Posts Made By: Victor Cox

Threads have indicated upgrades required for new scopes. Thinking about getting a new 12" UHTC and SMT. Threads indicate upgrading to stainless steel bolts/screws on tube, changing the DEC knob, changing to metal gears instead of plastic, problems with hand controls. Is there more I should know about before I buy one? Looks like Meade would upgrade these problem items, even if it cost a little more initially. Paying almost $4K, I wasn't expecting there would be this many after market upgrades. Would appreciate any suggestions as to what are the best upgrades, where do I get the upgrade items and any other suggestions users may have. Never had a SCT before and wondering if the optics, drive, tracking, focusing, and motors are as good as advertized. Thanks in advance for any info provided. --Vic

Hi folks, I'm new here and maybe this subject has already been beat to death. If so, I could not find any reference to it. Yeah, my 12" is old, but my optics are good. My hand controller blew a capacitor and burnt the flat connection cable inside the controller also. Thus, I'm on the hunt for another hand controller. Of course, Meade does not have any parts for it, nor another controller. I've posted the classifieds for another. I asked the Meade rep, who had no idea, about converting the Classic basic circuit board in the telescope and matching hand controller to a later version. Has this been done short of just buying a new telescope. Looks like you could just buy a newer version circuit board for the telescope and match it with a new hand controller, maybe autostar or something. Not interested in going GPS, but that is an option. Has anyone ever done this before? Circuit boards are easy to remove, but don't know if a newer one will fit in the telescope base. The newer telescopes appear to have the same coil connection cords/cables. If a newer version LX200 circuit board will fit, seems like I could just buy a new hand controller compatable with a new circuit board for the telescope base and essentially have a new scope minus the OTA. However, I failed to ask Meade if you could buy either of the newer items without buying a new telescope. I just expect they will not match, or Meade won't sell the other items separately, otherwise, everyone would just upgrade their OTA's without buying a new telescope. Just wondering. Maybe someone has thought of this before me and found out if it is feasible/possible. Thanks for any input.