GENERAL FEEDBACK Last updated: 22 October 2004

Subject:	LXD75 with or without UHTC
Sent:	Tuesday, October 19, 2004 06:29:10
From:	Justin Stevens (JStevens@fiberinstrumentsales.com)
I currently have an older DS-127 w/autostar, and I'm looking to upgrade
this fall.  I'm considering the LXD75 series scopes, primarily for
observation, though I would like to get into CCD imaging in the future. 
I have a budget of about $1000, which means I can purchase either an 8"
LXD75 SN with UHTC, or a 10" LXD75 SN with the standard coatings.  If I
plan to do CCD at some point, am I better off with the larger aperture,
or the smaller aperture with the high transmission coatings?  Thank you
very much for your input, and your site is the best resource I've found
yet for Meade and telescopes in general.

Justin Stevens
Upstate NY

Subject:	Autostar alignment problems with LXD55
Sent:	Sunday, October 17, 2004 11:43:54
From:	MFROOF@aol.com (MFROOF@aol.com)
I got your name from someone who said you may have the answer for my
Meade scope.  It's a LXD-55 that I got for Christmas last year. 
Numerous times since December, my son and I would take it out and try to
align the Autostar. When the alignment process asked to center a
predetermined star in the center of the viewing field in order to finish
the alignment, the star that we were supposed to align it with was in
one section of the sky, but the scope slewed to the complete opposite
section of the sky, and when we finally centered up the star, it said
that the scope was not in the right area of the sky and would not finish
the alignment process.  Any helpful hints.

I have taken the telescope back to the store we bought it at and the guy
said he couldn't get it to work either.  Not really sure he tried,
though, since he was very busy.  Meade said to contact our local group
and they didn't come up with any helpful hints either.
 
Thank you for you time and help,
Margaret

And:

Thank you for your suggestions.  The first nice, clear evening we get,
my son and I will go out and try again to get you more specific info. We
have not done a Calibrate and Train drive.  My husband thought he was
buying me this wonderful scope that I could go out and push a button and
it would show me things.  Unfortunately, that is not the case!
 
Margaret

Subject:	re:  LXD55-Problem with LXD55 Adjust Declination
Sent:	Monday, October 11, 2004 22:22:53
From:	Richard Seymour (rseymour@wolfenet.com)
Your symptoms suggest a variety of approaches:
 (1) you may have a screw loose.  To be specific, the set-screws
  which hold the final transfer gears or the worm itself to their shafts.
  The "falling short" during slewing really suggests this.
  There are access panels on the motor units which provide access
 to these screws.

 (2) Join one of the LXD55-specific user groups, such as:
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LXD55telescopes/
 and post your question there.  That group's FILES area has
 many "how to's" (including how to tear it apart) which may 
 shed light on the subject.

 (3) one of the other gears in the chain may have stripped
 some teeth... that would also cause a fall=short (the encoders
 measure the MOTOR travel.. if the motor is not cleanly connected
 to the actual telescope, it will fall short.

good luck
--dick

From:	chmsomm@comcast.net (chmsomm@comcast.net)
When I originally received the scope it was missing the screw for the
declination gear.  I called Meade and they sent a new gear with the
screw.  I have not checked the gears interior to the unit.

The scope actually looks as if it is over-rotating on the declination
axis as opposed to falling short.

I downloaded the autostar update from Meade this last weekend after
receiving the RS232 adapter and connectors.  If it is a software glitch
I will know by the end of the week.
 
I'll keep you posted.
 
Thanks
 
Chris Sommers

I was able upload the software update from Meade yesterday morning, and
then did a quick train on the drive before it got dark.  I was able to
do a partial two star align (the seconf star was obscured) and the scope
was only about 4 degrees off, as opposed to 40 degrees off.  I think
with a good alignment and a little more playing around I should be in
good shape.
 
Thanks
 
Chris Sommers  

Subject:	LXD55
Sent:	Monday, October 11, 2004 03:01:52
From:	BDuke21090@aol.com (BDuke21090@aol.com)
As a backgrounder I'm attaching the message I sent to Meade in August
2003. I never got an answer and the problems havent gone away. In fact
i'm bothering you now because the scope is pretty much useless until I
figure out how to collimate it. The collimation screws on the secondary
are so tight that the whole mirror holder moves around when I try to
adjust them. As a result the scope is totally out of lign. I need help
urgently with a course of study in progress with work for the telescope.
I would be grateful if you could tell me if I dare carefully unscrew the
corrector cover to get at the secodnary holder to see if there is a way
of stopping it rotating while I adjust the screws. I note you had a
similar question last year but I couldnt find your answer on the
website. You have no idea how much people like me depend upon your great
website.

Many thanks. Brian Duke

And:

Thanks for the prompt reply. I'll try the arrows to adjust the scroll
speed. I checked the site again on the collimation screws and see your
exchange with Curt Wellwan was on 11 Oct. 2003. I wonder if there was
any follow-up or if Curt solved his problem. That would be worth
knowing. Brian

Subject:	lxd55 8" schmidt cassegrain
Sent:	Sunday, October 3, 2004 15:05:15
From:	Joshua McLean (yehoshua12000@yahoo.com)
Where can I get a 2" eyepiece adapter for my lxd55 schmidt cassegrain?

Thank you,
yehoshua12000@yahoo.com

Subject:	LXD55-Problem with LXD55 Adjust Declination
Sent:	Sunday, October 3, 2004 11:45:43
From:	chmsomm@comcast.net (chmsomm@comcast.net)
Greetings oh great and powereful LXD55 Guru.
 
I have an 16 month old LXD55 SCT8.  When I try to with the two star
alignment it consistently points to teh wrong part of the sky. it
appears to be a problem with the declination drive.  I have never used
the goto since I wanted to learn the stars and locate the M objects on
my own.   I have now decided to use the goto following a year of
experience as an amateur astronomer.

When I try to two star align, my dec drive is consistently off to the
same place in the sky.

I have retrained the drive and done the motor calibration a couple of
times.  When I have gone back to the LXD55 Adjust to get the axis
correct (first focussing on a terrestrial object with the scope in the
correct horizontal position, the declination drive always goes 50
degrees to far and never goes back to horzizontal position"  on the
opposite side of the mount.

The telescope tracks well ,and there appears to be no slippage of the
dec drive when balanced apprpriately, during actual use.

Any suggestions?
  
Chris Sommers

And:

That was quick. 
  
The latitude and longiture are correctly set.  Montogomeryville PA is
75.2W x 40.2 N.   That was the first thing I tried, along with checking
the time zone, daylight savings.

The train drive directions are straight forward as are the LXD55 adjust
for the axis alighnment.  One thing I found was the calibrate motor
directions are not really directions at all.  The manual sinply says to
press enter after calibrate motor appears.  No futher explanation. 
However, I find it hard to believe the calibration is that far off since
it tracks well during actual use.

I have not upragraded the software since I bought the scope.  I simply
hate having to by another accessory from Meade to have to do that.
 
Thanks
 
Chris     

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