Meade 494 Autostar Telescope Controller

by Meade

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005QVV1
• Batteries: 8 AA batteries required.
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

CL) 495/494 AUTOSTAR CONTR F/60/70AT

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Watch out for firmware!, August 3, 2006

By 

W. Phinizy (Fountain Valley, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Meade 494 Autostar Telescope Controller (Electronics)

If you are going to pay $99 for one of these things, make sure that the firmware on the one you are getting is the latest and greatest. I had one with an ETX-60AT that glitched during the setup and would not progress pass the DAYLIGHT SAVINGS? question. When I called Meade they pretty much told me that it was a "known problem" and that I was out of luck because the unit was out of warranty..

..to be fair, I did not use the scope for a while and the warranty lapsed, but I am still a little miffed about their cavalier attitude towards a known firmware bug. I mean, a lot of civilians get these scopes (the ETX-70ATs, etc.) and use them only to discover this problem? A scouring of their website turns up *nothing* and any attempt to get customer support from their 800 number results in an an incredible rat's maze without *any* human contact whatsoever.

I had to finally call dealer support to speak to a human being who told me -- surprise, surprise -- I was S.O.L. I give it/them only one star because (1) you can't award zero stars and (2) because of their incredible indifference towards their customers.

True, I have an ax to grind. True, my scope was only a $200 cheapie delight, but it is not hard to imagine that this price range is the gateway to more expensive scopes. I am sure not inclined to give Meade first consideration on subsequent, more expensive purchases.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars TOO FAST, October 30, 2007

By 

Ricardo Carvajal "rcarva2000" (texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Meade 494 Autostar Telescope Controller (Electronics)

TEXT SCROLLS TOO FAST - YOU HAVE NO CHOICE AND CAN NOT KEY IN YOUR OWN OBJECT COORDS. I SETTLED FOR "TONIGHT'S BEST" OPTION AND GO FROM THERE. BUY IT HERE, FOGET MEADE. THEIR SUPPORT DEPT IS TERRIBLE.