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Last updated: 31 October 2008
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Last updated: 31 October 2008 |
This page is for user comments and information of a general nature or items applicable to all ETX, DSX, and DS models. Comments on accessories and feedback items appropriate to other ETX and DS 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: Thanks - and Good Luck Sent: Friday, October 31, 2008 12:28:02 From: Kevin O'Kelly (kevin@o-kelly.com) Just a quick note to say thank you (from one of the many who have enjoyed the various telescope sites over the last few years). Your information and research has saved me a lot of time, and given me a lot of enjoyment both in the writing and in the additional time I've had to spend observing! I've got the Meade LXD75N, a fairly basic machine, but with a few adaptations much of what you've written has been of great use to me. Just read about your disasters with your two recent scopes so I wish you great success and much enjoyment with the LX200. (But don't forget us mere mortals here in amateur land.) All the best. Kevin Kevin O'Kelly O'Kelly Associates Knockatemple Roundwood Co Wicklow Ireland
Subject: Hex Key Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2008 10:44:04 From: William Conlan (waypoint725@eircom.net) Hi Guys, would you know the size of the hex key that allows the flexi focuser to be inserted. Many thanks, Bill. S.IrelandMike here: See the article "ETX Hex Key Sizes" on the Helpful Information: Telescope Tech Tips page.
Subject: email address Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2008 07:23:51 From: Steve Ringwood Firstly, thanks for posting my question/comments on you site re the Meade mySky. You have not subsequently (since June?) added that your unit (or a replacement) is now 100% working, so I assume the status quo remains. From what I hear about the mySky PLUS, (or as it appears to actually be - the mySky MINUS) the reliability and accuracy remains haphazard. I am also curious to know what, indeed, has happened regarding your mySky. Best regards SteveMike here: My last comments on the mySKY were from July 2008. That's where things stand now.
Subject: ETX-90 fails Declination Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 22:17:13 From: Dennis and Elvie (denelf@virginbroadband.com.au) I have an ETX-90 that has worked flawlessly for about 5 years now, today I decided to change the mount from Alt/Az to Polar, I was hoping to get a better eyepiece angle for viewing Venus. As soon as I changed the settings to Polar and reset the mount, the scope started behaving weird, I thought it was the way I was doing it so kept working on it, eventually, the dec motor stopped running altogether, it is now totally silent but RA works fine, whilst trying to align it moves in RA perfectly but dec does nothing, the control reads "slewing" and never stops saying slewing. I have reset it back to Alt Az but the dec motor still fails to run. Is it just a broken motor wire internally (I can fix this myself) or is it something more sinister? The hand control appears to work fine, I am guessing a mechanical error internal to the mount. Your thoughts appreciated. Regards, Dennis.Mike here: When you lock the DEC axis, does the telescope tube stay in place or does it want to lower back down to the base due to gravity?
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Thanks for your response Mike, It stays in place when locked and is loose and free when loosen the dec axis knob. Mechanically the OTA and forks appear to be fine, just no motor noise at all. Dennis.Mike here: What happens when you select CALIBRATE MOTORS on the AutoStar? It should run both motors. If it fails it will tell you. You can open up the base and fork arms (start with the base, it is the easiest) and look for a disconnected or broken wire. If you find one you may be able to repair it.
Subject: dsx90 color fringing and just not right Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2008 19:47:42 From: david webb (comps101@gmail.com) sorry to bother you.i have got a used dsx90 ota and have tried to collaminate it myself which seemed ok but also have tried cleanign the lenses myself to thinking did an ok job.now with the history ou of the way the problem is daytie it shows pretty sharp images but wheni turn it to planets not so good and also shows color bad on venus and not really showing it in focus like white blur around it on one side or another my 60mm meade shows better detail on jupitor than this.after you get done yelling for me cleaning the lenses myself and probably wrong is their anyway to salvage this poor thing?thanks in advance. David Webb wannabe astrophotographerMike here: Venus is low in the sky now so color fringing (from the Earth's atmosphere, not your telescope) is going to be visible. As to cleaning, what did you clean it with? Depending on what you used to clean it you may have removed the coating. If that's not the case, follow the tips in the article "Cleaning Optics" on the Helpful Information: Buyer/New User Tips page.
Subject: Meade Field Tripod #887 (question or wanted to purchase) Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2008 12:12:11 From: Mike Pilgrim (mpilgrim@bellsouth.net) As I continue (slowly) to learn how to use my ETX-125 and DSI Pro II for easiest and best astrophotography operations, I have questions as to the virtues of the Meade field tripod #887 as compared to my Meade #884. After much research and study, I envision the #887 is easier to set up in Equatorial mode, and it provides a more stable platform. I'd like to hear opinions from others who have experience with the #887, and further, I wish to request that anyone with a #887 for sale to please contact me at mpilgrim@bellsouth.net. I would consider any reasonable offers for sale or trade (my #884) for a Meade #887 Field Tripod. Thanks, Mike Pilgrim Boca Raton, Fl (where clouds have seemingly obscured the heavens for at least 6 months).Mike here: Please see the Email Etiquette item on the ETX Site Home Page; it requests to NOT mix topics, such as a question with a wanted item. Thanks for understanding.
Subject: meade etx repairs
Sent: Sunday, October 26, 2008 09:27:43
From: Jcpnofear2008@aol.com (Jcpnofear2008@aol.com)
I HAVE A MEADE ETX AUTOSTAR THAT NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED WHERE DO I SEND
IT?
THANKS,
JC PRASCHAK
Mike here: First, please read the Email Etiquette item on the ETX Site Home Page, especially the reference about using ALL CAPS. Thanks for understanding. Second, contact Meade for a repair of the AutoStar. However, if you want some troubleshooting help, tell me what's wrong and maybe it can be restored to life.
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THE HORIZONTAL DRIVE MOTOR BRACKET IS MADE OF CHEAP PLASTIC AND THE EAR HAS BROKEN OFF OF ONE SIDE. I NEED TO REPLACE THE CHEAP PLASTIC BRACKET. AND SORRY ABOUT YOUR PET PEAVE ABOUT SOME TYPE OF EMAIL ETIQUETTE. I TYPED THE SUBJECT IN ALL LOWER CASE, IS THAT AGAINST THE LAW TOO? LOLMike here: Reading ALL CAPS (in message text or subject lines) is difficult. This is common email etiquette. Anyway, I thought you said the AutoStar needed repair (I guess those ALL CAPS caught me...). There are many articles on repairing ETX telescopes on the Helpful Information: Telescope Tech Tips page. However, if you want to have it repaired instead, you have two choices: Meade or Dr. Clay Sherrod's Supercharge Tune-Up Service. You can read about Dr. Clay's service using the link on the ETX Home Page.
Subject: wobbily 125 Sent: Saturday, October 25, 2008 08:19:12 From: rolly gelinas (rolly2uk@yahoo.ca) just got my 125 back from a 120 ($250) overhaul at meade uk, used it for about an hour and noticed that it was becoming wobbily above the base. i took the base off and found that the main nut had become loose, i tried to tighten it up and all seems ok, ill find out more tonight, im hoping that i didnt tighten up to much, is there a way to make sure this does not happen again ie lockti*e, i plan to call meade also and ask for a refund cheers RollyMike here: I'll let Dr. Clay Sherrod, our hardware resident, respond.
From: P. Clay Sherrod (drclay@tcworks.net) Very common problem: if the scope is snugged properly with the large nut, it will turn freely without any excessive play when unlocked; however if it is too loose, it will wobble with the lock secured if the nut is too loose and it will BIND when turning by hand if the nut is too tight. Best of luck on this.... Dr. Clay ------------- Arkansas Sky Observatories MPC/ H43 (Conway) MPC/ H41 (Petit Jean Mountain) MPC/ H45 (Petit Jean Mtn. South) http://www.arksky.org/
Subject: ETX 90, Deluxe Field Tripod, and Casseiopea Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2008 08:02:52 From: Davis, Jim (Circuit Court Clerk) (JimDavis@jis.nashville.org) I just have a quick question: I live at lat approx 36N (Nashville, TN) and have just started looking at objects nearer to Polaris and Casseiopea while in Polar mode. But my issue is that as the night progresses it gets more and more difficult to view these objects due to the increasingly awkward angle. I have everything setup correctly I think (ALT scale to 36' and oriented to Polaris just fine). I can track objects from about North-East and Southward to Westward just fine but the more Northerly gems are hard to track. What am I missing here? Thank you for the awesome site by the way!! Jim Davis Nashville, TNMike here: I'm not certain what you mean by objects are hard to track. Do you have the ETX-90RA or are you using an AutoStar? In Polar Mode, some objects will put the telescope at difficult to use angles. Hence, with an AutoStar-capable telescope, using Alt/Az can many times be better.
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Thanks for the very quick response! I have an ETX-90EC with hand controller only - no Autostar. Sorry I was unclear - it is just the difficult to use angle(s) I am referring to. Sounds like I'll be using Alt/Az or somebody needs to put and Autostar under my Christmas tree this year! JimMike here: You can use Alt/Az with the standard EC handcontroller but you'll have to manually track objects. With the AutoStar, tracking is automatic in both Polar and Alt/Az.
Subject: Eyepieces Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 08:26:36 From: John Herman (jherman@sasktel.net) Eyepieces Also, and I should probably send another Email but I don't want to take too much of your valued time. My comment is on the the Meade 5000 series Plossl eyepieces. I purchased the 5.5 and the 14mm eyepieces and have been quite disappointed with the results. I find the eye relief is poor and the optics don't provide the sharpness that, at least, that I expected. I am comparing them to Antares 10mm and 7.4 Speers-Waler which are about the same price, at least in Canada. Frankly these two lenses are sharper and of course offer a wider field of view which may cause my concern with the Meade product. So I would be interested in hearing from other users about their experiences with this series. Remembering that these are the standard Plossl not the Super Wide or the Ultra series. I believe that for the $125.00 and higher prices it should be expected that you receive a reasonable quality eyepiece. Your site is so helpful and I know just about every entry starts with a "Thanks for your Site". By the amount of entries it is at times overwhelming with the amount of information being shared by yourself and others. Frankly, I don't know how the user of other products can get help and information. So thanks again. Best regards, JohnMike here: As to another email, actually it saves me time if you DO split subjects into separate emails, as stated in the Email Etiquette page on the ETX Site Home Page. My experience with the Series 5000 eyepieces is so far limited to the 26mm that came with my new 8" LX200-ACF. I have yet to try it on my ETX telescopes but plan to.
Subject: Scopetronix Problems Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 15:41:46 From: Steve Hollar (sjhollar@dslextreme.com) I was just reading some of the comments about Scopetronix. I should have done that first. Yes, I placed an order with them about a week ago. I have sent them three emails asking the status. Granted, it is only a week, but, there is no reason why a response can not be sent. Now that I've read these comments, I see this was a mistake. They are obviously no longer a legitimate business. I'll give them a few more days, then order from someone else. This is a shame. It is a real "buyer beware" situation with them. Steve HollarMike here: Scopetronix used to be one of the shining stars for ETX (and other) owners. But not anymore.
Subject: Repairing Meade ETX-125 at LATTC Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 10:29:39 From: Santoianni, Donald J. (SantoiDJ@lattc.edu) I am trying to get our Meade ETX-125 scopes repaired at Los Angeles Trade Tech College. I was told by Oceanside Photo and Telescope that Meade does not have parts to repair them. They need their external holding ring replaced. We were sent a photo of the ring with a broken tab. Another one of the scope needs the declination lock repaired. Is there anybody who can repair these scopes? Are there any diagrams (exploded views that show how the parts go together) that I can use to repair them myself? Donald Santoianni Physical Sciences Lab Technician Los Angeles Trade Technical CollegeMike here: You can try Telescope Warehouse (link on the Astronomy Links page) for some parts. No exploded views but lots of articles on the Helpful Information: Telescope Tech Tips page that may help.
Subject: Re: Meade etx-125 slewing problem Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 10:20:16 From: william.haynes@sbcglobal.net (william.haynes@sbcglobal.net) Well I did a reset, tried to train motor, and calibrate drives. No success. Took the bottom off and checked all gears again. They all look good. When I try to train motor and calibrate drives the scope has to slew and when it tries to slew left it just grinds unless I put pressure on the gear and help it move. Very frustrating. works well in all other positions. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Hate to send this back to Meade after reading all the horror stories about Meade. I can't see anything that is broken or anything. The thing just wont slew to the left. Just making grinding noise. Billam.haynes@sbcglobal.netMike here: How is the lubrication? Are the gears meshing properly?
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Yes the gears are lubricated and meshing like they should. The scope will slew in all positions except to the left. When I push the control key to slew to the left it acts like the gear is stuck until I put pressure on it and then it moves until I take my finger away then it starts slipping. Acts like the motor that drives it to the left is weak if that makes any sense.Mike here: Have you tried adjusting the backlash percentage? There are some articles on that on the Helpful Information: AutoStar Info page.
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No I haven't tried that yet. Could you tell me where the AutoStar info page is and how to get there? Appreciate the info Mike. Bill william.haynes@sbcglobal.netMike here: Sorry, I should said the "Helpful Information: AutoStar Info page" on my ETX Site. For info on navigating the web site see the Site Guide; the link is on the right side, near the top of the ETX Site Home Page.
Subject: ETX 125 primary mirror problem Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 20:29:18 From: corey breininger (cbreininger@cox.net) The primary mirror on my ETX125 disengaged from the metal plate it should be attached to. It was loose and sliding around inside the tube. How do I fix this problem? Corey BreiningerMike here: Perhaps the article "Doc G's ETX OTA Guidescope & Disassembly Photos" on the Helpful Information: Telescope Tech Tips page will help.
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Thank you for pointing me to Doc G's article. I really didn't see how the mirror was attached to the backing plate until I read his line about a moveable tube that obviously is supposed to move with the mirror over the center tube. It had come unscrewed from the backing plate and when the primary mirror slid all the way to the cone surrounding the secondary, that sliding tube became lodged up there. I'm going to reassemble using locktite on the threads so these things can't come unscrewed in the future. Fortunately, there was only a very minor chip at the center hole in the primary to which I can apply some flat black paint and all will be well. Thanks again. Corey BreiningerMike here: Glad it was a relatively simple fix for you. Remember, you may need to re-collimate the telescope; there are some articles on that on the Telescope Tech Tips page.
Subject: RE: ETX 125 Sent: Friday, October 17, 2008 04:01:24 From: Gary Hamlin (gman61guitar@live.com) Mike thanx for all your help I really did'nt see any obstruction but a small plastic piece fell out(when I took off bottom plate) that you can almost see through.I did'nt see where it might have broken off.I will probably have to send it to Meade.Is the hard-stop plastic?If it is the hard stop do you know how much Meade charges.Thanx for your time!GaryMike here: Does the piece that fell out look like anything in the article "Hard Stop Repair" on the Helpful Information: Telescope Tech Tips page? Meade will charge about $100 (and up) for a repair.
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Mike,it is a piece of the hard stop.Next question do you think I should send it to Meade or should I attempt this myself?By the time I get another hard stop from meade I could have the scope back fixed.I think I read in one of the articles about a better fix.Anyway I will wait for your response and go with that.GaryMike here: Meade likely won't sell you a replacement hard stop so you will either have to return it to them for repair or do the repairs yourself as discussed on the Telescope Tech Tips page.
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Thanx Mike for all your follow thru and quick replies.I just contacted Meade and they said they would do it free since my warranty was only 13 days expired,I will only have to pay for shipping!Gary
Subject: advise please Sent: Friday, October 17, 2008 02:08:42 From: steven97 (steven.carr97@ntlworld.com) good morning could you please assist me in advising me what the main differences are between the ETX125EC vers ETX125PE please thank you steveMike here: First, please read the Email Etiquette item on the ETX Site Home Page; your email was originally deleted as SPAM due to the subject line. Thanks for understanding. As to the various ETX models, see the item "Q. What is the difference between the RA, EC, AT, and PE models?" on the FAQ page.
Subject: Question about Meade's ETX Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2008 22:42:00 From: Steven Sokinas (sokinas@yahoo.com) Do you know if Meade might be coming out with a new model for the ETX line that is better than ETX 125-PE? StevenMike here: As I mentioned on the last Site update in answer to the same question, Meade hasn't publicly provided this information. And so I'm not commenting on what I know or don't know...
Subject: Does ETX-125AT have an RA hard stop? Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2008 14:27:36 From: Schmitt, David CTR USAF AFSPC AFSPC/A5FS (david.schmitt@peterson.af.mil) My ETX-70AT right ascension mount does not have a hard stop, but my ETX-90EC does have a hard stop about 120 degrees counterclockwise off north. Do the AT & PE versions of ETC-90 and 125 also have the hard RA stop? It's really a pain to view objects on either side of the hard stop boundary. Dave Schmitt 10" LX200 GPS ETX-90EC ETX-70AT Two homemade 6" telescopes (~37 years old)Mike here: All non-refractor ETX models have hard stops. The stops are almost but not quite 720 degrees apart, or almost twice around. So there should be no difficulty if using the GOTO function. If you are manually slewing to objects then you do have to be aware of their position.
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Thanks and I'll keep you posted. I'm going to confirm w/ Meade exactly what they will be doing for the $150 before I send it in. Dave
Subject: ETX-90EC Right fork arm parts Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2008 13:39:03 From: Schmitt, David CTR USAF AFSPC AFSPC/A5FS (david.schmitt@peterson.af.mil) I saw on Mike Weasner's ETX site that some have bought from Meade: "(right side) Tube Adapter for ETX-90EC, Meade part #43-6380-01." I told Meade that I need the complete right fork housing and declination knurled knob. And clarified that the right side is the side with the declination drive. They say that this is the part I need, but I'm having trouble clarifying w/ Meade that indeed part # 43-6380-01 does include the fork housing. Can anyone confirm if this is the case? Thanks for any help you can give. Dave (a new ETX owner of an old ETX telescope)Mike here: The RTA does NOT include the fork arm or DEC housing.
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Thank you. I couldn't believe it would for $15.
And more:
I had to thank you again. Your clarification of the DEC housing did the trick. Meade now says the housing isn't for sale, but for $150 they will replace the DEC housing and DEC knob and check full functionality of the drives and motors. Sounds like a good deal to me. Dave
Subject: General question Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 15:48:35 From: Slade Lindquist (sladelindquist@mac.com) I have a general question for you or more of a pick your brain issue. I was at the Meade web site looking at the investor section. In particular, I was looking at the link to the investor presentation dated July 11, 2008 and near the bottom of the third to last page there was a short bullet stating launch next generation ETX. My question is have you heard anything about a redesign of the ETX and what and when can we learn this new information. Thank you, SladeMike here: Meade hasn't publicly provided this information. And so I'm not commenting on what I know or don't know...
Subject: Meade etx-125 slewing problem Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2008 09:36:31 From: william.haynes@sbcglobal.net (william.haynes@sbcglobal.net) I have a Meade ETX-125 that makes a grinding noise when I try to slew to the left. Works fine going up,down and to the right. Took the bottom off and looked at the gearing. Nothing looks worn but when I try to slew to the left the small gear will not move the drive gear. The small gear just slips. Any info will be appreciated. Thank you. Bill5william.haynes@sbcglobal.netMike here: Check for a gear housing broken or loose. If there is a grinding noise it could be the gears not meshing or something catching in a gear.
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Thanks for the fast reply Mike. I checked the gears and they all seem to be in good shape.I have only had this Telescope for a little over a year. The gears are in good shape and I can get the scope to slew to the left if I give the driven gear a little help. Are there seperate motors for slewing left and right? If this thing slews to the right it should slew to the left. I called Meade and they want $150.00 to repair it and they don't even know whats wrong with it. I guess they charge $150.00 for everything. Plus $25.00 for shipping. Meade support seems to have a lot of disinterested people that are bored with their jobs. Any help you can give me will be appreciated. Thanks. Billilliam.haynes@sbcglobal.netMike here: Could you be overtightening the axis? But lets try a couple of other things. Do a CALIBRATE MOTOR and TRAIN DRIVES. See if that clears it up. If not, do a RESET, CALIBRATE MOTOR, and TRAIN DRIVES. If there is nothing physical wrong, then perhaps these steps will help.
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Thank you Mike. I have did a reset but will take your advice and train motor and calibrate drives. The only problem is that in training the motor and doing a calibrate the scope has to slew left and right, up and down and if it wont do that I will be in the same shape as I started. But will give it a try anyway. This scope started this all of a sudden. It is only a couple of years old and hasn't been used very much. I opened up the bottom and checked all the gears. they are like new and nothing seems to be broken. just starts grinding when I try to slew to the left. I I give the gear a little help it moves then starts grinding again and not moving. Very strange. If I had a schematic of this thing I could probably figure it out. Anyway thanks for the advice. Bill.haynes@sbcglobal.netMike here: If the telescope has not been used much it could be that the lubrication needs to be redistributed. You can easily do that by unlocking the axes and slowly moving the telescope by hand, back and forth, from hard stop to hard stop. Do this several times.
Subject: ETX 90EC Fork and fork knob replacements? Sent: Saturday, October 11, 2008 16:56:13 From: david schmitt (davidschmitt01@comcast.net) I just bought a used ETX 90EC. What a beautiful scope, but in the attached pictures you'll see that the right fork arm and fork knob have heat damage. I have no idea (other than you and Bill Vorce) where to find a replacement. Do you have any ideas? Also, this scope tube has a beautiful shiny purple finish and NO Meade quality assurance sticker. Any idea what that is about? I thought all Meade ETX scopes were blue. Thanks so much. This is now my second ETX! Even though the 70AT is small I can't bring myself to sell it. DaveMike here: With a few exceptions, all the ETX models have purple tubes. As to replacement parts, Telescope Warehouse (Bill Vorce) or eBay is probably your only choice. As to the missing QA sticker, that was probably removed by a previous owner.
Subject: ETX 125 Sent: Thursday, October 9, 2008 19:39:47 From: Gary Hamlin (gman61guitar@live.com) I have an ETX 125 and was working fine a couple of weeks ago but when I took it out the last time to align would not go all the way around to find the second star,the motors were running but stopped at a certain point.All the locks were tight and there was no problem with the controller.I hope you have some idea what it might be since you are the etx expert/guru.I sent the scope in last year when it was still in warranty and it took 2 or 3 months to get it back(as you know they out-source to Mexico for most of their pats and service).When I got it back they said it was the controller so they gave some controller that looked like it had been laying around the shop.Anyway I hope you can help me, this could be costly and very time consuming.Thanx for your website and your book!GOD BLESS!Mike here: Couple of things to check. First, power off and unlock the horizontal axis. Rotate the OTA to the first CCW hard stop. Then rotate (slowly) to the second hard stop. Can you get almost twice around? If you reach any obstruction in movement before reaching nearly twice around, don't force it to go past that point as you could damage something, including cutting a wire. If you do get nearly twice around, do a RESET, CALIBRATE MOTOR, and TRAIN DRIVES. Then try another alignment. Let me know.
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Mike,thanx for the fast response it WILL NOT go almost all the way around twice.It goes around exactly one time.Mike here: Then either there is some obstruction (perhaps a wire) or the hard stop has broken off and shifted. If the latter and you want to attempt a repair yourself, there are a couple of articles on hard stop repair on the Helpful Information: Telescope Tech Tips page.
Subject: Using the ETX 125 PE "Free Style" Sent: Monday, October 6, 2008 13:03:05 From: Ted Trostle (tctrostle@verizon.net) I am sorry for the newbie type questions, but your site and your responses are trustworthy and reliable more than any where else... I have had my ETX 125 now for about 10 days and have enjoyed it very much. Today I was reviewing the menus and Meade instructions when I realized that when I use the ETX in a non-powered mode (Free Style) it might be possible to damage the wiring for the internal Horizontal axis servo motors with rotation too far. The manual seems to be lacking any guidance in this regard. Is there a rotation limit? Can it be damaged?Mike here: There are "hard stops" that (should) prevent the ETX from being rotated too far. These are about but not quite twice around in the horizontal direction. If you come to a stop in movement, honor that; don't force it to move any further. If you suspect the movement is significantly less than twice around, it could be hitting a wire. Definitely don't force it or you run the risk of cutting the wire.
Subject: Finder scope Sent: Monday, October 6, 2008 12:33:00 From: paul wright (paulwright.10@blueyonder.co.uk) Can the finder scope from the ETX125 be fitted to the ETX105 alondside the red dot finder. Thanks a lot Paul Wright (GB)Mike here: No and Maybe. There is no bracket for it and no mounting holes for it. So you would have to make your own modifications to mount it. If you want to try, there are some finderscope tips on the Helpful Information: Telescope Tech Tips page that might give you some ideas.
Subject: How to identify the various ETX's versions Sent: Sunday, October 5, 2008 08:59:12 From: david schmitt (davidschmitt01@comcast.net) I'm looking for help in how to tell the various ETX's versions apart. I'm looking locally (Colorado) at used ETX 90's and 125's. I understand there are RA, AT, EC, and PE versions. Are the scopes labeled? And where can I learn the differences between the versions? I recently bought a used ETX70 and love it, but need to go bigger. Thanks. Dave SchmittMike here: See the FAQ page on the ETX Site.
Subject: ETX 125 Finder Scope Sent: Saturday, October 4, 2008 13:23:44 From: Ted Trostle (tctrostle@verizon.net) Having used my new ETX for about a week now I find that the Finder Scope is basically useless. The Meade instructions for alignment of the finder scope are fundamentally stupid. To me an Finder Scope must be aligned in a similar manner used to sight in a rifle using the front and rear sights. Imagine sighting a rifle without a rear sight reference...by how many yards would you miss the target? In this case the Meade finder scope has no rear sight or reference point to the red dot. If your eye is off to either the right or left the image shifts accordingly. It seems to me that with a rear sight reference you can fix the view and align the finder scope somewhat accurately. I have read through the Finder scope section on your website and see many references to other products, but upon examining some of them, they have the same problem. So would you have any suggestions or ideas?Mike here: The idea behind ALL red-dot 1X finderscopes is that the dot is at infinity. You look "through" the red-dot at the object. You can align the position of the dot, and normally, with the except of placing your eye at extreme side/top/bottom distances the red dot should stay pretty much at the same point in the sky (or distant object).
Subject: AZM/ALT % Sent: Thursday, October 2, 2008 01:38:15 From: Henrik van Holthoon (henrik.van.holthoon@wanadoo.fr) Hello Steve, Of course I do not mind I am glad to help you, if I can. But I have to say I have no experience with polar mounted scopes I do mostly visual and do not like fork mounted scopes in polar position for mechanical reasons. That said I think the Alt/Azm % should work as well in polar position, you can freely experiment with it as it will not damage the scope in anyway. I have an LX90GPS and ETX105PE both are rubberband free after correcting the RA/DEC % correction. So by all means experiment with the % settings. Good luck Henrik ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Hollar" Subject: ETX Help On Weasner's Site Hi Hendrik. I hope you don't mind me emailing you. I read your response about rubber banding. I mainly use my ETX 125PE in Polar alignment. Before I start adjust the alt/az percentages, do you think this would help in Polar mode? I too experience this movement that should not be happening. Thanks. Steve Hollar
Subject: ETX 125 Gearbox noise Sent: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 03:09:23 From: Andy McCrea (Andy.McCrea@actionrenewables.co.uk) Mike great site! I have an ETX 125 which has developed a fault. It wont drive in azimuth although the motor runs and makes a 'clicking noise' I have been advised that it needs a new gearbox! Have you any tips on how to replace the gearbox (assuming I can get one!) perhaps it is already covered on your site. Obviously I need to 'split the ETX' I know this can be tricky although I have repaired several ETX 90s with similar problems. Many thanks in anticipation. Regards AndyMike here: There are several gearbox articles on the Helpful Information: Telescope Tech Tips page.
Subject: Re: ETX-125 Hard Stop Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 22:26:34 From: H* Schaeffer (w4ynd@inbox.com) I don't know how I missed them either. Probably it's because there's so much good stuff on your site I lost them in the shuffle. Well, the symptoms are that I can turn the scope more than 2 turns in azimuth (I didn't try to see how far I could turn it). I don't think I cut a wire, because the 'scope tracks normally; it followed Jupiter for a couple of hours last night, so the motors seem to be working as usual. I'll check out those articles on your site and let you know what I find - after this weekend. I'm going to a star party (the Central Texas Star Party on Lake Buchanan) Thursday. HardenMike here: Don't forget that the Site Search on the ETX Site Home Page can help find articles and information.
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