ETX-90EC Mini Review
| What Did I Get- |
| I purchased ETX with free 884 tripod and Autostar at a local Discovery Channel Store. It is a standard ETX-90EC with no UHTC. The optional coatings were not available locally. I wanted to deal locally so that in the event of a problem I could just return it a get a new one all in the same day. I also purchased a Telescope Accessory Kit. I believe it was intended for the 70 but what the heck it was a good price. The kit came with a 4mm Plossl, 6mm Plossl and 2x Barlow. All for the wonderful price of $40. |
| Unpacking- |
| The tripod, Autostar and scope where package nicely with no free-floating parts to cause damage. Bravo Meade! |
| Setting Up- |
| First I put together the tripod. It was very easy to assemble, even without reading the directions. It appears to be much more stable than the 883 I had. My only complaint is that it did not have a bubble level. I guess I need to make a trip to the hardware store. |
| After putting the tripod together it was time for the scope. Everything looked great coming out of the box. I first played with the Dec and RA locks. There was a minimal amount of play in the DEC access. A couple of hex bolts at the back of the OTA were tightened solving the problem. |
| The only other issue I had with the scope was that the screw-on front lens cover would not come off. Ahhh! This scared the pants off of me. I almost took the scope back to the store for this. I tried for almost an hour to work it off and finally got it off after lubricating the threads with mild soapy water. It appears that the threads where damage at the factory causing it to stick. Shame on you Meade! |
| I ran a soft cloth around both sets of threads to remove any rough or loose material. Then I ran an unlit candle around both sets of threads for lubrication. This appears to have fixed the problem. |
| Finally I loaded the ETX with standard AA batteries to test the Autostar and motors. WOW! There is almost no motor slop at all. This is a much different scope the the first one I had. |
| All in all I am 99.9 percent pleased with my purchase. I can’t wait for some clear skies so I can do some astro surfing. |
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Update 3/14/03 |
| GOTOs: |
| I trained the drives in polar mode. GOTOs are 100% accurate! Most times the object is dead center and about 30% of the time it is near the edge of FOV in the included 26mm EP. This is really helpful for finding dim objects in light polluted skies. |
| Finder: |
| I am still using the stock finder. This thing is the biggest pain in the #$!. Meade knows this thing is nearly useless so why don't they include the right angle finder as factory equipment. Now I am debating on what to replace it with. |
