![]() My example had a few gremlins in it that prevented alignment sometimes, but when I did get it aligned, it worked flawlessly. I was truly amazed at the accuracy of the GOTO system, given the ETX's modest price. ![]() You can now use GOTO for the rest of the night (as long as you don't bump the tripod!). Repeat for star number two, and the ETX will figure out the rest. The control pad will inform you of what star it wants, and you just need to center the star and press enter. Then, initiate a two star alignment at which point the ETX will slew (noisily) towards the first star. You set up the scope, level the tube and aim it north. The ETX with AutoStar works very similarly to the much more expensive LX-200 mounts. The ETX itself can be switched between the modes, and I found myself using polar mode quite a bit, as it only required the RA motor to do it's tracking, instead of both motors. Mine was mounted on a sturdy field tripod, with a head that could be adjusted from level (for Alt-Az mode) to the appropriate angle for polar alignment. ![]() The ETX reminds me of a 1/3 scale LX-200. The gears in the base and the fork mounts sound like they are made from cheap plastic, and when slewing, this thing sounds like a dentist drill on the verge of exploding! The AutoStar also features a nice red LED display that has brightness and contrast controls. Both the base controller and the AutoStar have a decent feel to them, with a quality spiral cord and a good RJ-11 plug at the end. Once assembled, the whole rig is reasonably sturdy, but there's a lot of slop in the fork mount and the base feels like it was made by Fisher Price. This whole assembly screws onto the tripod head via two thumb screws. The OTA is mounted in a flimsy plastic fork mount that has the electronics and batteries contained in the base. At the rear of the OTA, is a plastic housing that encloses the flip mirror system, a socket for 1.25 inch eyepiece and a camera port. Unfortunately, that's where the honeymoon ends. The metal screw on end cap lends an air of sophistication to the scope. Even years after it's introduction, that silkly blue tube and those purple & green coated Maksutov optics look just stellar from any angle. ![]() ![]() The ETX is just about the best looking telescope on the market. I also got a 2x Barlow included in the deal, along with a nylon carry bag for the ETX. This gave me a nice big mount with height adjustable aluminium legs and a tilting mount head, so I could polar align the ETX if required. I bought the ETX with the optional AutoStar controller and the Deluxe Field Tripod. I traded in my C8 on the ETX so I could have a more portable package and GOTO control. 90mm f/13.8 Maksutov Cassegrain, 8x26mm finder, 26mm Plossl eyepiece, $1295 CAD including AutoStar and Deluxe Field Tripod ![]()
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February 2023
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