Telescope Reviews: Purchasing 8" LX200 GPS

Justin I have had a Meade LX200GPS UHTC 12 inch for just under a year now. I will say the pros and cons of what I have learned by my experience.

OPTICS with UHTC. The extra price is worth it. My Meade Optics are what I consider as very good. I have no complaints on optics.

I'm not impressed with Meade's drive system very much. I just finish replacing the DEC motor and testing it tonight to verify it fixed the problem. My SCT started bouncing in the vertical axis all of a sudden. It would last for about 2 to three minutes and then quit bouncing. The problem was it keep getting worst everytime I set up the scope. I had to ask really asked hard to get Meade to ship me the motor. They wanted me to send them the scope from Alabama at my cost (Still under Warranty). Anyway, justed tested the scope tonight and everything seems back to normal.

The eyepieces that comes with the scope i.e., the 26mm is a good overall eyepiece but to really make your scope shine buy the Telvue 8mm Radium and the 35mm Panatonic. They are all the difference in the world compared to Meade's. I do have the Meade 14mm UWA and I do like it but it's so heavy. I wouldn't even waste my money on the $99.00 lens kit unless you just want extra lens. I use the 6mm that came with the kit as my plug when I store the scope. You will also need the 9mm luminated reticle eyepiece because you will have to do drive training (VERY IMPORTANT).

Also you will want to purchase the true 2 inch Eyeopener back plate. It really makes a difference when using 2" lens.

You will also want to replace all the cheap screws Meade put on the scope with stainless steel screws. There is plenty of kits you can buy cheap. I live in Alabama and my screws started rusting the first night out.

If you can afford it I would consider the 10" over the 8". There is a article at MAPUG.com That discuss the drive sytem for the 8-10-12 inch Meades. The author stated that the 10" was probably about the best for the drive system because all three of the scopes utilized the same internal parts from what I understood. He stated the 12" was really to heavey for the drive system whereas the 10" was just right.

So, you ask me do I like Meade? Yes, I love my big Bertha but I hate the cheapness of Meade in all the little things, i/e., Backplate, focuser assembly, cheap screws, losey manual and a warranty that really is not what you think a warranty should be. But the OPTICS are great and I have replaced or moded everything I mentioned above. If you have anymore questions I'll be happy to answer them if I can.