John,

I sent my 10" LX200 back to Meade last week. Meade charges a flat fee,
which is $495. This fee covers any electronic or mechanical problems.
While they will check and collimate your optics, any replacement of optics
is extra.

Your total liability is the $495 flat fee and the cost of shipping the
telescope to Meade...Meade covers cost of shipping back to you. I suggest
that you telephone Meade first to get work number (RGA number). Use this
toll free number 1 800 626 3233.

Al
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2001 3:22 AM
Subject: [M]: Repair of LX200


> 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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>

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