After hitting Enter, the scope slewed to Arcturus and looking in the eyepiece, it was not there. For location, the actual latitude and longitude can be input or one can choose from various locations already in the AutoStar. Each turn-on requires Date, Time, Daylight Savings, Location. Initial turn-on brings up a warning not to look at the sun afterwards location data can be input. The finder scope (8x50) mounting rings attach to the scope via a dovetail slot and must be taken off for storage in the JMI case. It took approximately an hour to get everything unpacked and assembled. With the auxiliary eyepieces and other sundry items the total came to around $2500. We also purchased an accessory tray (Easy Mount Plate - $105.) that attaches to the top of the tripod, supplying a larger surface when mounting the scope. A wedge is available for those needing an EQ mount for around $160 (I bought the wedge from a company on the Internet going out of business for $100). There's a hard case from JMI ($269.00), which brings the cost of the scope to $1940. This necessitates purchasing an aftermarket case. The Meade scopes come delivered in a plain cardboard box with foam rings to hold the scope for shipping. That narrowed it to the Meade SCTs and price won out for the LX90, their "entry-level" GOTO scope. The major difference between the two is Celestron scopes cannot be used manually, that is they do not have any way to release the RA or Dec axis for star-hopping. The Celestron line of SCT's are less expensive than the comparable Meade, but have similar specifications. +/- 5 or better for the LX90/200) and directed us to the Celestron NexStar and Meade LX90/200 lines. He thought I wouldn't be pleased with the quality of the Meade LDX55 equatorial mount and it's auto-pointing ability (+/- 15 arcminutes vs.
Their telescope expert is Neal and he knew the pros and cons for every scope and eyepiece he sells. Shutan sells Celestron, Meade and TeleVue brands and they had about 20 scopes on the showroom floor. When Diane and I went to Shutan we were amazed by the amount of scopes they have on display.
Using the Meade Dealer Locator, I discovered Shutan Camera had moved from downtown Chicago to Vernon Hills, and they had the LDX55 refractor in stock. After searching their product lines, I decided I wanted the Meade LDX55 6" refractor. Orion has nice scopes but nothing computerized. What to Buy? After having two Dobs, I decided I was tired of "Star-Hopping" (sorry Jack) and wanted an automatic unit. When my wife and I decided we wanted a telescope we could take camping, the quest began. This past July, I got back into Astronomy, purchasing an 8" Meade LX90 SCT. When I bought a new camper, the 17.5" would not fit, so I downsized to a Meade 12.5" Starfinder Dob. As I had a slide-in camper in my truck, the size of my scope was dictated as to what would fit through the door.
I used that until 1992 when Two-Inchitis struck and I upgraded to a Coulter 17.5" Dob. My first was a 1984 Celestron Super C8 SCT (Schmitt Cassegrain Telescope). Over the years I have had several telescopes. Product Review: Meade LX90 SCT Grant Barlow
0 kommentar(er)
