| Meade LX200 GPS 10" Schmidt-Cassigrain Telescope | ||
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I was camping in a state park one night in the early 90s and a fellow with a 11" Celestron SCT was there looking at Saturn.
Boy, I dreamed on having a scope like that of my own.
Years later, looking around the Internet for parts and ideas to rebuild the Dobsonian to make it lighter and more portable, I came across a 10" Meade LX200 Classic on ebay that was located nearby. I bid on it and won it for a good price, saving big time on the shipping since it was close enough to go get. It came with an LPI and the Autostar suite, a set of Celestron eyepieces and filters in a case, a 2x barlow, the standard Meade diagonal and 25mm eyepiece, a Meade soft case, and a shake-to-charge red flashlight. I used it for several months, but not having a notebook PC and having to set the scope up some 30 yards from my apartment (ie desktop PC) kept me from using the LPI. I did get a notebook PC, and a Crayford focuser when an LX200 GPS showed on ebay and I somehow managed to win it for less (including shipping!) than I got the Classic for! As soon as the GPS arrived and proved to be in excellent shape I sold the Classic with it's Meade eyepeice and diagonal. I kept the Celestron eyepices and filters, 2x barlow; the LPI, the flashlight, and the softcase. The GPS has an electronic forcuser, so I sold the Crayford. Moneywise, I feel I had done very well. All said and done I actually came out a little bit ahead - though I hadn't intended to play "flip that scope." Telescope wise, it's dream come true. A real, modern, high tech telescope! The Dell 1505E notebook PC I got to use with the telescope came with Vista Home. Vista and the LPI will not function together. Autostar would guide the scope fine, but until I figured something out, there'd be no imaging. Eventually I loaded XP Pro on the notebook with Real VNC and everything appears to work - Now I'm just waiting for the time and the weather to try it in the field. On that note: While the Dobsonian was a bear to move, the LX200 is no slouch either, and that soft case really was no help, so, again I hit the Internet searching for what other folks have done and what was for sale, and what I found prompted me to build a case for the LX200...but that's another story... |
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