I have very similar requirements like yours, and I welcome comments to my own views. I also anticipate using it to 99% for Earth-orbiting objects, excluding Moon (except for transits). I was intrigued by Greg Roberts' success with CoSaTrak, but that is only available as freeware program + instructions. As I am not capable of locating and assembling the mechanical and electronic parts, I decided in 2001 to get a Meade ETX-70 AT with their Autostar controller. Celestron NexStar has similar cost and capabilities, but there seems to be more activity with updates etc. from Meade (although I am also reading selectively). What stopped me initially was the first comparative review in S&T May 2001, saying that "GOTO" RA/Dec often consistently jumped to the wrong position, and that I never got any info from manufacturers against that, nor any info on how much piggy-back equipment the mechanisms could support. > 1. ETX-70 (60) and NexStar 80 are in the $300-$500 range, 114 mm versions slightly more. After I got a small inheritance, and read lots of positive reviews, I ordered a LXD-55 8" f/4 (not yet delivered). With the success of Rainer Kracht, Greg etc. I feel I could have stayed with budget models. 2. They do. 3. AutoStar has a programming interface (subset of LX200's), I assume NexStar also has. They need a serial cable, so if you are close to the scope that will do. Otherwise, a simple computer near the scope with Ethernet cable to your indoors computer can do it. I believe the existing TLE programs just allow slight corrections in time, and don't correct the track if a satellite is early or late. So I think I will have to write a program to search for such objects. 4. I will probably switch to digital, when I have sorted out price/performance issues, and postprocessing alternatives. > 6. For visual work, you should have as short focal length as possible (low f-ratio, f/6 to f/3), and only enough magnification to use the full aperture, to get a FOV much larger than pointing+TLE accuracy. ETX-x0AT are 350 mm, NexStar 80GT 400 mm, LXD-55 6" 760 mm, 8" 810 mm. These are refractors and newtonians (beware of the Schmidt-Maksutov-Cassegrains with much longer focal lengths). Also note that binocular view may gain some 0.5-1 magnitudes over a monocular the same size, but a binocular eyepiece will cost many hundred dollars. http://www.lxd55.com/Reviews.html http://www.celestron.com/nexstrgen.htm http://www.meade.com/catalog/etx/etx70at.html http://www.meade.com/catalog/lxd55/lxd55_series.html ----------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from SeeSat-L, send a message with 'unsubscribe' in the SUBJECT to SeeSat-L-request@satobs.org List archived at http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
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