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clyde72
super member
Reged: 08/08/05
Posts: 102
Loc: Madison, AL
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 As I posted in the beginers forum (  Great Place!! ). I just purchased my 1st telescope!  A Meade ETX-125PE
Now the Discovery Channel Store My Wife picked it up at for me in Nashville, TN did not have any EP's, barlows, filters, erecting prism, etc. The scope comes with one EP a Series 4000 Super Plossl 26mm.
What sizes, brands, types, etc. would you all recomend and who has good pricing on them?
I can't afford Naglers just yet but don't have a problem with $100 EP's. However if $50 EP's will work that's even better.
Also I have a Nikon D70 Digital SLR camera and would like to be able to take some pictures of what I see. What is needed for this?
Also as has already been suggested to me in the beginers forum I will be downloading the manual and reading it ASAP.
It will be Sunday before I get to touch the scope. 
I would like to go ahead and order some EP's and stuff this weekend and get them on the way.
On the Discovery Channel Store Web Site they offer an ETX Telescope Accessory Kit that includes:
ETX AutoStar connector cable set
ETX moon filter
ETX camera adapter
ETX erecting prism
For $99.00
Is any of this needed? Is any of this any good?
They also offer a kit with Meade 4-element Plossl EP's in 6.4mm, 12.4mm, 32mm, and a ND Moon filter for $99.95.
Any opinions on these?
Would this be a good group size wise to start with?
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 I need a hobby that pays me!
Meade ETX-125 PE
Flex-Focus, Dew Shield
Orion 100 ED w/W.O. Focuser
Orion Sky View Pro Mount w/Dual Axis Drives
TeleVue Plossl 15mm, 20mm, 32mm,
DSO Plossl 40mm, 32mm, GS0 Plossl 15mm, 20mm
Orion Shorty-Plus 2x Barlow
Celestron Power Tank 17
Pentax 10x50 DCF SP Binoculars
 Huntsville, AL
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jdevarie
member
Reged: 01/15/06
Posts: 10
Loc: Massachusetts
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Hello. I am also a newbie and have exactly the same scope. Although, my experience is likely to be unique, I would suggest testing the scope before you purchase.
I have been unable to use the scope as intended. I believe that the autostar connector cable in mine is defective. Anyways, I have been able to use it manually using the 26mm super plossi and works awesome. I also have a barlow and works well as well. I have tried the cheap EPs and in my opinion they work, but note that I have not tried the really expensive ones so I cannot compare.
Although, I am providing little help to your original question, I just wanted to suggest that you test the scope before you buy a ton of accessories for it.
regards,
Jim
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_________________________________________________________________
ETX90(manual)
ETX125PE(still in the box)
Having a blast!!!!!!
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Joe Lalumia
Postmaster
Reged: 01/24/07
Posts: 5133
Loc: Quinlan, Texas, USA
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You can order a much better Autostar cable from Scopestuff.com . It is much better than the factory Meade cable.
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LX90 8" LNT, SV 80BV & TelePOD, ETX 125PE, 15x70 binoculars & parallelogram mount
www.texasastro.org www.telescopeman.org www.telescopeman.us
"Ninety percent of this game is half mental." - Yogi Berra
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clyde72
super member
Reged: 08/08/05
Posts: 102
Loc: Madison, AL
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Ok so now I'm confused does the ETX not come with a cable for the autostar? Also what is wrong with the meade cable that I need to replace it with the one from scopestuff.com?
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I need a hobby that pays me!
Meade ETX-125 PE
Flex-Focus, Dew Shield
Orion 100 ED w/W.O. Focuser
Orion Sky View Pro Mount w/Dual Axis Drives
TeleVue Plossl 15mm, 20mm, 32mm,
DSO Plossl 40mm, 32mm, GS0 Plossl 15mm, 20mm
Orion Shorty-Plus 2x Barlow
Celestron Power Tank 17
Pentax 10x50 DCF SP Binoculars
Huntsville, AL
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Duncan Rosie
super member
Reged: 02/14/04
Posts: 135
Loc: South Africa
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Hi Clyde,
The cable referred to is the one that connects your PC to the autostar handbox and allows you to upgrade the handbox software using the Meade ASU - very handy - check the Meade site for details.
The moon filter is handy.
The camera adapter is required to attach your D70 - you will need a Nikon T adapter as well - have a look on www.scopetronix.com for these and other DSLR options.
The erecting prism is handy if you want to use the ETX as a spotting scope in the daytime.
Conclusion - the $99 kit seems like good value.
As for eyepieces I would not go with the Meade kit you describe - I have all those eyepieces and the 32 mm is not great and the 6.4 you will only be able to use in good seeing conditions.
The 12.4 is a nice eyepiece, for me the ETX's sweet spot with eyepieces is in the 10 to 15 mm range.
Rather get a good wide field (70°) eyepiece around the 8 - 12 mm range, and another around the 15 - 20 mm range and maybe a good barlow to start with. Stay away from the Meade QX range - very spotty QC (pun intended) - the Orion Stratus/Baader Hyperions are more expensive but vastly better quality.
One thing you will need is a dew shield - the Meade one is OK, but any dew shield that will fit will improve your contrast when viewing from a suburban backyard, and also inhibit dew on the corrector plate. Again Scopetronix is a good place to start.
Additional info can be found at www.weasner.com/etx
Enjoy your ETX.
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Duncan Rosie
ETX-125
10" Sky-Watcher Truss-tube
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Joe Lalumia
Postmaster
Reged: 01/24/07
Posts: 5133
Loc: Quinlan, Texas, USA
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I was answering jd post about a defective cable....clyde you may have better luck with yours as I replaced two Meade HBX cables before switching to the one sold by scopestuff.com.....it is longer, has better end connectors, and is more flexible than the MEADE HBX cable..... so when or if yours stops working, get the replacement from Scopestuff.com.
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LX90 8" LNT, SV 80BV & TelePOD, ETX 125PE, 15x70 binoculars & parallelogram mount
www.texasastro.org www.telescopeman.org www.telescopeman.us
"Ninety percent of this game is half mental." - Yogi Berra
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Joe Lalumia
Postmaster
Reged: 01/24/07
Posts: 5133
Loc: Quinlan, Texas, USA
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jdevarie, you are completely missing out on the goto function of the ETX by not getting a replacement cable....you must also Calibrate the motors, and Train the drives.......level the tripod and point the tube toward North with the tube level.
Then do a two star alignment..........my little ETX90 has excellent gotos after alignment.
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LX90 8" LNT, SV 80BV & TelePOD, ETX 125PE, 15x70 binoculars & parallelogram mount
www.texasastro.org www.telescopeman.org www.telescopeman.us
"Ninety percent of this game is half mental." - Yogi Berra
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clyde72
super member
Reged: 08/08/05
Posts: 102
Loc: Madison, AL
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Quote:
The camera adapter is required to attach your D70 - you will need a Nikon T adapter as well - have a look on www.scopetronix.com for these and other DSLR options.
Thanks!
Is the the ScopeTronix MaxView DSLR or similar device also needed in addition to the T-Ring?
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I need a hobby that pays me!
Meade ETX-125 PE
Flex-Focus, Dew Shield
Orion 100 ED w/W.O. Focuser
Orion Sky View Pro Mount w/Dual Axis Drives
TeleVue Plossl 15mm, 20mm, 32mm,
DSO Plossl 40mm, 32mm, GS0 Plossl 15mm, 20mm
Orion Shorty-Plus 2x Barlow
Celestron Power Tank 17
Pentax 10x50 DCF SP Binoculars
Huntsville, AL
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Alex^DJ^
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 1200
Loc: Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
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Ok you want accesories for your ETX-125 PE...here are some great and affrodable:
- Orions 2X shorty plus barlow.....around 79 dls..
- GSO Superwide Eyepices, they are around 30 dls each...you can buy the 20mm and 15mm (with 2X barlow it would be 20-10mm and 15-7.5mm)they work great with the ETX/125 because of his focal lenght (f/15) and have great quality. I would not goe for meades eyepices..why? because when you want high power eyepices the eyepices hole becomes smaller and smaller and hard to see tru it...i would recomend the GSO superwide because they are wider and easy to see tru it. Your scope can only get around 250X powers on excellent nights..on most of the nights you will be around 150 to 200 powers.
- Buy a powertank so you can run the scope many nights, it runs better this way than using batteries.
- Buy a flexi-focus for your ETX-125, you will see that when the scope it's 90 degrees its hard to get to the focus knob on it..(if you hands are quite big)..and a flexy focus will let you focus on this position and with less vibrations.
- Buy a dewshield (the flexi dewshield are great) if where you use your scope they dew fast, this will help so it doesnt get wet.
About the scopetronix do not buy form their site...their shop is death has far i know..they no longer sell stuff ..even that their site is still up they are out of business. I would recomend you buy you accesories to other sites like Optcorp.com, telescopes.com or astronomics.com and have great reviews.
a DSRL on a ETX-125 would be heavy for the motors..I have an ETX-125 and i have never try to use it with it...maybe piggibacked for wider shots but you would need some kind of pcounterweight system. The ETX-125 have a long focal lenght so for DSO you need a focal reducer (for imagening)..but for planets it's excellent, if you want to imagen planets go for a webcam like toucam pro...they do wonders for planets and the ETX-125 it's excellent for this.
Hope this helps...
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My Telescopes and Equipment:
- WO 66SD scope
- ETX-125 (Soon to be sold) "My Big Fat Mak"
- C6-ASGT " The Mexican "
- Starshoot CCD Cam
- Nextimagen Planetary Cam
- Canon EOS Rebel XTi (400D Unmoded)
Eyepices and Accesories:
- Celestron E-Lux 25mm
- GSO Superview 20mm
- GSO Superview 15mm
- ADM dual saddle plate
- 100mm Guide rings
- Orion 2X Shorty barlow
- Garmin E-Trex GPS handheld
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clyde72
super member
Reged: 08/08/05
Posts: 102
Loc: Madison, AL
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Thanks Alex!
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I need a hobby that pays me!
Meade ETX-125 PE
Flex-Focus, Dew Shield
Orion 100 ED w/W.O. Focuser
Orion Sky View Pro Mount w/Dual Axis Drives
TeleVue Plossl 15mm, 20mm, 32mm,
DSO Plossl 40mm, 32mm, GS0 Plossl 15mm, 20mm
Orion Shorty-Plus 2x Barlow
Celestron Power Tank 17
Pentax 10x50 DCF SP Binoculars
Huntsville, AL
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clyde72
super member
Reged: 08/08/05
Posts: 102
Loc: Madison, AL
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Quote:
Ok you want accesories for your ETX-125 PE...here are some great and affrodable:
- Orions 2X shorty plus barlow.....around 79 dls..
- GSO Superwide Eyepices, they are around 30 dls each
- Buy a powertank so you can run the scope many nights, it runs better this way than using batteries.
- Buy a flexi-focus for your ETX-125
- Buy a dewshield
Hope this helps...
Ok Finally found the GSO EP's at Antler Optics
15mm $39.00
20mm $39.00
30mm $69.00
42mm $69.00
Amazon.com provided
Celestron Power Tank 12V 17 aH $85.90
Orion Shorty-Plus 2x 3-Element Barlow Lens $79.95
Orion Stargazer's Filter Set 1.25 $79.95
Meade #678 Dew Shield $28.95
Meade #541 AC Adapter with 25' Cord $49.00
Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them $17.81
And from Anacortes (www.buytelescopes.com)
Scopetronix Flexi-Focus (only place I could find it) $34.95
TeleVue 1.25" 45-Degree Erecting Prism $60.00
TeleVue 20mm Plossl (for comparison to GSO) $99.00
That comes to $751.51 (if my math is correct) plus $699.30 for the ETX-125PE for a grand total of
$1450.81 not including tax and shipping.
  The wife is gonna Most Emphatically NOT Haggis when the CCB gets here!
Did the pricing thing for anyone wondering how much this hobby cost to get started in going this particular route. Yeah I could have gone less costly on a few items and really didn't need everything on this list but is anything really a waste of money?
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I need a hobby that pays me!
Meade ETX-125 PE
Flex-Focus, Dew Shield
Orion 100 ED w/W.O. Focuser
Orion Sky View Pro Mount w/Dual Axis Drives
TeleVue Plossl 15mm, 20mm, 32mm,
DSO Plossl 40mm, 32mm, GS0 Plossl 15mm, 20mm
Orion Shorty-Plus 2x Barlow
Celestron Power Tank 17
Pentax 10x50 DCF SP Binoculars
Huntsville, AL
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Rainbow
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/27/04
Posts: 662
Loc: Norfolk, UK
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I never found much use for the coloured filters - except a moon filter that is
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Meade ETX 90 UHTC, 497 Autostar, 884 tripod, right angle finder.
CALIBRATE MOTORS and TRAIN DRIVES!
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GeorgeNC
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/26/07
Posts: 1181
Loc: Land of the Sky, North Carolin...
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I have an ETX-125AT. With the 17 aH powertank, I've never used the AC adapter.
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Celestron C11 on CGE Mount
Stellarvue 80mm Nighthawk II
W.O. Flt110 on CGEM
Canon 40D (Hap Griffin modified)
Orion StarShoot Autoguider
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Joe Lalumia
Postmaster
Reged: 01/24/07
Posts: 5133
Loc: Quinlan, Texas, USA
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Ac adapter is useless when you have a powerpack. I have never used mine. Just buy 2 eyepieces and a 2x barlow.......then stop buying eyepieces for a while.
You can get the flexi focus cheaper on Ebay, and just make your own dewshield. Forget about Teleview ..........and color filters and erecting prism.
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LX90 8" LNT, SV 80BV & TelePOD, ETX 125PE, 15x70 binoculars & parallelogram mount
www.texasastro.org www.telescopeman.org www.telescopeman.us
"Ninety percent of this game is half mental." - Yogi Berra
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clyde72
super member
Reged: 08/08/05
Posts: 102
Loc: Madison, AL
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Well the Meade #607 Power Cord, which I need for the Power Tank (right?) is $25.00, it is included with the AC adapter, so I figured that would be a better route. Guess I was wrong.
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I need a hobby that pays me!
Meade ETX-125 PE
Flex-Focus, Dew Shield
Orion 100 ED w/W.O. Focuser
Orion Sky View Pro Mount w/Dual Axis Drives
TeleVue Plossl 15mm, 20mm, 32mm,
DSO Plossl 40mm, 32mm, GS0 Plossl 15mm, 20mm
Orion Shorty-Plus 2x Barlow
Celestron Power Tank 17
Pentax 10x50 DCF SP Binoculars
Huntsville, AL
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clyde72
super member
Reged: 08/08/05
Posts: 102
Loc: Madison, AL
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Quote:
You can get the flexi focus cheaper on Ebay, and just make your own dewshield. Forget about Teleview ..........and color filters and erecting prism.
Couldn't find the Flexi-Focus on E-bay.
Want the erecting prism to do some terrestrial viewing with.
Having lurked around here for a couple of years I just want to see for my self what the difference between a $39.00 EP and a $99.00 EP is. I'm not a complete stranger to optics, I own several rifles and I can tell you there is a big difference in a $39 dollar blister pack rifle scope and a $100 dollar rifle scope, or a $30 binoculars and a $100 one.
Yes I know I can do that at star parties but I work 2nd Shift (2pm to 10:30pm) and for the last few months have been working 12 hour shifts (2pm to 2:30am) 7 days a week, so getting to my local star party is very difficult. If it wasn't for the lulls at work I would not have had the time to visit these forums as much. This is also why I bought a dew shield instead of making one.
Don't get me wrong I appricate all the advice that I have been given here and was trying to use it to the best of my ablity! And I am sure I will be asking for more! If all goes well maybe I will be worthy of giving some advice soon, and helping out some other lost souls when it come to this hobby.
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I need a hobby that pays me!
Meade ETX-125 PE
Flex-Focus, Dew Shield
Orion 100 ED w/W.O. Focuser
Orion Sky View Pro Mount w/Dual Axis Drives
TeleVue Plossl 15mm, 20mm, 32mm,
DSO Plossl 40mm, 32mm, GS0 Plossl 15mm, 20mm
Orion Shorty-Plus 2x Barlow
Celestron Power Tank 17
Pentax 10x50 DCF SP Binoculars
Huntsville, AL
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Alex^DJ^
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 1200
Loc: Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
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Clyde:
With all that money you could buy a better scope.... ..but you already have buy the etx-125 isnt???..
From your list you should check the GSO 30mm and 42mm eyepices..because i think thyey are 2 inch kind...and the etx-125 can only accept 1.25 eyepices...so check this first before buying.
Second the 45 degree erect prism is not necessary...this is only necessary if you want to use your scope for terrestrial viewing (nature..birding..etc)..but for Astro viewing is not a necessity...
Another should be buying the hard case for the etx-125 or buy a case that you can fit the scope...many people do their own cases or buy pelican cases and do modifications so they can fit the scope there.
About the orion stargazers filter..i think this is not a necessary..maybe only the Lunar filter and some filter for viewing nebulaes like Orion ultrablock...but the rest of the filters (color ones) would not be used..i am telling you because i have meades kit and i dont use any of the filter on it..only the lunar one..the rest are gething dust
By the way maybe you could buy a Solar filter so you can see the sun..thats nice when is daylight and you dont have nothing to do with the scope...they are around 30 to 45 dls...
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My Telescopes and Equipment:
- WO 66SD scope
- ETX-125 (Soon to be sold) "My Big Fat Mak"
- C6-ASGT " The Mexican "
- Starshoot CCD Cam
- Nextimagen Planetary Cam
- Canon EOS Rebel XTi (400D Unmoded)
Eyepices and Accesories:
- Celestron E-Lux 25mm
- GSO Superview 20mm
- GSO Superview 15mm
- ADM dual saddle plate
- 100mm Guide rings
- Orion 2X Shorty barlow
- Garmin E-Trex GPS handheld
Edited by Alex^DJ^ (07/01/07 06:50 PM)
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clyde72
super member
Reged: 08/08/05
Posts: 102
Loc: Madison, AL
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Quote:
With all that money you could buy a better scope.... ..but you already have buy the etx-125 isnt???..
From your list you should check the GSO 30mm and 42mm eyepices..because i think thyey are 2 inch kind...and the etx-125 can only accept 1.25 eyepices...so check this first before buying.
Second the 45 degree erect prism is not necessary...this is only necessary if you want to use your scope for terrestrial viewing
Yes I already have the ETX-125 on the way via my wife. However wouldn't I be buying EP's, barlows, etc with any scope I had choosen?
Yikes I missed that on the 30mm and 42mm will have to contact antler ASAP to cancel them. That's what I get for ordering Scope Accessories at 3:00am!!
Yes I understand that I only need the erecting prism for terrestrial viewing. I do some long range hunting and shooting. Figured it would be a super spotting scope also.
Thanks for the info Alex!
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I need a hobby that pays me!
Meade ETX-125 PE
Flex-Focus, Dew Shield
Orion 100 ED w/W.O. Focuser
Orion Sky View Pro Mount w/Dual Axis Drives
TeleVue Plossl 15mm, 20mm, 32mm,
DSO Plossl 40mm, 32mm, GS0 Plossl 15mm, 20mm
Orion Shorty-Plus 2x Barlow
Celestron Power Tank 17
Pentax 10x50 DCF SP Binoculars
Huntsville, AL
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White Rabbit
member
Reged: 01/22/07
Posts: 78
Loc: Born in Scotland but live in S...
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I wouldnt bother with the prism for the 125, I bought one and never use it. It severely limits the hight to which the scope can slew. It makes me nervous having it on, if you do get one and use it make sure that what ever you are slewing to is not high in the sky because the prism will cause the grears to grind to hault and could damage them.
my 2c
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Meade 12" Light Bridge with Argo Navis
Orion ED102mm
GSO 8" Newt F5
Orion ED80 short tube guide scope
Losmandy G11 with Gemini II
Meade ETX125 PE
HEQ5pro Mount
TV Radion 6mm, 9mm, 15mm, 26mm, TV32mm EP's
2x + TV3x Teleview Barlow's
Starry Night Pro Plus 6
Canon 5D MKII
Canon 1000D
Meade DSI II Colour
Philips Toucam SPC900
The list gets longer...
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Odin
sage
Reged: 03/21/07
Posts: 242
Loc: Ont, Cdn 46N 84W
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Congrats on The ETX125PE, I purchased mine during the winter and am quite happy with the performance for my 1st Scope. There are better, however you'll always remember your 1st.
You need to settle down with the purchasing and enjoy the basic's. This will give you a good base line. You do need to purchase an external source of power for the scope, This is a MUST. DO NOT use the internal battery capability as this will only be a source of frustration ( I've experienced this... you don't want too, Meade needs chastizing for this major deficiency ). For more eye pieces I've realized the 26mm,15mm, 9.7mm and 2x Barlow (shorty) are used more often then any other. So far the only filter that I've used constantly is the Moon Filter.
However some Accessories that may be of use are........... 1 Pirate eye patch (to relief eye sore), 1 Flashlight with a red Filter, If you wear glasses as I do, Glasses necklace so the glasses can hang around your neck while viewing, A basic understanding of the brightest stars and where Polaris is, so you can align the Scope.
And Finally READ... Read ... THE MANUAL FIRST and Train Drives. 
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A time will come when men will stretch out their eyes. They should see planets like our Earth.
- Christopher Wren
LX90 8" EMC
Rigel Quickfinder
ETX125PE UHTC
60mm Refractor Meade Digital Series
Meade Electronic Eyepiece
32mm,26mm,15mm,9.7mm series 4000 Super Plossl
20mm Garrett FMC SWA, Meade 2x Barlow
10x50 Tasca Binoculars
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