TheSkySearchers

I an pretty excited to have bought this as my first, as I didn't want to be deterred by poor visibility and grainy photos...I bought a meade etx125...
I can't wait to get out and start looking... have a boat load to learn. Hoping this is the place to do it.
I pick it up tomorrow.
It has a crappy mount, that I hope I can upgrade later, just a Manfrotto tripod and manfrotto 3130 video mount.
Comes with a 07210 #932 45° erect image roof prism, a 07427 #825 8x25mm right angle view finder, a Series4000 07175-03 26mm lp super plossl, and a meade electronic eyepiece.
Hoping I wasn't hosed on the price ($200cdn) but either way really looking forward to starting a new hobby...

Is there any other eyepieces or corrector lenses etc that I should buy to further enhance my enjoyment?
I am hoping to get a sun and moon filter. Not sure what I should be looking for or purchasing though...

Any help would be awesome.

It looks to me like you got a good price for a used optical tube but that you didn't get the mount that comes standard. With the other stuff in the kit you got a good deal if the optics are OK.

First thing is to get a proper mount for it. The series 4000 eyepieces are decent and Mak Cass scopes are very forgiving on eyepieces. You'll want things in the range of 15-30 mm focal length. Very rarely you might get away with 7.5mm.

But the mount comes first IMO.

Careful abut sun filters! With that scope you want a filter that covers the front of the scope like this https://optcorp.com/products/astrozap-s ... ade-etx125

Welcome to the forum, Stonesinthesky.
I am unfamiliar with this telescope so I am no help on that score, but I agree with nFA that the mount seems inadequate for long term use.
I will look forward to your first light report.
Clears skies to you.

Hi Stonesinthesky, nice deal on the scope for $200!! I'm wondering if it has a dovetail mount on the bottom, this would make it adaptable to a variety of mounts.

Hope your weather cooperates as it's not looking clear here anytime soon!

All the best,

Thanks guys super helpful.. anything I should look for when I pick it up? I going in thr morning...

Stonesinthesky wrote: ↑Sun Sep 01, 2019 4:40 am Thanks guys super helpful.. anything I should look for when I pick it up? I going in thr morning...

Look for a dovetail on the bottom of the OTA. That would simplify improving the mount considerably. Otherwise you'd have to
1) do surgery to install one (not recommended)
2) get rings and a dovetail

Measure for the right size before ordering.

https://www.highpointscientific.com/tel ... m_153_mm_6

Get the plain ones. The ones with centering screws are not necessary.

I'm wondering how it was attached to your tripod? A picture would go a long way I don't know whereabouts in Ontario you are, but I can recommend KW Telescope; Shannon is quite helpful as is her father. They're not open Sunday though, and probably not Monday (Labor Day) either.

Let us know how it goes

All the best,

A picture would definitely help as it sounds like it is a de-forked ETX125mm which though a decent optical tube has lost its goto capabilities.
The price is good though as the 3031 pan head is the same as my Manfrotto 128RC which is 100+ CDN.

Take an eyepiece or make sure the guy you're buying it from has an eyepiece for you to use to evaluate this scope (multiples would be even better). Look through it, move it around on its axes, inspect it closely for dents and dings. Ask probative questions, most folks will answer truthfully. For example -- have you ever dropped this scope? Or, has the scope ever fallen over? Or, have you ever had to disassemble this scope for whatever reason? Or, where has this scope spent most of its storage time eg, indoors covered, or indoors out in the open, or outdoors uncovered?

The view through the eyepiece will tell most of the story. Spend time looking, don't do a "peek and go".

Cheers,
JT

Thanks again.. they were an older couple... said she bought it 15 years ago... has moved a couple times, been packed up for almost 10 years, not going to be able to use it at their new place... it was certainly dusty and a bit dirty... looking through it across my backyard 500' away I can easily see ants running around on the bark. The lenses were filthy, I cleaned them with 50/50 mix of windex and RODI water...I took the plossl apart to clean the lenses, making sure I put them back in the way they came out... squeaky clean... cleaned the collector out side surface as it was covered in finger prints etc... only thing I see wrong is that there appears to be a haze on the inside if the collector,(dew stains or something inside) but my reading has told me not to take the body apart, when I first got it home I did notice the body was a turn or two loose...I turned it tight, everything still looks good through it..
As for the mount it looks like what I would call a dove tail connection, it is a plate mounted to the bottom of the ota(at the back) that it's about 2.5x3" pretty sure the instruction manual says it is an equatorial mount. Sho this one was never meant to be on a goto mount... but I can hopefully upgrade to a much better eq mount ... gonna need help with which would be best... the book says it came with a 9.7mm super plossl aswell, but she said she didn't know what happened to it(likely lost/ misplaced in one of the moves) didn't have a dust cap either... for now I will be using a shower cap till I can order one.

And.... it is pouring rain for the next 2 days!!

My 5 inch Mak is my favourite scope
I use mine on a cg4 or a Vixen porta Mount depending on my mood

Enjoy

Looking at buying this kit from meade, it is a filter and eye piece kit that includes all series 4000 super plossl eye pieces in 6,9,12,18 and 32mm as well as 6 different coloured filters and a 2x Barlow...is the Barlow of any use with this scope?

Stonesinthesky wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2019 2:24 am Looking at buying this kit from meade, it is a filter and eye piece kit that includes all series 4000 super plossl eye pieces in 6,9,12,18 and 32mm as well as 6 different coloured filters and a 2x Barlow...is the Barlow of any use with this scope?

No. The kit covers all the mid to high magnification range. The barlow will be useless.

I don't think the kits are a good buy. It's better to select individually good eyepieces.

BTW I really would avoid cleaning with Windex and RODI water. I'd be afraid of damaging the optical coatings. Distilled water is best. Specialized lens cleaning kits are a must.

https://www.amazon.com/Zeiss-340695-Len ... 9492&psc=1

I see no difference in rodi and distilled they both have zero TDS...what is the difference? I willsee what ican find locally for cleaning kit.

Stonesinthesky wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2019 2:40 am I see no difference in rodi and distilled they both have zero TDS...what is the difference? I willsee what ican find locally for cleaning kit.

No, not true. RODI water has small but non zero TDS and only distilled has zero.

Ok...good enough I guess...off to learn more...lol might as well read what I can since it is cloudy as all heck here

Stonesinthesky wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2019 2:24 am Looking at buying this kit from meade, it is a filter and eye piece kit that includes all series 4000 super plossl eye pieces in 6,9,12,18 and 32mm as well as 6 different coloured filters and a 2x Barlow...is the Barlow of any use with this scope?

I don't recommend those kits. The filters look pretty, but I don't know anyone who actually uses them. Filters can be useful in discriminating fine detail on the planets, but the effects are subtle at best, and many people, myself included, prefer to see the planets in their natural color. Saturn, for example, is a beautiful creamy yellow; I don't want to see it in bright green or purple!

The kit eyepieces are of decent quality. The Barlow will be of mediocre quality. A 2x Barlow in effect doubles the magnification of a given EP. So the 32 "becomes" a 16, the 18 a 9, the 12 a 6, and the 6 a 3. But the kit already comes with a 9 and a 6, so the Barlow is not actually doubling your EP collection.

However, the greatest disadvantage to this kit is that many of the EPs it comes with will be of limited or no usefulness in your scope. The ETX125 is an f/15 scope. This means it has a focal ratio of 15, which is considered a "slow" scope. It has a narrow field of view compared with "faster" scopes with smaller focal ratios. A rule of thumb is to choose EPs with focal length equal to or greater than your scope's focal ratio. A kit with 3, 6, and 9mm Plossls is not a good investment. You might want to investigate some individual wider-field EPs. A few good quality EPs will serve you far better than a box full of mediocre ones, especially ones not suited to your scope.

Also the filters in those kits are often not good quality optically. Good optical quality filters are optically flat and that's expensive.

Thankyou so much guys...so for my scope should be looking for a high quality 12-15mm and maybe a 32mm..? I would like a moon filter and something to look at the sun too... is there a particular brand or make of eyepiece I should be looking for? I see meade has a 5000 series too...I am sure there are better, but I am not looking to break the bank yet... what about a focal reducer? Are they worth anything to me? I was playing around with a calculator at NAA I think, that does all the calculations for you, sadly the numbers mean very little me right now

I've already provided a recommendation that you filter the Sun at the front of the scope. It's the only way to do it safely in a folded optics scope like yours. The fact that sunlight makes a double pass inside the scope makes it absolutely imperative to filter at the front end.

I find the GSO 0.5x focal reducers useful on Mak scopes.

Baader Planetarium makes good filters that don't degrade images like cheap filters do.