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ETX USER FEEDBACK - JUNE 1998
Last updated: 30 June 1998
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ETX USER FEEDBACK - JUNE 1998 |
If you have any comments, suggestions, 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 R.A. drive question Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 1998 10:56:01 From: jasonh@fa.disney.com (Jason Herschaft) Hi there. First of all, wonderful site. I bought an ETX about three weeks ago, and have found more information about it than I could ever have hoped for on your site. I'm one of those people who had wanted a telescope for years, and for a L.A. apartment dweller with minimal time to set up and observe, this scope is ideal for me. I love it. Even better, I actually USE it (which I'm sure wouldn't be the case if I had to spend most of my time hauling a bigger scope onto my roof and setting it up). So, I have a question about the R.A. drive. Last night, when I tried it for the first time, I noticed it wouldn't kick in. So I opened the cover to replace the batteries. I guess I had left the switch in the "on" position, because when I touched the battery clips, the motor came on. When I took my finger off the clips, it turned back off. Even stranger, I thought this may be due to those new "life meter" things on the Duracells I was using -- when I switched to normal batteries, I could get the motor to run, and it would run as I put the baseplate back on. Once the plate was on, and I turned the switch off and then on again, it would NOT come back on. Open up the plate, and it would turn on again no problem. So, what, is my ETX possesed (at 4am these problems take on an odd flavor)? I'm guessing there must be a short somewhere, but can't figure it out. Ever seen/heard of anything along these lines? I suppose I could try and return/exchange mine or send it to Meade to get it repaired, but I don't want to miss any nights of observing -- this thing is just too much fun... Thanks! --Jason Herschaft
Mike here: That is an oddity! It sounds as though there is a short circuit someplace or a bad connection. Depending upon where you bought the ETX, you can take it back for an exchange. Places like The Nature Company and Natural Wonders will replace defective products.
Subject: Clear skies and warm nights, at last!, #2 Sent: Sunday, June 28, 1998 19:20:55 From: wayneh7974@earthlink.net (Wayne Hale) Had a great time at the "Star Stare" put on by the Colorado Springs astronomy club. I had probably the smallest scope there other than a few 60 mm refractors I saw some kids playing with. Saw lots of large DOB's, SCT's and regular Newtonian. Quite a few people stopped by just before it got dark, the moon was still up at dusk and a lot of people wanted to see how such a small scope could do. Everyone was amazed at the quality of the image for such a small unit. A lot of folks admitted to having much larger scopes at home but they were more trouble than they were worth to haul around. I pointed out my Doksil case and said, that's all I need, plus the tripod. Seeing was pretty good, there were some high clouds off to the west and even being 75 miles from Denver and 50 miles west of Colorado Springs, there was a surprising amount of sky glow present from both cities. Looks like true dark skies are getting harder and harder to find. Was amazed at the numbers of stars visible from a pretty dark spot. After staring to only the south and west from my balcony, with accompanying light pollution, I had a lot of problems identifying what I was looking at because of all the other stars cluttering up the skies. The Milky Way was very prominent also. Unfortunately none of the easy to see planets were up until early Sunday morning so had to satisfy myself looking at M4 and some other easy to locate targets. Guy camped next to me had a 17" dob with the Magellan computer system, think that is my next toy to get, a scope with a computerized way of finding things. Not impressed with the dob system though, expensive to put on any sort of drive that will keep an image centered for more than a few seconds. Think serious astro photo through a Dob would be a real challenge without some sort of guide system. My ETX's clock drive is nothing to brag about, it will keep a star in the field for about 10 minutes but it is definitely moving at a slightly different rate than the earth. I didn't take the time to try and figure out what the error was. If to fast I could build the regulator from a previous contributor but if to slow, I don't think it is worth the hassle to try and fix. Not sure the expense of a standalone computer system like the JMI system is warranted for the ETX either. Think if I was going to spend that kind of money, I'd step up to at least a 5 or 8 inch model and hope I could still lug it around without to much trouble. Other than problems of identifying and finding some of the fainter objects, the quality of the images the ETX produced was very good. The Orion Telefinder is great unless the object is really faint, in which case you can't see it at all. There appears to be a slight reflective coating on the front element of the Orion unit and there is some light loss through the unit making really dim objects very hard to see. Could be my poor old eyes are getting tired and just not as sensitive to dim objects as they used to be. One more rationalization for the computerized scope! Take care, Wayne
Mike here: Regarding the tracking errors, you might want to recheck your latitude and polar alignment. Errors in either can affect tracking. Same for weak batteries.
Subject: Thanks for the great ETX site! Sent: Saturday, June 27, 1998 13:17:23 From: wrightrc@mindspring.com (Rob Wright) As a new ETX owner, and was very pleased to find your site to help me understand some of the more sticky issues with using the ETX. Your site has been invaluable so far, keep up the great work! Additionally, having read your comments regarding the camera adapters, I was wondering if you might help me understand the "prime focus" option. As I understand this, you connect the camera to the end of the ETX with the Meade adapter plus adapter for your camera, but you get none of the magnification of the various eye-pieces, therefore only getting about 1250/50=25x magnification. Is this correct from your perspective? In order to get the higher mags, you must use the other option described on your site. Thanks again for the great site! Rob
Mike here: Glad you found and like my ETX site. I've learned a lot myself from the contributions of others! As to prime focus photography, you are essentially correct. You attach your camera to the rear port of the ETX with the adapters. This is like adding a 1250mm telephoto lens to your camera. So if you assume that a 50mm camera lens provides a magnification of 1x then the ETX provides 25x. To use eyepieces at the rear port you need something like the Shutan adapter (reviewed on the Showcase Products page).
Subject: Clear skies and warm nights, at last! Sent: Thursday, June 25, 1998 21:43:18 From: wayneh7974@earthlink.net (Wayne Hale) The summer afternoon thunderstorms have taken a rest for the last few days and I've been able to get some viewing in from my balcony. Light pollution still a major problem plus the pesky street lamp just a few feet to the west and slightly below by balcony. It has some sort of intermittant in it and is shuts itself off for about 30 seconds every few minutes which is a big help. I've gotten pretty good at polar aligning the ETX and by using Starry Night on the PC, can zip back and forth from the chart view, get the coordinates of some stars that are lost in the sky glow, dial in the RA and Dec and low and behold, in the finder is the target. I've spotted M5 and some other rather dim objects through the light of a major city. Woke up at 4:30 this morning and spotted Jupiter and 4 of its moons. Saturn is to far to th east and I have to lean out over the edge of my balcony railing to see it, looking forward to it getting higher in the night sky. The Colorado Springs Astronomical Society is having their annual "Star Stare" this weekend so going to take that in. They have a good dark site about 40 miles west of Pikes Peak and it looks like the weather may cooperate. Wayne
Subject: ETX Discussion Group Announcement
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 1998 14:00:52
From: reecew@mindspring.com
Today, I created a forum at Deja News where we can discuss things
online. It's our own forum and is called:
dejanews.members.tech.reecew.astronomy-etx
and I described it like this:
Discussion about the Meade ETX telescope.
To join the discussion, go to:
www.dejanews.com/rg_enter.xp
Now, here's some stuff Deja News wants to tell you to help you
out.
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---------------------------------------------------------------------
Deja News - The Discussion Network http://www.dejanews.com/
Subject: ETX repaired Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 1998 05:55:06 From: boudreau@eng.umd.edu (Paul J. Boudreaux) To: daveharris@ndirect.co.uk (Dave Harris) Dave, That is truly GREAT news! I am so pleased that it all worked out. It is too bad that you had to go thru so much trouble to get things "right". Funny how time goes, I had a note to myself to check up on your status. I have not had much of an opportunity to get out myself. It seems the summer has thunderstorms every evening here in Maryland and often very overcast. I have been following Mike's web site and am curious about the teflon pads being discussed. My ETX does not (nor never appeared to have had)teflon pads. What about the ETX you have? I bought mine over a year and a half ago ~ Jan 1997. It appears that Meade has made some modifications to the initial design. I think they recognize the original design had weak points. I don't want to call them design flaws because it looked to me that most have been due to a total lack of understanding of the volume of production due to the demand. I think they rushed(with sloppy production controls) to get the quantity demanded by the market out to the vendors. They simply underestimated the demand on their production facilities. I understand that they now have a new production facility and an expanded work force. What I don't understand is why the steadfastly refuse to get connected to the web for their quality control and customer satisfaction feed back. I am sure that they use Mike's web site for that purpose! Well, I am glad that you are as totaly satisfied with your ETX as I am. Since I have had my ETX, I have lugged out my >200 pound 14 inch Celestron set up only twice. I have built a new equitorial mount for it to lighten it up somewhat. However, I find that most of my time is very valuable, and the ETX far exceeds my requirements for a quick look at the often fleeting seeing conditions here on the east coast of the US. I takes me over an hour just to get the Celestron set up properly before I can do any observing. At my age that is quite good! The ETX is also the perfect scope for my wife, who is an avid sky watcher. Good luck with your "new" ETX! Clear skys - Always! Paul B. At 11:03 PM 6/23/98 +0100, you wrote: >Dear Paul, >I have not written for a while - and I have some good news! >I took your advice and phoned Meade in the US. They were very friendly and >told me to contact their distributor here in London. Which I did. I took my >scope in to them and they gave me a replacement gear cog (without crack!) >with no questions asked. They actually told me to Loctite the cog onto the >shaft (I wonder if that was Meade advice?). Which I did. >And, hey presto, the ETX finally works. >Since then, I've been out wherever possible, although London skies are truly >diabolical for light pollution. >The ETX tracks beautifully. In drifted a little bit on the moon over a >period of about 30 minutes, and I thought there was still a problem until I >realised that the moon actually moves! So I reckon the tracking is about >perfect. >Thanks for all your time and trouble, and e-mail me if you ever arrive in >London. >All the best, Dave >daveharris@ndirect.co.uk > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Paul J. Boudreaux (boudreau@eng.umd.edu) >To: Dave Harris (daveharris@ndirect.co.uk) >Date: 18 May 1998 13:37 >Subject: Re: ETX > > >>Dave, >> >>I checked and the gear is NOT supposed to have a crack in it - for any >>reason - certainly not to slip fit onto the shaft. This gear is assembled >>hot onto the cold shaft. The relative expansion "sweats" the brass gear >>onto the steel shaft. A certain percentage (due to tolerance variation in >>gear ID and shaft OD) are just too much tension for the brass and it cracks. >>That is probably what you have. I suggest you try to write Meade and tell >>them. They may object to your attempts to fix the problem, then again, this >>is certainly not a new problem to them - they may replace it with no >>questions asked. >> >>Good luck - and keep me informed. >> >>Paul Boudraux >> >> >>At 08:55 PM 5/16/98 +0100, you wrote: >>> Dear Paul, I have not e-mailed you for ages, and I don't want to >>>pester you about my ETX any more - you've been more than helpful already. >>>I do, however, have a question which I would be more than grateful if you >>>could answer for me. I wrote last time about the slipping of the small >>>brass gearwheel. Since then, I have tried cold soldering the gearwheel >>>onto the spindle, but without success. It held for a while (and the scope >>>tracked well), but it quickly came loose. And each time it came loose, and >>>each time I roughened the inside surface of the gearwheel, it became more >>>free. And now it is not even a push fit - it just falls down the spindle! >>>I took it to an engineering shop to try and get a small grub screw >>>inserted. They looked at the gearwheel and noticed that there was a crack >>>in it. This is true - I noticed it when I first got the scope - there is a >>>small crack, nice and neat, right through, following the line of one of >>>the teeth. I thought that this was intentional - to allow slippage when the >>>torque became too much. So my question is...Does your gearwheel have a >>>crack in it? If not, I can send it back to Meade, who should be able to >>>replace it. Then it just leaves the problem of getting it onto the spindle >>>(perhaps heat). I hope you are getting lots of use from your scope - mine >>>seems to sit in bits on the dining room table! All the best. Dave
Subject: ETX grief Sent: Tuesday, June 23, 1998 19:10:30 From: kbenicek@iname.com (K. Benicek) I understand from the folks at MAPUG that your a very good source for a solution to my ETX grief (I love the optics, but hate the base!). I'm wondering if there are home brew solutions for: 1. RA rotation is sticky at certain points, I've tried various amounts of tightening the cental bolt inside the base to no avail! 2. The base is wobbly, no matter how I adjust the central bolt in the base it sloppy, unless it's too tight and binds RA rotation. 3. Despite various adjustments of the cental bolt inside the base, when I lock down the RA knob I notice as much as a couple of degrees of vertical shift in the visual field of view. I've been told that there are "teflon pads" in the base that may have fallen out. How would recognize them? Where are they? Where can I get alternate replacements? Thanks in advance. Keith
Mike here: Search for "teflon". Check out the teflon comments on the recent Feedback pages. I think all your questions will find answers there.
Subject: ETX Sent: Monday, June 22, 1998 10:30:41 From: cann@axionet.com (Douglas Cann) Three cheers to Raymond Gilmore...enough said !! Cheers ... Doug
Subject: Re: Contemplating an ETX Comments Sent: Monday, June 22, 1998 08:48:53 From: tkline@centraxgroup.com (Tim Kline) Just thought I'd drop a quick line in response to Mike Lock's comments regarding the 'engineering nightmares' that he inferred from your user comments area. I guess the best response for people with this conclusion would be to have them tune in to MAPUG or APML for a few weeks. Any product no matter the cost is going to have its quirks, problems, etc. Not unlike MAPUG, the core users that frequent this website are incurable 'tinkerers' and want to see how far they can push this tenacious little scope. I kind of equate owning an ETX to an old '71 Super Beetle I used to drive; it is not without its problems, but some of the design, functionality and simplicity is simply brilliant. A quick review of any of the astronomical user lists will enevitably find a thread such as this where a newcomer will wonder why anyone would by this scope because all they interpret are problems. Please accept this email as the standard reply from a frequent visitor that for the money, the ETX cannot be beat for optics, portability and shear enjoyment of the hobby. The folks on MAPUG have the same things to say about their LX200s when asked why they don't trade em' in and buy a Takahashi or Astro Physics scope. Here endeth the sermon for the day. Happy skies, Tim Kline PS - Since I'm hoping to see this posted in the archive, I'll ask if there are any users in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, where the nearest place they go to for 'dark skies' is. I was in the Texas hill country over the weekend with my family and was amazed at the blanket of stars we could see...now I'm addicted.
And here is the reply from Greg Utz:
Ray, Not a very convincing answer! Whether I buy a Lincoln continental or an Escort, I do expect the wheels to stay on, the engine to run and the windshield to stay in place. If Meade put the stuff on the scope, it should stay where it belongs and function properly. Cost should not be the issue. It seems to me that the optics are always the most pricey part of a scope. So if the ETX's optics are so great, the mechanics should be the easy part. "Only" $600? I sure wish I could afford that much on something that doesn't work! Maybe the Spotter version would be better to avoid the drive problems, But then there is the flip mirror issue. There is'nt much of a price difference so maybe that explains things. I guess I'll wait for an improved version or maybe a C-5 or Pronto.
Subject: Re: Contemplating an ETX Sent: Monday, June 22, 1998 07:31:34 From: sevenmw@jorsm.com (Mike Lock and the Windy City) Thanks for the reply! Let me clarify after reading your response: Do you feel the problems are design related or quality control issues? Has Meade made attempts to rectify them? My other choice may be a C-5 or Pronto, but their costs are much higher. Thanks again! Greg Utz
Mike here: I doubt that they are strictly quality control problems. Most major companies are good at NOT shipping defective products; bad press and negative user responses are ultimately much more expensive. This is not to say that apparent quality problems do not surface. Sometimes a bad item slips through. And with the large quantities shipped, a number greater than zero can slip through. And shipment itself can damage or disturb the normal functioning of almost any highly complex product. Finally, product designers have target costs in mind so the components used and the overall design will reflect this cost target. Apparently Meade went for $500-600 US and that dictated some plastic and some other cost-saving compromises. But the end result is still a good choice for the money if you want the quality optics, portability, and functional drive, AND you can live with its shortcomings (drive, finderscope, RA Lock). Not once have I regretted my decision to get the ETX.
Subject: New ETX user Sent: Sunday, June 21, 1998 16:03:50 From: Tom.Alderweireldt@ping.be (Tom Alderweireldt) I just saw your very extensive and useful ETX page. I just purchased an ETX as second (Travel) scope. I happened to see through one during a star party on my 1 week trip to Curacao for the Feb. 26 solar eclipse. As a Celestron 8 user, I was impressed nevertheless by the incredibly crisp view of the Omega Centauri globular cluster and got bitten by the ETX-bug as a result of that. I don't know what it has, it's not exceptional in focal length, it's not particularly userfriendly, but I couldn't prevent myself from buying one. My first evening out with it confirmed the Curacao impression. With a 40 mm Celestron eyepiece, the view of a Cygnus starfield with the bright little ring nebula was impressive. A few questions: 1. Did you ever try to mount a focal reducer on the ETX ? 2. Do you have any CCD imaging experience with it ? best regards, Tom Alderweireldt 's-Gravenwezel, Belgium http://www.ping.be/~pin01622/index.shtml
Mike here: Glad you like the ETX and the web site. Check out the Showcase Products page; there are some comments about the Shutan Wide-Field Adapter (focal reducer). My "CCD" experience is limited to the Casio digital camera but others have delved into real CCD work with the ETX. Search on CCD.
Subject: New ETX Wedge Sent: Friday, June 19, 1998 20:41:25 From: davidthi@lava.net (David Takamiya) If you haven't seen the July issue of Sky & Telescope, there's a blurb in the "New Products Showcase" about a wedge specifically for the ETX. It's $139.95, made of anodized aluminum and mounts to tripods with either 1/4-20 or 3/8-16 mounting posts. It's from a company called Brite Sky Products [5B First St., Dover, NH 03820-3332; (603) 743-4083]. It looks solid enough in the press photo; more solid-looking than the JMI wedge, actually. Maybe one of your readers will report on it soon, though I'm still waiting to see Meade's own ETX wedge. David T.
Mike here: I don't know if it is more solid than JMI's wedge but it does look somewhat less functional; no eyepiece holders, no obvious latitude scale. But it does claim to work on more tripods than JMI's.
Subject: JMI outside of USA Sent: Friday, June 19, 1998 10:22:49 From: j.bosmans@ping.be (j.bosmans) Hi I'm Jan Bosmans. I'm 15- years old and an ETX-user. I'm from Belgium and I visited your website and I found it very interesting. I have a question:could you tell me if I would be able to purchase some of the JMI products here in Belgium or Europe or can I only buy them in America. Does JMI have a website? Please contact me at j.bosmans@ping.be. Thank very much, bye.
Mike here: JMI doesn't currently have a web site so you'll have to contact them directly. I don't know if they have dealers where you live but I would suspect that they can ship products.
Subject: Contemplating an ETX Sent: Friday, June 19, 1998 08:54:44 From: sevenmw@jorsm.com (Mike Lock and the Windy City) The reviews and catalog cuts looked great and I was almost going to buy one.....until I saw your web sight. I am having trouble understanding the attraction to a $600 dollar engineering nightmare. Perhaps I am just missing something. Please enlighten me!!!! Greg Utz
Mike here: The ETX is a wonderful scope. Yes, some people have some problems. Yes, the design _might_ have been better but that would probably have increased the cost. But looking at the complaints versus the positive comments in total you'll see that the good stuff FAR outweighs the bad. And I post both without reservation. Also, see Raymond Gilmore comments below. He puts it all in perspective.
Subject: Eyepiece Power Sent: Thursday, June 18, 1998 18:40:49 From: termite@usit.net (Termite) Greetings once again. I have a question. I just bought a 7.5mm Plossl EP. Exactly what power does that give me with the ETX? Also, how do I go about figuring out what power I am getting from other EP's? Thanks. Take care. Brad
Mike here: The equation for eyepiece magnification with any telescope is:
telescope focal length
---------------------- = magnification
eyepiece focal length
So, for the ETX:
1250
---- = 167 (for the 7.5mm eyepiece)
7.5
Just be certain to use the same units for the focal lengths.
Subject: ETX problems. Sent: Thursday, June 18, 1998 15:05:26 From: jfoleyla@communique.net (James Foley) I have puchased three ETX astro scopes and have had nothing but problems. All three had clocks on the order of 3 to 5% fast. Two had viewing scopes that were out of focus and could not be adjusted. One had a flip up mirror that fell off its mount the first time it was changed. What is it with Meade. Do they have any quality control at all? I have considered upgrading to LX scopes but am very gun shy. Jim Foley
Subject: Great Expectations and a Lot More Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 1998 20:55:38 From: rayreg@harbornet.com (Raymond Gilmore) I see from the comments from many of the ETX owners that things don't go perfectly with the ETX. The drive has some periodic error, or it seems to skip, or the teflon pads fall out, or the sheet metal screw needs to be replaced with a titanium hanger bolt and beryllium washers (not realistic, of course) or the finder scope is crap... Geez, folks, it's a $600 scope from Meade, not an Astro Physics 7"! Get real! For what it does for the size and the optical quality it delivers, its got very few rivals (except, Questar...but would you pay $4,000 for a 4" Mak?). I made a few adjustments on mine (very minor - like replacing the funky teflon pads that dropped out..Meade was very gracious about that) and it works well for what it does. I wouldn't be surprised if Meade came out with an "improved" version of the ETX. All it would be is a higher priced version with a more advanced drive system ( and a less crappy finder). But the heart - the optics- would be the same, I'd bet. So what did ya buy the ETX for? The optics? The "look"? The drive? I still think its a great little scope, and it can't be beat for portability. If you want to have a better mount and drive system right now, you'd better shell out another $400, and add another $250 for a Bogen or similar EHD tripod. If you want more light grasp and resolving power, better start looking at Meade 8" LX-50's or Celestar -8's or Vixen VC 200 GP's...something around $1,700, to start. For myself, I'd prefer five consecutive nights of dark sky, no clouds, temps in the low 60's and the ETX with my favorite eyepieces...and a nearby mountain pass around 4,000 feet elevation. Don't loose your perspective, folks. This isn't a career. RayG
Net sales for the three months ended May 31, 1998, were $14.8 million, a 16 percent increase over $12.7 million in the comparable period a year ago. "The 16 percent increase in net sales," said John C. Diebel, chairman and CEO of Meade Instruments, "is attributable to strong sales of our domestically produced products including the LX Series of Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes and the ETX. Sales of the ETX were much improved in the quarter as we filled the distribution channels of several key distributors -- including both existing and new accounts -- that are selling the ETX for the first time. Increased sales of products manufactured in our new Irvine facility were offset in part by an expected year-to-year reduction in sales of less-expensive imported telescopes. During the first quarter of the prior year, sales of less-expensive imported telescopes were especially strong due to interest in the Hale-Bopp comet."
Subject: ETX--further impressions Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 1998 09:31:31 From: kfisher@rim.net (Kevin Fisher) I just spent a weekend in Northern Ontario and lucky me, CLEAR SKIES!!! (a nice change from the perpetual cloud cover in southern Ont, to be sure) I did some observing from my back yard in Sault Ste. Marie and gave my ETX another workout. Conditions were clear, steady, mosquito free and t-shirt warm! Light pollution wasn't too bad...Sault Ste. Marie isn't a big town and Northern Ontario is still pretty dark and unpolluted. :) Again I'm finding that the ETX is pretty good even for small deep-sky objects...the Ring Nebula stood out as a fuzzy smoke ring in my scope. I had to stare at it a while before I could make out that it was actually a ring, however (in the 9.7mm eyepiece). Using this nebula I did some tests using the Lumicon DeepSky filter. The filter DID seem to increase the contrast between background and nebula, but the increase was only slight. This is the second planetary nebula I've tried with the DeepSky filter and the results were disappointingly similar. The Lumicon site claims this filter excels for astrophotography, so once I try that I'll post the results. I have my Pentax K1000 ready and waiting, all I need is the T-connector for the ETX. I finally had a chance to do some planetary observing with the ETX. Jupiter looked absolutely fantastic in the early morning sky...I was able to see all 4 Galilean moons on this morning as well. Using the 9.7mm eyepiece plus 2x barlow, Jupiter was very clearly defined. The cloudbands were clearly visible and the Galilean moons were sharply-defined points. I could not see the Red Spot. THIS is the kind of stuff I bought my ETX for! I've noticed lots of talk about tripods for the ETX lately...I use a Manfrotto tripod, recommended by my telescope dealer. It is rock-steady and sturdy...I recommend it myself! It is fine for polar alignment, as well. Also, I purchased and set up the 'Dry Eye' complete optical heating system for the ETX. In general it seems like a nice system, although one of the rubber attachments for the viewfinder was too small. The directions claim that the system should use a 12v gel battery, but I'm using 2 series-connected 6v lantern batteries. The dewcap for the main optics is made out of sturdy foam rubber...you could probably make one of these yourself without difficulty. The kit comes with heater elements for all exposed optics, including eyepieces and even Telrad finders. However I have found it rather inconvenient to have the heater on the eyepieces, since they are a bit of a pain to put on (it uses tight-fitting bicycle tire rubber). The kit came with a nice manual plus some photographs of how the kit goes together on an actual ETX (not sure who put the photos in there...either my dealer or the guy who makes the kit. It's a nice touch, though...). I also have a question....I'm already considering my next telescope purchase, ideally a *-Cassegrain with 8-10 inches aperture. I've been looking at the LX200 series from Meade...do you have any recommendations? (note: I'm not tired of my ETX by any means...I'll still be keeping it and using it...it's a damn nice portable scope!)
Subject: An idea for a solid table Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 1998 21:13:29 From: bdsmith@seanet.com (Barry Smith) Here's a cheap and very sturdy table for the ETX while its on its tripod legs. Start with a plastic garbage can, and cut a circle of plywood to fit over the top. For the trash cans I have, that is a 22 to 24 inch diameter circle. Attach four small square cleats on the bottom of the disk (4 4-inch long pieces of a 2-by-4). These cleats are on the bottom of the disk and fit inside the garbage can rim to keep fthe disk centered and from sliding around or sliding off. The finial step to change this shaky mounting in to strudy one is to fill the garbage can with water (experiment for how much). Very study. Won't get kicked over in the dark. Doesn't have legs sticking out the side. Damps vibrations in a couple of seconds. Not quite portable (unless there's a hose at your observing site). But nice in the back yard. For portablity, leave the garbage can at home, but take the disk. This same disk can be clamped into a WorkMate table by having the WorkMate clamp onto two of the cleats. (Thanks to one of Mike's earlier contributors for the WorkMate idea). The local big hardware store here even carries precut plywood disks so you don't even need to cut that yourself. If you wish the disk-top to be even more sturdy, a couple of holes around the edge so that short bungee cords can go through the garbage can handles and hook to the holes would hold the lid tightly on. Barry Smith bdsmith@syzygysystems.com
Subject: On a personal note Sent: Monday, June 15, 1998 19:11:17 From: filmdos@seanet.com (Paul S. Walsh) This is a personal note of thanks for all you've done. We've graduated to a Takahashi FS102 on an EM-10/USD mount (which we adore) and are selling our ETX to a co-worker who is wheel chair bound and the ETX is a perfect match for his disability and viewing habits. We will continue to return to your magnificent site to follow the saga of the "Little Scope That Pretty Much Could" for tips and pathos and to see what ingenious people are pushing that little dickens into doing! Again, thank you so much for your amazing efforts at maintaining what we think is the very best "Scope User" site on the world wide web (I've seen em all). There's a dark sky site in heaven somewhere with your name on it. P.S.- I've accomplished my first Hand Held Casio QV-10A effort with the Takahashi (remembering your very helpful tips). I'm holding off on getting a CCD to allow my "Sketching" abilities to strengthen. CCD's are great but I see a paucity of eyepiece drawings, which I think are of tremendous beauty and value. So while the herds of human cattle run headlong into a foray with pixels and Pentiums (like, what, we're going to compete with the hubble?), I'm going to dawdle along with my doodling and see what comes of it. Take care and Dark Skies, Paul S. Walsh and Valarie Keaton
Mike here: I applaud your efforts on eyepiece drawing. That seems to be a lost art. I was never very good at drawing anything so gave up astronomical drawing early on in my astronomy pursuits.
Subject: good page Sent: Monday, June 15, 1998 18:31:55 From: muddler1@airmail.net (Alan Edwards) I'm looking at getting a scope (my first) and have been considering Meades ETX. Your more than adequate supply of information was a great help. I was especially glad to see actual photos taken with it. Thanks for running a decent, informative, non-annoying web site. A.E.
Subject: Astrophotography Sent: Monday, June 15, 1998 01:29:13 From: apolidor@suffolk.lib.ny.us (Anthony R. Polidoro) I purchased the T-adapter and mount and constructed adapter to work with the quickcam. When I booted up the system and accessed the camera, all I saw was a small circle. How do I get magnification? If I use my 35mm camera will the pictures just show a small circle? This has been boggeling my mind. It's a little late so im a bit dazed and confused right now. What's the image suppose to look like with just the T-adapter and camera? I'm jealous, I see all these terrific shots of the moon and I'd like some cake too! HELP! Thanks Anthony PS Thank you for responding so quickly to questions!
Mike here: It sounds like your QC lens may be too far away from the eyepiece (if using one). Or if you are mounting the QC at the rear port of the ETX with the camera adapter then you need to remove the QC lens to get the image to focus directly on the CCD. This is like what you are probably doing with your 35mm camera, assuming it has a removable lens and you've removed it. Let me know if this helps.
Subject: New ETX User in Venezuela Sent: Monday, June 15, 1998 11:39:00 From: partidas@caracas.c-com.net (Oswaldo Partidas) I recently purchased an ETX Astro Telescope from a US dealer during a business trip there last month. My place of residence however is Caracas, Venezuela which is located at an approximate latitude of 11 degrees North. After having thoroughly read the instructions manual, I have been unable to polar align the ETX at such a low latitude. Contacting Meade directly from here is difficult so I decided to look in Internet and found your page which is I must say excellent. This is my first experience with an astronomical telescope. Any help regarding any polar alignment technique, wedge or any other device which will allow me to align and track with the ETX will be more thn welcome. I appreciate your help. SIncerely, Oswaldo ®Partidas Caracas, Venezuela
Subject: JMI web site
Sent: Sunday, June 14, 1998 14:49:43
From: HARDTHOME@aol.com
Dear Weasner,
Do you know if JMI has a web site, if so will you email it to me
at Hardthome@aol.com. And if you happen to know any web sites
that have info on the NGC-MAX. Also I would like to tell you that
your web site is very helpful and easy to navigate. Thanks a lot
your web site is the best.
ETX owner
Nathan
Mike here: JMI was planning a web site some months ago but I haven't heard that it has gone online.
Subject: ETX setting circles & tracking Sent: Sunday, June 14, 1998 07:41:15 From: dragon@email.unc.edu (Ray Porter) I finally figured out last night why I've had a problem getting my setting circles to work. The combination of my new Orion EZFinder and my JMI Wedge finally allowed me to get a fairly decently balanced and polar aligned platform. Despite that, I simply could not get the setting circles to work. For a while, with growing frustration, I simply assumed I was doing something wrong. Then I started examining the values on both setting circles while trying to use them (using Arcturus as a calibration star). I soon discovered that while the decliniation circles appear to be pretty accurate, the north-south RA circles are reversed from what the manual says they should be, i.e., the circle the manual says should be used in the northern hemisphere is actually the one for the southern hemisphere and vice versa. Once I made that discovery I very quickly was able to start using the setting circles. Is this mistake due to carelessness in manufacturing or a misprint in the ETX manual? I also noticed, for the first time, a jerking motion in my clock drive. I used the setting circles to locate Albiero and engaged the drive. It seemed to be tracking fairly well but periodically the drive lurched. I suspect that the drive was hanging slightly then jerking forward to catch up. Have other ETX owners reported this problem? If the problem persist, is there anything that can be done short of sending the scope back to Meade. I've never seen this behavior before and I'm concerned that my recent, initial attempts at prime focus photography with the T64 might have contributed to the problem (BTW, I was quite successful photographing the 1st quarter moon, I'm going to try the full moon the next time the weather permits and, if results warrant, I'll email you a copy). Is it possible the weight of the camera has damaged the drive? The RA motion of the scope has always been sticky and using the RA slow-motion control is problematic at best. Is the problem I started seeing last night related to the general lack of smoothness in RA or do I have a basic problem with my drive? I did notice that loosening the retightening the RA locking knob seemed to resolve the problem last night. -- ********************************* Ray Porter dragon@email.unc.edu http://www.adp.unc.edu/~allrp/ "Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup."
Mike here: There have been some users who reported the RA circle reversed. You can see some evidence of the tracking errors by looking at the Astrophotography Gallery - Basics page; I have some example photos showing the error. I doubt that hanging the camera on the ETX would "damage" the drive over the short period that the drive is running in this condition. However, with all the teflon pad discussions recently I wonder if they could become warped???
Subject: reddish color... Sent: Saturday, June 13, 1998 12:23:28 From: Fishee9@aol.com I have had my share of etx's with their problems, but i have managed to get through them. i haven't really been out observing in a while but i took out my etx recently to observe some deep-sky. everything works fine on it...from the motor to the knobs. I also have a 10 inch dob that use mainly on deep-sky. what i have noticed is that when i look in the 10, even when it hasnt cooled down, in the eyepiece, the stars are easily seen, and the "background" is pure black. this helps when viewing star clusters and such. in the etx however, the stars arent as bright, which of course i know would happen because of the aperture difference, but it seems as if the "background" color is reddish. this really annoys the hell out of me :-) i'm in an area of some light pollution, but wouldnt it have the same effect on the 10? if anyone has any reasons, suggestions, anything about this "problem" email me or post it up. thank you dave Fishee9@aol.com ps keep up the good work mike
Mike here: I've noticed some similar effects when switching from the naked eye (oops, did I just get an "XXX" rating on my site?) to binoculars to telescopes. But nothing too dramatic.
Added later:
i never really thought if it that way. because whenever i use my etx for deep-sky, i normally bring out my 10 as well to compare. but i have noticed it on nights where i just used the etx.
Subject: Tropical Wedge Sent: Saturday, June 13, 1998 00:13:54 From: pmeesook@ibm.net (Palachai Meesook) I bought my ETX Astro from the Nature Company in early May this year. Bringing it home to Thailand with LATitute of 13-14 degrees is out of range of even the lower hole on the base for the adjustable leg of the tripot. Reading your pages on many wedges, mostly on higher latitute make me wonder what should I do to get correct polar align around this part of the world, without risking tipping the scope all over the floor, and with ease of viewing. Your site is great.
Subject: Sent: Friday, June 12, 1998 19:20:39 From: neuro@citynet.net (John Schmidt) Thanks for the nice web page for the ETX.. I don't have one but would consider one for the position of guide scope for the LX200. Don't believe it will take photos of sig. resolution alone but they say it might serve as the guide scope. Thanks again for the info. John Schmidt Charleston, WV
Mike here: There have been a lot of comments on the MAPUG Mailing List on using the ETX as a guidescope.
Subject: need help with PB1400 and B&W Quickcam Sent: Friday, June 12, 1998 12:58:47 From: bnbailey@students.uiuc.edu (brian norris bailey) After looking at the various ETX/Quickcam solutions, I have decided to give it a try myself. I ordered a refurbished B&W quickcam from MacMall for $40, which came yesterday. But now I cannot seem to get the Quickcam to work on my Powerbook 1400. I took the camera to work and tried it on a couple of other machines, and it works fine, so the problem is obviously at my end. I know that this is not strictly ETX related but I thought I would ask you and perhaps the other readers lurking out there if anyone has had any luck getting the quickcam to work on a PB1400. I am just looking at these lunar quickcam shots and wanting to take a crack at it with my newly delivered ETX, but I am stuck. Any help is appreciated. Oh, BTW, I already tried the version 2.1.2 beta3 that is on the Connectix web site for 1400's and it does not work. Maybe it is my system 8.1? Thanks. Brian
Subject: Deluxe ETX? Sent: Friday, June 12, 1998 10:00:58 From: gilgamesh@earthling.net (Antonio_L._Gonzlez) I heard in the MAPUG that Meade might be working on a new and improved ETX Deluxe. Have you heard anything from Meade on this subject? Antonio
Subject: Meade ETX Sent: Friday, June 12, 1998 03:10:24 From: Yigal.Herstein@nieuwer-amstel.nl (Yigal.Herstein) I will buy and Meade ETX in a few weeks, but I've got an question, one that the seller could not tell me. I'm living in Amsterdam (Latitude 52 degrees). The normal lattitude leg has has only a latitude till 48 degrees. There is another leg inside that box. A small leg, with no scale on it. You can pull the leg somewhat out. Is this probably the high-latitude leg?? The leg is, if you don't pull it out, about 5 a 10 centimeters long. You regrets, Yigal Herstein (Amsterdam, Holland) my e-mail: Yigal.Herstein@nieuwer-amstel.nl
Mike here: There is a high latitude leg but I would have thought it would have had a scale on it. Maybe someone with the high latitude leg will respond. Search the Feedback pages for "latitude" and you'll find some recent comments on adjustments for high latitudes.
Subject: Setting Circles Sent: Thursday, June 11, 1998 23:26:53 From: apolidor@suffolk.lib.ny.us (Anthony R. Polidoro) I'm starting to familiarize myself with RA and Dec. Will I experience accurate destination of a star when setting the circles to positions as listed in charts? say like.. Eta Ursae Majoris h13 m47 s32.4 Dec. +49 18' 48" How would I set this on the ETX accurately? Polar Alignment must be perfect? Clear skies Anthony
Mike here: The scales are not that accurate; certainly you can not position the ETX to within less than 10-15 minutes of RA or or a few degrees of DEC. But they do help get things within the Finderscope's field of view. Yes, polar alignment helps a lot as does setting the RA circle as accurately as possible based upon observing an object with a known RA and then setting that RA on the circle. This is how I was able to locate Venus in the daytime (see the Astrophotography - Planets page; I set the RA based upon the Sun (using a solar filter) and then just moved the ETX in RA and DEC until it was at the position where Venus was located. I used Voyager II 2.0 charting software to get their positions on the date I was observing.
Subject: Your Site! Sent: Thursday, June 11, 1998 20:42:55 From: wayneas@concentric.net (Wayne A. Schwegel) Thanks so much for providing a site with SO-O-O-O much valuable information -- it is greatly appreciated. I known how much work it is to maintain and update this page on a regular basis -- just know that it is appreciated!!! Wayne (waynes) -- a brand new ETX owner
Subject: Back from Shenandoah Sent: Tuesday, June 9, 1998 10:01:13 From: hopewell@ctg.net (Meade Daffron) Well, it looks like I accidentally packed Mr. Murphy along with the ETX on last weekend's camping trip to Shenandoah National Park. It rained the first night, and was overcast the second. Of course, it was crystal-clear and sunny as we packed up to go home Sunday. Oh well, there will be other weekends this summer -- I can't wait to try it out on Scorpio and Sagittarius from a Shenandoah mountaintop! I'll post my experiences. One quick comment on portability, in reference to a 6/7/98 posting about placing the ETX on the hood of a truck -- I have a pickup truck, and the folded-down tailgate makes a fine perch for the ETX, chart, eyepieces, cold beer, etc.!!! Dark, not-so-cloudy-next-time skies! Meade Daffron Richmond, VA e-mail: hopewell@ctg.net
Subject: An update: bearings & wedges Sent: Tuesday, June 9, 1998 08:35:49 From: mahlon.r.haunschild@ac.com Well, some time has gone by (real and sidereal ; ) ) and I have also read through some more of the archives on your site, and found the posting from the gentleman who replaced the R.A. pivot screw with a hanger bolt, spring, etc. which gave me EVEN MORE food for thought. Here's what I did: 1. Using my newly-acquired etched-back .030" sheet Teflon, I cut six new bearing pads for the R.A. axis and secured them in place, with double-sided Scotch tape, as I'm still a little bit reluctant to make any permanent changes to the castings. 2. I applied the hanger-bolt mod mentioned elsewhere, but instead of a lock washer I used a short stack of flat washers, so that the spring load is spread out more than a lock washer would. The washer that is in contact with the base is faced with a bit of my Teflon tape. Reassembled, and tightened snugly so that there is no wobble, shake, rattle, roll, etc. The result: The RA axis now turns VERY SMOOTHLY, with almost no preload torque! There is a very small amount of sticktion, caused most probably by the Teflon pads molding themselves to the underside of the fork skirt, but this is easily remedied by giving the fork a turn or two by hand before beginning a session. The Scotch tape, though, is inadequate to keep the little pads corralled under the skirt, so I will have to find a more aggressive adhesive or use bigger pads (more sticky suface). Still no progress on the wedge, other than buying an oak 1 x 8, a 3/8 threaded insert, and a length of piano hinge. I'm trying to come up with a scheme for controlling and locking the wedge tilt. Have looked at using boat hatch adjusters, but they are a bit pricey and are too long (11" min.). regards, M.
Subject: tripod Sent: Tuesday, June 9, 1998 00:38:09 From: apolidor@suffolk.lib.ny.us (Anthony R. Polidoro) I was just wondering if it is possible to use a vivitar tri-pod with the wedge? Or do I need the Bogen? I would appreciate your response Thank You! Anthony
Mike here: I think I would be nervous about this. The JMI wedge has a tripod-mount hole (1/4" thread) just like on your camera. But if your tripod screw isn't real strong it might snap off. Plus you could have lots of vibrations from this single attach point.
Subject: Proud new ETX owner! Sent: Monday, June 8, 1998 20:21:59 From: reecew@mindspring.com (Reece Watkins) Thanks to your excellent site (and a well-timed fender-bender settlement check), I am now the proud owner of a brand new ETX. UNFORTUNATELY... after a week of pristine skies, the clouds decide to roll in right about 9:30! (Stockbridge, GA, USA, just southeast of Atlanta.) So, "first light" consisted entirely of viewing Vega as it peeked through the clouds, and a brief view of the Moon. Due to a (probably) irreproducible bit of pointing luck, I managed to get the scope nearly polar aligned as I set it up before dark! Setting the Dec circle to 89.2, Polaris was about 1/4 of the way from the edge of the field. The motor showed very little drift on Vega. It stayed in the field for over half an hour. I purchased the scope at The Nature Company in Lenox Square because of the favorable reports from people here. Unfortunately, again, my experience was not quite as smooth as others have reported. The first scope they tried to sell me had the RA adjustment knob completely loose--and they tried to pawn that off as "normal". "You have to tighten it up with these Allen wrenches, and you can only use it when the motor's on." (a lie) I asked them to see the display scope, and the knob functioned just like you'd expect--correctly. The salesman then said "I'll tighten it up for you here", then was completely unable to do so. (I had checked it while he was getting the display--the little Allen nut was missing.) Only then did he admit that it was defective. He sent another person to get the other ETX they had in stock, and let me open it myself. This one was "more like it", but the RA knob still has some strange "play" to it. It works ok, but I thought it would have had tighter tolerances on the parts. The wonderful return policy alluded to by others wasn't offered at all. "If anything goes wrong with it, you have to return it to Meade yourself." was the reply. The guy said that they sell about six ETXs a week, and that The Discovery Store across the mall had just sold a 12" LX200 that day. (TDS and TNC are now affiliated.) I sure hope they give better service than the guy I talked to. The price was standard list - $595, but they charged $53 for the #126 Barlow, and wanted $85 for the 9.7 Super Plossl. I took the Barlow, and will get my EPs elsewhere. I guess I'm lucky I caught any photons at all with it on my first night, but it sure does leave me hungry for more... Except for that LOUSY finderscope. More to come, Reece Watkins New ETX fanatic 8 June 1998
Mike here: Sorry that you had a bad experience at a Nature Company. I hope that was just the local store person and not a new franchise policy!
Subject: Meade ETX Telescope
Sent: Monday, June 8, 1998 19:09:31
From: j_ullom@erinet.com (Jim Ullom)
Been looking on the web for this scope and ran across your page.
Great idea, Thanks!
The question is, who has the best deal on the ETX Astro? I've
been looking around, and most are in the same price range. Any
advice?
Thanks,
Jim %{8*)
j_ullom@erinet.com
Mike here: Regarding best deals, no one seems to be doing much discounting. Service-wise, local dealers (The Nature Company, Natural Wonders, or your local photo/telescope shop) may be your best bet. Of course, checking the various dealers (Shutan, Oceanside, Pocano, etc.) listed on the Astro Links page would also be a good idea. Search the ETX for dealer names and you will find user comments about them.
Subject: 'Automobile' tripod Sent: Monday, June 8, 1998 09:34:11 From: cann@axionet.com (Douglas Cann) Just a reminder to Brad and those that use a truck or car hood/roof/trunk for a tripod, that the heat from the engine will effect images for a couple of hours at least and therefore, critical viewing at higher powers is probably out of the question. Cheers....Doug
Subject: Cleaning the ETX Sent: Sunday, June 7, 1998 18:09:11 From: termite@usit.net (Termite) What do you use to clean your ETX? Mine has aquired a lot of dust since I bought it. I don't want to clean it unless it absolutely needs it, but eventually it will need it. Thanks. Brad
Mike here: Search the ETX site for "clean" and you'll find several tips.
Subject: New ETX owner w/ tripod comments / tips Sent: Sunday, June 7, 1998 10:12:15 From: rayra@earthlink.net (Rich Ray) Fantastic web page ! Huge amount of help, especially $$-saving tips about getting a Barlow to double magnification ranges, really timely help before I purchase additional eyepieces. I am currently building my own wedge mount from oak and brass / anodized fittings, will be glad to share results when it's completed A helpful tip: have discovered some 1" glow-in-the-dark tape (at Los Angeles-area sporting goods chain) that works great for marking tripod legs to prevent tripping over them in the dark. I just tape a band circling the leg at each collet or clamp, and what you get is 2-3 levels of glowing marks which show where the legs are. Another tripod aid, thought of hanging small maglite with red lens from tripod center post, pointing at ground, illumination cone DEFINITELY shows you where the tripod legs are. Thanks again for your efforts, the web site is very helpful ! Rich Ray -- "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Lazarus Long -as written by Robert A. Heinlein Responses to: rayra@earthlink.net rayra@aol.com rray@corlundelectronics.com riray@dttus.com - NOT!! http://home.earthlink.net/~rayra/rland.html
Subject: CCD Sent: Saturday, June 6, 1998 01:15:18 From: apolidor@suffolk.lib.ny.us (Anthony R. Polidoro) Do you know anyone who has converted the QuickCam Connectix Camera to be used for CCD? I know Lance Hill has done this with his LX50 (Sky & Telescope, 1998 June) but has anyone tried it using the ETX? I will be experimenting very soon. I just received my T-adapter and mount and I am currenty waiting for the Camera. Wish me luck! please respond Thank you Antonio
Mike here: Search the ETX site for "QuickCam"; you'll find LOTS of references.
Subject: Portability Issue Sent: Friday, June 5, 1998 22:35:31 From: termite@usit.net (Termite) Greetings once again. I have now had the chance view the moon on many different occasions. So far, I think I am lucky in that I do not have any of the problems other ETX users encounter. The only problem I seem to have is the weather giving me a hard time. :) The reason for this email is this. I've been reading the newsgroups and have found that the reason some people are down on the ETX is because they say it's not a very portable scope if you have to drag along a table or a heavy tripod to use the telescope. Well, I use neither! I drive to my viewing location and just plop the ETX down on the hood of my truck. The legs have rubber caps on them, so I know I am not going to scratch my truck. I can lean on it, put my charts on it, my pencil, whatever. If I need to, I can transfer the scope to the top of my truck for a better angle. I will probably buy a tripod for it soon, but in the mean time, the hood of a Nissan 4x4 works just fine. So, if anyone says they *must* have a table or a tripod to use the ETX, they're wrong. Keep up the great work. Take care and clear skies. Brad
Mike here: Many times people forget that any reasonably flat surface will be suitable for the ETX legs, as long as the surface is large enough.
Subject: Deep Sky Sights for Shenandoah Park Sent: Friday, June 5, 1998 11:56:25 From: JaePbond@aol.com I was in Napa, Ca earlier this year and found that there were a number of objects that the ETX could capture. Although if you're talking about this weekend, you may have to get up in the wee hours of early morning for dark skies, if it's at all possible. The moon is at the gibbous phase right now. So the objects that are visible now during the evening will be different from those in early morning. Anyway - right now I would go for M57 - Ring Nebula, M81/M82 galaxies, M51 Whirlpool Gax. should be visible, Globulars - M13, M92, M5, M3. If you are up at early morning, then I would say on the southern sky you should get a great view of the best parts of the milky way. Low power views of M6/M7 should be nice, the Swan / Omega, Lagoon nebulaes, M22 globular are all there. I might have missed some but it's just off the top of my head. Look at the map of region and there should be some more. Good luck, but don't expect great views with the ETX like the Orion Nebula. Jae P
Subject: David and latitude Sent: Friday, June 5, 1998 10:18:26 From: cann@axionet.com (Douglas Cann) I read 'David's' comments about the length of the legs and the latitude that he can't reach accurately. There is a second hole in the base at the bottom for the adjustable leg and between this and the two different length legs available from Meade, you should be able to get any latitude. I have both legs and have experimented, should I ever get to go south !! and I can reach every angle except for the really southerly ones (22 north) cause then it gets too tippy and would probably fall over. Regards Doug.....
Added later:
This is an afterthought. Before I received the shorter adjustable leg from Meade, I made up a set of legs from 1/4 inch #20 bolts available from any hardware store. They come in all sorts of lengths and it is very easy to get the right combination regardless of your latitude. I used the ones that aren't threaded all the way, just the last 1/2 an inch or so. I put two nuts on the treaded part to adjust the length and also act as a 'stop' for when you screw them in. I Put a piece of black shiny vinyl tubing on before locking on the nuts and glued a small black plastic cap on the bolt head to finish them off. They look like they were supplied with the ETX !!!
Subject: Wide-field adapter blues Sent: Thursday, June 4, 1998 13:31:30 From: hoy@istar.ca (Doug Hoy) Given the recommendation here, I thought I'd try the Apogee wide-field adapter for my ETX. Everything went on fine, but I couldn't get the scope to reach focus at infinity (or the vicinity of Vega, even). Took it into the dealer, where we adjusted the focus knob, to no avail. My ETX just wouldn't focus. Maybe it's too old? (bought in February) Other ETXii in the store worked. We even took the tube off, pulled the mirror out (now, that's a scary sight!), and checked the focus mechanism. No dice. Phone calls to Meade and Apogee haven't resulted in any solutions so far. So, before you buy the reducer, check to see that it works on your scope. If it does, you'll be happy with the view, I'm sure, cause it looked awfully nice on those other ETXs (sigh). (To console myself, I bought some Orion 9x63 binos with the refund. Now, that's wide field.) ************************************************************* Doug Hoy Evaluation National Museum of dhoy@nmstc.ca & Science & Technology (613)998-6863v Research P.O.Box 9724, Station T (613)990-3654f Ottawa K1G 5A3 CANADA **Opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by the NMSTC** *************************************************************
Subject: Teflon pads Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 1998 12:05:54 From: brayburn@uab.edu (Barry K. Rayburn, MD) The pads are actually on the outside of the scope along the perimeter between the base and the scope itself. They are about 1/4" long and a few mm wide. Barry
Subject: Dark-sky observing suggestions? Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 1998 10:37:17 From: hopewell@ctg.net (Meade Daffron) Hi again! It's been several months since I posted anything to your site. I've been reading the user comments in the meantime, though! Again, great site! My purpose for posting: After putting up with the mediocre skies of suburban Richmond, Virginia as my ETX observing location since I bought the telescope last December, my wife and I are finally going camping in Shenandoah National Park this weekend -- and OF COURSE, I'm taking the ETX! I can't wait for this opportunity to do some REAL dark-sky observing. Now, I've been into astronomy since I was a kid, but it's been a few years since I've had a decent scope AND a dark-sky location. So, what I'm asking for is some suggestions from fellow ETX users who've been lucky enough to have experience in this sort of environment. QUESTION: WHAT ARE SOME GOOD DARK-SKY OBJECTS, OBSERVABLE THIS TIME OF YEAR IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, FOR THE ETX? I've got some decent charts, so using the circles won't hamper my enjoyment! Thanks for allowing me to post this query to the brain trust. I'll be sure to post the results of my viewing session when I return to the Land of Light Pollution next week. Meade (no relation!) Daffron Richmond, Virginia E-mail: hopewell@ctg.net
Mike here: Due to the short notice of this posting, please send any suggestions direct to Meade (the user!) with a copy to me (to post). Thanks.
Subject: Teflon pads Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 1998 09:40:40 From: cann@axionet.com (Douglas Cann) My ETX was delivered July 5 1996 It was one of the first 300 run off. The 'pads' are built in on mine, ie, part of the molding. Three months ago i noticed a more recent model and which had the teflon pads instead. Meade sent me a set of pads. I added them to my built in pads...too high. I then spaced them equally around in between the molded pads and seemed to even out the bearing load. They tend to fall out. I have used vaseline as a lubricant and it seems to work for a while. I too am concern about regular greases. I spoke to a Meade rep today and he says that Meade has found that ANY grease or oil on this bearing will 'gum or stick' it up. He said to remove all traces of any oil or grease. Hope that this helps out. Doug....
Subject: Teflon pads - Meade initiated fix? Sent: Wednesday, June 3, 1998 03:56:36 From: acl3@sprynet.com (Al) After my first use of the new ETX, purchased May 98, I noticed three or four teflon pads hanging by a thread of glue from the drive base. My suspicion was that they were plastic casting debris which had not been removed during the final inspection process. After reading the numerous posts on this issue, I now know what they were, but can't understand why such a fragile setup was used by Meade. Since this seems to be a continuing problem with the scopes, how about a Meade initiated fix? I envision some sort of round teflon gasket with installation instructions to be mailed to all ETX owners. Installing a round gasket would be much easier, and more precise than placing and attaching the tiny pads. Meade could offer the fix free, or at a moderate cost to owners. Many of us got our ETX as a first scope , and it is safe to say a number of us will graduate to larger scopes in the future. Meade could give demonstrate some commitment to customer satisfaction with this simple fix.
Subject: Little problem with ETX lat. leg Sent: Tuesday, June 2, 1998 15:04:25 From: Voriig@aol.com I've just read your page and I found it very usefull. I have an ETX since September 97 and I've used it a very little. But the few things I've seen with it were great. But I've never tried to put it in polar position. So I've taken the manual and tried to apply it. My Latitude position is about 43' 20, so if you take the latitude leg you can see that the maximum is 42' 1/2. So for us Meade have put a little leg for latitudes over 42' 1/2. But at his maximum position there is a black hole for about 3 degrees. In fact the little leg begin at about 45' and over. So what can the users located between 42 1/2 and 45 do ? If you have an idea... First I think I can cut from about 1 degree from the base of the big latitude leg, so the last latitude will be 43' 1/2 and no more 42' 1/2. Thanks for your help David. Ps : Sorry for my english
Mike here: You could check out the various wedges that are now available for the ETX (search the site for "wedge") or make your own (see the Guest Contributions page for that).
Subject: New Meade ETX Sent: Tuesday, June 2, 1998 12:29:04 From: wa7aco@owt.com (Russ Hughes) I had been looking at the adds for the Meade ETX telescope for some time and after I stumbled across this web site I decided to take the plunge and buy my own ETX. As usual, I had it out of the box and was viewing the moon long before I felt like looking at the manual. Yes, I actually had no trouble getting it looking at first light for me. The optics appeared to be good and I likes the 26 mm lense that comes with the unit. If I had any negative comments about the ETX considering the very short time I have had it, it would be these. I have purchased many WW-II surplus radios years ago that had smoother tuning knob adjustments than the ETX adjusting knobs. This is not a good thing since the technology for making a smooth acting knob adjustment is very old. The supplied tripod mount is clumsey to use unless a tripod stand is used. A table top location is OK for terrestial viewing, but gets in the way of any up in the sky viewing. As was noted elsewhere, the viewing angle for the finder scope is awful. I will be getting the 90 deg adaptor for this thing. trying to align with Polaris through the finder scope is most difficult to say the least. Other than the cheap flimsey adjusting knobs, I think I will like the ETX for the purposes it is designed for, that is portability versus my 10" Mead reflector which is not suited for spur of the moment excursions for viewing. Russ Hughes Richland Washington
Added later:
What I found is when the ETX is located on a table top using the three legs to set the proper latitude, the table top gets in the way of my head when trying to look up the view finder. When I mounted the ETX on a tripod with a wedge, I was able to get my head down below the level where the table top would have been, which was more comfortable. I also found that at my latitude of 45 deg 30 min, that the adjustable leg was beyond its limit according to the attached scale. I had an old tripod that I inherited from my Father that he used as a small portable table top. Upon removing the attached table top I discovered that the tripod had a top that was hinged at one end and adjustable supports so that the top could be tilted like an adjustable wedge. The top also had a captive 1/4 inch threaded rod with a knob that would screw into one of the threaded placed on the base of the ETX. The end result was a tripod with a built in adjustable wedge. The tripod is adjustable in height and is usefull for both standing and sitting positions. With this tripod, I can actually look up through the auxilliary setting scope when aligning with Polaris. I consider the three little tripod legs to be useless except that they are extremely portable and this might mitigate their inclusion in the package. The ETX seems to be a very nice small portable telescope except for the cheap feel of the adjusting knobs , which while they do function, do not instill confidence. Meade needs to take a look at this area so as to not seem to be an afterthought thrown in for the heck of it.
Subject: My ETX Sent: Monday, June 1, 1998 23:20:37 From: addison@aloha.net (MICHAEL ADDISON) Aloha Mike, I've enjoyed your web page, it's a great resource for those of us with the "Mighty ETX." I used a small Newtonian refractor when I was a kid...the eyepiece was missing but luckily my Dad was a photographer and sacrificed the focusing lens from his photoenlarger. Coupled with a 2X Barlow, it was "quite the little scope." It's been a long time since then, and my wife bought me an ETX for Christmas. I've compared it side by side with larger scopes, and it does pretty well. My first images were Saturn and Jupiter. M42 and Andromeda followed. My ETX seems to work quite well. I haven't had any of the problems other users have described, nor have I had the urge to take my scope apart and "fix" it. My scope tracks great, now that I learned how to use it. I did notice the setting circles seemed to be "upside down," where is the N circle supposed to be? Also, do you think the Meade Super Plossl 9.7mm is a good buy? Your review seemed less than glowing, to say the least. What's a good second lens, I'd like a bit more magnification, I think, but a friend warned me against a Barlow as it puts more glass between me and the object I'm observing (particularly on a small aperture scope). Mahalo from Hawaii, Mickey
Mike here: Apparently some shipments had the RA setting circle tape upside-down. If yours goes the wrong way you can just reverse it per the procedures described in Bob Martin's comment in the March 1998 Feedback. I use my 9.7mm for bright objects, less so for dim, extended objects. Depending upon your goals, a 12 to 15mm eyepiece might be better.
Subject: ETX QUESTIONS Sent: Monday, June 1, 1998 11:14:20 From: DOUSTA@SAFECO.com (DOUG STANGLER) I live in the Seattle area (47 degrees) and the tripod leg doesn't go that high. I know the instructions say to put the leg in one of the others holes and align with Polaris, but why didn't Meade put a scale on the leg for those of us further north or at least put in the instructions what number to set the leg at for further north? Laziness of Meade? I have not been able to lug a heavy table with the scope out where I can see Polaris in my heavily light polluted area, and was wondering if anyone has figured out a conversion for figuring out what setting to put the tripod leg on in addition to the different hole it needs to go in.
Added later:
I found a graph which appears it might be what I'm looking for? I'm not positive. If I understand it correctly, I should set my leg to 41.5 degrees for my 47 degree lattitude with the leg in the upper hole? I hope I'm not misunderstanding what that graph is about.
And further:
I wrote to the guy who posted it and I am correct. It is exactly what I wanted and hoped it would be. He did what Meade should have done for us. I'm also following the advice of 2 other people who posted info on your sight, regarding making your own dewcap out of pvc and the hardcase from B&H photo. I'm very glad I discovered your sight. Great info!
Subject: Ray Wartinger Sent: Monday, June 1, 1998 09:20:33 From: cann@axionet.com (Douglas Cann) Just reading Ray's comments about access to the RA knob. I was also going to write and comment on my reversed mounting of the ETX tube. It is still working well and gives you that extra bit of room for your hands and the RA knob. I don't know how far south Ray is but the further south you are, the less effective the reversed tube would be. Probably 35 to 40 degrees latitude north unless you only observe 'high' up. My original comments are archived in Jan. to Mar. 1997 and dated 1/19/97 and 1/23/97 for anyone that is interested. Regards Doug....
Subject: JMI Wedge Question Sent: Monday, June 1, 1998 07:59:20 From: TheBurtts@worldnet.att.net (Tracy Burtt) First of all, thank you so much for a wonderful resource of information on my (well, my husband's really) ETX scope. Whenever I have questions or just want information, this is where I go. I have a question about the JMI wedge, tripod, and new wedgepod combination. We are both brand new astronomers and are basically clueless. However, we are interested in getting one of these to make life easier... it is just alot of trouble moving a table out to the yard to use our telescope... plus the height is a problem. The wedge sounds good, but my question is this... if I bought just the wedge, could I use it with my plain old regular photo tripod (a cheap model) or do I need the JMI tripod? If I do need the JMI tripod, would I be better off getting the new wedgepod combination($199)? Looks like that would save me $40 from buying the wedge and tripod separately($119 each), but is there a reason why I would want them to be separate? Please let me know your opinion... I want to get this for Father's Day, but want to get the correct kind. Thank you in advice for your attention to my little dilemma. Sincerely, Tracy Burtt
Mike here: The wedge will mount on a Bogen tripod. It may or may not be stable or work well on other tripods. The JMI tripod doesn't have a pan head so using with it anything other than the JMI wedge is going to be difficult. So that leaves the wedgepod combination. At this point I can't think of any reason to purchase the tripod and wedge separately. Maybe you or someone will review the wedgepod!
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