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Subject: Re: (Off Topic) Buying Meade 1
From: Amtsgymnasiet,Sonderborg,DK,AGE
Reply To: mapug@shore.net
Date: Sat Jan 20 12:25:00 1996

<Would Mr. Holland be kind enough to keep us posted about his experiences with
<the 16"? Everything -- good and bad.

We have had a 16" for now nearly 2 years, and I am happy, that nearly all of
the problems discussed here earlier have been / are being solved.

As some of you may remember, we suffered from drive rate problems, and sudden
RA jumps.

The resulting periodic errorr was high, -peak to peak - up to more than 20".

Unfortunately, some of these errors were spike-like, giving problems to my
students, and other users like e.g. Gary Heath when doing CCD track and
accumulate.

Large drive rate errors occured too.

Ordinary LX200 users would have corrected these errors themselves, applying
smart drive. However, unlike all other scopes, the 16 " periodic error control
was pre-locked, by the factory.

As you may remember, Gary Heath even returned his scope, mainly due to
deviating large PEC errors..

However, this week Ron Ezra and Chris Marino completed the revised eprom
version 8.37, which allows user based PEC editing !.

If you have a PC connected to the scope, a simple Qbasic program written by Ron
may read the actual worm position.

Comparing this manually with CCD tracking data, allows the user to measure the
actual periodic error with a high precision.

So, you are not stuck any longer, in case you have a bad periodic error
control.

In case the periodic error changes during time - imagine worm wheel burrs being
grinded away, you may now re-optimize the scope yourself.

Any telescope drift (the drive rate error - discussion last spring) may be
edited too, simply by adding or subtracting a constant.

We have now a marvellous scope, running with a well optimized , small periodic
error, and virtually no drift.

I thus really appreciate this PEC opening by Meade-s Ron Ezra, but find it is a
pity in case Meade leaves the internet.

The Internet connection however made oversea communication / trouble shooting
possible, in a direct, fast way with honest people who know what they talk
about.

If this had not been the case, we would - similar to e.g. Gary Heath - have
returned our 16" long time ago.

I thus really appreciate that Meade has listened to the user feedback, in the
revisions of this scope.

I do not expect any further problems, but honestly hope that Ron will stay
tuned on.

I understand that Ron may be drowning right now in emails, but hope that the
customer service may get a direct email adress, as suggested earlier.

We run a BBS in my group, with more than 20 000 annual visitors. Problems or
not, the discussions within the MAPUG group, the replies by Meade , etc. is the
best advertising any product may get.


Best greetings,


Mogens Winther.

High School Teacher.