Posts Made By: Tom Masterson

Hi PAul:

I picked up a 12" LX200 Classic last summer and have spent this last year gather accessories for it like you are wanting to.

Here's what I got:

1. Microfocuser - I use it but they move so slowly sometimes its hard to tell where the point of exact focus is. Its still a keeper.

2. Dewshield - a requirement, but you already have one.

3. f/6.3 focal reducer. - not used much because its a bit of a pain to put on and take off with the microfocuser in place. To properly remove the microfocuser you have to shut off the scope to plug/unplug it which means you must re-initialize the scope each time. Some vignetting with +32mm eyepieces.

4. 40mm Widefield eyepiece. Like you I have a 32mm widefield but I wanted lower power/ more field of view. I picked up a used 40mm Meade Superwide for this purpose. Not super-sharp-to-the-edge but its a keeper since I don't use it a whole bunch. I still like the eyepiece though.

5. 2" dielectric diagonal made by AstroSystems. A great diagoanal for a good price. (actually this should be #1 since I got this first)

6. A couple light polution filters. Mine are the Orion Skyglow and UltraBlock. Not used a whole bunch since I like viewing the Moon and planets. They DO work though - I live right on the other side of a hill about 2 miles from a refinery so light polution is a problem at my house.

7. Although I built my own an eyepiece tray/landing pad is a BIG improvement. I also bought a pizza pan at Walmart for a couple bucks and drilled a hole in the center. Picked up a screw and wing-nut and made a tray for the the bottom of the tripod on the leg spreaders. VERY handy!

Soft carrying case that uses the Meade foam. and a spare 12v - 18v Meade converter. Meade is closing out both items for a reduced price.

On my list are:

Skylight filter for the rear cell of the scope, to leave in place to keep dust out of the inside.

Dewheater for the corrector.

I picked up all the items used except the case and converter.

Hope this helps.

Enjoy your new scope. I love mine!

Tom

Jason:

We can only speculate as to the reason for the premium price for the dedicated system. In part, the Maxscope uses a specially designed lens. Not only is it's coating optimised for h-alpha, the glass choices are too. I believe the flint element is a diferent glass than what is normally used in regular doublets. I'm guessing this makes the objective more expensive to make. I also think you are paying a premium for the total optimized design in part because they are probably a much lower volume item. As to whether the added performance is worth the cost it one of those things each person has to decide for themselves. Its a sorta eye-of-the-beholder, thing. Or is it wallet-of-the-beholder?

You are correct, an apo isn't needed. I'm using an inexpensive Achromat for my filter and it performs wonderfully. I knew a guy who built his own h-alpha systems and he used a singlet made out of red glass for one of them. Of course it was something like f/30 or longer.

I'm a believer in less glass is more with regards to h-alpha. Besides, I like the double duty set-up of a filter on a regular scope. It gives you a great day/night set-up - and a lot of bang for the buck.

I can't speak to the lead time for a filter. You'' have to contact a dealer for that.

Tom

Hi William.

It is available on the Meade website. It just takes a bit of navigating.

Here's the link to a PDF file of your manual.

http://www.meade.com/manuals/TelescopeManuals/LXseries/LX200_Classic_Manual.pdf

Tom

Michael,

Nope, it doesn't. I've used both and am currently using a inexpensive doublet with my filter with excellent results.

The subject of the dedicated scopes is a tough one. They ARE optimized for h-alpha viewing, but as to whether they are worth the extra cost is more a matter of each person's viewpoint and wallet size. Look at it like you would any telescope purchase. Is a $10,000 Apo really 5x better than a $2000 Achro? No to many who find it difficult to drop $10k on a scope, yes to those who can or who want the "best" despite the cost.

The advantage of owning a separate refractor and filter is the dual duty aspect of the set-up. Good for night, good for day. Already got a great night scope and have the funds for a dedicated solar scope? Then maybe an optimized system is a better choice.

What are you thinking of doing?

Tom

Jess,

Looks like a coating falure of the blocking filter. The blocking filter element will have to be replaced. Is your scope/filter still under warrenty?

From what I understand, Meade USA requires you to go through a European dealer to authorize repairs. I don't know if the dealer ships the part to Meade USA or if they just authorize the return. Meade will not accept items for repair without pre-authorization. You may have to push your dealer to call Meade USA or try another dealer.

I did a search for Meade Authorized dealers in the UK and found - Telescope House, www.telescopehouse.co.uk I don't know if that's your dealer or not. Here's their warrenty/service page: http://www.telescopehouse.co.uk/page.aspx?theLang=001lngdef&pointerid=EB09A96A7B194D6DBF4F4933CD488CBC&action=

It sounds like they can do some repairs in house - even some Coronado products.

I hope this info helps.

Sorry to hear of your BF-10's failure. This is indeed a rare event. Please keep us posted as to what you find.

Good luck.

Tom

Bill:

The tube rings on my refractor have 2 threaded knobs on the top for piggybacking a camera, so I just mount my PST there. If you have a dovetail mount on you GEM you can pick up a spare dovetail for your PST.

James,

I have some second hand information. I have a friend who bought on this last summer and he absolutely loves it. He was a long time owner of an AstroPhysics 6" f/8 triplet ( the before Starfire model) and he feels the scope is every bit as good as the AP. He also feels it has better color correction. He said on Jupiter the "old" AP would show a faint purple halo but the Orion is completely color free. I looked through it (he lives far away) a few times last summer and the images were excellent. I still own the 6" AP but unfortunately didn't have it along on that starparty to compare side by side. I would rate his scope as excellent.

If you'd like more information I could e-mail him and tell him to stop by the forum for a first hand report.

Bruce:

Nice! I've seen indicators done with dial indicators but the amount of measured travel is limited.

I'm always happy to see someone come up with an idea that is effective, and COST EFFECTIVE too!

Thanks for sharing.

Hi Don,

Ahhh... the famous "what scope's best?" question.

It's the old cost/weight/aperture issue. Although a 8" SCT is a great all around scope, I think you'll appreciate the extra aperture of the 10, or if you go Celestron, the 11 incher. I've looked through a bunch of 8" SCTs and they all were good all around workhorses, but the image brightness never tickled my fancy. A good 6 inch refractor gave them a good run for the money. A few years back, I looked through an old 10" Meade and was surprised how much the extra 2 inches added to the image. A year an a half ago I purchased a used 12" LX200 and really enjoy the scope. The 12" IS at the edge of single-person-portability. I'm 53, 5'8", and about 155lbs, so I'm not a big or young guy. I CAN lift the 12" into its tripod although my eyeballs bug out a bit while doing so. Not sure how I'll do it in 10 years or so, but for now I can handle it. Before buying my scope I spent a couple nights under the stars with both the 12" Meade and the 11" Celestron. Both were great performers. I liked the looks of the Meade and the extra inch of aperture so that was my choice.
FWIW: The Celestrons are nearly silent when slewing, the Meade can sound like you're grinding coffee beans for a Latte. Keep your eye peeled here on Astromart. I see a lot of 10" and 11" GPS models for sale and you can save some $$ for accessories.

Absolutely no way it'll handle a 8" SCT unless the scope is completely made of styrofoam.

I bought one for mounting my little 40mm PST and tried mounting my 94mm f/7 Brandon Apo on it. The scope isn't very large but it is solid for its size. It was like the scope was mounted with rubber bands. It my opinion the problem is in the worm mount - especially the azimuth axis. The worm mount is plastic and it feels like there's quite a bit of flexing at that point.

The mount might be ok for a 90mm or 102mm mak but I really have doubts about a 5 inch. The mount may be designed to hold a larger scope but it sure won't be solid!