Product Description

This is a big scope, with the most advanced optics available to the amateur astronomer. With its fast focal ratio and a wide field that's pinpoint sharp to the very edges, this scope is a serious astrophotographer's joy . . .

Product Details

• Brand: Meade
• Model: 10084001
• Dimensions: 135.00 pounds

Features

• GPS & Level-North Alignment System
• Upgraded AutoStar II Controller
• Cooling Fan
• Smart Mount
• Smart Drive (Permanent Periodic Error Correction)

Customer Reviews

Telescope for the Ages! What we've all been waiting for...
I am a 25 year astronomy veteran. An OBSERVER, not one of the armchair types. I've been through LOTS of telescopes searching for "the one" in the 8-12" range for relative portability and astrophotography. I have my 25" Dob, but it ain't easy for transport or photography. I've tried ALL the Meade/Celetron SCT's, from Celestron's original C8, to their Ultima 2000, to the recent Nexstar 11", which came close, but didn't quite have all the features I was looking for. I've been through all the Meade stuff as well, buying one of the original LX200's back in the 90's when they were first released. None have been completely satisfactory.

Now, the RCX series. I own the 10" version, and have spent every clear night with it since it shipped to me in two VERY LARGE containers. Packing was done well, and there was no damage at all; although the styrofoam packing was starting to come apart and was distributed over the scope, which I'm afraid could eventually work into critical components or even the OTA in the right situations, so I think Meade needs to do a better job of making the OTA/base "airtight" during shipping.

On to the mount. The tripod is HEAVY. VERY heavy. But it is unquestionably the best portable mount I've EVER used. It is basically 4 pieces: a cap, with 3 legs. The legs EASILY slide into the cap and latch with ease. no fumbling around for holes, nuts, etc...everything is self-contained! The legs are extended with a clever tab release that is smooth, smooth, smooth! Once together, it's harder to move than other tripods, but it is SOLID.

On to the telescope. It goes on with some difficulty due to having to "find" the single stem coming up from the tripod. Once on, though, one simply turns the integral T-bolt from beneath the tripod "cap" to secure. Again, NO nuts or bolts to lose...it's all together!

The telescope is simply a joy to use! I will admit that I had never really liked using the "original" Autostar, but this Autostar II thing is the best computerized controller out there. The RCX recalibrates it's sensors on command, and should be done, according to Meade, upon new arrival/unpacking or any "rough" transport. Once that was done, the Auto alignment was EASY. It consisted of determining the level of the mount ALL THE WAY AROUND, not just 1 or two points, which GREATLY increases accuracy. As well, it takes into account the tilt/weight of the OTA. Once a GPS fix is obtained, a star above the horizon is chosen and the scope slews for the user to center it. Arcturus was right in the middle of my 24mm Meade 5000 Ultrawide (included with the scope...a great eyepiece, not some throwaway overstock useless starter job...). The second one was as well, and we were OFF. Field after field, star after star, images were amazingly sharp, edge to edge. I had never had the pleasure of viewing through R-C optics before, and I was BLOWN AWAY! No diffraction spikes and just a perfect 3-D image time and time again...Wow!

Oh, and did I mention that the scope has a built-in dew heater? Also, a built in fan? I didn't find that the fan helped all that much (you can measure temperature of the OTA AND ambient temperature with the scope to compare the difference! A GREAT feature!), but the built in dew heater...now THAT was one of those "why didn't anyone else think of that" moves. thanks, Meade...your engineers must really OBSERVE, too!

Some other fantastic features: how about touchless/computerized focus?...takes some getting used to, but when you don't have all the bouncing around of your image, it becomes second nature. Also, owners can enter their name/address into the scope...this would be helpful in case of theft, I would think. Another fantastic feature...collimation is done "electronically", with the handpiece! I've not tried it, nor checked it, but this is a great idea. My favorite feature, though, is the "spiral search" feature, where the scope will AUTOMATICALLY spiral around a chosen spot in the sky when searching for nearby objects! GREAT!

Lastly, the manual is the best-written telescope manual EVER! Very complete, with some tutorials, very few typos, and great photos. Also, there was some extraneous sidebar stuff that was neat to read as well...Kudos, Meade! Now everybody else, go read their manual to learn how to do it right!

Well, I guess you can tell I love this scope. Meade got just about everything right. The optics are without equal, the interface is just right, the extra features are jaw-dropping, the mount is solid, and the manual serves the user well. Not everything is "just right", though. The cost is WAAAAY too high...I really can't see how this scope should be as expensive as it is. I know "R&D" has to be paid for, but this is overboard. A $3000-$3500 price point would be within reason, although still expensive. As well, the thing is quite noisy when slewing, which has been a knock against Meade for years. I think it's better than on the Lx200 I used to own, but not by much. It still makes my dog's bark every time, so the neighbor's may be shooting me soon...My Celestron Nexstar 11" GPS was MUCH MUCH quieter.

Check this scope out. Watch for the price to come down if you can wait. Otherwise, if you've got a need to have the "perfect" scope--well, then, this is about as close as you're gonna get!

I dont own this scope but....
I have heard some really bad things about this scope like runaway focusers and bad motors in the D.E.C. drive. I personally think that you should not get this scope if you want to actually observe. If you just want to observe and thats it get an LX200. If you're into astrophotography then either get this scope-which i do not recomend- or get one of Meades new LX200R's they are alot less thanthe RCX's and have the exact sam optics except they are f/10 not f/8. With the LXR's they have the same tech in the mount but they bascially have an RCX optical tube. SO just to finish off if you want to use the scope and not have it with the scope doctors then either get an LX200-observing and photography- or the LX200R-AWSOME observing and AWSOME photography.


One last thing with either of these scope you would need to get an equatorial wedge. And instead of amazon buy it from www.astronomics.com it is a website seller particularly for astronomy. Astronomics prices are less than amazons and their shipping process is more reliable and safe. GO FEDEX!!