Weasner's Meade DS Models User Feedback

DS MODELS USER FEEDBACK

Last updated: 30 March 2006

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

Subject:	ds-2130 spinning in circles
Sent:	Thursday, March 30, 2006 11:53:44
From:	Jeremy Reed (jeremy_reed85@hotmail.com)
I have a meade ds-2130 lnt.  when i try to use the easy align it will
level itself but when it starts to slew to north it will start spinning
in circles and not stop until i turn it off.  I have sent it to meade 2
times and they did not fix it.  Now they have sent me a new telescope
and it is doing the same thing which obviously makes me think it is me
not the telescope.  I have reset it and started from the beginning like
i did the first time i got it and it still does not work.  Does anyone
have any suggestions on what i am doing wrong?

Jeremy

Mike here: I don't have a DS to check but have you done a CALIBRATE MOTOR? Also, try reversing the controller cable (if you can).

And:

I have tried to calibrate the motor.  And what do you mean reverse the
controller cable?  Have you ever heard of this happening with anyone
else.  Because this has happened with two completely different
telescopes.  The person at meade said he even inspected the second one
to make sure it worked.

Mike here: If you have a #497 Autostar you can swap the ends of the cable that connects to the telescope. If you have the #494 Autostar you can't since the cable is fixed to the handcontroller.

Subject:	re: DS Motors on other Telescopes
Sent:	Monday, March 27, 2006 21:13:10
From:	richard seymour (rseymour@wolfenet.com)
Was there a question there?

Anyway: visit/join the Roboscope Yahoo group to meet a bunch of folks
who do exactly that (plus LXD motors and ETX motors...)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/roboscope

have fun
--dick

And:

From:	Dave Wallace (d_wallace@ecrm.com)
See also Steve Bedair's site. (http://bedair.org/ScopeStuff.html)  He
has several scopes he's added DS-series motors to.  I did it myself, to
an ETX90 spotting scope for which I'd built a home-brewed fork mount.

Subject:	DS Motors on other Telescopes
Sent:	Monday, March 27, 2006 18:52:53
From:	JPersonti@aol.com
DS Motors on other Telescopes

Mike here: Sorry, all I have is what is posted.

Subject:	ds-2090at-tc
Sent:	Saturday, March 25, 2006 09:43:38
From:	JOSEPH BERRY (j_berry@verizon.net)
thank you so much for your very quick reply.

i am new to this telescope buying but i am very familar to the night
sky. so i take it the bigger, the longer the better the telescope is? i
dont really want a reflecting telescope (collimation reasons) i want one
that i can just grab and go. i was also looking at a ds-2090at-tc
(90mm,800mm focal length, autostar, sp26mm and sp9mm) for under 200.it
was that or the etx-80at-tc. on paper the 90 seems better.is the
ds-2090at-tc a decent scope for that price? i looked threw your forums
and didnt really see a major compaint about them. just the usual.

sorry for the long email, just starting to already lose interest in
buying a telescope. so much to know and compare to. if this ds- 90at-tc
is worth it then ill get it. if not well ... we'll see.

thank you so much for your time and responses.

Mike here: As people usually note, "aperture rules". So the more aperture you can afford the better. However, there is a corollary that I like to add: "the best telescope is the one that is used". If you get a telescope that is too large or cumbersome to set up then it likely ends up in the closet or garage. On the other hand, if a telescope doesn't meet your expectations of what you can see, then it also goes unused. That said, the DS model is a good starter telescope and depending on how you progress it can provide years of useful enjoyment.

And:

sorry but i have one more question on this scope that i never seened
asked or talked about. all these scopes with autostar can they also be
ran manually without any motors?
    thanks again
          joe

Mike here: Even if you don't power on the telescope you can still unlock the axes and move the telescope tube manually.

Subject:	What are the differences in DS-2130's?
Sent:	Thursday, March 9, 2006 09:11:29
From:	Greg Fraker (gregfraker@hotmail.com)
I currently own an ETX-70 and am looking for a second telescope;
specifically a 5" or 6" reflector.  I noticed a DS-2130EC for sale on
eBay.  How is this telescope different than the DS-2130AT or the
DS-2130LNT? Thanks!

Mike here: The EC model didn't come with the Autostar handcontroller (as I recall). But other than that, it should be like the other models, except of course, it doesn't have the LNT module nor the connections for the LNT module.

Subject:	DS-2130LNT review
Sent:	Tuesday, March 7, 2006 06:53:28
From:	VENTERS Casey G (Casey.Venters@framatome-anp.com)
I am scheduled to get my first "real" telescope today.  Actually it's on
the FedEx delivery truck right now.  I am writing to you to see what I
could do to make your site better.  I am willing to generate a review on
this model.  Most of the reviews for the DS-2130 or the DS-2114 are at
least 4 years old and some are as old as 6 or 7 years.  I'm very hopeful
that some of the problems that Meade has had with their motors (from old
feedback from fall of 2000) has been solved.

As I'm new to writing reviews, I was curious what you expect and what I
should be paying attention to.  I've already downloaded the manual and
read through it, but the LNT (Level North Technology) wasn't in there. 
So I'm thinking that this is a relatively new feature in these scopes. 
According to http://cleardarksky.com/csk I should have a decent first
night with the telescope.  I can take notes and get a few weeks
experience with it and write up something for you.  Just let me know
what you would like to see in the review.

Thanks 
Casey

Mike here: Photos are always nice to include but just including your experiences will help others.

Subject:	Autostar controllers interchangeable?
Sent:	Friday, March 3, 2006 10:24:53
From:	VENTERS Casey G (Casey.Venters@framatome-anp.com)
Thanks for all of the useful info on your site.   

I have just purchased a Meade DS-2130ATS-LNT.  Can the Autostar units be
switched out.  For example if I get a 495 or 497 controller, could that
take the place of the 494 controller that came with the scope?  I'd like
to connect my scope to a computer, but I can't see spending $50 on a
cable when a better Autostar unit is only a tad more and I can make a
cable for the others.

Thanks again. 
Casey Venters

Mike here: Simple answer is "yes". For more details on Autostar models and telescope models, see Meade's Autostar Update page (http://www.meade.com/support/auto.html). Keep in mind that if you find a #495 you can upgrade it to be a #497 via the Autostar Update software on that page.

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