Opinions on LXD55 pier mounted...

Is the aluminum tripod legs the only short comings of the LXD 55's?

Marty Pinson
Crandall, GA

No, there are some other issues that will be a setback for non-tinkering folks:

1) Dec and RA drive gear set screws can become loose, causing poor GoTo accuracy. Meade seems to be addressing this with a threadlocking compound.

2) Polar scopes are not always aligned with the RA axis, and other OTA orthogonality issues must be addressed for best performance. Polar scope alignment instructions are not correct in the user manual.

3) Some of the RJ jacks fail to align pins and impact Autostar connections.

4) Many OTAs have experienced shipping damage because of vibration and loose fasteners. Meade has taken some corrective action with mirror cell fasteners (e.g. silicone adhesive)

5) The mount lacks a bubble level; this is easily added.

6) The "D" cell power pack is marginal, even with fresh alkalines.

Nevertheless, the LXD55 mount is a great value for an owner willing to tweak and adjust. I sure like mine! Hoping for firmware support for autoguider soon.