advice needed!!!

[Tony G]

i am looking at upgrading my telescope and have been looking at the Meade etx 125 at or pt, can anyone advise.

thanks

Tony G

[Mike]

The ETX125 is nice optically, but the mount is made of cheese and is useless. I would avoid it if I were you, there are better things out there for your money. I would advise buying a seperate mount and scope to go on it rather than a 'package'.

[Tony G]

hi mike,
can you give me some models to look up on the net i.e. mounts and scope that would be good together and also that would be compatable with maybe autostar GOTO system, which i am looking at getting aswell.

thanks

Tony G

[Mike]

It all depends on your budget. There are many other GoTo systems apart from Autostar as well.

[Tony G]

about £750 - £900, but her in doors does not know that.

[JohnP]

Hi Tony,

I recently got a Meade LXD75 with a 6-inch Newt - The LXD75 is a Goto mount that has good reviews on the web etc. - I initially had problems with mine but (touch wood) it all seems to be working OK now. You may be able to get a better telescope on the mount for your budget....

Cheers,  John.

[Mike]

That's a very tall order if you want GoTo for that price. For anything decent you are talking closer to £1500. Is GoTo essential? If not then a decent scope, mount with drives would be better value for money. There are various mounts with drives that can be upgraded to GoTo at a later date.

Well theres the Meade 6 Inch F5 LXD75 SNT - £939 inc Vat and delivery. I don't like Meades personally, they are mass produced and the quality isn't great unless you buy the top end of the range.

Skywatcher EQ5 Mount With Dual Axis Drive (no GoTo but can be added later for approx £500) - £379.99 inc. VAT and delivery

Vixen GPDX Equatorial Mounting (No GoTo but can be added later for approx. £900) - £695.00 inc. VAT and delivery

Skywatcher HEQ5 Skyscan Pro (With GoTo) - £819.99 inc. VAT and delivery

Personally, if it was me,  I would buy a decent mount like the Vixen GPDX or even better the HEQ5 (which has GoTo) and put your existing Newtonion on top of it. This gives you a 6" scope with a good mount and GoTo features. At a later date you can swop the Newt for something decent like an 80mm refractor or a small Mak for the £200-£300 region or get another decent Newt from Orion or Vixen.

I would advise to avoid a 'package', i.e. an all in one box set up. They may look nice and seem like it will save you hassle, but unless you are spending £3000+ will be a big dissapointment in the long run. You won't get a decent mount or set of drives for less than £1000 which also includes a scope (i.e. ETX125 or something like that).

It is better to source your individual pieces seperately. The mount is undoubtably the most important piece of equipment to have and where most of your money needs to go. You can have the best telescope in the world, but if your mount wobbles all over the place or won't track an object nicely, then it's useless.

Give Ian King a ring, he does good stuff at good prices and is happy to give advice - www.iankingimaging.com - That's where I got my stuff and I have been very pleased with it.

[Tony G]

thanks for the info mike/john, will look into these and let you know how i get on.

thanks,

Tony G