Re: [APML]: Beginner Needing Advise

[Gary Holland <gary@oo.com>]

At 03:24 PM 9/23/96 PDT, you wrote:
>     I own a Meade LX200HP 10" f/10 scope. I use the Lumicon Giant Easy 
>     Guider to reduce the scope to f/6.  I want to get into astro 
>     photography and need some advise.  I need an auto guider.  As I see it 
>     my options are the Meade Pictor 201XT auto guider, Meade 208XT auto 
>     guider / imager or SBIG ST4 auto guider.  I have herd that the ST4 has 
>     problems tracking on the LX200 due to DEC retrograde movement and that 
>     Meade has designed the Pictor to take this into account.  I live in AZ 
>     where the temperature gets up to 100+ degrees during the night in the 
>     summer.  Can the Pictor 201XT acquire and track on guide stars (10 Mag 
>     and higher) without being cooled for 60 minutes or more?  Please 
>     remember that I will be tracking through the Lumicon off-axis guider. 
>     Would I be better off to get the Pictor 208XT which is cooled? Also, I 
>     would like to see some prime focus pictures taken with a LX200 scope. 
>     
>     I would appreciate hearing from LX200 scope owners that use Pictor and 
>     ST4 auto guiders.

Jim,  I have the 201xt.  I've not be able to use it for photography yet.
This is of no fault of the setup, but circumstances beyond my control.
However it appears to work well.  I've never seen or used the ST4.
However, I know that Jason Ware uses it with great success and he has the
same scope as I do (lx200 16").

-gary
------------------------
gary@oo.com                                     
gary@nightsky.com       
Gary Holland