly understand what you should
expect from the equipment.

I didn't see which Celestron scope you are interested in, but in the case of
the CGE, the vast majority of issues that folks are having with the mount up
on the Yahoo group, are coming from a fairly small set of people that are
pushing the mount as far as they can to see what it can do. There are a few
common issues that are known to the group, and there are steps to correct or
work around them. I believe that the common view is that these are just
growing pains associated with a new mount. It's my understanding that the
NexStar GPS series is working great for folks right out of the box (but I
should mention that I don't follow the NexStar groups.) Also, I guess that
there was some problem with the mounts on the run of NexStar GT scopes that
Costco was recently selling. I don't know what ever happened with that. I
can tell you that my particular scope was just fine out of the box, and that
I've had no issues beyond what I'd expect with a new piece of complex and
high performance equipment. When I was talking to Bob at OSP, we spoke
briefly about a few of the issues that I'd seen on the Yahoo group. He
indicated to me at that time that I should contact him directly with any
issues and that he had contacts at Celestron beyond the typical product
support group. Up to now, I've had no reason to test that.

Finally, as to Sunriver's responsiveness over email, I can confirm that
they've been a bit slow to respond when I've been looking to order some
extra stuff. In a couple of cases, I've had to send reminder mail. For me,
that's not a big deal. Astronomy is one of my two big hobbies, and I don't
let either of them cause me stress.

I hope that this is helpful information,
-Wade


"JT" wrote in message
...
thanks Wayne. It does feel as if it's staffed by well-intentioned
volunteers, from the casual email interface I've had with them.

But on their web site
http://www.sunrivernaturecenter.org/...omy_store.html they
have a page listing new telescopes for sale that looks like a lot of
retail telescope shops (and reminding that the proceeds go to a worthy
cause, them).

That their policy is to set up each Celestron and check it out before
shipping it on to the likes of me is a huge bonus, imo, since the
Celestron mailing lists suggest that there's something quite
significant that the factory has failed to make right on practically
every telescope they're delivering these days. While most of these
defects can be repaired or adjusted away, they seem to be frustrating
to a lot of newbies.

Now if only I could get them to do the deal....

Wayne Howell wrote:

JT wrote:
Answering my own question: sorry to say they don't seem to follow up
their promises to get back on availability, costs, ets, or perhaps are
so into astronomy that a "prompt" reply is measured on a galactic time
scale. I'll give them a bit longer, since presumably (being an
observatory of some kind) they know what they're doing, and are
willing to make sure a new Celestron (potentially a POS out of the
box, alas) is okay.

JT wrote:


Anyone done business with them? They offer to set up and test
telescopes before shipping them to the end user, and meet valid prices
(not that it doesn't seem like the price "fix" is in on these things
...).


Sun River is a retirement community south of Bend, OR-----the Nature
Center is open on a limited basis, and (I believe) staffed with
volunteers.

Wayne Howell
Photon Phlats Observatory
Port Townsend, WA

Thanks, Wade,

Yes, Bob has indeed been my email contact. He seems very congenial,
but keeps agreeing to do simple things - most recently, "give me your
zip code and I'll get back to you with a price including shipping"
that one might expect an efficient retailer with good c/s to deal with
in an hour or two, or at most the following day. It's been several
days.

Since I knew nothing about the place before your nice description
below, I worried about how that kind of behavior would work in the
longer run. I'd like to have a C8-SGT before Christmas, and initially
Bob said (after I reminded him a day later that he's said he'd check)
that it would take 4 or 5 weeks for the ordinary coating, a couple
more for the better one. So the long siestas worried me.

I'd like to do business with them - Bob seems genuinely nice, and I
trust that they're more than qualified to do the setup and checkout.
But time marches on, and they're in stock at other places.

I haven't read the Yahoo postings in great detail. There seem to be
some Celestron zealots anxious to defend the product, and others
anxious to find a single Celestron (recent) buyer who's gotten
something up to their expectations, out of the box. Then they get into
arguing about "perfection."

My opinion in the matter (from reading yahoo, having no personal
experience yet) is that Celestron is having a pot full of problems
filling unexpected demand for an agressively priced product, and is
doing it the wrong way, earning a reputation for poor quality in the
deal. Nothing about the Yahoo posts suggests that "Quality" is high on
their priority list. (Not optical quality, but Quality in the overall
sense.)

My expectation is that all the parts will be there, the instruction
manual will be for the actual instrument, and that any alignment
needed would be a fine adjustment that would make sense, especially
after shipment.

Criticizing inexperienced buyers doesn't explain the reports of
missing weights, gears improperly assembled or not tight, manual with
sections that seem to apply to an earlier instrument, and a long list
of other problems I wouldn't expect from a $39 k'nex toy set, much
less a $1300 instrument.

So there you have it - those who for some reason are willing to
forgive the company for its mistakes, and those who expect a
commercial product to meet commercial standards. I'll wager the first
group would not be so happy if their new Ford came with the timing
marks a few degrees off, or the alternator needing its bolts tightened
and the belt slipping badly.

But no one is faulting the instrument once it's out of the box and
repaired, so it's on my shopping list.

Thanks for the good word about Sun River. If Bob gets back to me soon
with those numbers, we'll probably move ahead.

John

"Wade A. Hilmo" wrote:

Hi JT,

I bought a CGE-1400 from Sunriver Nature Center.

In my case, I did not go through their web site. I spoke directly to Bob
Grossfeld, their Observatory Manager. I've seen him at the major Pacific
Northwest star parties for many years. At Table Mountain Star Party last
July, I arranged to buy the CGE and take delivery at Oregon Star Party in
August.

I was very satisfied with the experience. It turns out that the Starbright
XLT coatings were announced the first day after Table Mountain. Bob
contacted me via email to check to see if I wanted the new coatings (I did).
Also, while I like Anacortes Telescope and Wild Bird - they are a 2 hour
drive from my home, Sunriver was able to sell me the telescope at
significanly less cost. Bob offered a break off of the typical price that
you'll see advertised, and there was no shipping cost since I picked it up
from them at OSP. I have a friend who bought an LX200 from Anacortes, and
they charged him the shipping cost even though he picked it up at
Anacortes's store.

As for setup and testing, Bob told me that this is a service that they
typically provide, but that they double check with purchasers of high end
scopes whether they want it, or whether they want unopened packages. I told
them to go ahead an play with it before bringing it to the star party. They
have a C14 on a CI700 mount at the observatory, and they did side by side
comparisons with my CGE. They were pretty impressed with the new scope.
Also, Bob did take the trouble to ask me if I'd ever been to OSP. The dust
conditions are such that it's a very harsh environment for any scope, let
alone a brand new one. I've been to OSP many times, and knew what to
expect, but I appreciated the "heads up."

I don't know what your experience level is with this type of equipment, but
I would like to add that their setup and test will probably only catch
things like missing or obviously damaged parts. If you are planning on
doing astrophotography, and need to minimize periodic error or fine tune the
mount, I doubt that this step would help. Also, I'd guess that the vast
majority of "problems" that new users experience are really user error, and
not problems with the scopes themselves. The best thing that you can do to
help yourself here is to find someone that has experience with a modern,
goto scope and have them help you out. They would be able to teach you to
do the basic setup and help you to correctly understand what you should
expect from the equipment.

I didn't see which Celestron scope you are interested in, but in the case of
the CGE, the vast majority of issues that folks are having with the mount up
on the Yahoo group, are coming from a fairly small set of people that are
pushing the mount as far as they can to see what it can do. There are a few
common issues that are known to the group, and there are steps to correct or
work around them. I believe that the common view is that these are just
growing pains associated with a new mount. It's my understanding that the
NexStar GPS series is working great for folks right out of the box (but I
should mention that I don't follow the NexStar groups.) Also, I guess that
there was some problem with the mounts on the run of NexStar GT scopes that
Costco was recently selling. I don't know what ever happened with that. I
can tell you that my particular scope was just fine out of the box, and that
I've had no issues beyond what I'd expect with a new piece of complex and
high performance equipment. When I was talking to Bob at OSP, we spoke
briefly about a few of the issues that I'd seen on the Yahoo group. He
indicated to me at that time that I should contact him directly with any
issues and that he had contacts at Celestron beyond the typical product
support group. Up to now, I've had no reason to test that.

Finally, as to Sunriver's responsiveness over email, I can confirm that
they've been a bit slow to respond when I've been looking to order some
extra stuff. In a couple of cases, I've had to send reminder mail. For me,
that's not a big deal. Astronomy is one of my two big hobbies, and I don't
let either of them cause me stress.

I hope that this is helpful information,
-Wade

Thanks, Wade,

Yes, Bob has indeed been my email contact. He seems very congenial,
but keeps agreeing to do simple things - most recently, "give me your
zip code and I'll get back to you with a price including shipping"
that one might expect an efficient retailer with good c/s to deal with
in an hour or two, or at most the following day. It's been several
days.

Since I knew nothing about the place before your nice description
below, I worried about how that kind of behavior would work in the
longer run. I'd like to have a C8-SGT before Christmas, and initially
Bob said (after I reminded him a day later that he's said he'd check)
that it would take 4 or 5 weeks for the ordinary coating, a couple
more for the better one. So the long siestas worried me.

I'd like to do business with them - Bob seems genuinely nice, and I
trust that they're more than qualified to do the setup and checkout.
But time marches on, and they're in stock at other places.

I haven't read the Yahoo postings in great detail. There seem to be
some Celestron zealots anxious to defend the product, and others
anxious to find a single Celestron (recent) buyer who's gotten
something up to their expectations, out of the box. Then they get into
arguing about "perfection."

My opinion in the matter (from reading yahoo, having no personal
experience yet) is that Celestron is having a pot full of problems
filling unexpected demand for an agressively priced product, and is
doing it the wrong way, earning a reputation for poor quality in the
deal. Nothing about the Yahoo posts suggests that "Quality" is high on
their priority list. (Not optical quality, but Quality in the overall
sense.)

My expectation is that all the parts will be there, the instruction
manual will be for the actual instrument, and that any alignment
needed would be a fine adjustment that would make sense, especially
after shipment.

Criticizing inexperienced buyers doesn't explain the reports of
missing weights, gears improperly assembled or not tight, manual with
sections that seem to apply to an earlier instrument, and a long list
of other problems I wouldn't expect from a $39 k'nex toy set, much
less a $1300 instrument.

So there you have it - those who for some reason are willing to
forgive the company for its mistakes, and those who expect a
commercial product to meet commercial standards. I'll wager the first
group would not be so happy if their new Ford came with the timing
marks a few degrees off, or the alternator needing its bolts tightened
and the belt slipping badly.

But no one is faulting the instrument once it's out of the box and
repaired, so it's on my shopping list.

Thanks for the good word about Sun River. If Bob gets back to me soon
with those numbers, we'll probably move ahead.

John

"Wade A. Hilmo" wrote:

Hi JT,

I bought a CGE-1400 from Sunriver Nature Center.

In my case, I did not go through their web site. I spoke directly to Bob
Grossfeld, their Observatory Manager. I've seen him at the major Pacific
Northwest star parties for many years. At Table Mountain Star Party last
July, I arranged to buy the CGE and take delivery at Oregon Star Party in
August.

I was very satisfied with the experience. It turns out that the Starbright
XLT coatings were announced the first day after Table Mountain. Bob
contacted me via email to check to see if I wanted the new coatings (I did).
Also, while I like Anacortes Telescope and Wild Bird - they are a 2 hour
drive from my home, Sunriver was able to sell me the telescope at
significanly less cost. Bob offered a break off of the typical price that
you'll see advertised, and there was no shipping cost since I picked it up
from them at OSP. I have a friend who bought an LX200 from Anacortes, and
they charged him the shipping cost even though he picked it up at
Anacortes's store.

As for setup and testing, Bob told me that this is a service that they
typically provide, but that they double check with purchasers of high end
scopes whether they want it, or whether they want unopened packages. I told
them to go ahead an play with it before bringing it to the star party. They
have a C14 on a CI700 mount at the observatory, and they did side by side
comparisons with my CGE. They were pretty impressed with the new scope.
Also, Bob did take the trouble to ask me if I'd ever been to OSP. The dust
conditions are such that it's a very harsh environment for any scope, let
alone a brand new one. I've been to OSP many times, and knew what to
expect, but I appreciated the "heads up."

I don't know what your experience level is with this type of equipment, but
I would like to add that their setup and test will probably only catch
things like missing or obviously damaged parts. If you are planning on
doing astrophotography, and need to minimize periodic error or fine tune the
mount, I doubt that this step would help. Also, I'd guess that the vast
majority of "problems" that new users experience are really user error, and
not problems with the scopes themselves. The best thing that you can do to
help yourself here is to find someone that has experience with a modern,
goto scope and have them help you out. They would be able to teach you to
do the basic setup and help you to correctly understand what you should
expect from the equipment.

I didn't see which Celestron scope you are interested in, but in the case of
the CGE, the vast majority of issues that folks are having with the mount up
on the Yahoo group, are coming from a fairly small set of people that are
pushing the mount as far as they can to see what it can do. There are a few
common issues that are known to the group, and there are steps to correct or
work around them. I believe that the common view is that these are just
growing pains associated with a new mount. It's my understanding that the
NexStar GPS series is working great for folks right out of the box (but I
should mention that I don't follow the NexStar groups.) Also, I guess that
there was some problem with the mounts on the run of NexStar GT scopes that
Costco was recently selling. I don't know what ever happened with that. I
can tell you that my particular scope was just fine out of the box, and that
I've had no issues beyond what I'd expect with a new piece of complex and
high performance equipment. When I was talking to Bob at OSP, we spoke
briefly about a few of the issues that I'd seen on the Yahoo group. He
indicated to me at that time that I should contact him directly with any
issues and that he had contacts at Celestron beyond the typical product
support group. Up to now, I've had no reason to test that.

Finally, as to Sunriver's responsiveness over email, I can confirm that
they've been a bit slow to respond when I've been looking to order some
extra stuff. In a couple of cases, I've had to send reminder mail. For me,
that's not a big deal. Astronomy is one of my two big hobbies, and I don't
let either of them cause me stress.

I hope that this is helpful information,
-Wade

Hi JT,

I don't want to sound like a Celestron apologist, even though I do own 3 of
their products (the CGE, a first generation NexStar 5, and an Ultima 2000).
In all cases, including the CGE, which is by far the newest, I received the
scopes in good working order, with all parts present and the correct
manuals. Still, even though I have all Celestron equipment so far, I would
have had no problem purchasing the LX200 instead of the CGE. The LX200
actually has some features that I like better than any of the Celestron
scopes, but for the 14 inch, portability was a concern - and the main reason
that I eliminated the 14" LX200 from consideration.

Also, from what I've heard, the recent hype around the Mars opposition has
totally overwhelmed Celestron (and maybe other scope manufacturers) with
many novice consumers buying entry level (and bigger) scopes. This
certainly does not excuse some of the things that you mention below, nor
does it forgive poor after-the-sale service for folks who have
problems...but it might help to at least explain it. For what it's worth,
in lurking in the CGE forum, I've heard of virtually no consistent problems
with the scopes arriving defective or incomplete - I can only think of one
or two cases in the 10 months or so I've been there where there's been a
geniune defective product out of the box.

As to the auto analogies, I've always had a bit of trouble with them.
Telescopes do not receive anywhere near the investment in research and
development that automobiles or consumer electronics do. Also, they are not
produced in the same quantities. If you think of a telescope as a
scientific instrument, instead of a car or stereo, you may have better luck
with your expectations.

Finally, all of this is just "what if" conjecture. My experience with
Celestron telescopes is that 3 out of 3 of them have been correct out of the
box. I've got a number of friends with both Celestron and Meade scopes, and
their experience has been the same. In all likelyhood, your telescope will
arrive in perfect condition.

Thanks,
-Wade

"JT" wrote in message
...
Thanks, Wade,

Yes, Bob has indeed been my email contact. He seems very congenial,
but keeps agreeing to do simple things - most recently, "give me your
zip code and I'll get back to you with a price including shipping"
that one might expect an efficient retailer with good c/s to deal with
in an hour or two, or at most the following day. It's been several
days.

Since I knew nothing about the place before your nice description
below, I worried about how that kind of behavior would work in the
longer run. I'd like to have a C8-SGT before Christmas, and initially
Bob said (after I reminded him a day later that he's said he'd check)
that it would take 4 or 5 weeks for the ordinary coating, a couple
more for the better one. So the long siestas worried me.

I'd like to do business with them - Bob seems genuinely nice, and I
trust that they're more than qualified to do the setup and checkout.
But time marches on, and they're in stock at other places.

I haven't read the Yahoo postings in great detail. There seem to be
some Celestron zealots anxious to defend the product, and others
anxious to find a single Celestron (recent) buyer who's gotten
something up to their expectations, out of the box. Then they get into
arguing about "perfection."

My opinion in the matter (from reading yahoo, having no personal
experience yet) is that Celestron is having a pot full of problems
filling unexpected demand for an agressively priced product, and is
doing it the wrong way, earning a reputation for poor quality in the
deal. Nothing about the Yahoo posts suggests that "Quality" is high on
their priority list. (Not optical quality, but Quality in the overall
sense.)

My expectation is that all the parts will be there, the instruction
manual will be for the actual instrument, and that any alignment
needed would be a fine adjustment that would make sense, especially
after shipment.

Criticizing inexperienced buyers doesn't explain the reports of
missing weights, gears improperly assembled or not tight, manual with
sections that seem to apply to an earlier instrument, and a long list
of other problems I wouldn't expect from a $39 k'nex toy set, much
less a $1300 instrument.

So there you have it - those who for some reason are willing to
forgive the company for its mistakes, and those who expect a
commercial product to meet commercial standards. I'll wager the first
group would not be so happy if their new Ford came with the timing
marks a few degrees off, or the alternator needing its bolts tightened
and the belt slipping badly.

But no one is faulting the instrument once it's out of the box and
repaired, so it's on my shopping list.

Thanks for the good word about Sun River. If Bob gets back to me soon
with those numbers, we'll probably move ahead.

John

"Wade A. Hilmo" wrote:

Hi JT,

I bought a CGE-1400 from Sunriver Nature Center.

In my case, I did not go through their web site. I spoke directly to Bob
Grossfeld, their Observatory Manager. I've seen him at the major Pacific
Northwest star parties for many years. At Table Mountain Star Party last
July, I arranged to buy the CGE and take delivery at Oregon Star Party in
August.

I was very satisfied with the experience. It turns out that the
Starbright
XLT coatings were announced the first day after Table Mountain. Bob
contacted me via email to check to see if I wanted the new coatings (I
did).
Also, while I like Anacortes Telescope and Wild Bird - they are a 2 hour
drive from my home, Sunriver was able to sell me the telescope at
significanly less cost. Bob offered a break off of the typical price
that
you'll see advertised, and there was no shipping cost since I picked it
up
from them at OSP. I have a friend who bought an LX200 from Anacortes,
and
they charged him the shipping cost even though he picked it up at
Anacortes's store.

As for setup and testing, Bob told me that this is a service that they
typically provide, but that they double check with purchasers of high end
scopes whether they want it, or whether they want unopened packages. I
told
them to go ahead an play with it before bringing it to the star party.
They
have a C14 on a CI700 mount at the observatory, and they did side by side
comparisons with my CGE. They were pretty impressed with the new scope.
Also, Bob did take the trouble to ask me if I'd ever been to OSP. The
dust
conditions are such that it's a very harsh environment for any scope, let
alone a brand new one. I've been to OSP many times, and knew what to
expect, but I appreciated the "heads up."

I don't know what your experience level is with this type of equipment,
but
I would like to add that their setup and test will probably only catch
things like missing or obviously damaged parts. If you are planning on
doing astrophotography, and need to minimize periodic error or fine tune
the
mount, I doubt that this step would help. Also, I'd guess that the vast
majority of "problems" that new users experience are really user error,
and
not problems with the scopes themselves. The best thing that you can do
to
help yourself here is to find someone that has experience with a modern,
goto scope and have them help you out. They would be able to teach you
to
do the basic setup and help you to correctly understand what you should
expect from the equipment.

I didn't see which Celestron scope you are interested in, but in the case
of
the CGE, the vast majority of issues that folks are having with the mount
up
on the Yahoo group, are coming from a fairly small set of people that are
pushing the mount as far as they can to see what it can do. There are a
few
common issues that are known to the group, and there are steps to correct
or
work around them. I believe that the common view is that these are just
growing pains associated with a new mount. It's my understanding that
the
NexStar GPS series is working great for folks right out of the box (but I
should mention that I don't follow the NexStar groups.) Also, I guess
that
there was some problem with the mounts on the run of NexStar GT scopes
that
Costco was recently selling. I don't know what ever happened with that.
I
can tell you that my particular scope was just fine out of the box, and
that
I've had no issues beyond what I'd expect with a new piece of complex and
high performance equipment. When I was talking to Bob at OSP, we spoke
briefly about a few of the issues that I'd seen on the Yahoo group. He
indicated to me at that time that I should contact him directly with any
issues and that he had contacts at Celestron beyond the typical product
support group. Up to now, I've had no reason to test that.

Finally, as to Sunriver's responsiveness over email, I can confirm that
they've been a bit slow to respond when I've been looking to order some
extra stuff. In a couple of cases, I've had to send reminder mail. For
me,
that's not a big deal. Astronomy is one of my two big hobbies, and I
don't
let either of them cause me stress.

I hope that this is helpful information,
-Wade