DS MODELS USER FEEDBACK Last updated: 28 February 2006

This page is for user comments and information specific to the Meade DS telescope models. Accessories and Feedback items appropriate to the ETX models are posted on other pages as appropriate. If you have any comments, suggestions, questions or answers to questions posed here, e-mail them to me and I'll post them. Please use an appropriate Subject Line on your message. Thanks.

Subject:	older ds-60
Sent:	Sunday, February 26, 2006 11:00:59
From:	connie (sunset@michweb.net)
i have a old telestar ds-60 with the mead 492 dual motor controler i
want to do away with with the battery pack

the battry pack puts out 15v with fresh batteries if i buy an adapter
what voltage do i need 15v or 12v

and how much current 500ma? 1000ma?
thank you very much

Subject:	Meade DS 80 
Sent:	Sunday, February 26, 2006 08:57:24
From:	andy (andym@suite224.net)
I bought this from ebay, I like the OTA, and thtas about all. The
focuser I had to work on, cuz it was sloppy to say the least, I called
meade for the 1.25 adaptor upgrade.

I pitched the tiny finy finder, and had to rework a 50mm finder base to
use the existing two holes. Im in the process of having a dob style
mount made for it.

All in all , I was really disa[[ointed in this scope. Its only saving
garce is the scope its self, it has I think four baffles, and snaps
Saturn , Jupiter, and the moon into focus beautifully.

I see the same scope can be had now for 65.00 on ebay, with the hand
controller I payed extra for.

At that price I might be tempted ot recommend it, withthe understanding
it will need to be upgraded in a lot of ways. EPs , finder, adaptor,
mount etc.

Subject:	Selling ETX Need Opinion on Meade 2045
Sent:	Monday, February 20, 2006 20:14:06
From:	Greg Kaiser (kizrus@phreego.com)
I am thinking of selling my ETX-105 and going to a Meade 4" 2045 SCT
mounted on an Orion Sky View Pro. I want to be able to use an Off Axis
Guider and a focal reducer for which I cant use any on the ETX-105 for
Photography at least as far as I know only an Eyepiece Focal reducer
since only works good with 10mm eyepieces and below. I have that version
now.

Is it possible to use both accessories on this older Meade? Astromart
has one for around 200.00. I have a DSI imager currently and a Coolpix
4500 digital camera. I'm concerned that the center obstruction may
interfere with viewing and imaging being only a 4inch aperture??

Speed is F10 and FL-1000 seems like a good compromise for DeepSky Work
anyway

Thanks
 
Greg
 
Gilbert, Arizona

And:

It was the Atik Focal Reducer from Scope Stuff. I tested it with my LPI and
measure an object on the screen w/without the reducer and yes it worked
with the LPI. With normal viewing through a 26mm the effect was less and
with a 40mm it got worse it started vignetting (sp)

Greg

Subject:	re: Manual needed
Sent:	Tuesday, February 14, 2006 20:14:27
From:	richard seymour (rseymour@wolfenet.com)
The 114EQ-DH is the same as the 4500 or 4504

So you can use their manuals from
http://www.meade.com/manuals

have fun
--dick

Subject:	Manual needed
Sent:	Monday, February 13, 2006 19:30:30
From:	Kenneth Reeder (messengerbear@stonemedia.com)
I just bought my son a used  Meade 114 EQ-DH. The manual wasn't
included. Any suggestions where I can download one?
Any help would be great.
 
Thanks,
Eva Reeder

Subject:	DS2130-LNT Calc North is always East
Sent:	Monday, February 13, 2006 14:10:35
From:	Bobowski, Eamon (EBobowski@urac.org)
Troy,
 
Take heart, you aren't the only one...  My DS2130-LNT always pointed
east as well, until I gave it an unexpected tweak that actually fixed
the problem.  (By the way, my scope was skewed east not just during
initial "finding north" set up but the alignment stars and subsequent
GoTo destinations were always off by 45-90 degrees - and the sidereal
tracking was atrocious as well even after getting the thing
"synchronized"...)

This is going to sound a little goofy, but in the end all I had to do
was loosen the cradle ring and rotate the OTA away from the mounting arm
(counterclockwise as you stand behind the scope and face the rear of the
OTA).  It took a couple of tries to get the correct rotation, but after
3 or 4 adjustments it finally set up correctly, pointing north and
centering the alignment stars.

The DS2130 comes with 2 arrow stickers (1 on the OTA and 1 on the cradle
ring) that indicated the "correct" placement of the OTA in the cradle
ring.  When I set my scope up initially, I used these arrows and so the
configuration looked like this:
 
 l            OTA
V
-------------------------
A           cradle ring
 l
 
My adjustments to correct for north=east now has the alignment of the
two arrows off by about 1 1/2 inches rotation, looking more like this
 
 l            OTA
V
----------------------------------------------------
                                   A                      cradle ring
                                    l
 
You'll know if you're in the right ballpark if your focuser is more or
less at 12 o'clock on the OTA (sticking straight up).  It does move the
red dot finder to a slightly more awkward position, but there are no
problems with the leveling and now it sets up and works like a champ!
 
All my best,
 
Eamon Bobowski
Washington DC
 
PS - I've heard it said that the real problem with the LNT module on the
DS scopes is the presence of the motor in the mounting arm as it is
within the level plane of the LNT while it tries to find north (Note
that this motor is due east of the LNT...).  On the ETX scopes, the LNT
module rides well above the motors and is thus not subject to the same
interference.

Oh, and the problem (and it's fix) occurs (and is fixed) on both the
#494 and the #497 regardless of firmware version.

Subject:	Meade StarQuest 60mm (DS 60?) and DS-2130ATS
Sent:	Friday, February 10, 2006 18:02:41
From:	Rick Goldsmith (rickgtx@yahoo.com)
I have a Meade StarQuest 60mm (I believe is the same as a DS-60) and
plan to buy a DS-2130ATS from the Meade outlet.   Are the parts
interchangeable?  The StarQuest has no motor but instructions and a
place to install one and the user guide talks about Autostar.  Could I
some how make a goto out of the DS-60 and return it to the DS-2130ATS
depending on my needs?  I'm mainly frustrated keeping an object in view
as ground rotates it away.
 
Thanks for the great site Mike,
 
Rick

Subject:	Re: Calc North is always East.
Sent:	Wednesday, February 1, 2006 19:34:38
From:	Troy M. Barnhart (barney@rapidnet.com)
Dick,

I noticed the blurb in README about... 
"Fixed problem on DS2000's mounts with LNT module."

Do you know about what this is exactly referring?

Now, you'll remember that I have a #494 w/ my DS2130-LNT 
and have had problems with the LNT module...

Any thoughts on the possibility of me getting a #497 and 
patching to new version and running that on my DS2130-LNT?

Regards,
Troy Barnhart
Rapid City, South Dakota

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