autostar #497

[lightorb]

will the autostar #497 work with etx 80 as i am currently using the standard one that came with the scope but i know i am limited what i can do with it .

thanks any replies would be very helpfull as i dont have a load of money to get another goto scope

[35mmslr]

According to [removed word] Seymour over on weasner.com the #497 will work with any Autostar enabled scope. I just googled it and loads of results came up confirming this.

[lightorb]

thankyou for confirming this much welcomed

[Capricorn]

Is there actually much difference in use of the two?

The one with the 80 is the small one with few butons, but the method of selecting an object and making the scope goto it is the same. About the only "big" difference is selecting the slew speed and if using the goto feature you do not need this. If you intend to use the scope manually then it is of some use.

Don't know of any really significant advantage to the data base if it is bigger. If more in the 497 they will be fainter ones, all the easy bright ones will be in both, and may not show up in the scope. If the scope is limited to say Mag 12 the putting in 5000 that are Mag13-20 is useless.

Also another handset isn't cheap.

They are hard to find could actually be easier to buy a used ETX90/105.

The 497 handset on my 105 does not have the ETX80 in the list of selectable scopes.

[tonyh66]

you do know you can hook a #494 controller upto a computer using a #506 cable

[cathalferris]

I upgraded an etx-70 to the 497 hand controller. I could now connect via USB-serial port and do goto from CdC, and I could add comet and asteroid data easily. I also found the keypad on the 497 makes it a lot easier to enter desired targets in the field. The one-button speed selection is handy especially as it can be selected blind while looking through the eyepiece.

The ease of doing user-chosen tours is pretty cool, as is the ability to choose the Sun as a goto object.