ETX-125EC USER FEEDBACK Last updated: 30 November 2001

Subject:	ETX/EC Tune-Up
Sent:	Thursday, November 29, 2001 16:30:40
From:	mail@phil-price.com (Phil Price)
I could do with some advice. I bought an ETX-125EC on ebay about 6
months ago. Despite customs having a fair chunk of the purchase price in
duty for themselves for letting it into the UK, I've had no regrets.
Niggles aside & weather permitting a fantastic scope let down only by
its poor construction. Today after reading Clay Sherrod & Jordan
Blessing's Tune Up Enhancement for the 100th time, decided to tackle the
loose Dec lock. Only to find it bears no resemblance to the description
in the article. Help! When I removed the OTA support & on it removed the
post above the gear wheel, there are 4 equally spaced lugs on the
surface that locate into a washer with 4 holes which it locates onto
which in turn rests on the gear wheel. At this point I've decided to
leave it and any help much appreciated.

Kind Regards

Philip Price

From:	sherrodc@ipa.net (Clay Sherrod)
What you have is exactly what is described in the excellent photographs
provided by Mr. Blessing; the 4-space lugs are on the "clutch block" and
the washer with the holes is the clutch plate.  All  of that - should
you choose to proceed with tuning it up - must come apart (it is merely
press fit and held together by the grease on it) to be cleaned and
prepared as described in both my Performance Enhancement series (Parts I
& II) and by Mr. Blessing.  You are merely seeing all these components
pressed together in one assembly.

HOWEVER, I strongly urge you to exercise the Arkansas Law for ETX
Repair: "....if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

From your description, it sounds like you must do a bit more
familiarization with the instrument and its workings before jumping into
it.  The tune-up is certainly not for everyone, nor everyone's
telescope....some need it, and many do not!

Why don't you enjoy it for a while and then make a determination as to
whether a "tune up" will, in fact, be worth the risk and effort?

Best of luck....I think you did the right thing to "leave it."

P. Clay Sherrod
Arkansas Sky Observatory
www.arksky.org

Subject:	new ETX 125EC
Sent:	Monday, November 26, 2001 13:03:36
From:	ctn41092@centurytel.net (robert  potts)
I am a proud owner of a ETX125 EC for about three weeks now. I have only
the  SP26mm eyepiece that comes with the scope. This is my first
telescope ( and probably my last) and want to get maximum use of it. My
questions are on the purchases of  eyepieces to maximize the capability
of the 125. I realize the pictures on the box were probably taken from
the Hubble telescope. (False advertising?)

I plan on purchasing the #126 Barlow lens next. (What is the #140
advertised in Shutan's Ads?) Has anyone else tried the Meade 8.8mm UWA
as recomended by Clay Sherrod? Is this eyepiece really going to open up
the deep sky for me or is this just overkill?

I finally convinced my wife a telescope was necessary for my well being
and as I intend to buy only two or three eyepieces and the Barlow, I
want to make most use of my dollars. I need help, please!
Bob Potts

Subject:	ETX 125: Vertical Axis does not respond
Sent:	Monday, November 26, 2001 6:42:11
From:	kumar@tejasnetworks.com (Kumar N. Sivarajan)
I have the exact same problem that Rodolofo had: Vertical Axis does not
respond to electronic controls on my ETX 125 (no motor sound at all but
can be manually operated easily) but Azimuth is perfectly fine and
responds to electronic controls.

I bought the scope at the Discovery Store at the Stanford Shopping
Center, Palo Alto, CA, in Sep and came to India with the scope. I will
be in the bay area on a business visit to the US next week and can
exchange the scope there. But it is a pain to bring the scope to the US
from India and back. If it is as simple a problem as soldering a 
disconnected wire, I could just do it myself easily.

Question: Would I void the warranty if I removed the back cover to
check?
Thanks,
-Kumar (Sivarajan)

And:

From:	Clay Sherrod [sherrodc@ipa.net]
Kumar - just removing the cover will not void the warranty, but if you
proceed to take things apart, that will.  One of the most likely causes
- and the most common - is a small wire connector clip that comes loose;
it is located under the base plate....be VERY careful removing the plate
because your two battery wires are connected to it and they are VERY
short; be sure to brace it carefully after you remove the cover.  You
will find the clip.....there are three of them total; while in there
make sure that all are securely fastened.

If that is not the cause then your control panel is likely bad, a fairly
common problem lately.  That would require a repair job at Meade as they
do NOT sell repair parts separately for such work.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

 Clay Sherrod
 Arkansas Sky Observatory
 www.arksky.org

Thanks very much for your immediate response.

I did remove the cover and found that the clip connecting the motor
drive in the middle of the base to the PCB behind the electronic panel
had come off! I have a couple of questions and I thank you in advance
for answering them.

1. I am concerned about the polarity of the clip, that is, I should not
inadvertantly plug it upside down. I presume that when we look down the
base of the telescope, the wires come up from the bottom of the clip:
the same for both the clips plugging into the PCB behind the electronic
control panel. Please confirm.

2. Despite your warning, I did not brace the cover properly and
regretfully, pulled out red wire connecting to the same PCB from the
batteries. I can solder it back but want to confirm that it needs to
soldered to the solder junction right next to where the black wire from
the batteries is soldered, that is, these two are just a couple of mm
apart. Please confirm. I understand soldering this requires good
soldering skill and will get it done by a friend who is a professional
at soldering---he fixes electronic eqpt for a living.

Thanks again and look forward to your response.
-Kumar

You are fine on both counts and I am very glad that it was only the wire
connector.  That often is the problem.

Regarding the polarity, it does not matter; it will affect which way the
DEC drive moves from each button, but you can reverse that with the
Autostar "REVERSE N-S" under "Telescope" setup.

Now regarding the battery wire you are correct that it needs to be point
soldered right next to the black one; you will clearly see the contact
point; you must use only a drop of solder as you likely can tell and NOT
connect the two points with excess material.  While you are in there,
why not add some extra length of wire to it to assure it does not happen
again....but be SURE to route the wire away from the RA drive gear so
that it will not get tangled up in there.

Glad it all worked out for you.

Clay Sherrod

Thanks very much for the prompt answers.
I really appreciate the great work you and Mike are doing to help all ETX users.

-Kumar

From:	rodolfo_mier@yahoo.com.mx (Rodolfo Mier)
Kumar,

Sorry to hear you have the same problem I had with my ETX-90EC.  If your
telescope is under warranty, the last thing I will do is to try a
repair.  In my case, the Discovery Store gave a new scope. Actually, I
decided to pay the difference and get the ETX 125EC instead.

If carrying your scope on your next trip to the U.S. is troublesome, you
might want to ship it to the Store. Call the store and ask to talk to
the Manager. Explain them your problem. Send them a claim letter also,
explain the nature of the problem and your request (replacement or cash
back). Include a copy of the purchase receipt. They might even help you
with the shipping expense.

The claim process can take several weeks, but the investment is worth
the effort. My new telescope is Mighty! Let me know what the outcome
was.

Regards,
Rodolfo.     

Subject:	Re: Jupiter with ETX 125 
Sent:	Sunday, November 18, 2001 12:14:07
From:	teb1013@hotmail.com (Thomas Brown)
Last night I had one of those extraordinary nights of clear seeing in my
usually light polluted suburban backyard.  Objects usually too faint to
see in the sky glow like M-1 were visible.  But the most thrilling for
me was to finally get the views of Jupiter which I'd been wanting ever
since I got an ETX 90 a couple of years ago, and was disappointed not to
see when I "upgraded" to the 125 last year.  Finally I got multiple
bands, with irregularities clearly visible and, most important I got a
definite siting of the Great Red Spot [or the Great Red Spot Hollow, I
didn't see much or any color]. I got the best views with my 26mm using
the #126 barlow, although views with a 15mm Lanthanum with the barlow
were much larger, they were also much fuzzier.  Just to make sure I
wasn't hallucinating, I spent a good deal of time getting good views of
Orion objects [M-42 was spectacular, looked at Sig orionus and beta
Monocerus among others] as well as Saturn [Cassini div was easily
visible along with markings on planet] and then went back to Jupiter. 
The GRS had definitely moved and was near the limb of the planet but
still visible when I looked back, so I consider my viewing "confirmed." 
This was a great night out.  Incidentally I found it easier in viewing
these objects to move my eye farther away from the eyepiece than I'd
been used to doing, until a point where the planet looked brightest,
even though I couldn't see the entire field in so doing.

Tom Brown

Subject:	Jupiter with ETX 125 also Eyepieces
Sent:	Sunday, November 11, 2001 11:56:51
From:	teb1013@hotmail.com (Thomas Brown)
Now that Jupiter is coming back into viewing position [and Saturn is in
prime position late at night] I've noticed a viewing problem which I'd
fogotten about since last year. With really bright objects like this I
get a bright circle "eyeball" type reflection in the middle of the field
which reduces the contrast and detail visible.  Would this be reduced
with a filter? At the present time, I only have fairly light filters
which don't do anything with this problem [e.g. #11 Yellow-Green; #80A
light blue].

Incidentally I'm always looking for a perfect eyepiece "set" for the
125.  I note that few if any of your comments indicate the eyepieces you
or Clay actually use in day to day observation with the 125 [meaning
both focal lenght in mm and brand of eyepiece i.e. Meade 4000, Radan
etc] I'd love to know, seeing that my current mongrel selection [the SP
26mm, a 3000 plossl 9.7 mm; Orion Sirius 17mm and 40mm and Lanthanum
15mm with #126 barlow] each have strenghts and failings.  I'd love to
know if it is worth spanding more on new eyepieces [e.g. a "parfocal"
set of SP Meade 4000s] if super expensive eyepieces like TeleView Radans
or Naglers will really make much difference for my "general" observation
style split between solar system and deep sky objects.

Thaks for your ongoing services to the ETX and amateur community as a
whole.

Tom Brown

And:

From:	sherrodc@ipa.net (Clay Sherrod)
A really good selection of perhaps three eyepieces and barlow is truly
ideal, much to what Mike Weasner has accumulated;  I believe that you do
NOT need the expensive eyepieces, but I think that what you have is
probably a source of problems to you.

1) the Meade 3000 series eyepieces are not intended for serious
observing and suffer greatly from internal reflections and
less-than-perfect contrast and precision in focus (likely a source of
your image problem).

2) Lanthanums are "fad" eyepieces - albeit great for eye relief if you
observe with glasses ON, but why would you want to?.  They, too have
serious problems, among which are too many elements and typically very
poor lens alignment which also result in contrast reduction;

3) Orion Sirius eyepieces are middle-of-the-road units like the Meade
3000's and suffer badly from internal reflections.

However, the #126 barlow is excellent.  My recommendation are the
Televue Plossl series, affordable and absolutely the best quality you
can get.  For your scope here is my recommendation:

1)  low power, widest field - 32mm Televue 1-1/4"/ absolutely pin-point
star images to the very edge of the field of view and over a full degree
of perfectly flat field in the 125!

2)  medium power, good deep sky eyepiece - Televue above with the Meade
2x barlow you already have PLUS add the Televue Plossl 11mm.  Wonderful
combo and gives you yet another power (290x with 2x with the barlow!),
great for planets.

3)  high power - splurge here - the most incredible eyepiece available
for globulars and planets is the Meade 8.8mm UWA eyepiece (it has a
stepdown built into the barrel for 1-1/4" holders).  This is a port hole
to space....no other description will do.  You will thank me over and
over again for this eyepiece.  You may have to save your pennies and
sell coke cans, but it is worth every dime.

Good luck and let us know how you do!

Clay Sherrod

Clay and Mike Thanks for the suggestions, now, if I'm clever, I'll
"suggest" that a nice Christmas gift from my wife would include a
selected eyepiece or two. ;)

Subject:	ETX 125
Sent:	Saturday, November 10, 2001 12:48:02
From:	GoRon325@aol.com
I have owned my scope for under a year, this is my first scope. The
first couple attempts at utilizing the "go to" ability were
unsuccessful. After more use, reading the manual alot and more
importantly reading the info on this site, my goto's started working
consistently. I upgraded the version of software and trained the drives
and the goto's are even more accurate. I recommend using a seperate
power source other than batteries. I love my ETX and would recommend it
to any one considering purchasing one. This was a large investment for
me. When it didn't seem to work right immediately I took the time to
learn all I could about how to operate it. Both my investments in time
and money have paid off in countless nights of wonder at the beauty of
the heavens.

Ron Thomas

Subject:	Happy ETX 125
Sent:	Friday, November 9, 2001 1:29:47
From:	jy@lesbeninger.com (Jean-Yves Beninger)
When I bought my scope, I first posted a few complaints on your site.
Then I followed the tips you suggest for Performance Enhancement. Now I
have an excellent instrument : for all of those, like I was, put off by
all the potential problems described in those pages, there is hope, do
not give up on the ETX125 :

A few exemples :

- I use the light Meade tripod in Alt/Az mode, it is perfect. Though I
would not dare the polar mode on this tripod, there is absolutely no
risk of it falling down in Alt/Az.
- I carry the scope in the Meade hard case, I got it 50% of time as
airline hand luggage, the other 50%, it went as check-in, was bumped,
stayed in the rain ... no problem whatsoever inside.
- The GoTo is 99.99 % ON for me. Only time it's off is when I
accidentaly kick the tripod.
- Last night, clouds covered the whole sky except Mars, I did a dummy
align, roughly estimating the Home/North position, accepting the
alignment of stars without seeing them. I then manually pointed on Mars
and it stayed ON for several minutes.
- I have tried webcam photography, it works fine.
- Cassini division on Saturn is sharp.
- I have seen several Messier objects. OK, they are faint milky halos,
but when I see with my own eyes these valiant travelling photons, my
mind starts its own race!

On, and on, and on ...

Aperture fever caught me and I am now out looking for a 10" or a 12",
but the ETX125 will remain the scope that I can carry abroad, where
skies are black and no specialised shop is around the corner : to fix
any problem, I just need an internet connection, and here I am, on your
fantastic site.

Thanks for maintaining this gold mine,

Jean-Yves
Singapore

Subject:	 Smoothe Sailing Again
Sent:	Thursday, November 8, 2001 18:38:32
From:	marbla@naisp.net (Blais Klucznik)
Just a fast note to say my Mad Mod ETX-125 performed flawlessly again
the last two nights.  Each outing lasted about 7 hours.  Last night we
tracked M43 from less than 2 degrees over the horizon until it was at
about a 45 degree angle.  The ETX stayed right on course.

So no matter how discouraged one can get at first with the ETX125 just
stay with it, read all applicable notes on the Mighty ETX site, and if
you are as lucky as I you will be pleasantly rewarded.

Take Care

Blais Klucznik
marbla@naisp.net

Subject:	Comments for Scott9482@aol.com's 11/5/01 posting
Sent:	Wednesday, November 7, 2001 10:54:10
From:	MCB1@aol.com
I read Scott9482@aol.com's "Disappointed with everything about the
ETX-125" posting in the User Feedback section.  I sympathize with some
of his comments, but, as you said in your response, there are ways to
fix and improve most of the problems he's encountering.

Let me add to your comments about the jiggling that occurs during
focussing.  I solved this problem with several steps.  The first, as you
noted, is to keep the tripod as low as possible.  Second, I purchased
Celestron vibration damping pads (about $45).  Third, I purchased a JMI
MotoFocus for ETX 125 (about $99).  Fourth I added some home-made clamps
to the tripod legs as suggested in a posting in the Tech Tips/Mounts
Section of this site [Deluxe Field Tripod leg fix :: From: Tony Miles
(tpmiles@bellsouth.net) dated 9/09/00] (less than $10).  And fifth I
added a modification of my own -- I used some 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/16"
aluminum angle that I attached between the legs of the tripod (less than
$10.)  With these additions the #883 tripod is solid as a rock, and
there is almost no jiggling during focussing.

Mike Bertin

Subject:	Shutan Wide Field Adapter for ETX 125
Sent:	Wednesday, November 7, 2001 10:29:09
From:	MCB1@aol.com
I'm a long time fan of and regular visitor to your Mighty ETX website,
having gotten many good tips and techniques from the postings.  Keep up
the good work.  I always check out accessories for my ETX125EC here
before I buy.

I have several questions that perhaps you could help me with. 1.  In
1998 you described your experiences with the Shutan Wide Field Adapter
(WFA) and Visual Back (VB).  I'm considering this combination for my
ETX125, particularly for low magnification, wide field viewing of larger
objects with a 26mm Meade SuperPlossl eyepiece.  Have you used the
WFA+VB on the ETX125?  Are you still as enthusiastic about the WFA+VB
combination as you were in 1998, or are there other approaches to
getting wider fields with the ETX125 that I should consider?  If I use
the WFA+VB along with the Meade #126 2x Barlow and the 26 mm or 9.7 mm
eyepieces can I bring objects into focus with the ETX125? 2.  I am
considering getting a Celestron #93304 20 mm Kelner cross-hair eyepiece
as a tool for centering my telescope on the guide stars selected during
alignment.  Do you know of anyone who is using this eyepiece for this
purpose, and what their experiences might be?  Are the (non-illuminated)
cross hairs reasonably visible - say as visible as the cross hairs on
the Meade 8x25 finderscope on the ETX125?

Many thanks for any information you can offer on these two subjects.

Mike Bertin

Subject:	Disappointed with everything about the ETX-125
Sent:	Monday, November 5, 2001 8:58:08
From:	Scott9482@aol.com
I would like to comment about my brand new ETX-125. First, I would like
to start off by saying, I have only owned my ETX-125 for about 4 weeks
now.  I bought the deluxe field tripod, the autostar navigation system,
the carrying case, and 2 additional eyepieces (12.4mm SP, and 15mm SP),
and a barlow lens.

So far, I have been very disappointed with this telescope.  I will list
everything I am upset about, and any questions I have (maybe someone can
help me out?).

1) I cannot see anything more than the planets and the moon.  I must
admit, that the moon looks incredible.  However, the planets (especially
Saturn and Jupiter) do not look anything like the pictures on the box.  
Using the 26 SP eyepiece, they are both nice and sharp and crisp.  Even
when using the 15 SP, they are still pretty sharp.  But once I put in
the 12.4 SP, or any combination with the Barlow, they become very fuzzy
and loose their sharpness.  I bought all of the eyepieces that Clay
Sherrod recommended in his comments, but I can't seem to get a sharp
image at even medium power.  I hear people talking about the Cassini
division, I can't see the Cassini division.  I can't see more than 4
different bands/zones on Jupiter. I actually own a cheap, $85, 10-year
old,  2.4 inch refractor that shows almost as much detail as my ETX.  I
understand that the refractor is useless for deep-space objects because
it can't collect enough light.  But neither can my ETX-125!!!  I bought
this scope because I wanted to see stuff such as the Andomeda Galaxy,
the Ring Nebula, and other stuff besides planets and moons.  But in my 4
weeks, that is all I have seen so far (planets, moons, and the
occassional star cluster)...

2) Autostar is very inaccurate.  I know that I've trained my drives
properly.  I've tried aligning using Easy Align... I've tried using
2-star align... I've tried everything, but autostar can never put the
object within my main eyepiece.  It is usually like an inch away.  It is
almost always in my finderscope... but that is not good enough, I
thought it was supposed to put the objects somewhere within the field of
view of the 26 SP. I have read all of the tutorials on placing the
telescope in the home position.  I downloaded that little computer
tutorial...  I have my watch syncronized to the exact time as given on
the weather channel.  I've tried everything.  We are no longer in
daylight savings, right??? Autostar does work well for tracking.   Once
I do eventually get an object in the field of view, it tracks it nicely.
 One night, I left my scope for an hour, and I came back, and it was
still dead center.   But, I'd rather it be more accurate! And yes.  I do
know all of the stars.  I am not aligning it with incorrect stars. 
Because autostar always comes close... but never in the field of view...

3) Regarding the home position.  After I relock the horizontal movement
lock, and I tighten the vertical movement lock, it is still possible to
reorient the telescope (not with as much ease as if they were unlocked,
but still possible).  Is that normal?  Or should the locks prevent all
movement?

4) Regarding focusing.  Every time I make the slightest touch to my
telescope (for example - focusing, or reattaching the autostar to the
velcro), the object in the eyepiece bouces all over the place.  It takes
like 4-5 seconds for it to settle back down.  Is that normal?  I think
that the telescope may actually be too heavy for the platform atop of my
deluxe field tripod.  Since I never use polar alignment, I think that
the scope would be more stable if there were none of those knobs  and
levers between the tripod and telescope platform...
 
Any help or comments would be greatly welcome.

-Scott

Subject:	 Mad Mod ETXD125 still doing great
Sent:	Sunday, November 4, 2001 15:17:42
From:	marbla@naisp.net (Blais Klucznik)
I am one who will comment in a positive way when my scope is working
like a charm.  After many outings with my Mad Mod ETX125 I would just
like to say it continues to be a winner.  Now I feel comfortable in
taking it to a remote dark area to further appreciate the wonders of the
skies.

Take Care

Blais Klucznik
marbla@naisp.net

Subject:	First-Timer
Sent:	Sunday, November 4, 2001 14:55:01
From:	BKNIGHT315@aol.com
Hello:  This is my first time to write.  I was planning to buy a Meade
ETX-125EC this week with all the trimmings........over $1700 total. 
After reading some of the reports on your site, I'm a little reluctant
to buy this telescope.  The reason I chose an ETX is because I couldn't
lift an LX200 or LX90.  I am really disappointed to hear of all the
defects the ETX has.

Thanks for listening.

BKnight315@aol.com

Subject:	Size of eyepiece retainer screw on ETX-125EC?
Sent:	Saturday, November 3, 2001 20:26:00
From:	matthewgertz@home.com (Matthew Gertz)
Could you (or someone reading your Mighty ETX site) tell me what's the
size of the screw which holds the eyepieces in place on the ETX125-EC? 
Mine appears to have gone for a walk (I probably knocked it out when
getting the scope out of the shipping box last month), so I need to pick
up a new one from the hardware store.  I'd be much obliged if someone
could forward the data along.

(I discovered this missing piece while setting up my scope for viewing
tonight -- first clear evening in the four weeks since I got my 'scope
back from Dr. Sherrod.  Of course, the screw isn't terribly important
for viewing, so I decided to press on anyway.  And, of course, just as I
got everything leveled, sighted, cooled down, etc., I recheck the
location of Polaris in my finderscope, notice the star is missing, look
up and notice that in five minutes the sky has gone from perfectly clear
to totally overcast.  ACK!  I *still* haven't had a chance to try out my
newly Supercharged scope!  I mean, I suppose I should expect clouds in
the Seattle area in the autumn, but *really*, this is too much... :-P )

Thanks in advance for any info about the screw (it's too much to ask to
get help about the weather, I expect... :-)

--Matt Gertz--*

Subject:	Quality of Meade's etx 125?
Sent:	Saturday, November 3, 2001 7:56:33
From:	RSensiba@aol.com
I'm in the market for a new telescope. I've done some observing in the
past. So I'm not a rookie, more intermediate. I've owned a newtonian.
Put I would like something a lot more portable. The "goto" capabilities
of the 125 are very attractive. This scope would seem to me to a good
mix of size, aperature and portability. But reading articles on your
site have me REALLY concerned about the quality of design and
manufacture of etx 125. For a $1000, something would work correctly
out-of-box. Am i misunderstanding your material or are there serious
flaws with this scope? Can I ask your opinions on the 125? Is the
Celestron nexstar 5 better? (more robust, reliable and equilvalent
optical performance)

By the way, thank you for your site. The information is invaluable!

Regards;
Richard

And:

Thank you VERY much for your reply!
It helped!

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