Posts Made By: dale roemen

I made the mistake of buying a "walmart" meade 5 inch,,but I am impressed with the autostar-especially the What's in the sky tonight-guided tour. It allowed me to learn a lot in a short time( don't want to start the vs sky hopping debate) I have enough intrest now to buy a real scope...so maybe it wasn't a bad first scope!! or maybe I have found another damn expensive hobby!! The lx200 in 10 or 12 inch is the next purchase. I want one with the guided tour option in the goto...Do they all have it?? I have seen the term "classic", does it have it?? I would be dissapointed if the one I buy (used) doesn't have this neat "newbie" feature....P.S. first post---more to follow as I try to learn,, thank you

I am new to this hobby and I just upgraded (slightly) from a 5 inch Meade ,walmart special, to a used 12 inch lx200!! (thanks astromart)—I know just enough to realize what end to point up. Is there a good book(s) you could recommend that are more specific to the lx200 (like an advanced owners manual) including basic wedge use, photography, planet/deep sky observing?? Plus where to buy it?? I have seen the Mapug site, but it seems hard to navigate and seems to cater to “extremely advanced” users.. 2nd question.. Eyepieces.. It will come with a 26mm super plossl and 2 inch star diag. From trolling the old postings till my eyes hurt, I think I realize now that my original “hey, why not get all 2 inch EPs?” ideal is faulty since the power is the limiting factor. I want some in the 9-19 mm range. Would I be advised to find a 1.25 set like the “Meade anniversary special”.(or would I be robbing the potential of the scope) or pick and chose till I get a few. Medium price is what I can afford now!! I have seen a zoom EP. Would that solve my problems with one EP? I do have glasses. I want to use them for DSO and planets, and seeing what my neighbors 5 miles away are eating for supper!!!

I am getting a used 12 inch lx200. It has a 2” Star diag. with 1.25 adapt. I want to get a 2x Barlow for it to double my eyepiece (future) collection. I need advice since I am new to this expensive hobby and don’t want to screw up and buy something that won’t work with this scope, or cheapen the view potential. I am thinking I just need a 1.25 inch version even though I have a 2 inch diag. It seems you don’t want to Barlow the big field of view 2 inc. eyepieces anyway. Plus, I don’t have any !!!!I think I am more interested in high mag. pinpoint detail viewing of planets and DSO’s, instead of large panoramic views of the sky. From what I have read, I have narrowed it down to a 2x 1.5 televue or the same in a GTO (gto quality kinda’ scares me though!!). I don’t understand enough about this to know if I should be looking at the televue powermate instead or a "shorty" Barlow. I will be open to spend some money,$150+, on this Barlow so that I don’t have to update in the future when I can afford a nagler quality lens. I would like to have the non-marring ring in it so the EP doesn’t get goobered up. I HAVE GLASSES but have used a p.o.s. 4mm on my old “walmart special” with some success. I will be looking at buying a eyepiece in the 15mm area to compliment the 26mm that comes with it.

It was -30 below wind chill last night. I was wonderin'(which usually gets me into trouble) do I need to be concerned with condensation forming INSIDE of a 12" lx200 after a night of frostbitten fun, when I bring it inside...I will bring it into a basement that is around 65 deg. I can get a fan to blow over it to speed up the defrost process I know it will condense up all over the outside...but inside too???? advice from fellow cold weather nuts wanted ...ps...my outdoor hot tub will warm me just fine but I worry 'bout the scope...

I just got a used 12 lx200 classic. It looks great, and appears to have survived the shipping unharmed. I set it up and tightened the RA and the DEC. The OTA was tight left and right but I noticed in the declination( up on the right side upright) I can move the tube up and down on the end about an inch. The manual declination adjustment knob moves up and down at the same time making a clunk noise at the top and bottom of the "slop". What is up with this?? normal or fatal?? I went out for a viewing session and it tracked ok for a first time user that was getting frost bite.. I used the one star method (I was cold and two stars would be more difficult in the moon washed sky) I picked Sirus and did my best to center it. I hit m 42 and it was perfect in the middle...I bout filled my pants It found everything in the eyepiece in the south part of the sky. When I went to the north, things were off a bit. Andromena Gal. was a little up and to the right. Pleiades was on but mars wasn't.. Jupiter was just coming up and it would hit it 50/50..the moon was dead on saturn was close (I could see the division and a few bands on the main globe with 8mm throught the boiling jetstream).. No unusual groaning or clunking as the mechanics worked, appeared ok??..Do I need to be worried about the slop in the first part of my question?? thank you

I got brave and took the Dec. cover off. It was quite obvious like some suggested. One of the motor/gear mounting hex bolts was loose. I snuged them both up and the OTA is rock solid!!!NOW....it has snowed for a week now with 24+ inches of snow on the ground!! I do believe in the "got a new telescope jinks" so I appologise to all the people in the midwest for my purchase

I just got a used JMI NGF 2 inch for my 12 inch meade lx200 classic..I mounted it and realized I needed an adapter so the standard Meade 2 “ diag would have something to thread onto the “female” part of the focuser. I can just put the stock diag in,pull back the compression nut (it ends up being like a spacer) and tighten the two thumb screws down on the barrel of the diag. This seems sloppy, so I ordered the right adapter from JMI…..BUT…. I am worried that I won’t be able to GOTO objects near zenith due to the length. Right now with the “cobbled” idea and the focuser almost all the way “in” I can swing through with about a ½ inch + to spare. I bet with the adapter I am out of luck?????

Next thought…I want to get a Williams 90 deg 2 “ diag. What configuration would be best to be able to swing through???? The scope + JMI focuser + adapter + SCT version of the williams diag.+ eyepiece + dummy (me) or… The scope + JMI focuser + smooth barrel williams diag (it can hold it with the two thumb screws) + eyepiece + dummy??

If I go with the first option, I could take the JMI off and thread the diag. on “straight” if I know the scope will be pointing up (pain in the butt) If I buy the non-SCT version with the smooth barrel, I will be limited, unless it allows more clearance than the factory diagonal during a zenith approach….I would die if I hear a ---crunch--- because I forgot the setup didn’t clear the fork base. I am new and dumb and will have it happen, as sure as winter is too long here in South Dakota. Has anyone solved this exact problem with a 12” lx200 classic??

I am new to the thought of CCD imaging. I am new to even using a telescope!! I just got a used 12inch Meade Lx200 classic. I have found every Messier on my starry night program in one great night of viewing. M42 was the most beautiful thing I ever seen. The rest of the galaxies (except for m82 I think) were definite faint fuzzies. I did realize this getting into the hobby. The pictures seen in mags and cheap telescope boxes are time lapse, altered, or Hubble shots. The ccd idea really intrigues me. I am impressed with what can be pulled out of a faint fuzzy. I don’t have a wedge, but she tracks well for extended periods. After research, I want to get a SAC 7 air-cooled (live up north) It seems the best bang for the buck, which I am a little short of !!! I have scope + NGF JMI focus+ meade 2” diag + Sac 7 (I hope).I do realise the swing limit with fork arms. I watched it all night and didn't come too close. Saturn slew 'bout gave me a heart attack lol. The scope is f10 and I understand the Sac7 would give an apparent image like an 8mm eyepiece. I think I will need a focal reducer to get a whole galaxy, for example, on the chip. FINALLY THE QUESTION, sorry!! Should I get the Meade/Celestron 6.3 (130$) screwed in right at the entrance to scope or go for the SAC (95$)version that is both 6.3 and 3.3 with another adapter/tube.It is used at the camera end. SAC claims reducer can be threaded onto eyepieces, 1.25, for use visually. SAC would be cheaper plus I get 3.3, but I am too uneducated to know what I would need. DSO would be primary target with some planet and of course the moon to learn on.

I just got photoshop so I played with your picture, hope you don't care. This is the first image I ever played with!!