prc
journeyman
Reged: 10/21/05
Posts: 9
Loc: Northampton, UK
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Hi all, i'm a new member to the forum and am fairly new to backyard astronomy. I live on the very edge of town but my back garden (backyard) is fairly light polluted so i'll have to travel to a darker site for better viewing. 15 minutes on a bike will get me to a better site but it means I need a portable scope. I have a limited budget and am most tempted by either a Meade ETX-80 or an ETX-90. Not only are they highly portable but appear to be good value for money. The ETX-80 seems to be ideal (sharper images, limited magnification - no problem with light pollution) but the ETX-90 appears to be a step up in quality and component (albeit at a cost of less bright sharp images).
Can anyone advise which may be most suitable for me?
One last point, many posts on this forum paint a picture of ETXs being cheaply built and poor value scopes. Is this true? Should I be looking at something bigger and sturdier and live with restricted travel abilities?
All help and advice is greatly appreciated...
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Mark
Skywatcher 127 MAK, EQ3-2
Opticron 10x50
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Rainbow
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/27/04
Posts: 662
Loc: Norfolk, UK
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Personally, I would go for a etx90 UHT scope, the original blue-tube version, and not the newer PE version.
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Meade ETX 90 UHTC, 497 Autostar, 884 tripod, right angle finder.
CALIBRATE MOTORS and TRAIN DRIVES!
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Michael Morris
Member
Reged: 01/05/05
Posts: 1518
Loc: Worcestershire, UK
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I concur with Rainbow. The optics on the ETX 90 are very good and offer superb value for money. The problems people have is with the less than perfect mount. It has too many plastic components and is thus not steady enough for long exposure astrophotography but is good enough for visual use and short exposure astrophotography. The other problem can with the stability and reliability of the Autostar. Saying that, the ETX series still offers great value for money.
If you are after portability I'd take your bike along to a dealer and try it out with the 80 and 90 for size first. If you don't mind an undriven mount, I'd also seriously consider the Orion (US) short-tube reflectors on a simple alt-az mount. Very portable and very affordable and no technology to go wrong or batteries to run out.
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Michael Morris
8" LX200 classic with piggy-backed Orion 80ED and Revelation 66mm Apo
Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro (portable mount for Orion 80ED and Revelation 66mm Apo)
Observatory Almira Observatory Website
Co-author of NightCal Astronomical Observing Calendar Software http://www.nightcal.co.uk
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brt209
sage
Reged: 09/18/05
Posts: 233
Loc: London
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Hi Prc,
First of all: DO NOT RUSH TO BUY AN ETX (you can read the "ETX without all the **** features" thread if you have time)
My first question is: do you want to learn how to find your bearings in the sky (which is by no means as difficult as some people say) and become knowledgeable in Astronomy or become another ETX user who couldn't find Jupiter without a goto?
My second question is:Do you really need to splash out on a "goto do-it-all" scope that will NOT make observing easier?
Michael Morris gives you here some very good advice in my opinion and I believe that you should follow it because as a beginner you need a simple yet efficient mount without all the gadgetry.You can then mount an Apex or Starmax scope on it (whose optical quality will be as good as the ETX's).It will be an altogether better scope and will cost you about half of the price of an ETX.
Check this website and go to the cassegrain telescopes section.
Have a look at the Apex,StarMax range.This is what I would buy if I needed a very good portable scope as a beginner.
I hope that this helps.
Kind regards.
Stephane
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Zeiss Victory 10x25
Helios AM-6 10x50
Pentax DCF SP 8x32
Helios Ultimate HR 7x50
Celestron Ultima 80 spotting scope
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Carol
sage
Reged: 07/29/05
Posts: 271
Loc: New Mexico
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Hello prc.
First, let me say WELCOME to the CN family. Not too long ago I was a newbie here, and everyone has been informative, friendly, and I am having a good time learning about equipment and the night's sky.
I believe if you take the time to read about all the possibilities of scopes, mounts, ther equipment, etc., you will sort it all out for yourself and make a choice that is appropriate for YOUR needs.
For every bad story there is a good story, or even more good stories. I have the ETX125PE, a model up from your considerations, and I am very pleased with it. My goto has worked perfectly. You can also use them manually if you so desire. My first month, I used mine manually to learn my way around the night's sky. At first I was not too enthused about the finder, but I have become more familiar using it, and cannot say anything more/or less than it works like a finder. I temporarily installed another finder on the opposite side and used it for a while until I got centered in the PE finder.
If you use the scope with fully operating goto, you really do not even need the finder. The biggest secret to these is to make certain you calibrate them, train drives, and stick to the directions. Once you have the correct operation sequence down, your viewing pleasures will be in the eyepiece.
As I said in another post in this segment of this forum area, Meade has sold tons of these scopes, the only posts you seem to read are from a few who have had a problem, could be the scope, their operation of it, or their expectations. Many more who are out there being used, and used with no complaints, than there are being complained about.
I'm sure you will look at your needs and options and come up with what satisfies you. I can tell you that I would order another ETX/PE down the road, and do plan to get one for each of my grandchildren as their skills progress.
If you would really like to learn the night's sky, get a pair of good binos and a star atlas, and learn the nights sky while you are making your choices about a scope. Many times I just go out with the binos when my time is limited and I don't want to fuss with setting up a scope. Good luck in your research.
Carol
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LX200-8"EMC - ETX125PE/UTHC - AR5/LXD75
LPI - DSI Color - DSI Pro - Power Tank 17
SV15x63 - SV20x85 on UA T-Mount
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Hey PRC -
Good advice has already been given. I would be cautious about the ETX-80. It has a very short focal ratio, which means you may experience chromatic aberration on brighter objects (a purple fringe around bright stars, the moon, and Jupiter). The ETX-90 will deliver higher quality images, and with a low power eyepiece, you may be surprised at how bright they are.
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oldsalt
Astro Philosopher
Reged: 02/12/05
Posts: 8806
Loc: Pa - between starparties
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Welcome to Cloudy Nights PRC. The ETX is a nice grab and go scope. Myself I have an ETX70AT which was a closeout at the Meade outlet. I've had no problems with mine, but others can tell you horror stories about their ETX's. You've been given some good advice, just remember that in the end any scope buying decission is a personal one. If you can try the scopes out before buying, as this is the only way to get a true feel for the scope.
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There are no winners in war, only bigger losers.
"Duty is the most sublime word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less.” Rober E Lee
"It is well that war is terrible-otherwise we would grow to fond of it" Robert E Lee 13Dec1862 Battle of Fredricksburg
Jim
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brt209
sage
Reged: 09/18/05
Posts: 233
Loc: London
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hello again prc,
I just wanted to tell you that you should go for at least 90mm because there's no shortage of affordable yet good quality 90-130 mm compact telescopes these days and 70-80mm is a very limiting diameter for an all-rounder instrument-unless you can afford an apo refractor-( small diameters are just good for the Moon and Jupiter,saturn shows nothing interesting under 90-100mm,and forget about deep sky too!).If you want to observe the planets you'll need a solid 150-200x magnification to see some details on them which requires a good 100mm.
Stephane
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Zeiss Victory 10x25
Helios AM-6 10x50
Pentax DCF SP 8x32
Helios Ultimate HR 7x50
Celestron Ultima 80 spotting scope
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Rainbow
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/27/04
Posts: 662
Loc: Norfolk, UK
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OK, I have already recommended this scope to somebody else
Give it some thought, simple, reliable and sturdy - basically a manual version of the etx90
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000XMSP2/002-6550217-4375231?v=glance&n=502394&n=572178&s=photo&v=glance
Good price too!
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Meade ETX 90 UHTC, 497 Autostar, 884 tripod, right angle finder.
CALIBRATE MOTORS and TRAIN DRIVES!
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Check out the December issue of Sky and Telescope - they review several entry level scopes, all priced ay under $200. These may be less than what you want, but there is some good info in the review. Orion scopes come out on top - the Meades don't fair so well, but then, none are ETX's.
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Mark K
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 12/16/04
Posts: 860
Loc: Bury, Lancashire, UK
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What are you planning to view in your ETX ?
The short-focus refractors (ETX 70, ETX 80) are better for general views of star-fields, scattered clusters, and the brighter diffuse nebulae. They are less suited for planets, close doubles or anything that needs higher power. Also their light-grasp is insufficient to show many galaxies
The Maks are far better on planets and any other objects which need higher power, but less good on extended objects due to their smaller fields.
I would go for the ETX-125,the most powerful of the beasties !
Check out my reports under 'User Observations - ETX 125' on Mike Weasner's site www.weasner.com/etx
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Mark K.
Meade ETX-125
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prc
journeyman
Reged: 10/21/05
Posts: 9
Loc: Northampton, UK
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I appreciated EVERYONES' advice and comments - a friendly place to be!! I like the sound of the Orion Maksutovs - and within my budget. As a newcomer (with no club/astronomy friends) i expect i'll be learning the practical stuff on my own. This is one of the reasons tht the ETX appeals to me - the GOTO is a nice fallback in case I struggle. The Orion's equatorial mount intimidates me a little but i'm sure it'd be a useful education...!
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Mark
Skywatcher 127 MAK, EQ3-2
Opticron 10x50
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Rainbow
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/27/04
Posts: 662
Loc: Norfolk, UK
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Ooops you're in the UK like me LOL !!
In that case you want to look for the skywatcher range - they are the same as the orions just rebranded.
Try here:
http://www.sherwoods-photo.com/sky_watcher/skywatcher_fs.html
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Meade ETX 90 UHTC, 497 Autostar, 884 tripod, right angle finder.
CALIBRATE MOTORS and TRAIN DRIVES!
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brt209
sage
Reged: 09/18/05
Posts: 233
Loc: London
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There's no reason to worry about the equatorial mount,believe me!I was 12 years old when I got my first one and it was fun to learn how to use it.It might look weird but it was actually designed to make things easy while observing,no fussy electronics there,just a pure,logical mecanism that follows the Earth's rotation with only one axe moving.I'm in the UK too and the Skywatcher range (maks) is the one to go for in my opinion.You'll save a lot of money if you buy one instead of an etx and you won't look back.
Stephane
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Zeiss Victory 10x25
Helios AM-6 10x50
Pentax DCF SP 8x32
Helios Ultimate HR 7x50
Celestron Ultima 80 spotting scope
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prc
journeyman
Reged: 10/21/05
Posts: 9
Loc: Northampton, UK
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Now then, now then...I've found a UK Web site that sells an Orion Mak 90 with EQ1 tripod and soft case for £269 (SCSASTRO). Sherwoods (as you advised) are selling the equivalent SkyWatcher for £169...!! (although it excludes a soft case)...Are they really the same telescope?? And if so, is a soft case really worth £100???
Thanks for the help identify UK sourced kit...i'm tempted awayt from the Meade and am tempted toward the DIY approach - no doubt the only way for many...!
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Mark
Skywatcher 127 MAK, EQ3-2
Opticron 10x50
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Rainbow
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/27/04
Posts: 662
Loc: Norfolk, UK
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Same scope - Often just a different finder
SCSASTRO are usually uncompetative when it comes to price
Sherwoods are great, I get nearly all of my stuff from there
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Meade ETX 90 UHTC, 497 Autostar, 884 tripod, right angle finder.
CALIBRATE MOTORS and TRAIN DRIVES!
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Check out the Meade Factory store they had (I think they will re-list them) a Meade DSX-90AT GOTO telescope, (
Special item! This model features a Meade ETX-90 optical tube mounted on the highly versatile DS-2000 mount. World-famous Meade 90mm Maksutov-Cassegrain design (1250mm focal length, f13.8)). A great buy at only $275.00
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nistel
sage
Reged: 05/07/05
Posts: 250
Loc: lancashire uk
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the etx 90 is a good scope if your traveling to darker skys (on yer bike) its a ideal weight any bigger and your gonna struggle if you go in a car go for a bigger etx
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tmb 130 f/9 lw tube
80mm f/6 semi-apo (orion express)
eq 6 pro mount
baader maxibright binoviewers
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Rainbow
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/27/04
Posts: 662
Loc: Norfolk, UK
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Quote:
Check out the Meade Factory store they had (I think they will re-list them) a Meade DSX-90AT GOTO telescope, (
Special item! This model features a Meade ETX-90 optical tube mounted on the highly versatile DS-2000 mount. World-famous Meade 90mm Maksutov-Cassegrain design (1250mm focal length, f13.8)). A great buy at only $275.00
It seems they don't ship outside the US 
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Meade ETX 90 UHTC, 497 Autostar, 884 tripod, right angle finder.
CALIBRATE MOTORS and TRAIN DRIVES!
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Gandalf
sage
Reged: 08/19/05
Posts: 423
Loc: The Library of Minas Tirith
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Join the Society for Popular Astronomy (great for beginners especially), the UK Astro Imaging Forum or the British Astronomical Association and you'll get a 10% discount on most items from Telescope House, the UK importers of Meade who also sell loads of other stuff...
As a BAA member, I just bought a 10" Meade LX200GPS UHTC from Telescope House and saved GBP 262.99 - and they threw in a free ac power supply worth GBP 34!
So why not join a great society and save as well!
See: http://www.telescopehouse.co.uk for details.
Stuart
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Stuart Williams aka Gandalf the Grey - "A star shines upon the hour of our meeting".
Meade 10" LX200GPS, ETX90AT, AR6.
The Patrick Moore Lunar Observatory: http://www.lunarobservatory.co.uk
Hi-Mag Lunar Stereo Imaging Project: http://freewebs.com/luna3d
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