Hello,

A few weeks ago I picked up my first telescope. I purchased a Meade DS-2114 4.5" reflector. It was such a great deal that I couldn't pass it up, although my wife could have. lol

Any way..

My first question is about computer control. I'd like to control my telescope with Stellarium. I've read a few reviews on the net which claim to use the software but none explain how. I know that the #497 Autostar has a port on the handset you can plug to your computer, but my #494 has no such port. Some people mention the #505 and #506 cables but whenever I find one for sale they never mention my telescope as a compatible option. Does anyone know how I can get away with using Stellarium without purchasing a new AutoStar handbox?

Secondly, if it is not possible to use the #494 with a computer, can I purchase any new #497 handbox? I have the same problem with the cables above, although I hear a lot of chatter about its use, whenever I see the #497 for sale they never list my telescope as a compatible option.

I would like to purchase a new eye piece and/or a Barlow lens. What is the difference between a $39 2x Barlow lens and a $109 2x Barlow lens? I've read about there being a magnification limit on all telescopes. Will my DS-2114 work with a 5x Barlow or is that a waste of money? Also, am I limited to only using a Meade Barlow? There's a Celestron 14202 2x Barlow for $59 at my local science store. I was going to buy it, but then I thought I better make sure it's compatible with my scope first.

I'd also like to get a new eyepiece. The telescope came with 26mm and a 9.6mm Meade 4000 series eyepieces. The 26mm is nice and clear for me, but doesn't magnify very well. I can see the moons of Jupiter but they're just dots. Jupiter itself is a small white circle, no color at all. When I use the 9.6mm Jupiter gets bigger, I can almost make out the lines of color on the planet, but it's like looking through a pinhole, I just can't focus my eye correctly. Is a Barlow all I really need? I've got about $150 to spend on a lens or Barlow and really want to look at planets and nebula, what would you suggest for a new eyepiece?

And my last question. I've noticed when using my telescope that there's a lot of shaking when I try to look through the eyepiece. I almost have to avoid touching any part of the scope or mount in order to get a still image. Is there any way to fix this or is this just a "con" of purchasing a lower cost scope?

Thanks in advance for the help.

-Al

I actually picked up a Meade 114 telescope at a yard sale. The tube was a little banged up, but the mirrors are just fine !

My telescope was marked "electronic control", but there was nothing attached to the scope that would have allowed ANY KIND of clock drive whatsoever.

You mention the shaking that your scope exhibits. That is pretty normal for a scope of that size with an inexpensive plastic and lightweight aluminum tripod.

I just recently bought a used German Eq mount from a friend who was upgrading to a heavier mount, and that mount turned the scope from a mere toy to a real solid viewing tool ! For your information, the mount is an Orion Skyview Pro, which is actually capable of handling a much heavier scope than the little Meade. But there is almost no shaking with that mount, even though I usually use the scope on a wooden deck that is about 10 feet above the ground! You will probably spend more money for a German Eq mount alone than you did for the entire scope, but I consider it to be well worth the money !

However, I cannot answer your questions about computer assisted drives, since my mount is a simple motorized clock drive with manual setting circles. Ya gotta use a star map with it !

However, concerning eyepieces, barlows, etc. I might be of more help to you.

My scope came with a 25mm Plossl, which gives just about a degree of sky in the viewing window. This is enough magnification to include the full surface of the moon and some dark sky around the outside edges. A planet such as Jupiter is very small with this eyepiece, and as you have seen, the Jovian moons are just little points of light. The actual magnification with this eyepiece is only about 36X

As you get a shorter and shorter FL eyepiece, the magnification goes up, but the field of view ( FOV ) becomes narrower and narrower, and the image you are viewing will tend to get fuzzier and fuzzier!

About the shortest FL eyepiece I can normally use with that scope is around a 7.5 mm. With the main mirror's FL of 910mm you get a magnification of 121 X

Not only does the FOV become narrower, but the stars and planets become dimmer and fuzzier. 121X is really pushing the optics of a scope that size, and I have found an eyepiece around 12mm to be much better for all around viewing. That is just about exactly 100X which seems to be almost ideal for that scope. With that magnification, you can just barely see the difference in the size of the moons, but they don't quite resolve into actual balls with any dimension. You would probably have to go to a 12 or 15 inch scope to do that with any certainty.

A good barlow lens will give you more magnification with any given eyepiece, without sacrificing eye relief, the distance between the lens and your eyeball. However, it could be very easy to go beyond that optimum magnification by getting too powerful a barlow.

A lot of people do not understand that many of the objects out there are not all that small, but the problem is the brightness, or lack thereof. M31, is almost a couple of degrees across ( ! ) but very dim, and requires a lot of FOV in order to see well.

The same type of thing goes for the Lagoon, The Great Oriion, and many other deep sky objects. You will probably find that your two lenses are not a good fit for most of the deep sky objects you are likely to encounter. Again, I find a 12 to be an excellent all-around eyepiece, and unless you want to pay a LOT of money for something like a University wide angle eyepiece, I would strongly consider a nice Plossl in that FL range.

Hope this helps !

Clear skies, Jim

According to Meade, the #497 is not compatible with the DS-2114. The tripod is junk, even for an entry level scope. Definitely try and arrange for something else. I don't know how long you have had your scope, but keep Meade's phone number handy, you'll probably need it on this scope. They've just about replaced all the parts on mine twice, but not once offer to replace the entire instrument at once. They could have sent me two scopes for the amount of shipping they've spent! I've finally got mine working great, except for the tripod. Good luck!

This is strange. We saw detail (cloud bands) on Jupiter last night using a 60mm meade refractor and a 9mm eye piece.