GENERAL FEEDBACK Last updated: 28 February 2006

This page is for user comments and information of a general nature or items applicable to all LXD55 models. 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:	LXD 75 8"SCT vs. LX90 8"SCT
Sent:	Monday, February 27, 2006 08:14:39
From:	alex wilson (esraguin@btinternet.com)
Just read Nialls comments about which scope too buy and agree with most
of his comments ,but would like to mention that the lxd55 mount is very
easy too work on as it is more a nuts and bolts model, The lx90 is more
challenging too get into if the need ever should arrive, Nial took his
scope apart as he can only do,and rebuilt it with no problems and it has
worked well ever since.

So what im saying is think about your own ability as regards repairs .
 
Alex M Wilson
 
Clinterty Observatories (Founder Member)
Aberdeen, SCOTLAND

Subject:	LXD55 8" SCT Manual
Sent:	Thursday, February 23, 2006 18:45:19
From:	Tom Hadoulias (shadoulias@cfl.rr.com)
I recently purchased a used Meade LXD55 8" SCT and cannot locate a
manual for it. I really just need the OTA manual as I have it mounted to
a SkyView Pro mount. I have been to the Meade site and cannot find any
downloads specific to the SCT. The search constantly produces the manual
for the Refractors and SN's. Any assistance would be appreciated,
 
Great site,
 
Tom Hadoulias

Subject:	LXD 75 8"SCT vs. LX90 8"SCT
Sent:	Wednesday, February 8, 2006 15:21:28
From:	Niall J. Saunders (niall@njs101.com)
Hi Dennis, 

I read on Mike Weasner's site of your intention to buy a new scope after
30 years. Well, not so long ago, I found myself in exactly your position
!!

I started off with an ETX-105, bought through eBay - and had several
'teething problems'. Some were due to the fact that the previous owner
had never used the scope under Autostar control - and had not realised
the damage he was causing once he had forced the Azimuth motion past its
internal hard-stop (which he had broken in the process). As an
electronics engineer, and with access to a comprehensive mechanical
workshop as well, I certainly learned a lot about the ETX mechanism as I
repaired the faults and re-built the mechanisms.

I was then quite happy to get a hold of a second ETX (again through
eBay), this time the 'new-style' (although still pre-LNT) ETX-125. I
bought this scope off someone who had walked into a shop with a credit
card, and declared some form of vague interest in Astronomy to an eager
salesman. He walked out of the shop with every kind of widget and gadget
available!! Needless to say, he found his new hobby thoroughly
un-satisfying - and a new baby on the way forced him to off-load
everything. I bought the job-lot at less than 50% retail price. I kept
what I needed, enjoyed the scope for a few months, and ended up selling
off everything I didn't want, including the scope, for MORE than I had
paid in the first place!

By now I was suffering from a mild case of 'aperture fever' - even
though I was, by then, unemployed. However - I now had a full set of
Meade 'anniversary' eyepieces, amongst various other items; I still had
my ETX-105, and I had my small profit left over.

During this time my neighbour, again in the same boat as you (and I) had
carefully saved up enough cash to commit to his telescope of choice. He
had purchased a brand new LXD55 8"SCT.

At least, by the time his scope had arrived, we had both worked our way
up the steep, slippery (and sometimes treacherous) learning curve that
is the Autostar. So when his scope first went out on a clear night we
were able to marvel at just how much better the 8" aperture was -
compared to the 4.5" of my ETX-105 (which had not really been improved
on that much by the 5" ETX-125). In fact, for about two weeks or so, I
had the ETX-105, the ETX-125, my neighbour's LXD-55 8"SCT, and my newly
acquired LX90 8".

Once my neighbour's LXD had arrived, I had wasted no time scouring eBay
for a similar item - but felt that I would be happier with a
fork-mounted scope, like my ETX's. Again, I was lucky and found someone
who had spent far too much money on a hobby he did not really
understand.

And now that we have both built roll-off roof observatories, and have
pier-mounted both our scopes (mine also on a home-brew equatorial
wedge), I feel that I was justified in my choice.

There just seems to be a magnitude of quality difference between the two
designs. Although there is (understandably) little, or no, difference in
the OTA's - both have the UHTC coatings - the design of the LX90 seems
to have huge numbers of physical improvements. Certainly, when using my
DSI on either scope, it just is more difficult to keep the LXD as
'stable' as the LX90 - and that is despite (for some unknown reason,
although most likely the diameter of the foundation block) the fact that
his pier is more 'rigid' (I had to eventually add an external casing of
dry sand around my steel pier - just to dampen the oscillations that I
now believe are due entirely to a heavier top loading - the LX90 mount
itself is heavier, and my all-steel wedge adds several more pounds on
top of that).

That said, it is often 'easier' to use his scope for visual observations
- no matter where the OTA is pointing, it is simplicity itself to rotate
the permanently fitted 2" Williams Optics diagonal such that the
eyepiece is at a suitable height for viewing. In my observatory I
regularly have to use a footstool to be able to see through the
eyepiece, or I spend ages fitting and removing my 2" diagonal (and
re-focusing) during an evening's viewing session. This is less of a
problem nowadays, as nearly all of my viewing is with the DSI and, in
fact, I have not fitted an eyepiece to my scope since December 2005.

It sometimes seems surreal when I think how, nowadays, I can just switch
the scope on (I never 'PARK' the scope when I am finished for the night,
I just 'pull the plug', slip the clutches, and manoeuvre the OTA into a
horizontal position to allow me to roll the roof closed), slip the
clutches again, point the OTA (very roughly) towards an Autostar
alignment star (at this time of year I use Alnitak, in Orion's belt
(simply because Alnitak is one of the stars at the beginning of the
alphabetically sorted list Autostar's 'Named Stars' - and is thus
'easier' to scroll to). A quick tweak using the Finder Scope (which I
certainly DO spend time ensuring it is kept co-aligned with the main
OTA) and I can quickly get this onto the DSI display on my PC
(de-focussing and over-exposing certainly helps sometimes). A couple of
fine adjustments, a quick Autostar 'SYNC', and that is usually me sorted
for the night. I might, sometimes, set the Date and Time, but not
always. The Autostar seems to sort itself out after the first Sync, and
using High Precision for the rest of the time eliminates a lot of other
problems.

So, I don't think you will regret buying either style of scope mount,
LXD or LX90. It is a bit of a shame that you can't 'avoid' buying the
LNT technology - you will eventually realise that you don't really need
it - its primary purpose is to help the true 'novice' (although I
sometimes feel that a real novice could be more bewildered by the
technology, rather than being supported by it - but that is a learning
process that is greatly helped by such wonderful sites as Mike's).

What would I recommend?

Given the fact that I have access to both, I just feel that the extra
rigidity afforded by the fork-mount design of the LX90 has significant
benefits over the GEM style of the LXD (55 or 75). However, I have not
seen or used the LXD75, and certainly the advertising blurb suggests
that many of the weaknesses in the LXD mount were addressed at least (if
not overcome) by the LXD75 mount re-design - so I do not think that you
would necessarily be disappointed if you chose that route.

But, if you were considering the second-hand route into modern telescope
technology, then you might want to seriously think about an LX90 (with
UHTC, but pre-LNT, unless you feel that you are 'novice' enough to
benefit from a computerised set-up each viewing session).

The money saved by going down that route will by you LOTS of glittering
accessories that your new toy will seemingly be crying out for.

Hopefully these ramblings will have helped, rather than confused you -
and maybe others will also give their feedback and share their
experiences (for example, Mike's recent experience of a failed drive
mechanism due to s loose grub screw - a problem that has also repeatedly
appeared on my neighbour's LXD55 mount)

Regards,

Niall Saunders
Clinterty Observatories 
Aberdeen, SCOTLAND

Subject:	Will the LXD 75 track the sun?
Sent:	Sunday, February 5, 2006 02:32:27
From:	dennis sebranek (denmikseb@yahoo.com)
I am getting back into astronomy after 30 years and have been
researching what telescope to buy.  I am pretty sure it will be an LXD
75 8SC.  Meade's instructions state never to use a Meade telescope on
the sun, etc. and I cannot find anything in those instructions about
tracking the sun.  My question is can the computerized system track the
sun?  Thanks, Dennis

Feedback Archives

Check the Feedback Archives for previous editions of the User Feedback pages.

Go to the LXD55 Home Page.