ETX-60AT & ETX-70AT USER FEEDBACK Last updated: 28 April 2001

This page is for user comments and information specific to the Meade ETX-60AT and ETX-70AT. Additional information on these models is available on the ETX-60AT & ETX-70AT Announcements page. Comments on accessories and feedback items appropriate to other ETX models are posted on other pages. 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:	ETX-70AT Setup Menu
Sent:	Friday, April 27, 2001 21:13:36
From:	l.davids@att.net (Leo Davids)
I seem to be getting confused by some things that are or are not in my
ETX manual for the telescope setup. We all are striving to get the scope
to point with as much precision as possible with the Autostar hi-tech
interface.

First off, I don't understand what "Training the drive" is trying to do.
The Meade manual just gives this cookbook procedure ( Appendix D) for
doing it and doesn't really say how you know if it needs it. So I
presumed it had something to do with the calibrating of the servos
encoder conversion to Az and Alt motion. They reference values in the
Setup menu that are accessible but not to be touched! I though maybe
training was adjusting these values. True or false?

Next I saw a posting on your site about a user going into the setup and
modifying some backlash parameters. I understand from my knowledge of
precision motion and the posting I previously submitted that this is
crucial to locating objects based on either database or directly entered
coordinates with the Autostar's Go-To. But the only thing I can guess
backlash has to do with this in the Autostar setup is possibly Az & Al
Percent menu items. But the manual mentions nothing about these two
items. I find they are both set for 50%. Are these for backlash or as I
would understand the term better, drive hysteresis compensation? Does
training the drive per the Meade procedure adjust these values? Are
there more intuitive ways of accomplishing a backlash compensation than
the Meade procedure if the Al & At Percent menu items are directly
enterable?

On another topic, I have found when running the Autostar 2-star align
feature of the ETX-70AT, you can more assuredly get the first star in
the field of view if you start with the telescope base level both
north-south and east-west (this is not too hard to do if you have the
#882 tripod with adjustable legs). Then, the second star centers with
virtually no correction necessary. Leveling the base in two directions
might even allow the Autostar's 1-star align to come out good. I do
cheat a little on the north align by swinging up to and locking the Az
on Polaris and then going for the level on the At axis before going to
the first Autostar selected align star. Maybe I am just taking all the
work away from the Autostar's fancy aligning capability? But it seems
you have a better chance finding the align star with a 9 mm eyepiece
rather than having to always start with the 25 mm to get a big enough
field to search. You already know what a pain it is to refocus with the
knob location on the ETX-70AT.

That brings up another question, does anyone know if there is a simple
electric focus drive for the ETX-70AT. I have never used any electric
focus so I don't know if variable speed is a necessity but I am tired of
the knob location on this puppy!. I realize the flex shaft extension is
available, but I am not sure fiddling with a floppy knob is going to
make me much happier. Does anyone have another manual arrangement?

Subject:	AC adapter for ETX60/70
Sent:	Friday, April 27, 2001 15:22:13
From:	Meade Instruments
We are going to have an AC adapter for the ETX60/70.  We have placed
them on order and should have them in the first part of June.  People
can order them by calling customer service here at Meade.  The cost will
be $19.95 plus shipping or they can ask their dealer.  It will be call
the 546 AC Adapter. Having seen other people trying to do it for
themselves, this might help.
 
Thanks
Meade Instruments

Subject:	ETX-70 backlash
Sent:	Tuesday, April 24, 2001 14:45:25
From:	roger@marsport.demon.co.uk (Roger Blackwell)
A note to thank you for your useful site! I bought an ETX-70 a few weeks
ago, and whilst in general pleased with it, I found the backlash
compensation excessive, which made fine positioning very difficult - on
pressing an arrow button the 'scope would lurch suddenly before settling
down to slow speed.

After scanning some of the posts on your site, I checked the Az and Alt
percentages - and found them both to be set to 85%. On adjusting these
to 15 and 20% respectively on a trial and error basis, and re-training
the drives, the 'scope is a pleasure to use, objects are coming up in
the centre of the field of the 9mm eyepiece (x39) and the slower slewing
speeds work fine.

I have also made a flexible focus shaft extension which was well worth
the trouble.

thanks a lot!
-- 
Roger Blackwell

Subject:	ETX 70
Sent:	Monday, April 23, 2001 18:50:02
From:	DNORTH@woh.rr.com (DAVID NORTH)
For starters, I'd like to express my thanks to you for maintaining your
site as I am new to astronomy and have found tons of info here that
helped me select my first new scope (ETX 70).  In fact, it was your own
review of the ETX 70 that pushed me over the edge!  I figured "Mike has
bigger ETX's already, and he liked this little scope!"

I live in the middle of town, have a relatively small patch of sky to
use and I needed an ultra-portable scope.  After much research I had
decided on the ETX 70.  I ordered my ETX 70 through Shutan at a great
price (saw their posting on your site).  It came with the standard 25mm
& 9mm eyepieces and a free tripod.  I also ordered the Meade 8X25
viewfinder and the #124 2X Barlow.  I've only had a couple of "clear
sky" evenings since it arrived, but I must say that I'm quite pleased. 
Personally, this scope seems to be a perfect upgrade from my 12X50
binoculars.  I need to make a trip out of town and get a viewing of
Saturn as it's already set behind the nieghbors' houses at sunset.

Now, if I could pick your brain just a little:  I'd like to add an
eyepiece to my tiny collection that will yield more magnification and
I'm torn between options.  Option 1 - get the #128 3X Barlow .... or ...
Option 2 - maybe get a PL6mm and use my 2X Barlow ... or ... should I
also consider a PL5mm?  I see that all of these options will take me to
the edge of the scope's "max" magnification of about 140X, but is one
option really any better than another?

Again.....many thanks for all your efforts.  I combed the web looking
for info on scopes for beginners and found myself coming back to your
site over and over.

Regards,

Dave North

Subject:	Looking for good beginner scope
Sent:	Sunday, April 22, 2001 18:14:39
From:	thesandmaster3@yahoo.com (Sand Master)
I'm an enthusiastic beginner looking for the best scope I can buy for a
limited amount of money. The ETX-70 is about the limit of what I'm
willing to spend. I've seen telescopes that are just over $200 and have
a 3 inch aperture. They have a longer focal length and are about .2
inches bigger than the 70. The reason I'm interested in the 70 is
because I doubt that I'll be able to find objects like M31 so a GoTo
scope seems like it would bring more enjoyment than a handpowered scope
with RA and declination cables to track instead of motors. Would you
recommend getting the slightly smaller 70 with GoTo capabilities or
getting the slightly larger 3 inch with the longer focal length? Would I
get satisfying views of the moon, planets, and the brightest DSOs with
the 70? Does the .2 inches make any difference? The only concerns I have
with the 70 are the focal length and the focuser. Will I be able to see
anything with the 70? I go to your site almost daily and see some people
saying the 70 (or 60) is the best telescope and they have great views,
it's easy to use, etc and others saying it's a piece of junk, it doesn't
work, you can't see anything. Is it a worthwhile investment for someone
starting out in the hobby? I plan to eventually move up to a larger
scope if I enjoy the hobby, but I'm looking for a good scope to get
started.

P.S.  Sorry for the length of this message. I know
most don't run this long, but I had a lot to say.

And:

Thanks for the guidance. My skies aren't too bright, although they
aren't pitch black, out in the country type skies. I mainly think I
won't be able to find objects. Plus I've heard about star hopping and
how it takes a while just to find one object. It seems with a Go To I'll
be able to see more in one session and it'll be easier.

Subject:	ETX-60/70AT Beginner
Sent:	Sunday, April 22, 2001 13:51:55
From:	l.davids@att.net (Leo Davids)
It has been an arduous process for me to get up and running with a Meade
telescope. We ordered an ETX-60AT online from a reputable dealer, Ritz
Camera. What came was an apparently used or demo model in a ratty box
with all the eyepieces missing & dead, leaking batteries in the base.
After returning it, we waited over two weeks for another to arrive which
turned out to be an ETX-70AT. That seemed like a good deal until I got
it out of the box and  found the azimuth drive would not work no matter
how hard you set its drive lock.

There was a telltale bad sound whenever I tipped the whole unit over,
some kind of part rattling around in the base. After waiting all those
weeks I decided to hell with the warrantee and removed the base bowl
from the unit to see what was wrong. In essence, a flimsy little plastic
"finger-spring" was laying loose in the base. It had broken off the
servo motor case from where it was suppose to hold the servo in mesh
with the worm gear. Also, two restraining ears that minimize backlash of
the servo were pinching the servo case so hard that the servo's worm
probably could not have engaged the worm gear properly even if the
spring-finger had not been broken. I fashioned a steel spring to hold
the servo in mesh with the worm gear and adjusted the restraining ears
to allow the servo to pivot on its hinge pin without slop. This entailed
very carefully bending some crude cast metal ears that stand off the
upper base plate.

And after all this, my azimuth drive was not locking adequately. I tried
what you suggested - to remove the lever and move it one flat tighter.
But the real fix amounted to disassembling and reworking the pinch
mechanism for the worm gear. I found that Meade had another design and
quality nightmare here. Among a host of problems, they could not even
get three matching screws to hold the upper spindle disk down above the
worm gear. Anyway, with a little modifying of the various plastic parts
in Meade's pinch-lock design, I was able to get the worm gear to "grab"
to the base much better without so much squeeze being needed from the
adjusting bolt. That really helps keep the azimuth bearings relatively
free in thrust against the pinching mechanism. If you try to get the
drive lock too tight, the resulting thrust drag on the bearings can
actually cause the worm drive to jump mesh and that of course fouls up
your Autostar alignment as bad as if it slips. Meade must have been
somewhat aware of this because they had a nice roller thrust bearing at
the bottom, but "cheaped out" with a simple plastic bearing for the
upper thrust!

So far I have gotten a couple of night's use out of the telescope and am
impressed with what it can do. I read all the info on your site about
different power testing for dry cell battery substitution. I think I
will go to a rechargeable NiMH battery (9.6 volt, 1200-1500 mah). I
already have charging and conditioning equipment to support this from
other hobbies. I just hope my initial bouts with the mechanical
integrity of the Meade ETX is not a sign of more trouble to come. At
least I am encouraged by the positive comments I see about them on your
site so far. But I still wonder how many others have experienced
problems like mine?

Subject:	Considering Buying an ETX 70
Sent:	Wednesday, April 18, 2001 20:46:23
From:	astro_mike_03@yahoo.com (Michael Stanek)
Very nice site! I'm a beginner and I'm considering buying the ETX 70AT
(thanks, largely, to the Natural Wonders prices). I currently have a
76mm beginner telescope from Celestron with three 1.25 inch eyepieces. I
was wondering if I bought the ETX would my eyepieces and 2x Barlow lens
fit in it? I'd like to use both telescopes, but if my accesories for my
original telescope won't fit with the ETX I don't know if I'd buy it.
I'd also like to know if the problem with the focuser is a big enough
annoyance as to make you reconsider buying the ETX? Thanks.

Subject:	Meade ETX-70AT Jupiter/Saturn
Sent:	Wednesday, April 18, 2001 20:04:14
From:	alby@empire.org (Alby)
I just received a free ETX-70AT from my Membership Rewards Points with
American Express. After spending some time playing with the scope and
learning how to align it and setup everything, I went planet hunting. I
aligned my ETX-70AT and found Jupiter tonight (04/18/01 - 8:30p). I
focused in on the planet with only the 25x lense and all I could see was
a ball of light. I adjusted the focus knob and filled the viewfinder
with the planet. It still looked like a ball of light.

I then switch to the Barlow 2x with the 9mm lense. After focusing I
still continued to see Jupiter as a ball of light. I then switch to
Saturn and still got the same thing.

What I'm expecting to see in Jupiter are the different bands of clouds
and with Saturn I'm expecting to see the rings. Now am I doing something
wrong? Or am I expecting too much from my telescope? Instead of seeing
rings of Saturn or Bands aroudn Jupiter, all I saw in both planets was
just a bright heavenly body with no features. Somebody help? If my
ETX-70AT isn't good enough, could you suggest another telescope that
does allow me to see Bands on Jupiter and Rings on Saturn?

-Alby

And:

Thanks Mike.. Your ETX info is the BEST anywhere...

-Alby

Subject:	ETX 70 pwr test
Sent:	Tuesday, April 17, 2001 12:52:08
From:	cozmicr@icdc.com (Ray Talipsky)
To:	rseymour@wolfenet.com (richard seymour)
FYI
I'll be testing scope align with battery pack next clear nite

Do you think wide voltage swing on AC 9v DC adaptor 12.71 to 7.6 is
causing problems with scope?

Thanks
CozmicRay


ETX-70   power test
Here are the results of my power tests of ETX-70 with std Hand
controller and AUTOSTAR 497
Battery pack  and AC 9v DC adaptor
two Digital Multimeters
    one measure voltage  second measure current
     DMMs don't react fast enough to see spikes


with  standard hand controller -- 494 Autostar (no numeric keypad)
Power source --- Battery Pack   6 new alkline batteries

At start Battery Pack at  9.44v

                        start    loaded
                         volt    volt    amp
Scope On at rest         9.14    9.14    0.09
Az slew                  9.12    8.85    0.03
El slew                  9.10    8.75    0.35
Az - El slew             9.09    8.52    0.54


with  AUTOSTAR hand controller -- 497
At start Battery Pack at  9.27v

                                start    loaded
                                 volt    volt    amp
Scope On at rest LED brite       9.06    9.06    0.13
Scope On at rest LED off         9.09    9.06    0.08
Az slew                          9.09    8.80    0.27
El slew                          9.06    8.75    0.34
Az - El slew                     9.01    8.46    0.52


===========================================
with  standard hand controller -- 494 Autostar (no numeric keypad)
Power source --- Power cube  -- AC 9v 500ma  DC adaptor

Scope OFF  12.71v

                        start    loaded
                         volt    volt     amp
Scope On at rest         11.13   11.13    0.10
Az slew                           9.20    0.30
El slew                           8.76    0.36
Az - El slew                      7.65    0.52


with  AUTOSTAR hand controller -- 497
Power cube  -- AC 9v 500ma  DC adaptor

                                start    loaded
                                 volt    volt    amp
Scope On at rest LED brite       10.71   10.71    0.14
Scope On at rest LED off         11.46   11.46    0.07
Az slew                                   9.40    0.31
El slew                                   9.00    0.35
Az - El slew                              7.60    0.52

------------------
This AC Power cube looks more like a 9V 350ma capability

From:	rseymour@wolfenet.com (richard seymour)
Your tests do indicate that the voltage drops to 7.6 during
slewing of both axes... and the start-up surges are pretty stiff,
you so can just bet that it drops lower as the slew begins.

If you hold the [mode] key for 3 seconds, and release,
then scroll UP once, you'll see "battery level".
I don't know if the 494's programming supports that.

My experience with my ETX90 is that it starts getting weird at 7.8
volts.  Which is roughly 68% on that battery level display.

If it were me, i'd probably think about using a supply which can
really deliver a solid 10 to 12 volts.  Either a well-regulated
 10.5 or 12v adapter, or one-more-battery strung into the battery
circuit.

The 497 Autostar can handle up to 16 volts.
I have -no- idea how fried the ETX70at base would be if you gave
-it- 15 volts, so i'm not going to suggest it.
Does Meade sell an adapter for the ETX70at?

> Do you think wide voltage swing on AC 9v DC adaptor
> 12.71 to 7.6 is causing problems with scope?
very definitely... 7.6 volts (at least for the 497 Autostar) is very,
very low... individual units will vary wildly in how well they 
survive that close to the edge.
The 497 is (perhaps) more noise-immune than the 494, but requires
 more current to run. (more LEDs, for one thing).
(the 494 is "labelled" compared to the Starfinder.
The Starfinder has that word painted on the case.)
I would guess that the 494 gets the Proc Traps 
either due to its lower threshold for noise effects, or
 that it has bad memory.  If it fails during fresh battry operation,
then it's a "call Meade" situation... they'll probably mail one
the next day, without requiring that you return yours first.

All of your tests made it pretty evident that only the batteries
 really can deliver the current required (and a half-amp! that means
 only (about) a one-hour life if slewing full-tilt all the time)

good luck
--dick

Subject:	etx60at and PC control
Sent:	Monday, April 16, 2001 21:45:09
From:	rseymour@wolfenet.com (richard seymour)
The ETX60at and its controller -can- accept the same LX-200-style
commands that the "larger" autostars can.

So it's controllable by the various (or self-written) programs. Its
serial connection (via the 506 cable) is far -slower- (70 bytes per
second vs the 497's 900) than the other Autostars, so Satellite Tracking
programs can tend to overrun it unless held back. But for "simple" goto
stars and other boides which don't try to slew across the entire sky in
5 minutes, it'll do pretty well.

--dick

Mike here: The May 2001 issue of Sky & Telescope has a review of five GOTO telescopes: ETX-70AT, ETX-70AT, NexStar 60GT, NexStar 80GT, and NexStar 114GT). Worth reading.

Subject:	Accessory Kit #506 for the ETX-70AT
Sent:	Monday, April 16, 2001 11:55:37
From:	n_armstrong@altavista.com
Great site! Lots of data.

The ETX-70AT outperforms my expectations every time. I have encountered
a few minor problems with getting the alignment right but after a few
tries, things work out.

I had lots of problems with the accessory kit (CD and connector kit) but
was eventually able to load the satellites, tours, comets, and
asteroids.

My question is: Where can I find a listing of current satellites? There
are 225 to choose from.

The skies here in Edmonton, Alberta are really nice but the nights are
cold. The Northern Lights are awesome!

Subject:	Barlow lens fit
Sent:	Sunday, April 15, 2001 17:19:12
From:	iacuzzoj@hotmail.com (john iacuzzo)
I recently purchased a Meade Barlow x 2 #124 for my ETX 70...to
completely sit the lens in the eyepiece holder I must use a good deal of
force with a screwing maneuver...obviously it is a poor fit...any
suggestions?...could I gently apply some WD 40 on an applicator tip to
the Barlow cylindar or could this be destructive...Thanks for your help
in advance....you have a very informative site....John

Subject:	etx60at autostar
Sent:	Saturday, April 14, 2001 22:28:33
From:	CINDY789@email.msn.com (CINDY FISICARO)
Hi Mike, love your site, I look in almost every day
I am an ETX 60 AT user and love the machine. I've gleaned much useful
info from your site on how to make it perform like Meade intended
mechanically and it has been a wonderful instrument. Excellent deep sky
scope for those who might be interested in an opinion.
I have a question...The only thing I haven't added to my scope is the
sofware and cable kit. Before I buy one I just wanted to know if the
60AT can be controlled by PC with the software/cable kit or is it only
used for updating the Autostar? I can't seem to find out anywhere so I'm
hoping you or Clay can answer.
Thanks for your time.
Bill W. Omaha

Subject:	ETX-70AT 
Sent:	Thursday, April 12, 2001 19:46:24
From:	peter@ciceron.com (Peter Quale)
Your ETX site is a wealth of information and was instrumental in my
purchase of a 70AT.

Just a quick note to you and all your readers, if you don't already know
it: Natural Wonders is going out of business.  I paid a total $234 for
my 70AT and a full size EC field tripod.  The 90EC could be purchased
with Autostar and tripod for under $500... and prices will most likely
continue to drop as inventory hangs on.

Check out www.naturalwonders.com/natural/nw_storehome.asp for
more info.

Thanks again for all your info!

-Peter Quale
Minneapolis

Subject:	Re: Barlow lense digital camera adapter
Sent:	Wednesday, April 11, 2001 10:46:35
From:	permlaw@netvision.net.il (Scott Permut)
Thanks for your last answer.Just one question-you stated in your letter
that the maximum magnification for the 70AT is 140X-Meade however claims
that the max is 240X.As I am thinking about getting a 5mmPl  and
a3Xbarlow I am worried that I will have a problem. Are you certain that
the max mag is only 140X??
Thanks,
Scott Permut

Subject:	WOW!!!
Sent:	Wednesday, April 11, 2001 08:12:49
From:	TRing1@aol.com
I recently ordered a telescope, a Meade ETX70-AT. As this is my first
telescope and have no experience with them I was looking for a web site
to guide me. I came across your site and I think there is more
information there than I can use in a lifetime. I appreciate your
efforts.

Tom Ring
Tring1@aol.com

Subject:	re: camera question
Sent:	Monday, April 9, 2001 22:11:02
From:	rseymour@wolfenet.com (richard seymour)
To:	Robert@comsys.net
If i'm understanding your question correctly, here's a stab:
I don't have a an ETX60at, but for most prime-focus photography 
you need to buy two adpaters: one is the T-adapter for the Telescope,
and the -other- is a T-adpater for your camera.

The one for your camera ($12 to $20, depending upon store) will
have a bayonet to fit your Nikon F body, and the other end is the
 T-thread which the Telescope's adapter will also have. They mate.

If the ETX60 doesn't have a "rear port" for a T-adpater, you can also
get "eyepiece adpaters" which are pipes which fit into the eyepiece
hole and provide the T-thread at the camera end.  A 1.25" adapter
 should be commonly available.

You'll probably need to counter-balance the telescope when the
camera is mounted... the ETX60 isn't designed for off-center loads.

good luck
--dick

Mike here: After several days of clouds and rains it finally cleared up on Sunday (8 April). Got to see the new naked-eye sunspot (using my solar filter). It stayed clear long enough in the evening to try for Comet LINEAR C/2001 A2. I used the ETX-70AT at 14x. I aligned the Autostar, did a GOTO to M42 to verify its accuracy, and then I entered the coordinates for tonight's position of the comet. Nothing obviously stood out as the comet. I didn't take the time to compare star positions to a chart because there was a fog bank coming in. Oh well, I tried.

Subject:	ETX70 with 12v input
Sent:	Monday, April 9, 2001 12:21:07
From:	gpenney@epsilon.com
Great site. I have a question about my ETX-70AT it has a 12v input that
should only come on the 90 and above. My battery compartment is also on
the bottom of fork mount. Are there any other owners of this scope that
also have this configuration?

Subject:	camera question
Sent:	Sunday, April 8, 2001 20:25:54
From:	Robert@comsys.net (Robert Pritchett)
Hello, I just bought a black Nikon f body (made in the 1970s) to do some
astrophotography. I am pretty excited for a good clear night to come my
way. I have a question for you if you don't mind. I was going to get the
type c and type d screen for it , but I was told I needed a 6x finder if
I want to use it properly. And also, I have a etx-70-at telescope I plan
on starting my astrophotography with. is this a good match up?. Is there
any adapters I need or gadgets I need to buy for the camera to mount it
on the back of the scope? I really don't know much , but please bear
with me. you seem to know your stuff about cameras so I am asking ya.
the camera has a bayonet lens on it too. I know I need to remove it
anyway but=t the mount is still a bayonet. anything you might be able to
tell me is very much appreciated. Thank you in advance. also I picked
the thing up for 55 usd. it is in perfect working order also, so it
isn't like I spent my whole savings on it so if it isn't the right kind
of camera, I will just try to find another .

Robert Pritchett II.

Subject:	Re: Barlow lense digital camera adapter
Sent:	Sunday, April 8, 2001 13:16:01
From:	permlaw@netvision.net.il (Scott Permut)
Thanks for your response to my question regarding the Barlow 2X vs 3X. 
In the meantime, I have discovered that MEade has a Barlow #127 which if
I understand correctly is variable from 2X to 3X.  Will this #127 Barlow
work with my 70AT and would you recommend it for someone who can't
decide between the 2X and 3X?   Thanks for your help.

Sincerely,
Scott PErmut

Subject:	mead etx60at
Sent:	Saturday, April 7, 2001 00:16:23
From:	gregkelly@thekellys.org (Gregory S. Kelly)
I was looking for a pinout to fab up a #505 cable to go from a 9 pin
serial to the 4 pin aux port so I can hook up my pc to the sope to
control it with the ACP program. I am not having luck  could you help
please.
  Sincerely,
 Greg Kelly
 Clinton Iowa.

Subject:	Loose focus knob
Sent:	Friday, April 6, 2001 23:50:27
From:	DoubleR117@aol.com
Hi, i went out tonight to try out my new barlow lense and lunar filters
(for ETX 70AT)..i was so excited because i got them a week ago and this
was the first clear night.... BUT when i got out there and all set up...
i tried to focus and the knob was so loose and ended up sliding
off....This is when i use the hex wrench and tighten it up, right? or is
this a defect that is not fixable?  well as of right now..i can't find
my hex wrench....this my be a stupid question, but as a last resort, is
it possible to super-glue the knob back on? thanks for the help

Chris

And:

I emailed you last night about my loose focus knob, i just wanted to let
you know that i fixed it!! thanks
Chris

Subject:	Barlow lense digital camera adapter
Sent:	Friday, April 6, 2001 10:18:09
From:	permlaw@netvision.net.il (Scott Permut)
First of all, I want to thank you for your great site which is a
tremendous help for novices like myself.

After reviewing your site I have a couple of questions regarding
accessories for the ETX-70 AT which I recently purchased.

Barlow lense I am interested in purchasing a Barlow lense for the 70. I
have found 2X and 3X Barlows for basically the same price. My initial
guess is to get the 3X and have greater magnification than the 2X. Is
there any downside to the 3X as opposed to the 2X?

Digital Camera Adaptor I have a Sony Cybershot DSC-S50 digital camera
with a fixed 37mm lense. Of course, I would love to take photos through
the telescope. I have noticed several digital camera adaptors mentioned
on your site. In particular, the scopetronix and the xtendascope from
photo solve. Would you be able to recommend a digital camera adaptor
that would be most suitable in your opinion.

Thank you in advance for any incite you may have on these 2 questions
and again for your wonderful site.

Sincerely,
Scott Permut

Subject:	ETX 60
Sent:	Thursday, April 5, 2001 17:42:40
From:	mykeyp@earthlink.net (Mike Plafcan)
Got a little problem. I was aligning my scope tonight. I notice the
tube where the eyepiece goes in , wasn't there. It was attached to the
eyepiece. It must of came off when I removed it last time. Is this
repairable? Or did I just turn this $300.00 telescope into trash?

Subject:	ETX 70AT slewing problems
Sent:	Monday, April 2, 2001 19:53:59
From:	DoubleR117@aol.com
Hi, with my ETX 70AT i seem to never be able to align it right.  I
usually do the one star alignment on Rigel. It will slew into the
general direction of Rigel, but i usually have to find it on my own....
Once i center it, and for example slewing to Jupiter, once again it will
slew into the general direction but i have to adjust it a good bit. This
usually happens with the Easy 2 star alignment also... Am i just not
doing the alignment thing right, or do i need  to re-calibrate the
motors or Train the motors, or what? I end up just finding certain
objects manually.

Tonight, I noticed that Jupiter's moons were bunched up on the left side
(actually the right side through the telescope)  I've never seen that
before... does that happen very often?  Also i tried to see the Comet
Linear i read about on the website....i don't think i saw it..not to my
knowledge anyway!  Thanks for the help!  I dont know what i would  do
without your website.  I seem to learn something new everyday!

thanks
Chris

Subject:	I love the site, got a ?
Sent:	Monday, April 2, 2001 16:35:05
From:	Robert@comsys.net (Robert Pritchett)
Hello, and thank you for having a site like the one you have. I would
like to know what you think about the etx-70-at. I ordered it and still
waiting on it.I am a beginner and would like to learn how to take
pictures of planets and stuff. is this telescope something that can do
the job well or mediocre? I am just asking you because you seem pretty
knowledgeable.

P.S. what do I need to get started photographing. I have no clue of what
I should buy. any input you might have is appreciated. Thanks in
advance.

Robert Pritchett II.

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