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Meade ETX-80BB Backpack Observatory Telescope Alternate Image 1
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Meade ETX-80BB Backpack Observatory Telescope

Meade ETX-80BB Backpack Observatory Telescope

Item#: MEAD316

Sale Price: $249.98 SAVE: $49.02 (16%)

List Price : $299.00

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  • Automatically locate and track thousands of objects
  • 1.25-diam. eyepiece allows crisp, clear, wider field of view
  • Internal computer guides telescope over the best objects in the night sky
  • LCD display teaches you about what you're viewing
More Info
Description

In addition to the exceptional features of the Meade ETX-80AT-TC Telescope, the BackPack version has a slightly lighter field tripod with bubble level indicator and a special edition Meade backpack. This model is perfect for camping and quick grab-and-go astronomy trips. We recommend this version for travel use due to the lighter weight of the tripod. Meade's brainy AutoStar computer solves the stargazer’s two biggest challenges in navigating the heavens with a computer telescope: aligning the telescope with the night sky and finding celestial phenomenon in the vast starry firmament. Right out of the box with a simple initialization, AutoStar makes finding the sky’s elusive jewels virtually as easy as pushing a few buttons. Observe land or over 1,400 sky objects in stunning high resolution, and learn about the sky with Meade's extensive astro-library.

 

#494 AutoStar Computer Controller

The AutoStar computer controller automatically guides your telescope to over 1,400 objects. View planets, stars, galaxies, and nebulae all at the push of a button. Don’t know what to see on a particular night? Don’t worry. Just select the Tonight’s Best tour and AutoStar will automatically take you on a guided tour of the best planets, stars, nebulae, and other objects out that particular night. Want to know more about what you’re looking at? The LCD display teaches you about what you’re viewing with details like distance, temperature, mass, and historical information. AutoStar is your guide to the universe.


More Power Than You’ll Ever Need.

Any astronomer will tell you that light gathering-not power-is what matters. A small, crisp image is better than a large hazy one. Meade’s 1.25-inch-diameter Super Plössl eyepieces provide wider fields of view, allowing you to see more of the sky at greater magnifications. The Meade ETX80 also makes a fantastic land-based observing scope.


AutoStar Suite Astronomer Edition Software on DVD + Instructional Video

AutoStar Suite Astronomer Edition software will help you learn the night sky. It displays more than 10,000 celestial objects including planets, stars, galaxies and nebulae. You can print out star charts and even plan your observing sessions. It operates on any Windows-based PC.

Supplier Sku:
0805-04-20
What's Included:
Backpack, Astronomy Software, Instructional Video
Shipping Restrictions:
Available for shipment to the USA and Canada only.
Dimensions & Specifications

Recommended Usage

For the Enthusiast , Viewing the Moon , Viewing the Planets

Power Source

Battery

Battery

8xAA

Features

Alt-Az Mount , GoTo

Brand

Meade

GPS

No

GoTo

Yes

Telescopes Series

Meade ETX Telescopes

Optical Design

Refractor

Aperture

80mm

Focal Length

400mm

Focal Ratio

f/5

Mount Design

Dual Fork Arm

Battery Included

No

Eyepiece 1

SP9.7mm

Eyepiece 2

SP26mm

Highest Useful Magnification

160x

Limiting Magnitude

12

Resolution

1.45

Resolving Power

1.45

Star Diagonal

1.25 Inches

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Available
Ships Mar. 1st
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What's Included: Backpack, Astronomy Software, Instructional Video
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Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews
Meade ETX-80BB Backpack Observatory Telescope
 
4.1

(based on 30 reviews)

Ratings Distribution

  • 5 Stars

     

    (8)

  • 4 Stars

     

    (19)

  • 3 Stars

     

    (2)

  • 2 Stars

     

    (0)

  • 1 Stars

     

    (1)

93%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

  • Quality lenses (19)
  • Strong construction (17)
  • Accurate (16)
  • Compact (15)
  • Comfortable eyepiece (9)

Cons

  • Unstable (5)
  • Difficult to focus (4)

Best Uses

  • Astronomy (28)
  • Travel (17)
  • Bird watching (13)
  • Hiking (7)
  • Bright conditions (6)
    • Reviewer Profile:
    • Casual/ recreational (27), Avid adventurer (3)
    • Was this a gift?:
    • No (4)

Most Liked Positive Review

 

Great starter, great value

I bought the ETX-80BB for my daughter who is now old enough for her own scope. I wanted something that was low cost, compact, lightweight, simple, with go-to functionality - everything you...Read complete review

I bought the ETX-80BB for my daughter who is now old enough for her own scope. I wanted something that was low cost, compact, lightweight, simple, with go-to functionality - everything you want when dealing with smaller children. Low cost keeps your wallet safe in the event of a catastrophic "accident", compact, lightweight, and simple works well should a child ever have to handle the gear. Go-to is a godsend when you have little ones with the typical attention span of about 30 seconds. The scope arrived in great shape. I bought the AC adapter to go along with it. Everything assembles quickly and flawlessly. First light with this scope went without a hitch. The alignment routine is straight forward. We were observing in just a few minutes. The optics were crisp. Having a 2x barlow flip system built in is a nice feature. This is a widefield scope, so it's great for terrestrial, the moon, bright clusters, double stars, and some of the brighter and larger galaxies. Most anything else I wouldn't waste a lot of time on. The aperature just won't support it(visually). And the super short focal length is not going to give you a giant saturn in your view. You need to stack a second barlow in front of your eye piece to get a respectable view of the planets. The backpack is a great thing, but it's a very tight fit. If you aren't hiking a cliff with the scope, I'd suggest buying the hard case for it instead as a method of transport. The focuser has such tiny gearing that it takes a seemingly endless number of rotations to bring an object in to focus, but on the other side of that coin, it does permit very fine focusing. I strongly suggest an electic focuser, however. The Go-To is extremely precise as long as center the alignment stars. The tracking is good too. On first light we put Saturn in the center of the field of view. My daughter fell asleep in the chair. Just before I finished my sessions with my scopes, I peeked in her eyepiece and found Saturn just where I left it. Not bad for a Go-To scope under $300. I bought the AC adapter for mine as well. It's better than constantly burning batteries, but Meade should consider changing the connector design. You plug it in through the battery housing inside the base, and it uses that flimsy "9 volt battery" style connector and the cable comes out through a small hole in the battery cover. It's high risk for pinching if you're not careful in the dark.

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

 

Maybe a little too light!!

The unit is nicely portable and easy to set up but is very susceptible to vibration due to the light construction of the tripod and light duty gearing. I successfully viewed Jupiter and its moons...Read complete review

The unit is nicely portable and easy to set up but is very susceptible to vibration due to the light construction of the tripod and light duty gearing. I successfully viewed Jupiter and its moons on first use, but image stability was not good. The zipper construction on the back pack is light to flimsy and should be more durable for a product that will be used primarily at night. The unit has no external power capability (like a Celestron Power Tank), so you must rely on AA batteries.

REVIEWS

Reviewed by 30 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-5

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Jan

22

2012

 
4.0

Love d telescope but delivery was aweful

By Vras

from GA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

Verified Buyer

Pros

  • Easy to Use
  • Quality Lenses
  • Strong Construction

Cons

    Best Uses

    • Astronomy
    • Camping

    Comments about Meade ETX-80BB Backpack Observatory Telescope:

    Very easy to take along and put together

    • Was this a gift?:
    • Yes

    Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    Was this review helpful? Yes / No

     - You may also flag this review

    Jul

    22

    2011

    (0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

     
    4.0

    Portable

    By Bubbie

    from WV

    About Me Casual/ Recreational

    Verified Buyer

    Pros

    • Accurate
    • Compact
    • Easy to Use
    • Lightweight
    • Strong Construction

    Cons

    • Poor Lens Quality

    Best Uses

    • Astronomy
    • Bird Watching
    • Hiking/Backpacking
    • Travel

    Comments about Meade ETX-80BB Backpack Observatory Telescope:

    Very sturdy and versatile for weight and size. Threads on one eyepiece would not accomodate filters, otherwise good value. Manual could be just a tad clearer but will get you through setup OK.

    • Was this a gift?:
    • No

    Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

    (0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

    Was this review helpful? Yes / No

     - You may also flag this review

    Apr

    9

    2011

    (0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

     
    3.0

    A bit frusturating

    By casual user

    from Bangor Maine

    About Me Casual/ Recreational

    Verified Buyer

    Pros

    • Compact
    • Quality Lenses

    Cons

    • Difficult to Use
    • Unstable

    Best Uses

    • Astronomy
    • Bright Conditions
    • Travel

    Comments about Meade ETX-80BB Backpack Observatory Telescope:

    General viewing is fun. The autostar feature doesn't work. Despite numerous attempts, the autostar doesn't even come close to finding the alignment stars. Even after navigating to the alignment stars, it doesn't find the next alignment star or any of the search objects.

    • Was this a gift?:
    • No

    Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend

    (0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

    Was this review helpful? Yes / No

     - You may also flag this review

    Jan

    15

    2011

    (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

     
    5.0

    Like having an old friend return home

    By Darrell

    from London, Kentucky

    About Me Casual/ Recreational

    Verified Buyer

    Pros

    • Accurate
    • Compact
    • Quality Lenses
    • Strong Construction

    Cons

      Best Uses

      • Astronomy
      • Hiking/Backpacking
      • Travel

      Comments about Meade ETX-80BB Backpack Observatory Telescope:

      I use my etx 80mm etx for astronomy only, Since it is so portable, I have been giving thought to bird watching and photohraphy for nature pictures, I have a very nice camera for this and think it would be very fun. Why stop using it just because the sun comes up, also take pics of the sun. It is boundless what can be done with this great little scope with the large views. Will I ever set it down to collect dust,,,I think not.

      • Was this a gift?:
      • No

      Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

      (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

      Was this review helpful? Yes / No

       - You may also flag this review

      Aug

      31

      2010

      (3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

       
      4.0

      A good little scope

      By Carfunf

      from Iraq

      About Me Casual/ Recreational

      Verified Buyer

      Pros

      • Compact
      • Strong Construction

      Cons

      • Difficult To Focus

      Best Uses

      • Astronomy
      • Hiking/Backpacking

      Comments about Meade ETX-80BB Backpack Observatory Telescope:

      [...]Im order my scope in iraq and got my scope and all the components within a week and some change. The box was in great condition!I had my scope set up within minutes! didn't even get batteries just went out and pointed at Jupiter immediately I was impressed with the crispness of the image I made more detail out on this than my 8 inch back in the states! Over all the goto function is simple and rather accurate. Point it north. ( true north is even better) level your scope. and you will be on your way to searching the heavens.Though I have one con the back pack though its well made its a tight fit for my scope to get in there had to stretch the bag out some... and the zipper broke :( though no big loss it still serves its purpose. Over all this scope is a good beginner scope I would recommend it to my friends.

      • Was this a gift?:
      • No

      Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

      (3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

      Was this review helpful? Yes / No

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      Customer Q & A

      Q1: Does this scope and tripod fit into the backpack? 

      A: All of the included items in this package fit conveniently inside the backpack.

      Q2: I believe the back pack version can be run from a laptop, do I need to purchase additional items to do this?

      A: Yes.   For PC operation you will need the #506 AstroFinder Software and Connector Cable.    You can locate this item on our site by searching for item # MEAD079.

      Q3: What size and types of battery does this use? And how long do they last?

      A: This telescope takes 6 AA batteries and the battery life is 20hrs.

      Q4: Does the #506 AstroFinder and Connector Cable work with Vista? USB version? 

      A: No the Meade #506 AstroFinder Software and Cable Connector Kit for ETX 70/80AT and DS2000 Series Telescopes is not compatible with Windows Vista.

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