Meade ETX-80AT-TC BB (f/5) Achromatic Refractor Backpack Version

by Meade

Product Features

• Durable metal telescope with an aluminum tripod and 100% nylon backpack
• 80mm (3.1") refracting type telescope
• 400mm (f/5) focal length
• Multi-coated optics
• Internal flip function Barlow lens increases the magnification of the eyepiece in use

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 14 x 12 x 25 inches ; 12 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 16 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000IFZOXU
• Item model number: 0805-04-20
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,531 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #26 in Electronics > Camera & Photo > Binoculars, Telescopes & Optics > Telescopes > Refractors
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Product Description

Aperture: 80mm(3.1-Inch). Focal Length: 400mm. Focal Ratio: f/5. Internal Flip-in Barlow lens, #494 AutoStar handbox with over 1400 object library, Light Weight Tripod, AutoStar Suite Astronomer Edition Software and Instructional DVD, Compass Level, Erecting Prism, Dew Shield, Deluxe Durable Backpack, Plössl Eyepieces (9.7mm, 26mm). Meade’s 80mm diameter ETX delivers excellent light gathering for increased image brightness and greater detail. Moon craters by the hundreds; cloud belts on Jupiter, and Saturn’s rings are just the beginning of what can be seen with this telescope. Meade’s brainy AutoStar computer solves the stargazer’s two biggest challenges in navigating the heavens with a computer telescope: aligning the telescope with the night sky and finding celestial phenomenon in the vast starry firmament. Right out of the box with a simple initialization, AutoStar makes finding the sky’s elusive jewels virtually as easy as pushing a few buttons. Observe land targets or over 1400 sky objects in stunning high resolution, and learn about the sky with AutoStar's extensive descriptions of astronomical objects displayed on its screen. FEATURES AutoStar Computer Controller Automatically guides your telescope to over 1400 objects in the night sky, all at the push of a button. Large 80mm Objective Lens Delivers crisp, bright images and greater detail. Internal Time Chip Set-up is now quicker and easier. Time and date are now precisely calibrated at our factory.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful starting telescope, August 28, 2007

By 

Elizabeth J. Griffin (OKC, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Meade ETX-80AT-TC BB (f/5) Achromatic Refractor Backpack Version (Electronics)

With this set-up, you have a lot of bells and whistles for a great price. The instructions are very easy, but if you do have some problems, the remote is likely to step you through everything and take the guess work out. If set up properly, it will navigate to any of over 1000 locations with just a touch of a button. You can also plug it into your computer for software updates.
I have had no issues with this telescope and my whole family looks forward to clear nights so we can look at the moon, stars and planets a little closer and share in God's creation. Enjoy!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Portable, Easy to Use, October 6, 2009

By 

Brian R - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Meade ETX-80AT-TC BB (f/5) Achromatic Refractor Backpack Version (Electronics)

I got tired of struggling with my cumbersome 5" EQ reflector, so I decided to give this a try. The scope is definitely portable and easy to use. Optical quality is good and the chromatic aberration is generally tolerable, which ain't bad for a fast (f5) achromat. A minus-violet filter isn't a necessity but certainly improves views of the moon and especially Jupiter. The built-in barlow requires a lot of refocusing, so buying a short-tube 3x barlow would be another good upgrade. The Autostar is easy to align and does a decent job of locating objects. Not dead center, but at least in the field of view. The tracking is fairly precise and it's a joy not having to continually re-center objects.

Make sure you read the manual! There are a lot of helpful Autostar features buried in there. And do yourself a favor and don't install the 45 degree diagonal, it just gets in the way when looking near the zenith.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent scope for the price and size, June 10, 2008

By 

Doug Snell "dwsj" (Lititz, PA USA) - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Meade ETX-80AT-TC BB (f/5) Achromatic Refractor Backpack Version (Electronics)

This is a handy little scope for the price and size. It might not look like much or have some of the specs of larger scopes, but it's much easier to handle and assemble. The quality is pretty good - I've had no problems with parts or optics. The alignment is also fairly straight-forward.

It is a tad noisy, but that hasn't been a problem for me.