Meade ETX-80BB Backpack Observatory Telescope

Comments about Meade ETX-80BB Backpack Observatory Telescope:

Overall the product is outstanding. The only drawback seems to be the motor drive. Besides sounding loud, it also sounds on the verge of 'grinding'. This may be an indication of early burn out.

Comments about Meade ETX-80BB Backpack Observatory Telescope:

Had problems calibrating at first but once that was corrected the Astrofinder was spot on. Actually saw the rings of Saturn with out any additional lenses or products, although I would recommend more to see closer with more focus.

Comments about Meade ETX-80BB Backpack Observatory Telescope:

All the reviews pointed to this being a good starter telescope and from my experiences so far, I agree. The ETX-80BB is a sound investment to get you into backyard and backpack astronomy.

The great things:
1) Only very minimal assembly was needed to get this telescope up and running. The Autostar controller is fairly intuitive but of course reading the manual /watching the supplied DVD did make it easier to figure out some things.

2) The light gathering for a small scope is impressive. Using the supplied 9.7 mm lens with no Barlow (41x), I was able to see the bands of Jupiter clearly with first light. The 4 moons were easily visible with the 26 mm lens. I also picked out the M22 globular cluster using the Guided Tour. This is a nice feature to have. Can't wait to get away from the city to see what is really out there.

3) Love the backpack feature for storage and portability.

The not so great things:
1) The build in Barlow requires a HUGE amount of turns to refocus the telescope once engaged. For me, it was 80 turns, (yes eighty!). What a serious pain.

2) The telescope easily vibrates when focusing. I'm guessing most light weight telescope do, but for the ETX 60/70, I saw the focus knob can be removed and replaced with an aftermarket flexible shaft. I'm sure this would help but I don't see a way the ETX 80 knob can be removed. Too bad.

3) I'm probably expecting too much for the price by saying that Autostar is useful to a point. Accuracy for going to objects has been average at best so far. I seem to need to do the spiral scan to get them to come in. Searching for specific sky objects using the controller is a little difficult since they are not listed in alphabetical order. Also, I wish there was a "next closest" feature for objects. I suppose this is what having a computer with the AstroFinder Software is for...

Other things:
1) It would be nice to have a simple finder if you don't want to fire up the Autostar.

2) Use good rechargables if you want to save on battery cost. The current draw is nearly 500 mA when both motors are slewing at max speed which is pretty high, leading to point 3). Also, the higher mAh rechargables have a tough time fitting in the stock battery pack since they are thicker.

3) The Autostar system works up to car voltage levels (12V) but the telescope only has a 6 AA battery pack -> 7.2 for rechargables, 9V for alkalines. This flexibility to run at lower voltages is a nice feature but why not add two more AA's to increase it to 9.6 - 12V for increased run time (especially in cold weather)? Just a thought. It's an easy do it yourself fix though by buying a 9V connector, some wire and a different external battery pack. Just be careful with the "+" and "-" orientation.

4) My ETX-80BB shipped with the #933 45deg erecting prism as standard equipment in the box. I've seen it listed as optional equipment in some places so check first before ordering it separately.

5) The telescope is stable if there is only up to a low breeze.