mclewis1
Thread Killer
Reged: 02/25/06
Posts: 2453
Loc: Colorado
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Meade has announced to it’s dealers substantial changes to the ongoing availability of many of the current telescope products. The changes range from nothing (business as usual), to delays in new production until 2008 and in some cases the outright cessation of ongoing production of some products.
Details about these changes are available only from your authorized Meade dealer.
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Mark
C11, C6, APM/TMB115, and AT80ED
Tandem mount CGE and CG-5A, WO EZ-Touch and AT Voyager
25x100s, 8x56s, T-Mount Light, and Mark 1 eyeballs
Modded 350D, SPC900, Mallincam
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NeoDinian
Experienced Postmaster
Reged: 10/05/05
Posts: 12070
Loc: Rockford Illinois
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And this is why the stock market crashes...
Insider speculation. No official word has been released yet.
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Neo... (Jeff)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
10" LX200-GPS/SMT UHTC "Draco"
 Rockford, Il.
NeoDinian's Eye on the Sky!
Coming soon:
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imjeffp
Senior Space Cadet
Reged: 09/30/03
Posts: 4427
Loc: Cedar Park, Texas
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I have a post on my blog with more information.
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Blog
ST80 • AT80EDT/LXD650
ETX-90/DS-2000 • 10" LX200 Classic ("The Quarter-Meter Telescope at the Heritage Park Observatory")
SPC900NC • DMK21AF04 • Digital Rebel XT
  
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blandp11
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/19/05
Posts: 1938
Loc: Glen Ridge, NJ USA
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Go to Astromart and look at the front page of the classifieds. The one with the crying child.
Philip
Quote:
Insider speculation. No official word has been released yet.
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Mostly refractors
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mclewis1
Thread Killer
Reged: 02/25/06
Posts: 2453
Loc: Colorado
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Quote:
Insider speculation. No official word has been released yet.
No speculation and totally official, just not made public by Meade.
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Mark
C11, C6, APM/TMB115, and AT80ED
Tandem mount CGE and CG-5A, WO EZ-Touch and AT Voyager
25x100s, 8x56s, T-Mount Light, and Mark 1 eyeballs
Modded 350D, SPC900, Mallincam
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Joseph Gillman
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/06/05
Posts: 2342
Loc: Boothwyn, PA
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So they lied on their conference call that RCX would resume production in "multiple weeks"? Maybe not, if by multiple they meant hundreds.....but that might have been a misleading statement.
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Meade RCX400 30cm --
People dont like when I stick up for Meade but they're just jealous of my RCX 
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Jaxdialation
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/01/07
Posts: 1804
Loc: St. Augustine, FL
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I'm thinking this over. I don't think a disclosure to shareholders would be required with the SEC.
What "official" word would we (the Amatuer Astronomy community) expect? We are a bit down in the pecking order from their shareholders.
Quote:
And this is why the stock market crashes...
Insider speculation. No official word has been released yet.
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John
SST/Tak/RCOS/SBIG/CCDWare
I started CCD AP December '07 Why didn't someone stop me?
New Zhumell Owner? Read this: New Zhumell Owner Upgrade Mega Thread
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Rick Woods
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/27/05
Posts: 4301
Loc: Inner Solar System
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Quote:
What "official" word would we (the Amatuer Astronomy community) expect? We are a bit down in the pecking order from their shareholders.
I don't know, I'd think we were rather important to the shareholders...
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- Rick
14" LX200GPS
8" Meade 826C
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Jaxdialation
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/01/07
Posts: 1804
Loc: St. Augustine, FL
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And the shareholders would probably prefer that customers and prospective customers not be told anything that might give them a reason not to buy Meade products.
It could be that by virtue of their silence they are serving their shareholders.
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John
SST/Tak/RCOS/SBIG/CCDWare
I started CCD AP December '07 Why didn't someone stop me?
New Zhumell Owner? Read this: New Zhumell Owner Upgrade Mega Thread
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Pess
(Title)
Reged: 09/12/07
Posts: 1910
Loc: Toledo, Ohio
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Quote:
So they lied on their conference call that RCX would resume production in "multiple weeks"? Maybe not, if by multiple they meant hundreds.....but that might have been a misleading statement.
Ah, the quarterly conference call. I must have listened to thousands over the last thirty years.
One thing is always consistent--Top brass of any company is upbeat, the future is rosy and nothing is never, ever wrong (even as a repo agent carts the drapes away behind them!)
Pesse (They make the Ministry of Propaganda in Iraq look like George Washington!) Mist
Edited by Pess (10/23/07 10:01 PM)
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wky46
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/12/05
Posts: 1401
Loc: State of Euphoria
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I knew I should have sent my lx50 in and had the optics upgraded to UHTC when I had a chance!
......
Phil
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10" Meade SCT @ f/10
20x80 Garrett Gemini LW Binoculars
Class 4 Bortle / 6+ ZLM Skies (and getting brighter FAST)
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Frankv
I'm going to hide
Reged: 12/08/05
Posts: 731
Loc: W. Michigan & Twin Cities MN
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Looking on the bright side,:D
Does this mean that I can start posting about my RCX in the Classic Telescope section of CN? 
Regards,
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Frank V.
RCX400 10 w/ ETX125 guide scope
SV Nighthawk II, SV80S, Vixen ED115S
Takahashi EM-200
Other stuff I don't know how to use (either).
“Nothing is more discouraging than unappreciated sarcasm.”
"If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame."
(unknown) 
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mclewis1
Thread Killer
Reged: 02/25/06
Posts: 2453
Loc: Colorado
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Mark
C11, C6, APM/TMB115, and AT80ED
Tandem mount CGE and CG-5A, WO EZ-Touch and AT Voyager
25x100s, 8x56s, T-Mount Light, and Mark 1 eyeballs
Modded 350D, SPC900, Mallincam
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jonnyastro
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/14/06
Posts: 3449
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
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All RCX models are to be discontinued for fact. As per speculation, Meade will be relocating its main facility overseas.
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14687
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Meade is simply implementing a change in how it manufactures and distributes some of it's hardware. I would think this recent development will not effect their servicing, warranties, or other aspects of their business not intimately related to manufacturing.
Regards and clear skies,
MikeG
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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wrather1
AstroBear
Reged: 10/25/05
Posts: 2932
Loc: Dallas, Texas
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Quote:
All RCX models are to be discontinued for fact. As per speculation, Meade will be relocating its main facility overseas.
I have been employed in the manufacturing sector long enough to know that "production suspended indefinitely" does not necessarily mean "discontinued" and furthermore since Meade owns a facility in Mexico it is also not a fact that they will be moving overseas. We can take bets on the outcome in the meantime, but nothing is certain until it actually happens.
DW
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"Don't worry about what telescope you own, or its quality. Just get out under the night sky, and enjoy God's wondrous universe." - T. M. Back
Meade RCX400-12 on JMI trolley "Ursa Major"
TMB 130SS on EQ6 PRO "Ursus Polaris"
Orion ED80 "Ursa Minor", WO ZS66ED "grab-'n'-go"
Canon EOS 30D (Hutech), Meade DSI, Philips ToUcam Pro
North Texas Clear Sky Chart
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jonnyastro
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/14/06
Posts: 3449
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
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DW, you are right, i should have read more carefully before i posted. My apologies to everyone.
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Rick Woods
Post Laureate
Reged: 01/27/05
Posts: 4301
Loc: Inner Solar System
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Quote:
... nothing is certain until it actually happens.
Didn't Yogi Berra say that?
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- Rick
14" LX200GPS
8" Meade 826C
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wrather1
AstroBear
Reged: 10/25/05
Posts: 2932
Loc: Dallas, Texas
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I think what he said was, "It isn't over 'till it's over."
Maybe the same thing! 
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"Don't worry about what telescope you own, or its quality. Just get out under the night sky, and enjoy God's wondrous universe." - T. M. Back
Meade RCX400-12 on JMI trolley "Ursa Major"
TMB 130SS on EQ6 PRO "Ursus Polaris"
Orion ED80 "Ursa Minor", WO ZS66ED "grab-'n'-go"
Canon EOS 30D (Hutech), Meade DSI, Philips ToUcam Pro
North Texas Clear Sky Chart
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Jaxdialation
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/01/07
Posts: 1804
Loc: St. Augustine, FL
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Deleted
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Pess
(Title)
Reged: 09/12/07
Posts: 1910
Loc: Toledo, Ohio
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Quote:
Here is some info from their last financial report, which actually makes me think the product quality issues are high on their list of things to fix. This is their warranty expense info. Notice the jump in accruals, and actaul labor and material since last year? And this is at a time when scope sales declined 13%.
Yeah, I saw that in the report. That's what made me comment that perhaps the (hopefully temporary) interruption of RCX production may have had some impetus from much larger than expected warranty claims.
I know mine would have had some warranty claims if I hadn't been so pigheaded and stubborn about fixing them myself.
Thinking back on my problems I'm thinking they probably occured from the transit from Meade to me. Shipping this delicate insturments back and forth across the country can't be good for them.
One guy said Meade allowed him to just return a bad circuit board rather than the entire scope. Maybe Meade is getting a little more flexible in that regard.
Pesse (Neighbor wants to know why I have a large mortar in my yard) Mist
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Joad
Wordsmith
Reged: 03/22/05
Posts: 11919
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Please steer your "Meade letter" discussion to this thread.
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Moggi1964
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/07/05
Posts: 2512
Loc: Madison. NJ. USA
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Joad,
have I ever told you I love your picture by the way (in a manly appreciative way - you know).
Makes me think of Billy Connolly - my all time favourite comedian (born about 15 miles from me).
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Morris
WO Megrez 80 ED F/7
WO 8x42 binoculars
Seymor Rosin F/4.5 Astrograph in the making
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Strgazr27
Scope Junkie
Reged: 10/04/04
Posts: 6018
Loc: StonyHill Observatory
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Mogg,
You umm........You got a little brown stuff there.........Yeah that's it, right on your nose......................;)
CS's
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Bobby
StonyHill Observatory
Atlas w EQMOD
Vixen R200SS
Orion ED-80
AT-111
AT66-ED
QHY-8
SSAG
YAHOO TMB 130SS Group
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NewAstronomer
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/03/04
Posts: 2690
Loc: Scranton, PA U.S.A
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Well, can I offer something. Perhaps all of the RCX issues we have been hearing about will finnanly get resolved with a design change and that is why production is being suspended ? Other products that didn't sell well should also be suspended. Good business move, especially if the RCX line was costing them $$$ in repairs and returns. Its not exactly a "widely made product".
Then again my post is pure speculation. Although I was thinking about buying an 11" or 12" SCT on large GEM next year, this is good to know now as I ponder my decision.
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Chris
AT66ED f/6
C80ED f/7.5
10" GSO Dob f/5
SVP w/ autoguide mod
Oly E-500 DSLR, DSI-P, DSI-C, NexImage
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Moggi1964
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/07/05
Posts: 2512
Loc: Madison. NJ. USA
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I went looking for a "brown nosed Graemlin" but couldn't find one 
My opinion on all this Meade stuff is that we just need to be patient. What they decide to do will become evident soon enough.
For a bunch of people who can sit for hours at the eyepiece waiting for that few seconds of excellent seeing we sure aren't showing that same composure regarding Meades future.
If we really want to indulge in speculation (and it can be fun) we should just have a Poll or two.
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Morris
WO Megrez 80 ED F/7
WO 8x42 binoculars
Seymor Rosin F/4.5 Astrograph in the making
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Jaxdialation
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 04/01/07
Posts: 1804
Loc: St. Augustine, FL
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These kind of declarative statements about other people are probably not allowed by the TOS.
It should not surprise anyone that some things make people more or less calm. I suppose some Nascar drivers occasionally take naps in their recliners. 
Quote:
For a bunch of people who can sit for hours at the eyepiece waiting for that few seconds of excellent seeing we sure aren't showing that same composure regarding Meades future.
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John
SST/Tak/RCOS/SBIG/CCDWare
I started CCD AP December '07 Why didn't someone stop me?
New Zhumell Owner? Read this: New Zhumell Owner Upgrade Mega Thread
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Moggi1964
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/07/05
Posts: 2512
Loc: Madison. NJ. USA
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Morris
WO Megrez 80 ED F/7
WO 8x42 binoculars
Seymor Rosin F/4.5 Astrograph in the making
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LLEEGE
Running out of Oxygen
Reged: 03/03/05
Posts: 6848
Loc: Cloud-chester,NY
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Well, I did it. I pulled the trigger on the 12". 
How bad can it be? Right?
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AP900,LXD75
AP140EDF, TSA102, ZS80EDII
SN6-OTA, C8-OTA
Canon 20D, 350Hutech
PST, Lunt LD60T/DS (on order)
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OldDeadOne
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/09/06
Posts: 1083
Loc: West Virginia
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Great!
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Bert O'Dell
PROUD GOTO USER
LX200 10" Classic
various meade plossi's eyepieces
Konig MX70 40mm" eyepiece
11mm T6
7mm T1
Insane under a full moon
I duck from Iron Skillets
Charleston WV clearsky
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JerryWise
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