ETX-105EC FEEDBACK Last updated: 30 November 2001

Subject:	RE: 105 ETX or 90 ETX??
Sent:	Tuesday, November 27, 2001 21:53:37
From:	awasser@home.com (Adam Wasserman)
How do the views through the 105 compare with the 90?  Are they
noticeably and markedly better than the 90?  The write-ups on your
website seem to give the thumbs up on planetary views, but how about
deep-sky objects?  Bottom line:  is it worth the extra $200?

FWIW, I have an Celestron 8" SC, but want something more convenient yet
satisfying.

Thank you,

Adam Wasserman

Subject:	105 ETX or 90 ETX??
Sent:	Monday, November 26, 2001 15:39:31
From:	CEADAMS@VNET.NET (Chris Adams)
Your site is great.  It has a lot of great info.  Since this is my first
(and maybe only telescope) I was hoping to get your opinion on which
telescope to buy.  Based on my budget, I can either get the 90ETX with
Autostar and a few other accessories or the 105ETX only.  I'm leaning
toward the 105 because of the larger aperture, but the 90 with the
Autostar seems to be a good idea too.
 
Any info would be appreciated.  
 
Thanks
 
Chris

Subject:	ETX 105 EC
Sent:	Thursday, November 8, 2001 19:04:06
From:	KDX20096@aol.com
I received my 105 in sept of this year.The scope is a work of art.The
quality is very good on this scope.I have the autostar and 883 deluxe
tripod.I would like to say that I have not had one bit of trouble with
this scope or autostar.It is version 22eh.The target object is always in
the eyepiece.It tracks perfectly.The planets are very breathtaking.The
moon is amazing.I have the meade s.w. 18mm  and meade sp4000 15mm .These
are my favorite two eyepieces.The 15 with the barlow is just really
upclose and clear .I was really impressed with this view of the moon. I
started out with the ETX70AT ..But I was not satisfied.so I traded it in
for the ETX90EC.It arrived defective.The declination motor went out
after one hours use.Sent it back and traded up to the 105 and have been
happy with it ever since .Just thought I would write to you and give you
some feedback on the 105 it being new and all.

Also your site is a wealth of information. Thank you

Clear skies...Mark from Ohio.

Subject:	First Light with ETX-105 EC
Sent:	Friday, September 28, 2001 0:32:08
From:	tbonanno@mindspring.com (Tony Bonanno)
Received my ETX-105 EC today and a Scopetronix delux tripod mount.  I've
never used an ETX before.  After fighting the clouds, finally got some
clear sky.  Oberving site is at about 7000 feet approx 10 miles NE of
Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Unpacked everything, reset my Autostar from my LX90 to the ETX (there is
no ETX 105 in my Autostar software, so I called Meade and they said just
to use the setting for ETX 125).  I reset the focal length to 1470, etc.
and calibrated and trained drives.  During the drive training I was
quite distressed to hear a lot of noise coming from the DEC axis. 
Figured something was wrong.  Two friends came over with their ETX's (a
90 EC and a 60) - I noticed both of them were noisy also.

The targeting accuracy was quite good using the 26 mm eyepiece.  Optics
and star test looked good, but not perfect.  Out of focus star test
pattern may have had a hint of spherical abberation.  High power airy
disks were pretty classic, but diffraction ring very slightly skewed
suggesting collimation could be a little better.  Moonlight washed out
most DSO's.  Double-double easily split at around 100x with nice airy
disks and plenty of dark sky between pairs.  Objects like the double
cluster in Perseus look very nice in this scope - pinpoint stars to edge
of field.  Saturn quite low in sky, but still able to make out banding
on planet's disk and glimpses of cassini division.

I'm conflicted about this scope.... and dissappointed.  I really like
the idea of a small, portable scope with good optics and the Autostar. 
I can certainly live with the optics on this scope.  I'm not sure I can 
live with the loud "racheting" noise coming from the DEC axis. 
Currently I have 4 OTA's/mounts not including the ETX.  I've never had
to endure such a noisy, irritating racket coming from a mount in my
life.  It is very evident when slewing at slow speeds, but the worse
part is the constant noise while tracking.  Maybe other ETX owners don't
mind, but one of the real attactions of observing the night sky for me
is the "tranquility" which is pretty much wiped out by the mount noise. 
For this reason alone, I'll probably try to return the scope to the
dealer.  Other minor problems are a sticky, rough focusing mechanism and
a right angle finderscope that I constantly bump my head against when
using short focal length eyepeices.

I had heard that the mount for the ETX 105 EC was specially designed and
improved for this scope and that is one reason I decided to buy it.  I
have an 8" LX90 and I'm very pleased with the mount and performance of
that scope.  It is smooth, accurate, and very quiet except when slewing
at high speed.  I was hoping that the new ETX 105 EC would be in the
same league (my dealer actually suggested that the ETX 105 mount was
"more like an LX90"), but my sample clearly is not.  If this is an
improved mount for the ETX series,  I'd hate to see what ETX owners were
putting up with before.

I haven't totally given up on this scope yet.... this was only my first
evening with it...  we'll see....

All for now,

Tony Bonanno

And:

It may be normal Mike, not having had any experience with the ETX.  As I
noted, the other two ETX's also made similar noise.  I guess I was
hoping that the 105 was more like the LX90.  I may be spoiled.  I live
in an area that is pretty quiet, so there is nothing to mask out noise
and the tracking sounds were prettydistracting... to me anyway.

Cheers,

Tony

Subject:	New ETX
Sent:	Saturday, August 25, 2001 14:11:28
From:	cbdane@pacbell.net (C. B. Dane)
I was surprised to find that you have not yet linked to Meade's
announcement of the new ETX-105, an intermediate aperture between the 90
and the 125.  I was first slightly perplexed that this incremental step
makes sense in terms of a new product.  Upon further thought, however,
my 125 is just a bit too large for airline carry-on.  Perhaps the modest
increase in light gathering from the 90 to 105 aperture (36%) while
maintaining good portability could be useful.

Check out:

www.meade.com/catalog/etx105ec/index.html

bd

--

C. Brent Dane
cbdane@pacbell.net

Brent's R/C Electronics Page
http://www.cliftech.com/

Subject:	Meade ETX-105EC
Sent:	Wednesday, August 22, 2001 06:43:07
From:	Pierre.Henrotay@skynet.be (Pierre Henrotay)
Meade's Web site now presents the new ETX-105EC
(www.meade.com/catalog/etx105ec/index.html).
Another section for your lovely web site to be planned soon !
Pierre

Subject:	object library in new 105 EC
Sent:	Monday, August 20, 2001 15:01:30
From:	sherrodc@ipa.net (Clay Sherrod)
To:	rseymour@wolfenet.com (Richard Seymour)
Dick - what do you know about the limitations set forth in the Meade
promotional info concerning the new 105 EC....it uses the #497 Autostar,
but as described in the clip below it has the "old" pre-v2.13Ek memory of
just over 13,000 objects.....is this merely a misprint or oversight in
the Meade marketing frenzy?

Clay
--------------attachment:

".......You can computerize the ETX-105EC for a veritable pittance by
adding an Autostar computer. The Autostar gives the 105EC full go-to
capabilities that can automatically take you to   >>>>14,487 near and
deep space objects  and give you a more than a megabyte of information
about those objects, as well<<<<<<<   . Objects include all of the
Messier objects; all of the IC, NGC, and Caldwell catalog objects; 943
double, variable, and SAO catalog stars; the planets; 26 of the
brightest asteroids; 15 periodic comets; 50 earth-orbiting satellites;
the centroids of all 88 constellations; plus user-defined objects and
guided sky tours....."

Subject:	Altitude Axis
Sent:	Sunday, August 19, 2001 21:40:25
From:	marbla@naisp.net (Blais Klucznik)
Page 25 of the now ETX90/105/125 Instruction Manual on Meade's site does
state that the 125's Altitude bearing is now of the ball-bearing type
and not of Acetal as in previously released ETX125s.

Blais Klucznik
marbla@naisp.net

Subject:	Yet another new Meade ETX - The ETX 105EC
Sent:	Thursday, August 16, 2001 16:55:56
From:	berg@ans.net (Kevin Berg)
Saw this on the Astronomics web site - $695.

Subject:	ETX-105
Sent:	Wednesday, August 15, 2001 22:32:26
From:	bpowell@one.net (Brent Powell)
I was on the phone today with Meade Customer Support getting yet another
set of motors to replace some for our DS-70 that are now grinding.  I
asked the rep if they were planning to release any new or updated ETX
models.  He told me to wait just a moment, and then came back to tell me
that they are preparing to release an ETX-105, and that some dealers are
already taking pre-sales orders for them.

Have you heard anything about this?

Thanks,

Brent

Subject:	Lets make a deal!
Sent:	Wednesday, August 15, 2001 10:49:28
From:	bob@shutan.com (Bob Shutan)
It's time for a new category on your web site. The all new, ETX-105EC
will be in stock at Shutan within the next week. Priced at just $700,
this 4.13-inch aperture ETX fills the void between the 90EC and 125EC.
The ETX-105EC uses an all-new fork mount specifically designed for this
telescope. Meade will also be coming out with dew shields for all ETX's
in the near future. Watch our web site for more specifications and
pictures any day now.

Sincerely,

Bob Shutan
Shutan Camera & Video
www.shutan.com

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