Hello All,

New stargazer here, just got a Meade DS-2130ATS-LNT for Christmas, and after it levels & starts to Calc North, all it does is spin in cicles until I turn it off. Needless to say, I am seriuosly considering having it returned and was thinking of exchanging it for any one of the Celestron Omni XLT series telescopes. I would like a stable tripod/mount, view stars, planets, moon,  nebulae etc, get into a little astrophotography on a small scale. Just looking for a few opinions from anyone who has had a Meade 2130 or any of the Celestrons mentioned, so that I may make a decent decision. My first choices to replace the Meade was Orion or Celestron, but my wife purchased the telescope from Telescopes.com and they do not sell Orions, so I am left with Celestron. Budget is $400 - $700, I will worry about extra EP's & filters later.

Thanks for all your help.

First make sure you have it set for North. Then make sure you are doing each step of the set-up and alignment in Order.  Don't try to skip any steps to jump directly to another.   I can't speak for the DS series of Meade telescope other than to tell you they are their lowest entry level electronic goto telescopes made.  
I have a Celestron mount the also allows me to do a polar alignment with the Computerized hand control. However, I must first before I even turn on the power to the mount a rough polar alignment. And I must have the proper time, date, latitude and longitude information correctly entered, then I must perform a Star alignment(at least with 2 stars) before the mount has an idea of where anything is located and before I can attempt to do the polar align routine.

Many time these small problem are because someone overlooked a small detail somewhere.  Follow the instructions step by step and try it again.  If it does seem to be a problem with the electronics send it back for a full refund. 
Good luck dealing with Meade customer service and support. but since your wife purchased it via Telescopes.com they should handle the refund for you.  But you will have to pay the return shipping and a re-stocking charge will be deducted from your refund amount.

Log onto Celestron's home web site and look through all their authorized dealers. You might find a better deal on something better some place other than Telescopes.com

You can purchase Orion telescope directly from Orion. But both Orion and Celestron have pretty much the same telescopes and mounts.  Especially the lower cost entry level telescopes and mounts.
Orion has nice telescopes and accessories, but the issue I have against buying from them is their ridiculous shipping charges they charge that no other dealer charges. 

You might try telescopes.net they are having a big sale on meade products and the etx line is pretty good for starter scopes . they have a etx 125 <5in> for 700.00  reg.1000 they are the astrotube and the color was not too popular ,it has a picture of the milkeyway on the tube and the regular ones are astro blue and they are blowing them out with free shipping .I would buy one but i am buying a lightbridge dobsonian . I do have two smaller etx scopes and love them the etx125 has a 1900 mm focal length which is pretty good for such a small scope , they also have ultra high transmission coating which is nice because it gathers 20 percent more light . anyway just thought i would throw that out there .

Unless there is some good reason or a necessity for the electronics, stay away from them. They are more of a headache than they are worth.  You can get much more telescope well within your current budget if you stay away from those Low End computerized telescopes.  Getting one of those you're only sacrificing larger aperture, quality optics and stability. I'm not only talking about Meade either, Celestron and Orion have them too. The Difference however is the quality customer service and support that Meade is so infamous for lacking.   
Look at the Dobsonian mounted Newtonian reflectors in your price range. Zhumell or Orion are both good places to start. You should be able to get a XT10 Classic with that budget and still have enough to get some extras. i.e. eyepieces, and filters. Zhumell would get you the same for less shipping cost.

A Dobsonian is much easier to set up, much more stable and will outlast any kind of electronic computerized gadgets by years.  Quality optics, less hassle, less worries, easy maintenance, more stable and will allow you to see much more, what more could you ask for? 

Right now is not a good time for Meade telescopes anyways. They are undergoing some financial strains right now that are effecting the consumer as well.   

Telescopes.net has a 10in meade lightbridge dobsonian for 599.99 plus 75 dollars shipping with a free series 5000 32mm eyepiece a 150 dollar value .the 8in is 399 plus 65 dollars shipping and includes the same eyepiece . I am not trying to get into a        contest with tkerr but i believe in supporting the american economy I.E. MEADE  in this economic depression america is going through. just my 2 cents...

Hello All,

I appreciate all the responses so far. I would love to purchase a Dob....whewww, the wife wouldn't, hehehe. I do have space constraints, my available space is not expanding like the universe. I do agree with the poster advising to stay away from the computer, automatic stuff. This last round with the Meade DS-2130ATS-LNT failed also. I am able to perform a manual alignment, but the automatic alignment is a definate no-go. As for the other poster for the Meade products, I do believe in supporting the American economy, although my current Meade has a nice little sticker on the side "made in China", just like most products in all American homes. Have any of you folks used either the Celestron Omni XLT 150 reflector or the Omni XLT 127 Schmidt-Cassegrain, or do they belong in the junk pile? I know you get what you pay for, but these scopes have a stainless steel stand compared to the plastic one on the 2130.

Thanks again,

Charles

As far as i know all celestron products are made in china , in fact celestron is owned by the chinese . The meade scope your wife  purchaced for you is made in china , but that is considered a christmas scope .As far as i know , meade is still owned by americans . I dont agree with meade subbing out work to foreign countries and as far as i know the light bridge is a decient scope . I dont know where thelight bridge is made, at least i hope it is made in america or at least the americas as i am buying either the 12in or the 16in in the middle of january .With scopes its all about aperture . the truss tube scopes break down pretty small and they would not take up as much room as a refractor that was left set up , in fact it would take up less room i believe . my meade 114eq has a metal tripod and has a pretty small footprint with the legs collapsed , mabey 24in . But my 6in dobsonian only has a 14in footprint and it is a solid tube not truss tube . anyway if you go on different websites they have pretty good pictures and they say a lightbridge will fit in a mini cooper . I think that is streaching the truth .My self i have a land rover discovery so space isent really a concern . My solid dob will fit in it standing up and i believe so will the big lightbridge .

roverich:

Telescopes.net has a 10in meade lightbridge dobsonian for 599.99 plus 75 dollars shipping with a free series 5000 32mm eyepiece a 150 dollar value .the 8in is 399 plus 65 dollars shipping and includes the same eyepiece . I am not trying to get into a        contest with tkerr but i believe in supporting the american economy I.E. MEADE  in this economic depression america is going through. just my 2 cents...

With respects and not to get off track here, but in brief; a little more research will probably reveal that Celestron and Orion are just as American as Meade or any other company that produces and or sells telescope and accessories in the United States.  As already discussed in many other threads here at astronomy.com, Meade has been undergoing some changes due to financial problems, many of which were brought on by their own arrogance which has placed them into a financial bind. They have been forced to make personnel cuts, closed the Irvine California facility and moved south of the border into Mexico where labor is much cheaper, additionally, much of their stuff is also produced overseas just as many others American owned companies and vendors are.  

I suggest that before buying any telescope or accessory that anyone thoroughly research the product you're looking at, research the company that produces it, and the vendor selling it.  Compare not only prices, but quality control, and customer service and support.
 
Over the years I've been both fortunate, and unfortunate to have experience with Meade, Celestron, Orion, and a few other along with some on-line dealers. However, my recommendations are just that. Just as anyone else's recommendation they are only our opinions and should be viewed as only that. Some of our opinions might be a reflection of our personal experiences which may vary from one individual to the next.   It's up to the person inquiring to weigh all the opinions before making a final decision. 

With that said, this forum has absolutely nothing to do with the economy or economically supporting one country or another.  Please don't forget where you are when on the Internet, this is the World Wide Web. Not the United States Web.  Nuff said about that,  Please Do not take this or any thread discussion down that road.  

I own both a Celestron XLT 102 Refractor and a 12" Meade Lightbridge. Both are very good scopes (and the Omni most definately does not belong in the junk pile!).  As far as which one is "more" American.........i'm not sure that I would call either American, both are made in China.

 Listen to what tkerr said, he knows what he's talking about. If you don't NEED goto, stay away. The $ is better spent on aperature.

As far as the Lightbridge goes....I bought mine from OPT. Great customer service, and the shipping was free.

-Hope this helps alittle......

-Jim

.....hey, isn't Land Rover built in England???

   Thanks alot for all the responses, that is exactly what I was looking for. After reading different boards, it comes to my realization that I am not the first one with the problem with my Meade (spinning). I do prefer the manual method personally, I feel that I will learn a lot more about the sky if I perform my own celestial navigation (to each his own). I have decided on the Celestron Omni XLT 150mm Newtonian Reflector. I feel it will serve my purposes well, besides my wife would like to take a trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park here in Colorado and I just do not see putting a 10" Dobsonian in the trunk, Hehehehe. I am hoping for alot less light pollution there. The last time I was in a place without all the light pollution was the during the 1st Gulf War in Saudi Arabia and most recently with my last & final tour in the War in Iraq.  Looking forward to interacting with everyone here on the board. Thanks again and I really appreciate all your help. I am sure I will have more questions in the near future.

BTW, the Omni XTL 150 comes with a 25mm EP, what would you recommend for additional lenses & filters such as a 5mm or 9mm. I would like to observe Saturn & jupiter of course in addition to some nebulae.

Thanks again

Charles

I think that the Omni XLT 150 is a great choice!  6 inches of aperature at a nice dark site will reveal lots of great views.

As for the questions....fire away! There are lots of great people here that are very knowledgeable and very willing to help. I know this forum was a great help to me when I was starting out.

-Jim

BTW...thank you for your service to our country.

 Hey ColoradoBeekeeper, I sort of fell in love with the Celestron Omni 150 XLT after reading its specs, reviews by owners, and the price.  I almost bought it; I was, as Maxwell Smart might say, "This close!".  What really made me want it was the fact that along with being able to allow you to see quite a few things well, it's still light enough for a healthy average man to lug, at least from his house to his yard.  I think you'll enjoy that scope.  I think also many observers find that weight is a large factor in whether they even get to use their telescope (very much).

(I finally got the Orion SkyView Pro 8".  Orion had a special a the time by throwing in a computerized object locator and I bit.  Well, so far, I've used the scope and enjoyed it, but haven't the time yet to set up the locator!  The downside of my choice is that it is heavier than the one you've chosen, as mine is a larger, not necessarily better, scope.  I can still lug it from inside to out, but it is the limit of what I can carry.)