ETXLS-getting back to the nice people of forum.

[donald]

HI! I called meade tech support again as i said i would and after going over the gps and set up problems the tech decided that i needed to send the scope back for a checkup.the tech(no name) discussed shipping with me and decided to waiver my shipping cost(i am very thankfull).I'll get back to you guys as soon as possible.BIG THANKS for caring.  Don

[MistrBadgr]

Sometimes, folks do not have a quick fix.  But, sympathy can go a long way toward making it easier to stop and think things through a little more.  Keep us posted.

Bill Steen

[donald]

I'm sorry,i don't quite understand your reply.what sympathy are you talking about and what do you mean by  thinking things through? problems started with this scope because of a mistake from tech support that wiped all the info from the telescope. my only purpose is to get the telescope back to normal.  Thanks  Don

[MistrBadgr]

I was just making the coment that there really was not a whole lot anyone could do to help you with this.

However, sometimes just getting feedback from someone is helpful just because they responded.

In my reply to you previously in the other string, I did not think there was a whole lot that either I or anyone else could tell you to fix the problem.

My general attitude toward people that I try to help or comment to is that if I cannot actually help them I can at least sympathize with the situation.  It is just my off the wall personal humor.  Please pardon me if I confused you in some way.

I have communicated with people in the past that were just about to burst a blood vessel over some problem.  Just communicating with them helped them to get the noise of frustration out of their way so that they could focus on the problem and think of other ways to solve it.  In your case, I did not know exactly what your state of mind was.  But, if a brand new scope of mine were acting the way yours was, I would be pretty much be jumping up and down about it.

Bill Steen

[donald]

Bill,thank you for the help and interest.the techs were really helpful and your caring helped even more.you're invited to be in my corner anytime. THANKS a bunch.   Don

[cygnusx1]

Donald I had to send my telescope back to meade as well. They said they are having a lot of problems with the GPS system. I understand if you have the extended warentee and you have to send it back more than twice they will replace the telescope with a new one. Mine was new and I had it only for a month so they are footing the bill for shipping. Hope I get it back soon as I want to do some observing with it. If it doesn't work when I get it back I have an agreement with the store I bought it from to take it back and get a different scope.

[donald]

Hi. good to hear from you.i don't know how long this etx has been on the market(does anyone know)but i do know that i had one version when i bought it and have upgraded the version to 1.7 then 1.2 and still had gps problems.i'm working on getting the ext-warranty because of the replacement factor.as far as i know  ,before the 1 year warranty runs out,i think.hope to hear from you when it comes back. on mine,if the gps worked correctly it should have logged its local at my town or the closest point nearby.OH WELL, lets cross our fingers and hope for the best. THANKS

[cygnusx1]

My GPS could not find any sats in the sky to get any location and yet my small cheap hand held unit placed on the telescope found and locked on 8 sats. Meade said that the GPS receiver was the problem and so they have replaced that. I also have a GPS signal amp which are illegal in the US but not in Canada so when it comes back I will try that too.  If I manually punched in the location data the scope would level, find North and then set up on three guide stars and work really well. It actually found the ring nebula from inside the city first attempt and when I looked through the 18mm it was pretty much centered. So I know the optics are good and the scope when it works is excellent. I guess Meades problem is that they tried to simplify it too much and this has caused problems. Like they used to say....Keep it simple and it will always work.
G W

[donald]

HI  Please keep me informed about the outcome.i hope everything turns out good.  Don

[Thomas]

Donald I got one for xmas and nothing but problems. Wont find satellites, lost power error. Im thinking of taking it back and going with a better telescope and align it manually.  Keep us informed. Im curious how many etx-ls owners are having the same problems.

[donald]

HI THOMAS,good to hear from someone.don't give up,i was having the same problems.i found that when the batterys were low,the controler would have a blank screen.if you start it with the sd card in it,you get the same.make sure you have the latest version 1.2 i believe and do the dark calibration.this scope is new and it seems like the bugs are being found by trial and error.try to be patient and call meade for help and let them know that you know that more people are having problems.i talked to mark at extension 5131.he is knowledgable on the ETX LS.GOOD LUCK and please let me know how you make out.by the way,don't ever shut it off during an update or you'll wipe out all the info on the scope.  DON

[donald]

hey GW. sorry i took so long to get back to you.i found your reply interesting seeing as how on a scale of 1 to 10,my knowledge of electronics is about a 7.can you tell me what addon gps you have and where you got it.i too would rather have 8 sats instead of 4.wow that sounds great and it's info i'm sure other friends would appreciate.hope to hear from you. THANKS DON

[Thomas]

I saw that there was a 1.3 version ow for the software. I tried to update my scope using the usb connection but it failed. I drug the files for the update and put it on a sandisk card and tried it that way but it seems like i fad to jam the card into the slot hope it didn't break. Anyway still no update. Anyone know if it is hard to put the card in or should it fit passively.

[donald]

Thomas  i'm not sure but i think the 1.2 is the latest version.when i upgraded i put the sd card(copper facing right)in first then i turned the scope on.place the card at the entrance,then push it in gently with your fingernail so that it seats.do you have the updater loaded on your computer?for some reason that's the only time the scope will start with a card in it.it should update with just the card though.mark at meade had me place a sandisc card in my card reader and downloaded the latest upgrade.one of them said that there were problems with other brand cards.normaly if you put a card in first, the scope won't start and you'll get a blank screen.i hope i've been helpful.  Don

[donald]

Thomas  i think i've found your problem.when you go to the meade site,you'll see the 1.3 version.that version is for the #497 controller.the controller for the ETX LS is different ,it's a #III. i find that the information in the downloaded manual doesn'tprovide all the info needed.so if you can't find something,don't feel bad,just call MEADE.don't forget,your questions to the techs showes MEADE that we NEED them.hope this helps. Don