Hello all. I purchased a used 8" LX200 about a year ago that at the time was
around 3 years old. Soon after purchasing it I realized that it had a couple
problems but I did get a really good price on it. The first problem I noticed
was fairly severe mirror shift. The scope had sat for about 3 years without
much use so I thought regreasing the baffle would solve the problem. It helped
a little but not as much as I would have liked. The second problem that I
noticed is more severe and that is the GOTO accuracy. This was the first GOTO
scope I owned so I thought maybe I simply wasn't aligning properly because the
first couple nights I did a very rough alignment. I now wish I would have
inspected it better right after I bought it and maybe I could have returned it.
The goto NEVER puts the object in the FOV unless I sync on an object 10-15
degrees away. If I goto an object a reasonable distance away then it usually
is off by a few degrees (yes I said degrees and not minutes)! A goto accuracy
of 5 degrees is probably typical!

I can think of nothing that I could be doing incorrectly to cause this much
error. It has the same problem in both ALTAZ mode and POLAR mode. For
example, when doing multiple iterations on the polar alignment each time it
"returns" to Polaris it's off by up to 5 degrees. I've gotten it polar
alignmened pretty good via the drift method and it seems to track fairly well
(stays on crosshairs for 5 minutes or so with no adjustments) but the goto is
still way off. Does anyone have any idea on what I could possibly be doing
wrong that could cause such a severe error? I recently did a test where I
centered it on a star and the slewed it across the sky and then did a goto back
to the starting star and it was off by several degrees. Wouldn't this indicate
a problem with the goto system and eliminate any possible error caused by
improper alignment?

I'm pretty sure that something is wrong with the goto system. One other thing
I noticed is that on the keypad the LED marked ALT is always on even when I
program it for POLAR mode. I can find no mention of this LED in the manual.
Is that normal for it to always be on and what is it for? I assumed it
indicated ALTAZ mode.

Anyways, unless someone points out an error on my part, I plan on shipping it
in to Meade for repair of both problems. What is a typical repair time? Any
estimates on a cost? Has anyone else ever had mirror shift and/or goto
accuracy problems repaired and if so with what success and at what cost? I'm
planning on upgrading to a 12" LX200 within the next couple months and
therefore want to sell my 8"; however, I suspect with a 5 degree goto accuracy
that I won't be able to get much out of it. The only reason I haven't sent it
in before was because I simply didn't want to be without it and the GOTO wasn't
originally the main reason I purchased it so I could live with the huge goto
error as long as it tracked (I upgraded from the LX10 primarily for improved
stability and better tracking).

Any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks,
John Teel


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