| drprovi57 |
| (super member) |
| 06/20/09 03:40 PM |
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ETX-LS ACF First Light
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I posted this on the Meade Yahoo Group, it may be valuable here.
Well, I received my Meade ETX-LS ACF (coma-free optics) on Wednesday and it had its first light last Thursday night. Sky conditions were not very good but I was able to use the LS technology in setting up and compare the optics.
Some background I am a newbie to this forum, but have extensive experience in astronomy technology of goto mounts and optics. I have owned Celestron equipment (C14, CGE,etc), Meade (LX200R 14, 12, etc), refractors (TMB 130ss, 152, 175; SV90, etc) and currently operate a home observatory (homedome 10, paramount ME, RCOS 14.5 f/8). These days I spend most of my time doing CCD astronomy. However, I have been looking for a grab and go scope for visual and also be used for some DLSR photography. I have no affiliation with Meade.
Initial reaction with the ETX-LS is very positive. I have placed some pictures of the scope, packaging, and assembly in this posting. I was very impressed with the packaging all extremely well done. Everything arrived as expected in excellent condition a big improvement in previous Meade scopes. Assembly took less than 20 mins again, good instructions by Meade. The optics had no visible flaws.
I then carried the ETX outside and placed on fairly level ground. I inserted the batteries and turned the LS. The scope went through a series of alignments (finding north, horizontal level, etc) it then did a 2 star alignment using the built in CCD camera and the LS automatic procedure software again all went well. The entire alignment process took less than 20 min and there was no action required on the user (me) part I just looked on and drank my coffee.
I then slewed to Saturn looked very good using my 22 mm TV eyepiece. Saturn looked sharp. I then slewed to a star and checked the optical alignment the scope was spot on required no adjustment very nice!
The in/out-of -focus star image and diffraction pattern looked good. Even with sky conditions of 6/10 the in-focus diffraction pattern showed good correction. In addition, the scope did not need any alignment adjustment.
I then slewed to other objects (M13, M81/82, etc) again, the optics and goto performed surprising well. The field was flat and stars looked good to the very edge of the field.
Bottom-line: Meades ETX-LS ACF appears to deliver as advertised but more nights under the stars are still needed.
Pros: Excellent packaging, easy assembly, attractive with clean optics, good mechanical feel and fit, goto electronics worked out of the box, one person can manage transportation and setup, good instructions
Cons: cheap finder, there appears to be no way to manual move the scope, battery compartment is flimsy, should include 12v source, the 1.25" eyepiece holder in the rear cell thread is also flimsy should include 2 eyepiece holder.
Jason
| drprovi57 |
| (super member) |
| 06/20/09 03:42 PM |
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picture 2
| drprovi57 |
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| 06/20/09 03:43 PM |
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arrival
| drprovi57 |
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| 06/20/09 03:43 PM |
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Packaging
| drprovi57 |
| (super member) |
| 06/20/09 03:46 PM |
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box opened
| drprovi57 |
| (super member) |
| 06/20/09 03:47 PM |
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All the parts
| drprovi57 |
| (super member) |
| 06/20/09 03:48 PM |
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Tripod
| drprovi57 |
| (super member) |
| 06/20/09 03:48 PM |
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The important end
| pepper |
| (journeyman) |
| 06/20/09 04:20 PM |
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good pictures, sounds good, looks like we will be hearing alot more about the LS soon
| Arthur Dent |
| (Galactic Hitch-Hiker) |
| 06/20/09 04:21 PM |
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Superb write-up, Jason. Thanks for sharing that and the pictures too.
Hope that the skies clear up for you and that you are able to put the scope through its paces with decent seeing.
Welcome to the ETX forum BTW
Art
| Joe Lalumia |
| (Post Laureate) |
| 06/20/09 06:22 PM |
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Just curious--- based on the new LX90 reports of the 59Ef hand controller on those scopes-- is the version number on your hand controller 59Ef ??? Just wondering if it's the same hand controller as the new LX90s??
| drprovi57 |
| (super member) |
| 06/20/09 06:38 PM |
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Thanks Art, skies have not been very good - I am looking forward to use the LS more soon
Jason
| drprovi57 |
| (super member) |
| 06/20/09 06:40 PM |
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Joe - I do not believe they are the same - the version numbers appear different, but Meade should be able to provide the answer
Jason
| seeker372011 |
| (scholastic sledgehammer) |
| 06/21/09 02:26 AM |
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looks good so far do provide an update when you get the chance...how heavy is it ?
| drprovi57 |
| (super member) |
| 06/21/09 09:36 AM |
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Had the ETX last night before the clouds moved in - as before, I set up the ETX on my patio (away from my house) - I turned it on and walked away - I came back in 15 min and the scope was ready for use. I went to guided tour (best objects) and spent the next hour looking at about a dozen objects (M13, M57, M51, M92, saturn, etc) - all worked like a charm. Objects were within my 22mm TV eyepiece. I also attached my heavy 2" TV diagonal and 2" eyepiece - all worked great. The scope did a nice job of tracking as well - I hope to attach my DSLR soon to try some short exposure AP imaging.
The weight is about 50 lbs including tripod - I can move the entire set up from my house to the patio - will get exact weight later
Jason
| Theninjagecko |
| (newbie) |
| 06/21/09 12:42 PM |
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It would be really nice to see some images taken with the LS.
| AlexDJ30 |
| (sage) |
| 06/21/09 08:23 PM |
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well short exposure should work fine..long..it need a wedge and still there arent many acesories made for LS right now
| teskridg |
| (sage) |
| 06/21/09 10:38 PM |
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Does it take 15-20 minutes to align this scope? Seems like a long time.
| Starlighter |
| (Post Laureate) |
| 06/22/09 01:01 AM |
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That does sound odd. When I saw the prototype at Woodland Hills, the Meade rep claimed that alignment takes only a couple of minutes. But then he also said only one version of the LS would be coming out. Then, a couple of months later, Meade announced two versions, one with ACF and the other a basic SCT.
| Peter9 |
| (scholastic sledgehammer) |
| 06/22/09 07:08 AM |
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15 to 20 minutes. I can align my 6se in under 5 minutes and I'm never in any hurry.
Instead of the job being done at the flick of the L.S, it seems to be a case of the job just beginning to be done.
That said, I hope the ETX-LS is a success. I think a healthy Meade is better all round for amateur astronomy in general.
Peter.
| jgraham |
| (Postmaster) |
| 06/22/09 10:12 AM |
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To have a telescope do all the things the LS does all by itself is pretty amazing now that we're hearing that it actually works. In a prior life I wrote software to get computers to automatically detect, mark, and integrate peaks in chromatographic data and I was amazed at how complex the logic had to be to get a computer to do something we find obvious; it's a credit to how we easily process visual information. If I recall right my LNT only takes about 3 minutes to align itself and ask be to center the first alignment star; so the LNT is almost an LS with respect to its alignment logic (minus all the other nifty stuff), but with me doing the hard part. For the LS to locate the right alignment star and center it on its own is pretty slick. It'll be interesting to hear how long it actually takes, but even 10-15 minutes isn't bad for a completely automatic set up. Even with my LNT I just tell it to start the alignment process, then go inside and finish bringing out my gear and by the time I'm ready to go so is the scope.
Neat stuff.
| brianshodge |
| (member) |
| 06/22/09 08:00 PM |
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What I think would be interesting to find out is just how many stars the LS can align itself to. When I did my alignment with it over the weekend it chose Arcturus, Dubhe and Spica in that order. Dubhe was obstructed each time. One attempt of four alignments was successful. The three other attempts using the LS ended when it could not successfully align on Spica. So that is only three stars that it used for its procedure before it gave up. Does anyone have information on what stars your scope used?
| pkingroch |
| (newbie) |
| 06/23/09 07:08 AM |
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If the scope fails in aligning itself, can you align it manually?
| brianshodge |
| (member) |
| 06/23/09 11:38 AM |
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pkingroch,
Yes, you can still use other alignment methods.
| pepper |
| (journeyman) |
| 06/24/09 02:04 PM |
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I remember it being in the 8 minute range but I guess we'll know for sure when someone tests it
anyone use the SD card slot, as I bought a SD card and does not fit in the slot? I read on the website it sometimes says micro SD, but micro sd seems way to small to me ?
| nytecam |
| (Postmaster) |
| 06/24/09 04:24 PM |
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Quote:I'd hope it's quicker than that - I'd be totally bored after 5min and all that wasted battery power NOT viewing
but even 10-15 minutes isn't bad for a completely automatic set up.
Glad I've learnt my way around the sky but most buyers of this scope wont 
| AlexDJ30 |
| (sage) |
| 06/24/09 05:01 PM |
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WEll i dont know if the LS uses SD card or Micro SD...micro SD cards are the ones uses by a lot of cell phones..
| DeWittJ |
| (newbie) |
| 06/26/09 08:42 AM |
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Morning! This is my first post and I wanted to comment on the ETX LS. By the way, I just started and this is my first scope. I have watch others try to align and when I saw the hype on the LS I got one. Came packaged well and easy to assemble. First time I turned it on, it aligned with two stars and when I wanted to see Jupiter it slewed dead center. It usually takes about 6-8 minutes and hooking up with the 4 required GPS birds is the hold up. Being a newbie at this, I really like this scope. I just wonder what kind of pics it will take if and when I get smart enough and experienced enough to try out a CCD camera? Love this site, full of great info for a begineer like me.
Thanks for letting me in!
r/
Jim
| necoma |
| (journeyman) |
| 06/26/09 09:35 AM |
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Hi Jim,
(I'm from the Netherlands). Is it possible to see Jupiter on this time on your location ?
Tip: First look on a comp. program (f.i. Stellarium) what you can see ! (You have buy a great telescope !)
| DeWittJ |
| (newbie) |
| 06/26/09 10:56 AM |
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Necoma,
I live on the southwest coast of the US and Jupiter is very good at this time. Been to your country many times and I loved it.
r/
| Starlighter |
| (Post Laureate) |
| 06/26/09 01:06 PM |
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Quote:
15 to 20 minutes. I can align my 6se in under 5 minutes and I'm never in any hurry.
Instead of the job being done at the flick of the L.S, it seems to be a case of the job just beginning to be done.
That said, I hope the ETX-LS is a success. I think a healthy Meade is better all round for amateur astronomy in general.
Peter.
The reason must be acquiring GPS. I found with Meade's My Sky as well as Celestron's Sky Scout that it took forever to get GPS. They need to use that same quality GPS circuitry that's included in navigation devices. The ones in two cars I've leased grabbed GPS and were up and running so fast I couldn't detect any time lost.
| drprovi57 |
| (super member) |
| 06/26/09 03:37 PM |
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I timed it the other night - took 12min (the 15-20min was over estimated. my bad). The 12 min is the time that I placed it on the patio and turned on the switch - recall the scope does several functions: establish GPS (varies depending on obstacles and clear view of the satellites), finds level, finds north, then proceeds to perform an accurate 2-star alignment via ccd images (taking multiple images). During this entire time I am sitting on my chair smoking a good cigar and studying my notes to determine what objects to look at in the evening. I had it out the other night - moon crescent looked very good, as well as several open clusters and m51. The goto's remain accurate within my 22MM TV over entire sky. One can do better - but for me, it is more than good enough. I hope to get some DSLR images soon - working on some adapter issues with my camera
Jason
| Peter9 |
| (scholastic sledgehammer) |
| 06/26/09 04:23 PM |
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Glad it's working out for you Jason. Sound like most new owners are happy with it. That's good not only for the lads and lasses that buy it but, as I said in my earlier post, good for this wonderful hobby of ours too.
Enjoy your new ETX-LS.
Peter.
| Starlighter |
| (Post Laureate) |
| 06/26/09 04:26 PM |
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Well, from the time I switch it on, input the correct time, date and then choose which alignment procedure I want to use, go with it and then have the readout inform me it's aligned, it runs about three minutes with my Nexstar 6SE. Granted, it's a bother to do it, but since during a typical evening of viewing I must move the scope around my backyard to avoid objects going behind the trees, I'd be spending over an hour getting the LS aligned. I sometimes change positions four or fives times in a single evening. I guess I could buy a chainsaw...
| teskridg |
| (sage) |
| 06/27/09 01:14 AM |
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Be careful with that cigar! If you ever contemplate selling your telescope on the used market, there are any number of sensitive potential buyers (not me- I love the smell of tobacco products!) who have posted strongly about the absorbed aroma of the cancerous leaf. I believe the smell can be expurgated with mild solvents.
| drprovi57 |
| (super member) |
| 06/27/09 07:53 AM |
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Tim.. good point, I keep my cigar smoking far away from my telescopes, I do not want to add any more to the natural pollution that my scopes accumulate.
There has been several good observations regarding the LS setup time. Especially for those that have to move the scope around during an evening of observing - I would perhaps skip the auto alignment and go with the manual one or two star alignment methods. The auto alignment method will not replace an experienced observer once GPS and level is achieved - but the "cool" factor for auto-alignment has its rewards.
There has not been much said regarding the optics, so I would be interested in other observations. I continue to be very pleased with the views - waiting the ccd images
Jason
| jgraham |
| (Postmaster) |
| 06/27/09 11:19 AM |
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A quick way to re-align a scope if you have to move it is to park it before you move it and then turn the power off. After the move you start it back up in the home position, GoTo a bright star, and sync the drive. after that you should be good to go.
| Bob Griffiths |
| (Postmaster) |
| 06/27/09 01:35 PM |
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Quote:
A quick way to re-align a scope if you have to move it is to park it before you move it and then turn the power off. After the move you start it back up in the home position, GoTo a bright star, and sync the drive. after that you should be good to go.
THIS WILL work...if you are lucky, but 90 percent of the time the scope will reject the Sync because the bright Star it is too far from where the scope figures it should have been based on its calculations to where it should be from the original alignemnt position...
I have had luck doing this with my Nexstar 8i by using Polaris as one of my alignment stars then hibernating the scope..power it off.. walking to the other side of the yard and without powering on the scope or moving the OTA ...center Polaris in the FOV by playing with the tripod..then wake the scope up ....
Honestly its Too much trouble ..just as easy to move the scope plop it down and do a complete 2 star alignment... I'd rather re-align then play with the tripod legs direction and height etc...
The only Meade mount I own is an LXD55(GEM). Both of my fork mounted Alt/Azm scopes are Celestrons..
So I NEVER actually tried to do this with a Meade GoTo Alt/Azm mount ...
Just do not think it will work unless you get lucky.. BUT then again who knows..it sure would have made life easier when I viewed from a backyard that resembled Sherwood Forrest
Bob G
| necoma |
| (journeyman) |
| 07/14/09 02:16 AM |
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Quote:
There has not been much said regarding the optics, so I would be interested in other observations. I continue to be very pleased with the views -
Jason
Jason,
It's now July 14, so do you have more information about your LS ? Perhaps CCD-pictures taken with the LS ? I (we) must wait till end of August before we can get the LS in Europe ! (I come from the Netherlands). Can you tell us more about the accuracy of the alignment ? Is it only good in the environment of a alignment star ?
| drprovi57 |
| (super member) |
| 07/15/09 06:47 AM |
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I hope to provide some CCD images this weekend (will have more time). I was going to use my Canon DSLR (but having some camera issues) - I decided to attache my SBIG STL11000 (large CCD format) to the ETX-LS to measure field flatness and image quality.
THe GOTO's are still excellent for the auto version - but can be fine-tune if user wants to. Turns out the manual alignment is as fast as the auto, so depending on the user the LS feature is a mix - more experience users my just skip the auto and go directly to the manual alignment (one or two star). The track seems good - but my CCD images will be the real test.
Jason
| Milionis |
| (newbie) |
| 08/22/09 04:25 AM |
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15 to 20 minutes?
I guess I can boil water throw in my spaghetti and eat it in that time slot.
It does sound like alot of time