ykapadia's Full Review: Meade DS-2114AT (325 x 114mm) Telescope
PROS
1. Great price for a 114 mm aperture.
CONS
1. The manual is for the entire DS 2000 series. DS 2114 is quite different from the rest of the product. That makes the set up difficult.
2. Focussing is poor. I couldn't even get a clear image of the moon.
3. The Autostar navigation has a mind of its own, and seems to have bugs.
4. Meade technical support is available only from 7am - 6pm PST, when you cannot use the telescope (be prepared to wait for at least 1/2 hour to be able to talk to a representative).
RATING
Avoid It.
RECOMMENDATION
I would definitely recommend Celestron Nexstar GT series instead of comparable Meade products. The celestron auto navigation is far superior to Meade autostar, not only in terms of display (Celestron uses LCD screen while Meade uses annoying, hard to read LED screen), but also in terms of ways of aligning the telescope. The easiest way is to simply point to the north at horizontal level and you are all set - a feature lacking in Meade. Celestron Nexstar 114GT is an great replacement for this product. However, I eventually got Celestron Nexstar 4GT (comparable to the Meade ETX series - but far superior) since I wanted to use it to view landscapes as well. I must say I am more than happy with the 4GT.
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