MEADE ETX-LS 6" ACF Last updated: 16 August 2009

Unboxing the ETX-LS

I received a new ETX-LS 6" ACF from Meade on 5 August 2009. But I didn't have a chance to set it up until 15 August due to activities from our recent move. There are two shipping boxes, one for the telescope and a smaller box for the tripod.

I unboxed the tripod first. I did have some concern about the spreader tray. It is plastic and doesn't seem to slide very far up the central bar. I worried that it could be easy to overtighten the locking nut and crack the tray.

The tripod has three mounting bolts for the ETX-LS.

I then opened the telescope box.

Inside this box is the telescope, some accessories, the AutoStar III and cable, and the Quick Start Guide.

Putting the telescope on the tripod was pretty easy due to the spring-loaded bolts. Having three bolts actually made it easier than what I've experienced on older ETX models that have only two. Once it was mounted I came to my first surprise. I wanted to rotate the OTA to be more horizontal (it ships vertical in the fork mount) but there is no altitude axis lock to unlock! Apparently, it is just held by friction. I wonder how long that will last? There is no azimuth lock either. At least there is no question about what is "finger tight" when locking axes! There is nothing the user can loosen or tighten for the axes.

Unlike all earlier ETX models, the ETX-LS does not have a top eyepiece hole. The ETX-LS has only the rear port. A 1.25" eyepiece holder and a 1.25" star diagonal are supplied, along with the standard 1.25" 26mm Super Plossl eyepiece. Another surprise is that the rear port is a standard SCT port and so will accept standand SCT accessories. I will have to try some of mine on the ETX-LS (I'll report back with results in a future report).

The ETX-LS can be user-collimated using the three screws on the secondary mirror mounting plate on the corrector lens. This is a nice addition.

Initial set up was quick and easy. Now I just have to wait for night to check out the LightSwitch automatic alignment capability and the ETX-LS 6" ACF optics.

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