Last updated: 25 March 2003
|
|
Last updated: 25 March 2003 |
|
Subject: re: LXD55 Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2003 13:11:07 From: "Martyn Lynch" (martyn@lynch.homeip.net) You must have a lot of time on your hands, being able to run two such fantastic sites. that's the bullshit over with.. :o) I've just purchased the LXD55 AR6 Achromatic refractor from BC&F in London and want to pick your brains for un-biased info if you don't mind. BTW this $899 scope costs £1,299 in UK... go figure huh! I've noticed that the focusser assembly seems a tiny bit loose with lateral movement, is there anything I can do to help it along a little without invalidating the warranty, everything else about the 'scope is great (better than my old LX50 8" SCT) I've done piggyback and afocal photography before with the LX50 and was wanting to go all out with the LXD55, CCD focal plane and EP projection. Do you think the new range of colour cameras from Starlight Xpress (MX7C) are worth looking at or should I go for a monochrome and filters set up, I'm not concerned about extra time at the PC touching up for colour from B&W, and what other accessories would I be needing to get reasonable results. Last one I promise, do you think it would be possible at a much later stage to replace the primary optics with ED or Flourite elements and if so could you hazard a guess at a cost, other than that I would probably replace the OTA completely with something like a Takahashi or APM (couple of years). Thanks for any help and advice you can give and keep up the excellent work on your websites (more BS sorry) Martyn LynchMike here: Using a Macintosh helps with the Site upkeep; I have several Applescripts that automate several tasks. For best results go with filters and B&W unless you are ready to spend BIG BUCKS. As to swapping the optics, that is probably doable but probably not cost effective. As to other accessories, you would need an appropriate adapter for the CCD. If you really want higher quality optics you would probably want a higher quality mount and OTA as well. Regarding the focuser problem, since I don't have an AR I can answer directly but you might be able to tighten it up by checking for loose screws (if there are any holding the eyepiece holder onto the OTA).
Subject: lxd55 autostar Park Sent: Monday, March 3, 2003 19:25:44 From: "Joe Hopper" (joe.hopper@xrxgsn.com) Hi, Joe Hopper here, just got my AR 6, and did all of the mount aligments as instructed. Haven't had a chance to take it out yet, but was going through the autostar star align thing and decided to try the park position as I know if you use it, without moving the tripod and go back, no realignment is necessary. Well, I did, turned it on and when to Saturn, the scope moved to an odd angle and I knew that wasn't right. Then I heard this breaking sound and imeditately shut off. The DEC. motor housing(Plastic) was busted and the encoder disc on the end of the motor was destroyed. Did parking this scope forget where it was or what? Thanks JoeMike here: Ouch. Never heard of this happening. I suspect the part was going to fail anyway. Sounds like a call to Meade or your dealer is in order.
Subject: LXD 55 6" Refractor et al Sent: Thursday, February 27, 2003 19:19:13 From: "hallk" (hallk@centurytel.net) I am BRAND NEW! To this group and astronomy. My wife and kids heard me speak of my desire to get a scope recently and before ya know it, they had ordered one for me (LXD55 6" refractor). Since then I've been gathering as much information as possible but I still have questions ...Help! Question 1. I've heard several people speak of a Radio Shack power supply that could be used to power the scope, Is this true? Question 2. Seems everyone is having trouble with their mounts. Should I expect the same? Question 3. My order was placed last week, how long of a wait should I expect before delivery? Question 4. What type of seeing should I expect in good conditions i.e. the cassini division, deep space objects etc. and will objects actually have color? I'm sure glad I stumbeld upon this site, seems like a wealth of information, and i'm sure I'll have many more questions once it arrives and I try it out,..till then.Mike here: You can use external AC Adapters; you just need to ensure the connectors are correct and that it supplies adequate power. I know that many people use non-Meade AC Adapters with their ETX telescopes (see the Telescope Tech Tips page on my ETX Site) but I prefer the Meade one myself (just to be safe). Alternatively you can use external power supplies; see the table on my LXD55 Site. The people who need help with their mounts are the ones who ask for help. If the mount is fine no questions or complaints are raised. Hence the appearance that a lot of people have problems. I would generalize and say that most don't. I haven't had any problems with my LXD55 8"SC GEM, except as noted on my LXD55 Site (and those were generally my fault). The dealer where the telescope was ordered should be able to give you an estimate on delivery time. And yes, you'll be able to see all those things and a lot more! Some objects will exhibit some color but don't expect to see the brilliant colors that you see in photographs. Most DSOs will appear as faint fuzzy blobs with a greenish or grayish color. Enjoy!
And:
Thanks for your swift reply! Can't wait to get my scope.
Return to the top of this page.
Go to the LXD55 Home Page.