Anonymous
Unregistered
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It probably is the coronado buy out but I dont see how them buying an existing company changes jack......
Bill
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Bluemeanie
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/26/04
Posts: 903
Loc: Scranton, PA U.S.A.
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unless they bottom out the prices for Ha filters.
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Walt
- Obsession 15" f/4.5 #1282 w/ Argo Navis, Feathertouch Focuser
- Meade 2080GEM (8" SCT)
- Vixen ED80SF - Celestron CG5-GT Mount
- Coulter CT-100 - Meade DS2000 Mount
- Coronado Halpha PST
- Denkmeier Binoviewer w/ dual PXS
- Canon 300D, Celestron Neximage
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie again
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 22730
Loc: NE Ohio
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Quote:
Personally, I'm still betting on the Coronado buy out...
Changing the "Face" of astronomy to daytime.
That'd make more sense if they hadn't already announced that to the press a month ago.
I saw a rumor that there'll be a display of whatever it is at the CES Thursday. Last time I heard that rumor it referred to the 14" SCT which had been announced the previous August. It wasn't at CES that January. It wasn't even at NEAF the following April!
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John C
Urban Observatory
Tele Vue Pronto
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 152ED F/9 "APO"
Meade 178ED F/9 "APO"
Tak CN-212 8" F/12 classical Cass/ F/4 Newt
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
LXD750, EM-200, CI-700
ST-10XME
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie again
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 22730
Loc: NE Ohio
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Quote:
unless they bottom out the prices for Ha filters.
Or maybe add a fast telescope to their line that's a good match for the SM filters. I was a little surprised when they acquired Coronado, given that none of the scopes in their lineup are suited to the filters.
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John C
Urban Observatory
Tele Vue Pronto
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 152ED F/9 "APO"
Meade 178ED F/9 "APO"
Tak CN-212 8" F/12 classical Cass/ F/4 Newt
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
LXD750, EM-200, CI-700
ST-10XME
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Tom Trusock
Reged: 02/26/02
Posts: 27756
Loc: Alternate Reality (TM)
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Quote:
It probably is the coronado buy out but I dont see how them buying an existing company changes jack......
Bill
Did you REALLY expect it to??
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A mans greatest contribution lies in those he leaves behind.
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Tom Trusock
Reged: 02/26/02
Posts: 27756
Loc: Alternate Reality (TM)
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Quote:
Quote:
Personally, I'm still betting on the Coronado buy out...
Changing the "Face" of astronomy to daytime.
That'd make more sense if they hadn't already announced that to the press a month ago.
Somehow I don't think that would stop them.
For my money, there's just a bit too much ego in the statement that they are going to "Change the face of astronomy...."
OTOH, if they can deliver 20" (driven) truss dobs with 1/8 wave optics to the eyepiece, with an eyepiece height of 60 inches, and weighs less than 50 lbs for less than $200 - then maybe, just maybe they have a point.
To "change the face" it's got to be
1) inexpensive
2) wide ranging
3) innovative
4) new
5) significant
We'll know shortly. Unless they delay (which wouldn't really suprise me). I still think the whole point of this exercise is to do just this - get people talking about Meade. It really does not matter what they announce. It appears to be working.
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A mans greatest contribution lies in those he leaves behind.
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie again
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 22730
Loc: NE Ohio
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Quote:
For my money, there's just a bit too much ego in the statement that they are going to "Change the face of astronomy...."
It's a bold statement, and unlikely to be justified. Still, I accept their claim that the original LX200 managed to do that.
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John C
Urban Observatory
Tele Vue Pronto
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 152ED F/9 "APO"
Meade 178ED F/9 "APO"
Tak CN-212 8" F/12 classical Cass/ F/4 Newt
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
LXD750, EM-200, CI-700
ST-10XME
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lighttrap
Reged: 02/06/04
Posts: 3833
Loc: cloudy, foggy, humid NC, US
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Quote:
I still think the whole point of this exercise is to do just this - get people talking about Meade.
Tom, you're probably right. But, don't you think there's a potential for backlash if the hype is too great and the reality is too big a letdown?
Quote:
To "change the face" it's got to be
1) inexpensive
2) wide ranging
3) innovative
4) new
5) significant
Personally, I think you're right on the money with that series of criteria, and there's no way that I believe they'll likely hit even 2-3 of those, which is why I'm not really on the edge of my chair right now.
We'll see. But I think Meade (and some other astro vendors) really run the risk of just further alienating folks if the hype exceeds the product.
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18" Starsplitter II f/4.5
8" Hardin Dob f/6
C5 workhorse mini SCT f/10 or f/6.3
70mm TV Ranger dual purpose birding/astro
77mm Leica Televid APO
16x70 Fujinons on UA Deluxe Mt.
12x50 Nikon SE
8x30 Nikon E2s
and many others
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BoriSpider
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 08/10/04
Posts: 848
Loc: S.W.FLA
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4:43pm here in Naples, FLA and still nothing to
report from Meade.
I'm having flash backs of waiting for PC game.
They say it will come out "_" and it's delayed
and when it DOES come out, it *bleep*.
Oh well........
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16x50 binos
8x40 binos
C4-R, mountless 114NT
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lighttrap
Reged: 02/06/04
Posts: 3833
Loc: cloudy, foggy, humid NC, US
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Quote:
Still, I accept their claim that the original LX200 managed to do that.
Really, John? I'm curious to hear why you think that. I was curious why Meade would say that in the first place, but I'm lots more curious to see what you and other members think about how the LX200 "changed the face of astronomy". I'm actually not very familiar with that product line, nor whatever sweeping changes it brought with it.
The way I see it, there have been several overall changes in amatuer astronomy in the past 20 years or so, but with one exception, they've been more along the lines of market trends that affected the market as a whole, not so much specific models or even brands. We've seen the explosion of good quality wide field refractors, the rise of the SCT (for which I'd say Celestron's 8 did most of the early market driving), the Mak invasion, the rise of reasonably priced goto mounts, the rise of whole cottage industries making premium truss Dobs, tracking platforms for those Dobs, the drop in the price of CCD cameras and digital cameras of all types, the Asian invasion, particularly the Asian Dobs that put very affordable medium aperture scopes into the hands of whoever really wanted one, and the advent of inexpensive, yet reasonably decent low cost eyepieces, etc. Do you think that the LX200 played as much a role as any of those overall market trends? Maybe it did. I don't know.
The one exception that I mentioned that I think is inexorably linked to a specific brand and product is the Televue Naglers and how they changed the image of astronomy.
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18" Starsplitter II f/4.5
8" Hardin Dob f/6
C5 workhorse mini SCT f/10 or f/6.3
70mm TV Ranger dual purpose birding/astro
77mm Leica Televid APO
16x70 Fujinons on UA Deluxe Mt.
12x50 Nikon SE
8x30 Nikon E2s
and many others
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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While it is always possible to be on the verge of seeing the next "New Coke", I think there have been enough technological changes since the last "big thing" that it's more than possible to come up with some major product.
Imagine all the things a newtonian with a CCD instead of a secondary could do today with even the cheapest motorized mount that would have been impossible to do 5 or 10 years ago.
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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My Astronomy magazine came today. Inside the front cover Meade is showing off their Series 5000 Eyepieces. I do not follow Meade eyepieces that much but I do not remember seeing these before. It says they are redefining Eyepieces.
Don Durbin
"Too many scopes and not enough time."
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jrcrilly
Refractor wienie again
Reged: 04/30/03
Posts: 22730
Loc: NE Ohio
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Quote:
Really, John? I'm curious to hear why you think that.
It was the first commercially succesful implementation of a telescope/mount setup which today comprises most of the production of the two largest telescope manufacturers in the world. That's significant, to me.
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John C
Urban Observatory
Tele Vue Pronto
A&M/Astreya 76mm F/6 APO
TMB/LOMO 80mm F/7.5 APO
Tak FSQ-106N F/5 APO
Meade 152ED F/9 "APO"
Meade 178ED F/9 "APO"
Tak CN-212 8" F/12 classical Cass/ F/4 Newt
Teeter 20" F/3.8 truss Newt w/ServoCat
LXD750, EM-200, CI-700
ST-10XME
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jay52
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/26/04
Posts: 2280
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I agree totally, not to mention that it was the first reasonably afford GOTO, do everything scope made available to the amateur. Whatever opinions you might have of Meade as a company, you can't take away the impact that the LX200 has had on amateur astronomy.
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jay
www.allaboutastro.com
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Tom Trusock
Reged: 02/26/02
Posts: 27756
Loc: Alternate Reality (TM)
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Quote:
My Astronomy magazine came today. Inside the front cover Meade is showing off their Series 5000 Eyepieces. I do not follow Meade eyepieces that much but I do not remember seeing these before. It says they are redefining Eyepieces.
Those have been advertised for a while (and are on their web page as well).
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A mans greatest contribution lies in those he leaves behind.
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Tom Trusock
Reged: 02/26/02
Posts: 27756
Loc: Alternate Reality (TM)
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Quote:
I agree totally, not to mention that it was the first reasonably afford GOTO, do everything scope made available to the amateur. Whatever opinions you might have of Meade as a company, you can't take away the impact that the LX200 has had on amateur astronomy.
FWIW, The Celestron Compustar was available first - five years earlier to be exact (but as John aludes it wasn't really a commercial success).
Tom T.
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A mans greatest contribution lies in those he leaves behind.
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Tom Trusock
Reged: 02/26/02
Posts: 27756
Loc: Alternate Reality (TM)
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Quote:
Quote:
I still think the whole point of this exercise is to do just this - get people talking about Meade.
Tom, you're probably right. But, don't you think there's a potential for backlash if the hype is too great and the reality is too big a letdown?
<snip>
We'll see. But I think Meade (and some other astro vendors) really run the risk of just further alienating folks if the hype exceeds the product.
Yup. It's nothing they haven't done before. The LXD55 Series was a dissapointment to many - even after it was available (and we had to wait about a year for that). The 5000 series eyepeices which were announced several months ago and are yet to be commonly available. And so on, and so on...
Meade is unique in the AstroManufacturer world in that they are the only publically traded company and thus are subject to a lot of the - errr - *things* that typical companies are. As amateurs, most of us aren't used to that from our astrocompanies. I expect Meade to make announcements like this. It's big business.
In reality, I suspect that their "department store telescopes" make them more money than their high end stuff does. I must admit, even tho they aren't my favorite company, I am very glad they are around. Even if they aren't as innovative themselves as I'd like to see them, they do help drive the market as well as provide a significant investment for the market as a whole.
Tom T.
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A mans greatest contribution lies in those he leaves behind.
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jay52
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 09/26/04
Posts: 2280
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Tom:
This is true, and I stand corrected. But the Compustar was a victim of its early innovation. There wasn't much software support for it.
The LX200 took advantage of its place in history because of the availability of good software and PC hardware. Meade did a good job pushing this scope, and it sold more than the competitive Celestrons.
I don't recall the original Compustars being all that inexpensive. Back then, it was a lot of money to pay for a scope that was more limited by software. What good are all those features if you don't really have an application for it?
Just my opinion...
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jay
www.allaboutastro.com
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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It's 5:30 CST and Meade hasn't changed the face of astronomy yet? Will it happen today?
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Bluemeanie
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/26/04
Posts: 903
Loc: Scranton, PA U.S.A.
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The only face they are beginning to change is mine!
--------------------
Walt
- Obsession 15" f/4.5 #1282 w/ Argo Navis, Feathertouch Focuser
- Meade 2080GEM (8" SCT)
- Vixen ED80SF - Celestron CG5-GT Mount
- Coulter CT-100 - Meade DS2000 Mount
- Coronado Halpha PST
- Denkmeier Binoviewer w/ dual PXS
- Canon 300D, Celestron Neximage
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