supercoolone
member
Reged: 07/25/07
Posts: 93
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Not branded an ETX, but it looks like a ETX-LS without the LS. Looks like meade also launched some mounting bars...wondering if they are losmandy D compatible
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kabes
member
Reged: 09/22/09
Posts: 16
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Here's the link by the way: http://meade.com/lt6/LT6index.html
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Meade ETX-LS 6" ACF
Celestron Skymaster 15x70
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Shadowalker
Unpretentious Rocket Scientist
Reged: 11/23/04
Posts: 3536
Loc: Poplarville, MS, USA
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Nice looking scope. Since it uses the Autostar 497 it should be free of the software bugs that seem to be present in the new ETX.
Hard to tell about the mount from the photo. Looks reasonably beefy, but I'd want to see it in action first.
And yes, it certainly does appear to be in the ETX-LS class.
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Tom Nicolaides
http://www.first-light.org
My evil self is at that door, and I have no power to stop it
-- Dr. Edward Morbius
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 6758
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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Interesting. Yep, it looks like an LS without all the gadgets.
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-John
================================================
Homebuilt scopes from 4.25-16.5"
Meade LXD75-N6/SN6/SC8, DSX-90, ETX-60BB, ETX-125PE, DS-2130
Orion StarBlast, BinoViewers, Coronado PST
Rebel XT/XTi, DSI Pro (I, II, & III), DSI, LPI, Electronic Eyepiece, Phillips SPC900NC
Tasco 60mm Refractors
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Rat
super member
Reged: 10/13/06
Posts: 150
Loc: USA
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Hopefully it's a trouble free scope unlike the LS version. It does spark an interest for me.
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Treehopper
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/29/08
Posts: 582
Loc: Upstate NY
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I'd be interested to know precisely what the difference is between the Schmidt-Cassegrain optics and the "Advanced Coma-Free optics" (aside from the $100 retail.)
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Tim
Champion of small aperture scopes everywhere!
Meade ETX-125PE
Meade ETX-80
Celestron FirstScope 76mm Mini-dob
 Updated: 09/16/2009
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 6758
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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The ACF optics uses a different figure on the corrector (and I believe the primary as well) to give a flatter field than the standard SCT design. This should make a significant edge-to-edge improvement in imaging applications and it should improve the edge performance visually depending on what eyepieces your using. Basically if the telescope is to be used for imaging ACF is a plus. I do a lot of imaging with my SC8 and it does a fine job whe using a small to moderate sized CCD, but with the large chip used in a DSLR I'd love to have the ACF optics set. It's neat to see Meade offering the ACF in a 6" scope (and in a stanard SCT as well).
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-John
================================================
Homebuilt scopes from 4.25-16.5"
Meade LXD75-N6/SN6/SC8, DSX-90, ETX-60BB, ETX-125PE, DS-2130
Orion StarBlast, BinoViewers, Coronado PST
Rebel XT/XTi, DSI Pro (I, II, & III), DSI, LPI, Electronic Eyepiece, Phillips SPC900NC
Tasco 60mm Refractors
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Bob Griffiths
Postmaster
Reged: 10/10/05
Posts: 6580
Loc: Frederick Maryland
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My experience as a visual observer is that there is so very little difference between the standard optics and the ACF optics it honestly is a non issue... (Note I said as a visual observer)...
That said... Although I personally think my old eyeballs could only see a 20 dollar difference at the extreme edge of a FOV in the 6-7 individual scopes that I actually spend time observing with. IF the difference in price is only 100 bucks even I would buy the ACF.
Bob G
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CPC1100
Nexstar 8i + GPS & Rays Brackets
Denk S1 power switch
Orion 100 mm Refractor
Meade LXD 55 ...AR-5 127 mm Refractor
Exploradome Observatory S.I.E. (Smiling Irish Eyes)
Gerbring Heated Motorcycle clothing in the winter
39*21'03" N
77*28'12" W
The sky over my head....
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4573
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Quote:
Not branded an ETX, but it looks like a ETX-LS without the LS. Looks like meade also launched some mounting bars...wondering if they are losmandy D compatible
Looks purty sweet to me.
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4573
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Quote:
The ACF optics uses a different figure on the corrector (and I believe the primary as well) to give a flatter field than the standard SCT design. This should make a significant edge-to-edge improvement in imaging applications and it should improve the edge performance visually depending on what eyepieces your using. Basically if the telescope is to be used for imaging ACF is a plus. I do a lot of imaging with my SC8 and it does a fine job whe using a small to moderate sized CCD, but with the large chip used in a DSLR I'd love to have the ACF optics set. It's neat to see Meade offering the ACF in a 6" scope (and in a stanard SCT as well).
No...the primary is the same, a sphere. The main difference in the ACF optics is that the secondary is a parabola (Meade says hyperbola, but the folks I know and trust who've tested it say no.). The corrector is slightly different, but only slightly. It doesn't really yield a flatter field; instead, it reduces coma. But the effect is the same...better looking stars at the edge.
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 6758
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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Ahah! You're right, I keep forgetting about the secondary. Essenitally what Meade did is they moved some of the elements of the hyperbolic mirror design to the corrector, making the mirrors a little easier to make and a complex element (the corrector) only a bit more complex. It's a slick idea.
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-John
================================================
Homebuilt scopes from 4.25-16.5"
Meade LXD75-N6/SN6/SC8, DSX-90, ETX-60BB, ETX-125PE, DS-2130
Orion StarBlast, BinoViewers, Coronado PST
Rebel XT/XTi, DSI Pro (I, II, & III), DSI, LPI, Electronic Eyepiece, Phillips SPC900NC
Tasco 60mm Refractors
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Treehopper
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/29/08
Posts: 582
Loc: Upstate NY
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Hmmmm...wonder if it'd be worth finding a buyer for the ETX-125PE, and looking into one of these? The combined weight of the scope, mount and tripod is around 39 lbs. Only about 8 lbs. more than the ETX-125 total weight. That's about my limit; depending on how my back and legs feel on any given day, sometimes even the 125 pushes my personal envelope.
Would go from an f/15 to an f/10 and gain an inch of aperture. Not stupendous, but a step up (okay, maybe a half-step.)
I'll have to think on it. Assuming I could get $400-$500 for my ETX, that'd still leave another $600-$700 for the ACF version. Not sure if one inch would be worth the hassle.
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Tim
Champion of small aperture scopes everywhere!
Meade ETX-125PE
Meade ETX-80
Celestron FirstScope 76mm Mini-dob
Updated: 09/16/2009
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4573
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Quote:
Ahah! You're right, I keep forgetting about the secondary. Essenitally what Meade did is they moved some of the elements of the hyperbolic mirror design to the corrector, making the mirrors a little easier to make and a complex element (the corrector) only a bit more complex. It's a slick idea.
Well, sorta. They took an old and well-known design, the aplantic SCT, and pasted the words "Richey Chretien" on it.
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 6758
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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Eh, I'm not even gonna go there, that's sales and marketing and I don't think Meade has a corner on the market for stretching the truth. As an ol' ATM with over 40 years experience making optics I just thought it was a neat design. But then again I thought the Bird-Jones design was kinda neat too. I still hope to pick one up one of these days just to tinker with.
Have fun!
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-John
================================================
Homebuilt scopes from 4.25-16.5"
Meade LXD75-N6/SN6/SC8, DSX-90, ETX-60BB, ETX-125PE, DS-2130
Orion StarBlast, BinoViewers, Coronado PST
Rebel XT/XTi, DSI Pro (I, II, & III), DSI, LPI, Electronic Eyepiece, Phillips SPC900NC
Tasco 60mm Refractors
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TimD
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 02/16/05
Posts: 900
Loc: CA USA
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Wonder how sturdy the fork arm is.
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Takahashi TSC 225
WO Megrez 102
Meade ETX 90, ETX 125
Meade LX90
Classic Orange tube C14, C90, C5+
Etc,Etc,Etc!!
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rmollise
Post Laureate
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 4573
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Quote:
Wonder how sturdy the fork arm is.
Pretty steady. Moreso than the 125. This is the same mount used on the LS. That said, will I try to replace my 125 with one? Probably not. The 125 gets the job done...and my motto is still:
"The Only Enemy of Good Enough is More Better"
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Uncle Rod
Rod's New Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Available now!
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scopeboy42
member
Reged: 03/06/06
Posts: 47
Loc: Raleigh, NC USA
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Quote:
I'd be interested to know precisely what the difference is between the Schmidt-Cassegrain optics and the "Advanced Coma-Free optics" (aside from the $100 retail.)
It is interesting that the optics upgrade cost for the LT6 is only $100 while the ETX-LS is $200. Wonder what is different here?
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Greg Stone
Raleigh, NC USA
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Bob Griffiths
Postmaster
Reged: 10/10/05
Posts: 6580
Loc: Frederick Maryland
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I just read the scopes specs and although I personally can't see spending 100 or 200 bucks for a 20 dollar improvement in the edge of the FOV
I Definitely like the idea of the LT6 having worm gears rather then the spur gears in the Celestron Se scopes...and as such would consider spending a few hundred bucks more for one over the 6se...
So maybe Meade finally gets a base hit...IF the gears are slop free and are not plastic that is...
Bob G.
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CPC1100
Nexstar 8i + GPS & Rays Brackets
Denk S1 power switch
Orion 100 mm Refractor
Meade LXD 55 ...AR-5 127 mm Refractor
Exploradome Observatory S.I.E. (Smiling Irish Eyes)
Gerbring Heated Motorcycle clothing in the winter
39*21'03" N
77*28'12" W
The sky over my head....
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StarWars
Postmaster
Reged: 11/26/03
Posts: 13800
Loc: CyberSpace
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Apparently the LT needs to be pointed north and level like the ETX-AT.. 
Nice price at $999 or $1099 with ACF
Well, the 6 SE at $799 and the 8 SE at $1199
Could be a tough decision... 
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Sony Digital Media player..
MX 460 earbuds
Celestron 2x Barlow Lens
Orion Collimation Eyepiece
Rigel Quick Finder
Assorted Bino's 
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brianb11213
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 02/25/09
Posts: 2106
Loc: 55.215N 6.554W
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Quote:
IF the gears are slop free and are not plastic that is...
The specification for the diameter of the worm wheel is the same as that used in the LX90. Now the LX90 mount is pretty good parked under a 8" tube ... if the gears are the same (which seems to be a fair assumption) then the mount drive pointing accuracy / backlash etc. ought to be pretty good.
I used to have an 8" LX90 and I thought it was pretty good; at any rate it's three or four orders of magnitude better than the old ETX mount. My current CPC1100 is better but that's a different story.
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