Meade 497 Autostar Computer Controller for ETX Telescopes

Set-up and locating the reference stars is fairly easy, and it is so much fun to take the tour of the sky. I've used this several times in an educational setting and it is fantastic for quickly pointing out stars and other celestial objects. In addition, it expands on the standard controller, giving you nine variable speeds instead of the standard four.

Once you use the Autostar you will never go back.


Huge database of Information   May 23, 2002
DH
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

There are two schools of thought on the use of go-to telescopes. One school believing that it takes away all the skill and fun from astronomy. however, I'm a believer in the other viewpoint. I think go-to capability opens up astronomy to the masses and brings the universe just that little bit closer to everyone. I purchased the Autostar for my ETX about a year ago and it has had extensive use. Out of the many many times I have used the autostar with the scope, I estimate it has performed as desired on 90% of my viewing nights. Unusually, I seem to be able to align my ETX rather easily depsite the fact that many people have difficulty. I think I have had luck on my side as the ETX, while a beautiful scope, can be a little temperamental. Even after doing a quick and rough alignment, like pointing it in the general direction of due North, without using a compass, I still get very accurate results with the autostar. I even changed locations the other day, moving from Auckland to Taupo, (some 3 hrs travel distance by car) and inadvertantly used the Auckland co-ordinates while viewing in Taupo. Suprisingly after alignment, I still got accurate positioning from the autostar. Once you get the hang of the menu system the autostar is really quite simple to navigate around. The amount of data is staggering, but given the size of the playground, it's not suprising. The unit itself is comfortable to hold and the adjustable brightness makes reading the screen simple in the dark. I havn't found the built in red light at the top of the unit very good as it is just too dim to make out charts etc. The trusty old torchlight with red nail polish on the lens is hard to beat on that score. I suggest that if you are operating from a tripod, you attach something to the back of your autostar that lets you hang it up on the tripod when you are not using it. Otherwise it can dangle around and get in the way. On a couple of occassions I have had the unit fail to operate correctly or reset itself. These have been far and few between, and readily fixed itself. Ultimately the Autostar is a computer so an occasional reset is not entirely unexpected. One minor problem I am experiencing at the moment is the scrolling text on the lower line of the display panel is tending to fade a little the faster it scrolls. This has occured since I started using a power adapter for the scope so this will need investigating. This however is only a minor niggle. If you have any concerns about your Autostar consult
the best resource on the net for the autostar, Mike Weasners site. The Autostar is highly recommended and really an essential purchase to go along with your ETX. Clear skies everyone and happy alignments.


Not Optional for Beginners   November 14, 2002
askCRM (Charlotte, NC)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

We just purchased the Meade 90 ETX telescope and decided to get the computer controller too - and man are we glad that we did. We're novices with the telescope, so finding specific objects in the night sky is a challenge.

With the autostart, after taking about 15 minutes to go through the alignment process, we can just tell the Autostar what we want to find and it moves the telescope to the object for us. Without this, the only thing we would probably look at in the sky is the moon.

NOTE: If you're not planning to use your telescope to look at objects in the night sky (i.e. planets, etc), then you don't need the Autostar.


Powerful and inexpensive, but it's a computer - be prepared   May 15, 2002
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

"Goto" Telescopes and controllers have been around for quite a number of years now, but are normally very expensive. The Autostar has 95% of the functionality of the expensive hardware at a small fraction of their price.
I think that Meade has done an excellent job of making this device user-friendly. However, it's a powerful tool, and it will take some serious attention on your part to make it work to even a fraction of it's potential. One big advantage the Autostar has over the competitors "goto" controller is that fact that Meade is constantly updating and improving the firmware. Get the #505 cable, or make your own for a few bucks and you'll also be able to load in newly discovered comets or customized sky tours.

Although many novices will find it confusing, the Autostar can actually be easier to use than the more advanced and higher priced controllers used on much more expensive telescopes.