12" rcx400 would you

[tim r]

Hi there's a meade 12"rcx400 on e-bay would you consider one or do you think there over priced lx200, once owned a 10" rcx I thought it was the best scope i've ever had. So maybe I'm biased

[syd_malicious]

I wouldn't touch it with the ye olde barge pole.

IF you get one with completely functioning electronics it PROBABLY would be a wondeful scope.

IF you got one with some broken electronics or some electronics that subsequently broke you would be stuffed.

Ask yourself which is most likely. I would bet the second and then who would mend it??

Don't know the price but you'd be better off with an ACF (I know these have a longer FL) if you're after this design of scope.

Paul

[syd_malicious]

Just seen the price - £4000. This seems like a good deal compared to the original price but just wait until a bit of dodgy Meade electronics goes, result is biggest most expensive paperweight you could buy.

Given that the scope is so tied to the elctronics you are unlikely to be able to even use the OTA if something does fail. I'd be cacking myself every time I pushed the "on" button in case it didn't power up.

Just my opinion though............

Paul

[E621Keith]

Isn't an ACF just a renamed RCX. I believe Meade was sued in the US for calling their new scope a ritchey chretien, when it was nothing like a real one. Meade lost the lawsuit and rename that scope Advanced Coma Free.

[syd_malicious]

Yes and no.

The basic optical design is similar but the RCX is F8 (I think) whereas the ACF is F10. Also the RCX has a lot of electronics on the tube assembly such as focusing and collimation. Hence you can't easily defork it if (when??) the electronics fail.

Paul

[tim r]

Spoke to meade dealer's they say there's been some issues with the rcx and when they go they go big but you can demount and use OTA with a sct focuser on the back but the point of the rcx was all in, your right it's F8 not f10 and is not quite the same as a ACF but I'm not sure it's worth the £2000+ extra.

[Doc]

If you want a SCT get yourself the 11" Celestron CPC instead, alot less hassle and maybe a tad better optics.

[E621Keith]

I just looked it up, an EdgeHD C11 + CGEM mount for £3800, so I guess it doesn't make much sense to get a second hand RCX12 which might break and has no warranty for £4k.

[syd_malicious]

I just looked it up, an EdgeHD C11 + CGEM mount for £3800, so I guess it doesn't make much sense to get a second hand RCX12 which might break and has no warranty for £4k.

My thoughts exactly.

[beetlejuice]

Given that, unlike a standard SCT where the main mirror does the focussing, the RCX corrector plate is moveable via servo motors to focus amd collimate. That means a) the tube isn't sealed and , it's more to go wrong. I suppose the idea was eliminate mirror shift. Anyway, Meade haven't made these in quite a few years (though I believe the 20" is available to special order on a mega-GEM) so getting one fixed could be a problem. I'd stick with an ordinary SCT if I were you.

[ollypenrice]

I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole either. Where are the images being posted with these things? You need a serious mount to image at a focal length like that and a Meade fork is not up to it by a very large margin.

Visually you are so boxed in by the focal length that a faster, cheaper Newt would be so much more versatile.

Olly

[beetlejuice]

You might consider this Celestron CGEM 1100 Telescope With £1500+ Accessories on eBay (end time 18-Jan-11 17:55:35 GMT)

[ollypenrice]

You might consider this Celestron CGEM 1100 Telescope With £1500+ Accessories on eBay (end time 18-Jan-11 17:55:35 GMT)

This mount would be no good for imaging deep sky but might just pass muster for visual and planetary.

Olly

[tim r]

I think I can rule myself of buying this scope if it came with a 5 year guarantee then yes maybe I,m in the Market for a large scope but not this one also the price of 4000 is too steep maybe 2500 tops