RT65CB-SWL

Personally I would advise not to buy the eyepiece and filter set, but go for individual eyepieces. As long as they say 1.25" or 2" you will be OK... they don't necessarily have to have Celestron stamped on them. Colour filters are a 'Marmite' thing... you either love them or hate them. The filters I use most often are: a variable polarising filter Baader Planetarium neodymium (also a 'Marmite' filter) - a.k.a. my 'Swiss-army knife' filter. Baader Planetarium contrast booster Explore Scientific UHC Explore Scientific O-lll

Hi @TinyGravitas and welcome to SGL.

Hi @hardworkinpd and welcome to SGL. Can you give in indication to your budget? There are good 'scopes and there are bad 'scopes. The good... I would go for something like a Maksutov. They take a bit of getting used to if you have never used one before. They have long focal lengths, but narrow field of view. Below are a couple of images of my 're-modded' Meade ETX105. A good telescope is not a toy. It is a precision instrument. If treated well, it will last a lifetime. Below is an image of my 70mm refractor. I purchased it in mid/late1998. I still use it! The bad... smaller cheap/inexpensive 'scopes have short focal lengths, small objective elements, do suffer from what is called chromatic aberration - this is a colour fringing around the disc of the object you are viewing and particular when viewing bright targets in the dark; i.e. Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn); it is the last thing you need to ruin your dark adapted eyes. My advice would be... visit a local astronomy club/society and ask members/see what is available visit a 'bricks & mortar' outlet - (not a department store). go online to a dedicated astro-re-seller - i.e. https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes.html - (sponsors of SGL). don't buy online from well known auction sites or warehouse emporiums, unless you know what you are looking at - (not saying that all auction site/warehouse emporium re-sellers are bad, but there a few).

Hola @Joaquin69 and welcome to SGL.

So do my alt-az mounts... and I have three 'scopes too... at time of posting. 😜

Hi @PaulyV and welcome to SGL.

Hi @NapoleonicGamer and welcome to SGL. If you want ease of setup, then I would go for a 'Dobsonian' such as this one... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html I used to own a Vixen GP, which to me was the best EQ mount that I have owned and used. I am now using alt-az mounts, as per the image below. I also have three 'scope's which are: TeleVue Ranger Celestron C6/SCT-xlt 're-modded' Meade ETX105 - shown below on a small alt-az mount.

The only e/p I have filter thread issue is my TeleVue 6mm Radian. My other TV e/p's and other brand e/p's are OK.

Here's my two 'Cat's' mounted on a Tele-Optic Giro... left: Celestron C6/SCT-xlt - right: 're-modded' Meade ETX105. The fun part is not to overtighten the alt & az axis when everything is balanced, for ease of tracking, etc.

Reading, UK 🇬🇧 or Reading, US 🇺🇸 ?

Is your HDD... a traditional one... i.e. magnetic? or SSD? If it is 1. then maybe needs defragging - if 2. then it is advisable not to 'defrag'. Run 'chkdsk' or 'scandisk'- before using type chkdsk /? or scandisk /? - these are the help files and up to you decide which options before proceeding. Depending on when it was last run, they may take a long time especially 'defrag' and assuming your OS is Windows.

Some silicone/rubber end caps for the following e/p's... TeleVue 13mm Nagler type 1 https://www.nipon-scope.com/lens-caps-covers/60mm-lens-cap-cover-for-telescopes-spotting-scopes-binoculars-or-monocular-b-60x14mm-b-.-rubber.-fit-59-61mm-lens Meade 8.8mm UWA series 4000 https://www.nipon-scope.com/55mm-lens-cap

Following on from my earlier reply... if your ETX is a the '90 or '125 and you want an aluminium backplate, then there is Wegat Optical... https://wegatoptical.com/ - I did send them an email and asked if they also make them for the '105. Jim Wegat, the owner replied. His reply was: quote: "...not enough interest at present, but if interest is shown, then we may/would consider making them." If you wish to disassemble/defork your ETX, then there is this youtube video... When I purchased my ETX105, it had already already been disassembled/deforked.

or here... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/locator.html

Hi @Ajinkya and welcome to SGL. I am not au-fait with your particular 'scope or how good the supplied e/p's are, but does it accept 1.25" ? - if "Yes!" then I would go for a 2x Barlow or upgrade the supplied e/p's. Not sure of where you are, so I guess you do most of your astro-purchases online. Anything more than 2x, maybe overkill. If you want bigger or better views, at some point you will need to invest in a bigger or better 'scope. Unfortunately no 'scope does all in this hobby, and some SGL'ers, myself included, have more than one 'scope to play with. Apologies in advance if I appear to be negative.

Hi @MOgazer and a belated welcome to SGL. A bit late to the party, but that is definitely an an old Meade ETX[105]*. Since your original post, how is it cleaning up and shaping up? - I would not bother with going to Meade for advice or spares, as their customer service is darn right rude and don't give damn. I should know as I have had the misfortune years ago when I wanted a replacement rear cell/back for mine, following a mishap and damaged two of the three mounting points and a crack along one side. Anyway, I have 're-modded' the back end and I call it The poorman's Questar - (images below), After drawing up a plan, I visited a few local engineering workshops and found one that would undertake the job in making a replacement backplate. Sourcing some tube rings was hit and miss, as the outside diameter is 124mm. So I visited my local DIY/hardware/ironmonger at the time and purchased the two Jubilee/hose rings to attach the dovetail bar to the OTA, as I did not want to drill and tap any holes or risk any filings/swarf getting anywhere; (i.e. focusser, baffle tube, primary & secondary mirror, etc). The last two images, (below), is in its 'grab & go' or 'lightweight travel' guise, otherwise it is usually mounted alongside my AYO-AOK or Tele-Optic Giro mount alongside my TeleVue Ranger or Celestron C6/SCT-xlt. I can also attach and use my SCT accessories too. Meade released the ETX90 in the mid-1990's. Sometime or later; (late 1990's/early 2000's); Meade released the ETX105 & ETX 125 and in later years added a few variations, then they stopped production. At the time of this posting, Meade re-released ETX90 & ETX125 in 2016, but not the ETX105. * It should say on the front cell retaining ring as to which model your 'ETX' is, along with the focal length, f/ratio, etc.

I use one of these on my AOK-AYO mount, as shown below... https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dovetails-saddles-clamps/astro-essentials-mini-vixen-style-dovetail-clamp.html

Your image is awesome! @Lucas_M I was blown-away when I first saw the Hubble telescope version, when it was released. Now I am doubly blown-away at looking at your image alongside the 'original'.

I too, have the TeleVue 15mm Plossl and Circle-T 6mm & 12.5mm Ortho... (plus a 6mm/0.965" Ortho and 1.25" adaptor). <--- my 6mm/0.965" Ortho and 1.25" adapter. <--- my Circle-T 6mm & 12.5mm Ortho's. All are very nice e/p's for lunar and planetary viewing.

Isopropyl or isopropanol alcohol is also known as 'rubbing alcohol'. I am very... and would be very cautious... when using it on a glass or mirrored coated surface for optical use. I have used it and occasionally seen a few streaks where it has evaporated before wiping with a surgical/medical grade cotton wool, lens cloth or lens tissue, when removing stubborn stains. I have found when using that the Baader Optical Wonder fluid, a little goes along way, and I finish off with it, if I started my clean with isopropyl/isopropanol alcohol. Just don't apply to much pressure to the 'pad' when cleaning the optical surfaces, etc., with whatever liquid solution you use. Interesting to know how the ice-cream🍦stain got there in the first place... unless like me... you eat it 24/7...365.25 days of the year! 😋

Hi @10-7 / Ken and welcome to SGL. I am another that uses a variable polarising filter. I have 1.25" & 2". I also use a 1.25" neodymium as well. I like to think of it as my'Swiss-Army knife' filter. For viewing Venus and detecting the cloud detail/structure, then you can use a #47 (violet).

A replacement 123x15mm end cap/cover for my ETX105 via Nipon Scope & Optics... https://www.nipon-scope.com/123mm-lens-cap as I have mislaid/lost the original Meade threaded end cap/cover and replaces the vinyl one that I was using.

@Skipper Billy Do you sell large ones? - forgive me if this is the wrong place to ask. My local family run ironmonger/hardware business closed last year. I would rather spend my money with someone I trust and give you the custom.

Nothing wrong in 'pimping' your 'scope with a bit of Primaluce Lab bling!

It can't get any worse than this... ...my re-modded ETX105 has a pair of Jubilee/hose rings. I cannot find anything close to 124mm, unless I get some CNC/custom made tube rings.