I have an LX80 ordered and, based on the threads here, may cancel it. Before I do, I'd like to see if any of you out there that have the mount are happy with it.
I'm looking for 10 HAPPY users... If you have one that you like, this is your chance to speak up and help out!
If you are happy, let us know how you are using the mount
*polar, altaz
*AP, visual
*If you do AP is it guided or unguided and how long.
*what kind of OTA(s) you are using.
*when you received the mount
*was it a mount only or did you get an OTA with it
*anything else you can think of that may help
If you don't think the mount is ready for prime time or have a problem with one, PLEASE keep that in the other threads. Thee is plenty of info on how bad they are!
Thanks,
Is anyone happy with their LX80?
Started by
Mkofski
, Sep 10 2012 05:02 PM
146 replies to this topic
#1
Mkofski
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 05:02 PM
#2
Bill Dean
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 06:24 PM
Working fine here. Polar only.
Clear skies,
Bill
Clear skies,
Bill
#3
Mkofski
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 06:28 PM
Thanks Bill... that's 3.
#4
Griffin!
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 06:35 PM
Bill, what OTA are you using with yours?
#5
Stew57
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Mercury-Atlas
Posted 10 September 2012 - 06:37 PM
Any long exposure pics or PE data?
Thanks
If that needs to be in another thread fine just let me know.
Thanks
If that needs to be in another thread fine just let me know.
#6
neilson
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 06:48 PM
Hi Bill,
Did you try any imaging 30 seconds or longer in polar mode yet?
Did you try any imaging 30 seconds or longer in polar mode yet?
#7
brokenwave
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 06:58 PM
Mine works fine in Alt/Az and in dual scope mode. I haven't tried it in polar yet. I have had up to 28lbs on it so far.
Will try a 40lb load on it in dual mode (ES127ED and ES102ED) on it this week hopefully.
(I live in Arizona and it's finally going to clear and start cooling off later this week).
Will try a 40lb load on it in dual mode (ES127ED and ES102ED) on it this week hopefully.
(I live in Arizona and it's finally going to clear and start cooling off later this week).
#8
Mkofski
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 07:08 PM
I think that that's 4.
#9
greju
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 07:20 PM
"I have an LX80 ordered and, based on the threads here, may cancel it"
According to yout post in the other thread, which was made before this one, you had already canceled your order for a LX-80. Mmmm.... What info are you looking for, and why?
According to yout post in the other thread, which was made before this one, you had already canceled your order for a LX-80. Mmmm.... What info are you looking for, and why?
#10
Mkofski
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 08:13 PM
"According to yout post in the other thread, which was made before this one, you had already canceled your order for a LX-80. Mmmm.... What info are you looking for, and why?
Mmmm... Today I talked to the supplier and canceled my order. Less than 30 minutes later I received an email from a man that I know that has the mount telling me how much he likes his (with a 10" OTA). I canceled my cancellation until I can find out if there are any other users out there that are happy. The mount definitely has some problems. I want to try to find out if this is a case of a "silent majority".
There are plenty of threads going with honest negative evaluations of the mount. As the OP, I would like to respectfully request that this thread be for ONLY users that have the mount and are HAPPY with it. That way we don't have to wade through 50 pages of commentary as to what Meade should or should not have done.
By the way, I have no affiliation with Meade and my only interest in the LX80 is as a potential user. Mmmm... That's all folks!
Thanks,
#11
Bill Dean
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 08:14 PM
I did a PemPro run a couple of months ago and posted the result on the LX80 list over on yahoo groups. I grew tired of the some of nonsense there and dropped off otherwise I'd post the info here. Sorry. I may be able to find the data but it's pretty unlikely that I will repeat the measurement. Too busy with the Paramount MX 
Clear skies,
Bill
Clear skies,
Bill
#12
Mkofski
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 08:17 PM
Thanks Bill. I'll see if I can find it on Yahoo.
#13
Bill Dean
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 08:23 PM
I purchased the mount for a webcast of the transit of Venus. It's currently in the garage but has seen mostly solar use. I did put a Meade 8" SCT on it for a bit but I don't believe I have sufficient counterweight for anything much larger.
The mount did fine with a 90mm Coronado scope and 6" white light scope (at different times) in polar mode. We had pretty high winds on Mauna Loa as well.
Clear skies,
Bill
The mount did fine with a 90mm Coronado scope and 6" white light scope (at different times) in polar mode. We had pretty high winds on Mauna Loa as well.
Clear skies,
Bill
#14
Bill Dean
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 08:25 PM
Nope, no imaging. I have other mounts and setups for that.
Clear skies,
Bill
Clear skies,
Bill
#15
Bill Dean
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 08:44 PM
Hi Mike,
Poked around a bit and found a PemPro log from late June. Here's the screen capture showing the curve.
Clear skies,
Bill
Poked around a bit and found a PemPro log from late June. Here's the screen capture showing the curve.
Clear skies,
Bill
Attached Thumbnails
#16
exparrot
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 09:11 PM
I'm on record several times, here and the other forum, that I'm happy with mine. Got it in late June. Came with an 8" SC.
I've used it with all my scopes, single, dual combinations and polar. Even though I don't do AP, I've done a fair amount of polar setups because of the initial RA tracking issue. I continue to set it up that way, on occasion, to check if it still behaves properly after applying the upgrade. When I set it up in Polar, I run it that way all night because I'm too lazy to reconfig.
Anyway, unless Meade recalls the LX80, I have no reason to give it up.
BTW, I'm not affiliated with Meade.
Jerry
I've used it with all my scopes, single, dual combinations and polar. Even though I don't do AP, I've done a fair amount of polar setups because of the initial RA tracking issue. I continue to set it up that way, on occasion, to check if it still behaves properly after applying the upgrade. When I set it up in Polar, I run it that way all night because I'm too lazy to reconfig.
Anyway, unless Meade recalls the LX80, I have no reason to give it up.
BTW, I'm not affiliated with Meade.
Jerry
#17
Mkofski
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 09:20 PM
Thanks Jerry... That's 5
#18
neilson
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 10:21 PM
Hi Mike,
You said a guy in your town emailed you and said that he has an LX80 with a 10"ota he just got and likes it. Why don't you email him and tell him your situation, and ask him if you can come check it out one evening when he's using it. He just might be happy to show off his new toy. I know I would. As long as the guest doesn't have any negative comments.lol. That way you can see first hand what its like.
neilson
You said a guy in your town emailed you and said that he has an LX80 with a 10"ota he just got and likes it. Why don't you email him and tell him your situation, and ask him if you can come check it out one evening when he's using it. He just might be happy to show off his new toy. I know I would. As long as the guest doesn't have any negative comments.lol. That way you can see first hand what its like.
neilson
#19
Mkofski
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Posted 10 September 2012 - 11:15 PM
Hi Mike,
You said a guy in your town emailed you and said that he has an LX80 with a 10"ota he just got and likes it. Why don't you email him and tell him your situation, and ask him if you can come check it out one evening when he's using it. He just might be happy to show off his new toy. I know I would. As long as the guest doesn't have any negative comments.lol. That way you can see first hand what its like.
neilson
Neilson,
The gentleman that emailed me offered to let me have the mount for a week to play with it. Just met him here on CN not too long ago and am a bit reluctant to take it for even a night. What happens if things start to pop loose without him around.
Long story short - because of an illness in my family, I don't get away from home for more than a few minutes at a time. That makes a firsthand look a bit hard. Still trying to work it out. also, he is only available on Friday and Saturday nights - some foolishness about work obligations.
I started this thread mainly because he told me that he dosent get on the forums here much. I wondered if there were 100 other owners that all liked their mounts but just didn't say so... Or maybe 10... Or maybe 5...
Anyway, I do hope to see the LX80 live soon.
I know at least part of what you went through trying to get the mount to work. Your work and the work of others is much appreciated. I don't know jack about AP yet, but wish I could have helped. Again, thanks to you and the others that spent so much time an energy on the mount. I got tired just reading your exploites!
#20
Starhawk
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Posted 11 September 2012 - 09:21 AM
Mike, don't make the mistake of crowd sourcing an opinion based on people not doing what you are interested in.
Bill's PE observation is in line with what's been previously recorded; it isn't actually periodic. That indicates it's going to be really difficult to use for AP since Periodic Error Correction depends on a single speed motor exhibiting a recurring error wave form thanks to a single simple worm element accounting for the vast majority of the gear reduction. That causes the error to occur at a predictable interval AND at a predictable magnitude. Apparently Bill stopped his evaluation after noting it's 38 arc seconds peak to peak (not sure why he thinks this is good- a 1986 Vixen Super Polaris is under 30).
As Andrew, our friend in Australia, discovered, the drive continuously issues rate changes to the motor (thus causing the variable height mountain peaks in Bill's plot). By doing this, the drive defeats PEC because the playback fails if this happens.
Auto guiders also rely on replicated drive effects to predict what the next drive command needs to be. That also fails if the base rate changed from when the observation is made to when the command goes out. Bill's got a paramount- he's not going to have any of these problems doing AP.
I anticipate you can find 10 people who aren't attempting AP, and are completely happy with using it as an electric disc mount. In that case, your survey of happy users expecting to find successful AP users collapses to an absence of evidence being treated as evidence of absence. And that's a known mistake.
If you're pinned down by life circumstances, you aren't going to be able to put in the time Neilson did. You need something working the first time it is put together.
Good luck and best wishes,
-Rich
Bill's PE observation is in line with what's been previously recorded; it isn't actually periodic. That indicates it's going to be really difficult to use for AP since Periodic Error Correction depends on a single speed motor exhibiting a recurring error wave form thanks to a single simple worm element accounting for the vast majority of the gear reduction. That causes the error to occur at a predictable interval AND at a predictable magnitude. Apparently Bill stopped his evaluation after noting it's 38 arc seconds peak to peak (not sure why he thinks this is good- a 1986 Vixen Super Polaris is under 30).
As Andrew, our friend in Australia, discovered, the drive continuously issues rate changes to the motor (thus causing the variable height mountain peaks in Bill's plot). By doing this, the drive defeats PEC because the playback fails if this happens.
Auto guiders also rely on replicated drive effects to predict what the next drive command needs to be. That also fails if the base rate changed from when the observation is made to when the command goes out. Bill's got a paramount- he's not going to have any of these problems doing AP.
I anticipate you can find 10 people who aren't attempting AP, and are completely happy with using it as an electric disc mount. In that case, your survey of happy users expecting to find successful AP users collapses to an absence of evidence being treated as evidence of absence. And that's a known mistake.
If you're pinned down by life circumstances, you aren't going to be able to put in the time Neilson did. You need something working the first time it is put together.
Good luck and best wishes,
-Rich
#21
Mkofski
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Posted 11 September 2012 - 09:58 AM
Rich,
Thanks for your input. With AP completely out of the picture, do I want an LX80?
I ordered my mount when the price was still $800. The alternatives I have looked at are the CGEM and a used Losmandy G8 for around $1250 or an Atlas EQG for $1500. If I buy one of the alternatives, I would still want to dual OTA capabilities of a mount like the LX80 so I would buy a "Duo T" for about $500. Comparing the $800 for the LX80 to the price of a Duo T makes the LX80 attractive if never used for anything except visual in altaz.
If I get an LX80 that won't work for anything AND I find out about it early enough, I'd return it.
All 3 of the alternative mounts are great mounts but not priced such that there is any reason to buy one now rather than next year. All would make much better AP platforms than the CG-5 I have now but the CG-5 will work while I'm getting started.
You see a trend here? I'm just trying to justify, to myself, the purchase of the LX80. I'm going to make an effort this week to see the one LX80 here in town and maybe take my 180mm MAK to mount with the owner's 10"SCT.
Haven't made up my mind yet, but for "only" $800 I'm leaning toward trying it. If anyone out there wants to sell me a $1500 to $2000 mount for $800, you would help a lot with my decision process.
Thanks for your input. With AP completely out of the picture, do I want an LX80?
I ordered my mount when the price was still $800. The alternatives I have looked at are the CGEM and a used Losmandy G8 for around $1250 or an Atlas EQG for $1500. If I buy one of the alternatives, I would still want to dual OTA capabilities of a mount like the LX80 so I would buy a "Duo T" for about $500. Comparing the $800 for the LX80 to the price of a Duo T makes the LX80 attractive if never used for anything except visual in altaz.
If I get an LX80 that won't work for anything AND I find out about it early enough, I'd return it.
All 3 of the alternative mounts are great mounts but not priced such that there is any reason to buy one now rather than next year. All would make much better AP platforms than the CG-5 I have now but the CG-5 will work while I'm getting started.
You see a trend here? I'm just trying to justify, to myself, the purchase of the LX80. I'm going to make an effort this week to see the one LX80 here in town and maybe take my 180mm MAK to mount with the owner's 10"SCT.
Haven't made up my mind yet, but for "only" $800 I'm leaning toward trying it. If anyone out there wants to sell me a $1500 to $2000 mount for $800, you would help a lot with my decision process.
#22
ur7x
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Posted 11 September 2012 - 10:26 AM
There is an Atlas for sale on the classifieds for $1000 right now.
I would take a proven used mount over a questionable new mount any day of the week.
And as others have posted your statistical sample might bring you some comfort, but it is all but meaningless. For example if AP is of the least bit of interest to you, your number of happy customers is a lot less than "5" so far.
Oh and I have no connections with Meade, Celestron or Orion. I have connections with customer service and accurate marketing information.
I would take a proven used mount over a questionable new mount any day of the week.
And as others have posted your statistical sample might bring you some comfort, but it is all but meaningless. For example if AP is of the least bit of interest to you, your number of happy customers is a lot less than "5" so far.
Oh and I have no connections with Meade, Celestron or Orion. I have connections with customer service and accurate marketing information.
#23
Mkofski
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Posted 11 September 2012 - 10:31 AM
All I'm looking for is a little comfort!
#24
ur7x
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Posted 11 September 2012 - 10:47 AM
Based on your very first post in this thread, it looks like AP holds at lease some interest for you. Based on that, be careful not to delude yourself into discovering some "silent majority" when they are all doing lunar/solar work in Alt/Az mode, with no plans to take any pictures, using a carbon fiber 6" Newt that weighs 15 lbs soaking wet.
Happy AP customers... On this and other threads is ZERO.
Even the largest die hard Meade fans in the other thread have come to the disappointing conclusion that this mount has issues and Meade will need to fix the worm blocks, the drive gears and the motor mount and gears before it lives up to its full potential.
While I'm not at all impressed with how Meade has launched this mount, I do believe that Meade will eventually "fix" this mount, I think their company's future depends on it.
So why rush out an buy a mount with known issues? If you really like this mount, I would simply wait for version 2.0
Or another way how much comfort will you have if in 6-8 months Meade brings out an improved mount, with all of the known problems fixed, and your mount will be all but worthless without $200-$400 in new parts?
Happy AP customers... On this and other threads is ZERO.
Even the largest die hard Meade fans in the other thread have come to the disappointing conclusion that this mount has issues and Meade will need to fix the worm blocks, the drive gears and the motor mount and gears before it lives up to its full potential.
While I'm not at all impressed with how Meade has launched this mount, I do believe that Meade will eventually "fix" this mount, I think their company's future depends on it.
So why rush out an buy a mount with known issues? If you really like this mount, I would simply wait for version 2.0
Or another way how much comfort will you have if in 6-8 months Meade brings out an improved mount, with all of the known problems fixed, and your mount will be all but worthless without $200-$400 in new parts?
#25
Mkofski
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Posted 11 September 2012 - 11:29 AM
I know from watching all the heroic efforts by other members that the LX80 IS NOT the mount for AP and I do have a little bit of interest in that.
Just had a great idea... Why don't I get the LX80 just because I want it and the used Atlas? I think that will work great. All I need to do is sell a few things fast! Know anyone that wants a 8" Newt or a nice CG5 or a Orange C8?
Just had a great idea... Why don't I get the LX80 just because I want it and the used Atlas? I think that will work great. All I need to do is sell a few things fast! Know anyone that wants a 8" Newt or a nice CG5 or a Orange C8?
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