Posts Made By: Jason Gauthier

I ordered an LX-90 from Discovery Store, waited and waited and the delivery date kept changing, so I cancelled the order and ordered the scope without UHTC from Astronomics, which I should have done in the first place. They were anticipating delivery soon. After a few weeks, I finally decided to spend the extra money and changed the order to buy the "in stock" LX90 with UHTC.

Well, according to UPS the package is ALMOST on my doorstep and should be delivered today. . .just in time for the rain tonight and tomorrow!

The ever-changing delivery date for the scope w/o UHTC from Discovery Store website is JULY 10! Meade may not be getting rid of this scope w/o UHTC, but they certainly aren't encouraging anyone to buy them.

Astronomics was great to work and although I couldn't use a coupon code, I have more than made up for that just having the peace-of-mind knowing that I can speak to the experts there.

Jason

For anyone who is anxiously awaiting their $99 eyepiece deal and are wondering how long it takes. . .I sent my check on March 26 (w/ return receipt). Check was cashed April 17 and the eyepieces arrived today!

Jason

My 10 year old nephew is very interested in astronomy and space exploration. . .more space exploration right now, but is still amazed by astro-photos. Since he is a budding computer-geek, I thought I'd get him some CD/DVD software that had great graphics, movies, etc., that was fun and educational. I know there are a couple great planetarium products out there, but I think he'd enjoy something that focused more on space exploration, NASA history (missions, images,and movies, etc.) Any suggestions?

Jason

Hello,

I am planning to sell my LX-90 (with UHTC) that I got in April of this year and in excellent condition. I checked the classifieds, but not too many LX90's w/ UHTC there (or not sure if the seller was successful with the advert.). . .what is a fair price to ask?

Also, I am no where near an expert at determining the quality of the optics. Collmination seems perfect (to me at least) and the scope doesn't have a scratch. Considering my inability at judging the optics' quality, would I be able to say the scope is in "like new" condition?

Everyone here has offered great advice in the past, so I want to make sure I am as accurate and fair as possible. . .I don't want to upset someone who could potentially offer me advice in the future. Thanks! - Jason

I am looking for reviews/opinions of Celestron's new NexStar 102 SLT. I will be using this for general observing (mostly lunar and planetary).

I have owned other scopes (from etx-70 to LX-90) but have found them too small or too big for my needs. I thought the 102 would be just right.

Thanks for any advice,
Jason

Thanks everyone for the advice. I think I am going to call Anacortes and Astronomics tomorrow and discuss reordering the LX90. It may be a wait, but I think I will be much happier in the end. - Jason

Just an update since my initial post. . .

I cancelled the order with Company X (a national chain and Meade authorized internet dealer that you will discover in many malls). Finally had to speak to a manager who said that he'd been watching this whole mess unfold and was "really interested to see what the outcome was." However he did apologize and hoped my experience would not stop me from shopping there again!

The authorization to my available credit is supposed to be removed within 48 hours. I called the credit card company and they offered to act as an intermediary if needed, which I hope will not be necessary now. By the way the authorization on my credit card was, as was mentioned in another post, a hold on the available credit but would not post as an actual charge until the scope was (if ever) shipped. The card company would keep this hold on the credit for 21 days or so, after which the merchant would have to get a new authorization.

After cancelling the order with Company X, I immediately called Astronomics, who I have bought from in the past. I have now ordered an LX90 w/o UHTC from them (UHTC were in stock at both Anacortes and Astronomics - but I don't see a need for that). Even better, they preordered the scopes anticipating customers, so they expect my backorder to be just 1-2 weeks!!!

Bottom line is, its nice to save 15% on groceries and clothing, but when it comes to things like astronomical equipment, its better to spend a little more and know you are also getting the merchant's knowledge and expertise. Otherwise, you may end up explaining to a customer service representative at Company X that "UHTC" has nothing to do with the barcode on the telescope's box! - Jason

I may be partially responsible for that. . .my LX90 arrived yesterday just in time for the skies to cloud up! - Jason

You mention that you could sit inside out of the cold. . .if the heat is on, your viewing could be terrible if all the heat is going up and out the moonroof. Otherwise, you would not only have to wait for the scope to cool to outside temps, but the interior of the car as well.

Also, you would have to deal with movement in the car. . .every time you move, the car moves and so does the scope. Kind of like centering a star on a rocking boat.

Finally, your field of view could be very small depending on the scope size and moonroof opening and you may need to study gymnastics to contort yourself to view.

I believe that not too long ago, there was a post in the home observatories forum where someone posted a photo of a towed observatory. This may be easier to use. - Jason

I think there has been a lot of evidence that shows that the UHTC is better than non-UHTC. However, this benefit may or may not show up depending on what you are using the telescope for and possibly your own natural optics.

In my case, I can see no difference when visually observing, so I side with the argument that thinks UHTC is best for those doing astrophotography. My wife on the other hand does notice a difference between the two when observing. If you have the opportunity to view through two of the same scopes, one with and one without UHTC, it may help you decide.

In my case though, I did order a scope with UHTC. Resale valuable may be better if that is a concern and Meade is not as quick to produce the scopes without UHTC. If you are ordering from a dealer who doesn't stock the scopes, the delivery range can be 3-6 months or more! So, in my case the value of UHTC was that it got the scope delivered in 1 week rather than months. That was worth the $200 extra. - Jason