Meade etx 80

[rabgucci]

Hi, Have been considering the Meade etx 80 backpack telescope package for ease of use etc etc. Anyone got one ? would you recommend it as a first scope / or not ?. Have been looking to purchase online as my nearest telescope shop will be approx 80+ miles away from me, so little chance of seeing one in the flesh. Thanks for any advice.

[carastro]

I have an ETX 105 which is a bigger version. I find it VERY portable and good optics, fairly quick to set up, although the mount onto tripod is a bit of a chore but you'll soon get used to it.

If you only want it for observing it's great.

However, I see the ETX80 is a refractor, whereas the 90, 105, 125 are cassegrain telescopes. Might be better to get the ETX 90, and make sure you have the autostar handset for goto.

Carole

[Slangers]

Carole makes a good point- going for the 90 is probably wise. I had an ETX70- very, very portable, but limited in terms of what was observable.

[Capricorn]

The 80 is pretty good for what it is. Don't expect hubble views and magnifications in the hundreds. Think it is about £230 ?

The scope is an f/5 refractor, it will have CA on bright objects. Being f/5 eyepieces for magnificcations over 80 will mean purchasing something reasonable. A decent 4mm (100x) planetary should be OK, although even for 5mm (80x) I would consider something better then a cheap plossl.

The scope has a built in barlow, which may be a budget item, so again limit your expectations if that is switched in. It will not be a good as a TV barlow that you could buy as a separate item.

The 80 will be easier to set up then the 90. The 90 being a Mak will have a narrow field of view and that is something to be considered. If you cannot get it aligned then you do not have a goto. I have the Meade 105 and aligning is a pain. The 80 being a wider field of view will be a lot easier to align.

If this is the first foray into astronomy and scopes I would go for the 80 over the 90 for simple ease of use. There is always a better scope and a better mount but if you want something easy the 80 probably is the better. I think that Meade are easier to perform alignment with then the SW scopes.

Where are you?

It helps to know.

[Demonperformer]

I started with an etx80.

Good points:

Easy setup

Excellent optics

Good scope for 'want to see if I enjoy this hobby before spending a fortune'

Bad points:

The electronics/mechanical construction leave a lot to be desired

You will probably find yourself wanting to upgrade before too long.

If you think you could get on with a 6"/8" dob, that would probably be a better buy, in terms of 'bang for your buck'. You would need to 'learn the sky' rather than have the electronics do the work for you, and you would need to be able to have the space to store it and be able to carry it in/out of the house with reasonable ease.

I upgraded my etx80 to a 6se; three times the price, and I would not go back, but would not have wished to spend that on something that I did not use.

HTH

[tiredboy]

I have the etx-80 and happy with it. Great portability and airline/security had no issue with me carrying it as handluggage on the plane. Can't comment about goto but looks good from what I have read (I think I may have a dodgy unit that needs replacing but the shop I got it from are being really helpful - won't mention their name here but they are take orders over internet/phone and I'm more than happy to recomend them if you message me).

Seen comments about better telescopes out there but I needed something portable and the etx-80 seems to be best for that from what I have read (wife made a good choice seeing as I had no idea I was getting it!).