Hi Bill,

I had the same problem with my compass...so I never use it. I often
wondered why Meade put it there.

Al
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, December 19, 1999 6:58 PM
Subject: [M]: Compass on equatorial wedge


> I'm a newcomer to this list and to amateur astronomy, having just
> purchased a 12" LX200. My question for other members of the group is
> about the compass that fits into the black knob used to mount the
> equatorial wedge to the tripod. Last night I set the telescope up with
> the wedge for the first time and tried to use the compass to orient the
> tripod to Polaris. In my backyard this is somewhat difficult as trees
> block
> the view of surrounding stars. Much to my surprise, the compass appeared
> to be pointing not to magnetic north but approximately 75 degrees East
> of north. I tried another handheld compass and sure enough, North was
> right where I had always believed it to be, but not where the Meade
> compass was pointing. I removed the compass from the knob and held it
> away from the tripod and the needle swung
> around to the correct position. The compass appears to be influenced by
> ferrous
> metal in either the tripod legs or possibly the bolts that connect the
> legs to the top of the tripod. This condition makes the compass
> essentially useless when mounted in the black knob. Has anyone
> experienced this problem or communicated with Meade about it.
>
> Bill Nicoll
>
>
>

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