· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Announcements and News >> Discussion of CN Articles, Reviews, and Reports Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 Olivier Biot Amused Reged: 04/25/05 Loc: 51°N (Belgium) Meade ETX-LS – Part 3 – Computerized mount & concl       #3881908 - 06/23/10 02:55 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Meade ETX-LS – Part 3 – Computerized mount and my final thoughts Post Extras:       Curt B sage Reged: 08/02/05 Loc: Regina, Canada Re: Meade ETX-LS – Part 3 – Computerized mount & concl [Re: Olivier Biot]       #3882333 - 06/23/10 06:32 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thank you for the three reviews, they were all very informative! Post Extras:       ColoHank Carpal Tunnel Reged: 06/07/07 Loc: western Colorado Re: Meade ETX-LS – Part 3 – Computerized mount & concl [Re: Curt B]       #3882506 - 06/23/10 08:41 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I don't believe the strength of signal from GPS satellites varies too much, but the distribution of those satellites is constantly changing relative to any given location on Earth. Thus it may be necessary to wait a few minutes until they offer a more favorable distribution. Proximity to elevated terrain and other physical obstacles (buildings and trees, etc.) may also interfere with signal acquisition. There's an easy way to test if the fault lies with the device or with the vagaries of satellite distribution and performance: if a competent 12-channel handheld GPS receiver readily acquires signals at the observer's location and the scope doesn't, then the problem may be that the receiver in the scope mount isn't very efficient. If neither receiver acquires signals after a reasonable time, then a change in the observer's location might help. I've owned a few handheld GPS receivers over the years, and their ability to acquire and lock-on to signals varies widely (my old Garmin Vista often struggles to furnish a reading, my newer Garmin 60CSx takes only a minute or so to acquire a signal and works even in deep ravines, and my newest Garmin Nuvi takes only ten to twenty seconds to offer accurate position data). I'd imagine the same holds true for GPS receivers in other devices, including telescope mounts. Performance will likely vary from one model to the next. edit: I closed a parenthesis. Edited by ColoHank (06/23/10 08:45 PM) Post Extras:       kalafrana super member Reged: 05/27/09 Loc: Jo'burg, South Africa. Re: Meade ETX-LS – Part 3 – Computerized mount & concl [Re: ColoHank]       #3883757 - 06/24/10 02:02 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Ten minutes seems an awfully long time to carry out an alignment. Three minutes is about average with the 6SE I've just bought - auto 2-star alignment. Mind you, you do have to know where you are and what the time is - but then most of us do. Cheers Rick Post Extras:       jgraham Postmaster Reged: 12/02/04 Loc: Dayton, Ohio Re: Meade ETX-LS – Part 3 – Computerized mount & concl [Re: kalafrana]       #3883890 - 06/24/10 03:20 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   The neat thing about the LS is that it does the alignment on its own, including locating the alignment stars. My ETX-125 PE's LNT doesn't quite go that far, you still have to center the alignment stars yourself, but it's still pretty slick. When I set my ETX up I just let the LNT do its thing while I'm finishing getting my gear out. In the end it's no big deal to align the scope yourself, but it's just such a nice option that can make the evening that much more pleasant. Nice review by the way, I enjoyed reading it. At the moment my casual visual scope is my PE, but I may have to take serious gander at the LS-8 one of these days. Post Extras:       MikeM6 super member Reged: 05/03/09 Loc: NW Illinois Re: Meade ETX-LS – Part 3 – Computerized mount & concl [Re: jgraham]       #4087483 - 10/02/10 11:14 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   One of the amazing things about this forum is finding information about a new scope I'm interested in. I really enjoyed reading the review of the new Meade LS scope. I have to say that I was very disappointed in the go-to capability of my Meade ETX-80 scope (it was a service award from my previous employer), but I might have to save up for one of these new Meade scopes. Post Extras:       artcarter member Reged: 08/22/12 Loc: Olympia, WA Re: Meade ETX-LS – Part 3 – Computerized mount & concl [Re: MikeM6]       #5383280 - 08/23/12 06:02 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Where's the link to part 1 & 2 ? Should be at the top of the page. Post Extras:       MikeM6 super member Reged: 05/03/09 Loc: NW Illinois Re: Meade ETX-LS – Part 3 – Computerized mount & concl [Re: artcarter]       #5393811 - 08/29/12 07:10 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Olivier, you've had the LS 8" for a while. So do you still like the scope, or have you found more issues with it? Edited by MikeM6 (08/29/12 07:11 PM) Post Extras:       geminijk professor emeritus Reged: 04/03/08 Loc: TN Re: Meade ETX-LS – Part 3 – Computerized mount & concl [Re: MikeM6]       #5397600 - 09/01/12 02:24 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I have had on minor hiccups, all with firmware. A quick reload usually does the trick. Is a great visual instrument. John Post Extras:       MikeM6 super member Reged: 05/03/09 Loc: NW Illinois Re: Meade ETX-LS – Part 3 – Computerized mount & concl [Re: geminijk]       #5403353 - 09/04/12 04:07 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks John! BTW, I also enjoyed your blog very much. Post Extras:       geminijk professor emeritus Reged: 04/03/08 Loc: TN Re: Meade ETX-LS – Part 3 – Computerized mount & concl [Re: MikeM6]       #5404555 - 09/05/12 09:42 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Thanks Mike! John Post Extras:       Pages: 1 Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 4 registered and 4 anonymous users are browsing this forum. 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