A Review of the Meade RCX Line
This is a brief summary of what I have seen so far in the 10", 12" and
the 14" Meade RCX telescopes. I am blown away by the performance,
both mechanically and optically. Nothing in this price range with
this kind of performance has ever been offered. All know that I am a fan of the LX200-14
GPS scope..the RCX 14 offers a view in comparison that is like a space walk. Until I
get some specifics together, here are some interesting tidbits that answer some
questions:
1) it comes with version v1.0f....do NOT upgrade to the "current" firmware at Meade's
site;
2) backlash in guiding and 2x rate is virtually non-existent in these scopes,
one tested even slightly out of balance; when you hit a key to reverse, it immediately
begins....better than any Paramount that I have ever used.
3) to answer a popular question: BOTH the f/3.3 and f/6.3 reducers can be used with this
telescope; I ran several images with both the 12" and
the 14" via the f/3.3 reducer and the images are beautiful; very tight stars all the way
to the edge;
4) a "visual scope?" The visual views are stunning;
colors on Jupiter, both webcam and visual, were right on target and a very crisp view of features..magnifications up to about 550x with the 14 were outstanding.
5) the "focusing issue" may be related to only a coincidence..the last two RCX scopes that I have worked on are focusing
flawlessly...the ability to Set Presets for various applications (i.e.,
CCD vs. visual vs. Barlow vs. Telecompressors, etc..) works to perfection each time a new Preset is selected.
6) do not leave the fan on any longer than necessary to equalize the interior;
7) set the dew control setting on about 20-25 at the beginning of your observing and leave
it there in humid climates....do not turn it up too
high..setting it low and leaving it on seems to be best;
8) the RCX 14 is getting a highly crisp star field, edge to edge, corner to corner with
the f/3.3 reducer....by comparison: the Meade LX200-14 provides an 11 x 7.5 arc
minute field in my SBIG, while the RCX-14 is giving a whopping 17.2 x 11' field with NO aberrations to the edges....as flat a field as I have ever seen in a
production scope;
9) those who have used the LX200 will be very surprised at first
with the overall brightness and crispness of the star and DSO images via the faster focal
ratio;
10) Focusing and Collimating: a snap...actually fun. Focusing takes place rapidly
from one range to the other in a few seconds and the
Preset movement snaps it right into precise focus each time. The ultra-precise slow focus
setting allows for the ultimate tweaking. Collimation is so easy that it requires less
than 1 minute, and all is done either at the eyepiece or
computer/TV screen via CCD or digital output;
11) the 14 is severely back heavy and needs help in that regard, even with the large
diagonal and monstrous new Meade eyepieces or with camera..the dew shield is too heavy
for front balance, so I recommend some small weights around the rear cell using
threaded rod (1/4-20) attached into the many threaded openings for accessories on the rear cell....careful to not insert any rods too deeply;
12) Training, GO TOs, tracking etc., are identical to the attributes of the
up-scaled LX 200-14 GPS scope....very little difference....my GPS fixes with all three
sizes is virtually immediate: less than 5 seconds for a fix, two of them in domes.
Dr. Clay
Arkansas Sky Observatories
Harvard MPC H45 (Petit Jean Mountain)
H41 / H43 / H44
Click here for more about this subject
the 14" Meade RCX telescopes. I am blown away by the performance,
both mechanically and optically. Nothing in this price range with
this kind of performance has ever been offered. All know that I am a fan of the LX200-14
GPS scope..the RCX 14 offers a view in comparison that is like a space walk. Until I
get some specifics together, here are some interesting tidbits that answer some
questions:
1) it comes with version v1.0f....do NOT upgrade to the "current" firmware at Meade's
site;
2) backlash in guiding and 2x rate is virtually non-existent in these scopes,
one tested even slightly out of balance; when you hit a key to reverse, it immediately
begins....better than any Paramount that I have ever used.
3) to answer a popular question: BOTH the f/3.3 and f/6.3 reducers can be used with this
telescope; I ran several images with both the 12" and
the 14" via the f/3.3 reducer and the images are beautiful; very tight stars all the way
to the edge;
4) a "visual scope?" The visual views are stunning;
colors on Jupiter, both webcam and visual, were right on target and a very crisp view of features..magnifications up to about 550x with the 14 were outstanding.
5) the "focusing issue" may be related to only a coincidence..the last two RCX scopes that I have worked on are focusing
flawlessly...the ability to Set Presets for various applications (i.e.,
CCD vs. visual vs. Barlow vs. Telecompressors, etc..) works to perfection each time a new Preset is selected.
6) do not leave the fan on any longer than necessary to equalize the interior;
7) set the dew control setting on about 20-25 at the beginning of your observing and leave
it there in humid climates....do not turn it up too
high..setting it low and leaving it on seems to be best;
8) the RCX 14 is getting a highly crisp star field, edge to edge, corner to corner with
the f/3.3 reducer....by comparison: the Meade LX200-14 provides an 11 x 7.5 arc
minute field in my SBIG, while the RCX-14 is giving a whopping 17.2 x 11' field with NO aberrations to the edges....as flat a field as I have ever seen in a
production scope;
9) those who have used the LX200 will be very surprised at first
with the overall brightness and crispness of the star and DSO images via the faster focal
ratio;
10) Focusing and Collimating: a snap...actually fun. Focusing takes place rapidly
from one range to the other in a few seconds and the
Preset movement snaps it right into precise focus each time. The ultra-precise slow focus
setting allows for the ultimate tweaking. Collimation is so easy that it requires less
than 1 minute, and all is done either at the eyepiece or
computer/TV screen via CCD or digital output;
11) the 14 is severely back heavy and needs help in that regard, even with the large
diagonal and monstrous new Meade eyepieces or with camera..the dew shield is too heavy
for front balance, so I recommend some small weights around the rear cell using
threaded rod (1/4-20) attached into the many threaded openings for accessories on the rear cell....careful to not insert any rods too deeply;
12) Training, GO TOs, tracking etc., are identical to the attributes of the
up-scaled LX 200-14 GPS scope....very little difference....my GPS fixes with all three
sizes is virtually immediate: less than 5 seconds for a fix, two of them in domes.
Dr. Clay
Arkansas Sky Observatories
Harvard MPC H45 (Petit Jean Mountain)
H41 / H43 / H44
Click here for more about this subject
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