[ATMoB-discuss] Helping a new telescope user

[fourthside at gmail.com]

Gary, thanks for the detailed love note on the DS-114. I wasn't 
expecting an outstanding instrument, but didn't really imagine the full 
extent of it. Unfortunately as I understand, this scope was received 
from a relative who purchased it on a whim and probably never took it 
out for a second night. No chance of a refund here.

I guess I'll have him observing the Moon and scanning with his 
binoculars. If it looks like he might catch the bug/virus, I'll 
certainly steer him towards a local club. I've already performed the 
required "find a local group and ask lots of questions" sermon.

So we'll see what happens. Much to my amusement, I think I might be 
much more concerned about avoiding my own disappointment than anyone 
else's.

-Ross

On Sep 2, 2006, at 11:06 PM, <gdjacobson at verizon.net> wrote:

> Ross,
>
> I'm sure you will get much sage advice from many on this list. The 
> best bet for your friend is to get involved with a local club where 
> experienced observers can provide support.
>
> Unfortunately, I am familiar with this model scope and I don't have 
> much good to say about it. I recommended this scope to a friend on a 
> low budget, only to discover later all the problems with it.
>
> The secondary mirror is insufficiently supported and nearly impossible 
> to keep accurately aligned. Screws for the spider pass through the 
> telescope tube in slots, not holes, and the spider can easily get out 
> of whack. An unskilled observer will be unable to accurately align the 
> optics.
>
> The scope obtains its long focal length in such a short tube by 
> incorporating a permanent barlow in the eyepiece drawtube. Not 
> necessarily a problem, but it does introduce additional optical 
> elements and losses in the light path. A new observer won't be 
> bothered by this.
>
> However, the barlow adds to the difficulty in aligning the optics.
> Bruce Berger and I tried to use a laser collimator on this scope, but 
> were unable to get a good reading for two reasons. One was the barlow. 
> We removed the barlow lenses - not an easy thing to do, and replacing 
> them after doing the alignment is likely to throw the alignment off 
> again.
>
> The other problem was that the eyepiece drawtube does not hold the 
> eyepiece concentric with the optical axis. A plastic set screw causes 
> the eyepiece (and laser collimator) to tilt. The drawtube does not fit 
> sufficiently tightly in its housing, so it wobbles as well.
>
> The rack and pinion for the drawtube is also too coarse and makes fine 
> focusing nearly impossible.
>
> I had the scope at the clubhouse one night and it was examined by 
> several of our very experienced members, one of whom proclaimed it the 
> worst focuser he had ever seen.
>
> The unit I wrestled with also had problems with the GOTO 
> functionality. It simply would not successfully go through its startup 
> sequence. Bruce and I opened it up to find a broken connector. After 
> fixing that, it still would not run correctly. Meade replaced the 
> entire mount for a price (the scope was over a year old before my 
> friend made me aware of their problems using it - they thought the 
> problems were their fault). The new unit would start up and run, but I 
> was not happy with the degree of pointing accuracy.
>
> There is a Yahoo discuss list for this scope, with fixes for many of 
> its ills. I incorporated the fix to make the drawtube fit better. One 
> person removed the barlow and made several other fixes to convert the 
> scope to a rich field unit. There is a very common "leather washer 
> fix" for the altitude bearing problems. That was the one thing I did 
> not have a problem with on the scope.
>
> I have a Meade 8" SCT and have been very pleased with it for many 
> years. However the DS-114 is something they should be ashamed to put 
> their name on, and I told them as much in letters while trying to 
> correct the problems.
>
> My bottom line advice for your friend is to run, not walk, back to the 
> store where they bought the scope and get their money back. Then join 
> a club and get some experience with many scopes, as well as local 
> advice. This I believe to be the best way to convert a sure 
> disappointment into a happy ending.
>
> Gary Jacobson
>