Slew speeds Meade 125

[lambda57]

Well after a few traumatic problems with my Meade 125 PE, with broken controllers, new controllers, lost controllers in the post, I now have a new one!

I just cannot get the 125 to slew at a slow speed so I can get the scope aligned with the red dot. Every time I put in a figure for the speed it comes up with Guide=

I am still not up to scratch with this scope because I am still a beginner. Kid gloves please!

[lambda57]

So there are no Meade's out there then?

Come on - someone must know

[Capricorn]

I have a small Meade and have a recollection of similar problem.

Just it was so long ago that I cannot recall what the solution was.

For some reason I have the idea that I had to in effect dummy align the scope first. As in plonk in on the ground (on tripod) get it fairly level then say Align. At the 2 alignment stars just accept whereever it went to. After that it would be happy as it thought that it had been aligned and so operate "normally".

Part of the problem I had with your post is that I could get what it was you were trying to do.

The post sounds as if you are moving the scope to be parallel to the red dot. Since I guess the red dot is fixed/screwed on the scope (mine is) they both move.

You don't want the scope moving while aligning as you point the scope at a target and leave it there without it moving. Then tweek the red dot to align it to the scope by getting whatever target the scope is centred on coincident with the red dot.

You don't want the scope to be slewing at all. If you want a slow slew speed to try and align a red dot to the slow moving scope I wish you luck. I would just get the scope on a target then pull the power so that it stayed fixed.

Somewhere I had a good chart of all the things that could come up on a Meade, and it showed how the scope got to that state. Just wish I could find the thing as I needed it a couple of months back.

[lambda57]

Sorry Capricorn, I did not explain it properly did I?

What I am trying to do is align the red dot after I have put the scope on a distance object. Now if you want to align the scope using slew on that telegraph pole you need to go slowly. But the scope will not do as it is told. I.e. change speed to slower. I could always do it by unlocking alt/az and dec knobs but I still need slow slew for objects when actually observing.

Every time I do as the book (s) say, it comes up with

Guide = x64

and then only for a few seconds.

So I am flummoxed:confused:

[proflight2000]

I originally owned an ETX105 so I am not too sure what would be the difference now days, but does your hand controller have a "rate" button. If so, try pressing the rate button, then 1. Otherwise, would you be able to post a pic of your hand set?

[proflight2000]

One really good site you may wish to visit is this Weasner's Mighty ETX Site is an excellent resource for the ETX range.

[Capricorn]

Just checked mine:

Power On scope:

Gives Warning message, scrolls across handset. Cannot read

Press Speed twice:

Goes to Getting Started.

Press Enter.

Displays: Enter Date option.

Give it a date.

Press Enter at end.

Displays: Set Time:

Give it a time.

Press Enter

Date+Time use the left/Right/Up/Down cursor keys.

Asks if Day Light Saving.

To set/change to Yes use down arrow key by the Speed button.

Press Enter.

Displays: Align. Easy.

Ignore this as you do not want to align.

Press Speed.

Slew speed cycles round:

2 deg/sec, 1 deg/sec, 0.5 deg/sec, 64x, 32x, 16x, 8x, 2x, Max.

Select the speed required.

Scope slews on the left/right/up/down cursor keys at the rate selected.

I presume that 2x is the slowest slew speed you can select to use manually. Max being the maximum. No idea why Max is apparently out of place unless it is to make it easy to go from the slowest to acquire the object then to max to locate another.

If you do this then when on the target the scope does not move as the alighment has not taken place. So it does not slew as if it is tracking an object. So then you should be able to align the RDF to the scope target.

Disclaimer: It works on mine.

[lambda57]

Thank you very much Capricorn. I will give it a try and report back.

[lambda57]

"Displays: Align. Easy.

Ignore this as you do not want to align.

Press Speed.

Slew speed cycles round:

2 deg/sec, 1 deg/sec, 0.5 deg/sec, 64x, 32x, 16x, 8x, 2x, Max.

Select the speed required.

Scope slews on the left/right/up/down cursor keys at the rate selected."

Still no go Capricorn. Where do you get Press Speed from?

I have a number of books and the original manual and all they say is press any number for the slew speed. 1 for slow right up to 9 for fast.

Sorry to sound so incompetent! Don't say anything

[Capricorn]

Hate answering questions like this:

One of the buttons on the handset says: Speed.

I guess that yours doesn't have one?

Quick and very simple description of handset:

[ Red LED Display ]

[ Enter ] [ Mode ] [ GoTo ]

[ ^ ]

[ < ] [ > ]

[ V ]

[ ^ ] [ Speed ] [ V ]

The Speed button has a ? under it also

If I press Speed then it simply cycles round the list, I cannot go from 1 to 5 in one go. Well not as far as I know.

[Capricorn]

Just tried a posting but the multiple spaces are compressed so cannot give a simple idea of the handset.

I have a button marked [speed] on the handset.

There are 3 buttons at the bottom of the handset in a row, the middle one is Speed.

It also has a ? under the text Speed.

In effect the button appears as [speed/?]

Does anyone know if I can stop the compression of multiple spaces or enter what was known as a "hard space"??

[lambda57]

Aha! Possibly that is the reason I cannot find speed as my hand controller is brand new. Polling through the menu it shows that the 59E7 software.

May have to go back to the seller for the info.

[lambda57]

Got the information from the horse's mouth as it were.

Steve at Telescope House suggested a reset which did the job.

Back to bino's if this carries on!