Once unpacked the ETX was quick and easy to set up. The image quality was the best I could have imagined. The pictures on this site don't do the telescope justice, the images seen with the eye are far superior.

The viewfinder, as reported in all the press, is a pain to use. For objects high in the sky it is impossible to utilise without breaking your kneck and is in a most uncomfortable position the rest of the time.

The manual focus knob is also difficult to use. It's just too small to handle, how I will manage on cold winter nights has yet to be seen but I reckon it's going to be difficult. It also tends to jump in certain positions........you may be making a fine adjustment and suddenly the focus jumps too far.

Unfortunately since I purchased the telescope I have only been able to use it a handful of times due to heavy cloud cover. It also has to be said from my UK location the planets have been below or too low on the horizon to view. As I write this in July 2000 viewing the planets for the first time is possible.........except for the cloud cover.

    The Autostar remains difficult to set up. As I stated earlier I have only been able to use the telescope on a few occassions but accurate alignment has so far eluded me. I set the scope on a table which I carefully check with a spirit level. The telescope is aligned north using a compass and the easy setup from the Autostar menu used. So far the target stars have never been in view utilising the standard 28mm lens. After aligning the scope on the two target stars the Autostar still fails to put any goto object in the field of view. It has to be said however the alignment is not too far off and obvious targets can quickly be brought into view. To a newcomer like myself this is not good enough...........how do I know if I can acually see the ring nebular?? So far the scope doesn't find it and manual moving has not brought it into the field of view.  Has anyone seen a nebular with this scope??

All my photo's todate have been taken with the Nikon Coolpix 950 digital camera. I find the instant imaging great fun and the Coolpix has a shutter speed down to 8 secs. I have no fancy gadgets for attaching the camera to the scope. I simply use a jubilee clip to clamp the camera lens to the telescope lens. I would much prefer a digital camera clamp as it would be easier to use. One day perhaps.....

The Orion 8 Inch is a success

Despite e-mails from visitors to this page I still have not located any deep sky objects.  In August I bought the orion 8 inch reflector and found the Ring Nebular on the first night.  Maybe I'm not so stupid after all !

The ETX out of control ?

Every now and then the ETX positioner goes it's own merry way. I can be viewing through the scope without touching anything the ETX decides to reposition itself........leaving whatever I am viewing well out of the field of view.  Could this be the software verion on the Autostar ? Does anyone else have this problem ?