Celestron CPC 1100 GPS(XLT) Telescope

Documentation: The documentation is minimal and obviously written by a person whose native language is other than English.

Tripod: The tripod is well built, of high quality and very stable.
The level in the tripod is a good idea, but when the telescope is mounted, the level is covered.  The weight of the telescope might change the footing but the only way to know would be malfunction of the telescope; a small level mounted in the yoke would eliminate any problem.

The shelf is awkwardly designed, and its center post would be unnecessary if its design were better; the post is in the way when items are placed on the shelf.

On page 14, it reads that a reminder message to level the tripod will appear when alignment is selected.  So far, this message has never appeared.

The covers of the mounting bolts are small, making threading unnecessarily difficult.

Finder scope: The finder scope is very difficult to use; a black crosshair is almost invisible against the black night sky; the thickness of the crosshairs is too great, often they obliterate the object; the assembly instructions were vague; adjustment is very awkward, and the slightest touch (including replacing the lens caps) will put the unit out of alignment; - to facilitate alignment, an objective with cross hairs would be very useful.

The description of the installation site was vague, and the Warning message was contradicted by the fact that the telescope came with the screws fully threaded; there were two rows of screws – by telephoning the store where I bought the telescope I was told which row to use.  It is a nuisance that the finder scope must be adjusted each time the telescope is used; the store personnel recommended removal of the finder scope and the purchase of a Telrad finder.

The placement of the finder scope in its holder is crucial, but there were no instructions about that placement.  The text made no reference to the picture shown on page 9, but that picture is important to proper assembly.

Given the warning on page 9, the telescope should NEVER HAVE BEEN EQUIPPED with screws which might damage the primary mirror.  THE INCLUSION OF LONG SCREWS WAS AN ERROR.

Hand control: The hand control was apparently designed for a person with small hands.  When the scrolling information appears, the ENTER button is disabled making alignment a twofold process, first waiting until the hand control is ready, and then making the alignment (there is no mention of this fact in the booklet).

The holder is feeble at best, and, instead of designing the yoke to hold such a feeble device, the yoke should include a holder.

The default setting of the Cord Control described on page 24 of the booklet should be ON, not OFF; not knowing this fact resulted in cord breakage.

The hand control is equipped with an RS232 port to make a computer connection; such ports were discontinued long ago, and were eliminated from all notebook computers in the year 2004.
Yoke: The best way to move the telescope to a different location is to place the tube in a vertical position in which case the handle on the tube presses against one’s chest.  The yoke is designed for a right handed person.

The audible click that occurs when the yoke is properly positioned was a very good idea.
The yoke was well built and of high quality.

The program for the tracking was well designed and functioned very well.  The autocompensation for the momentum of the tube was a professional touch.
 
Power tank:  The leaflet which accompanied the Power Tank was absolutely minimal.  The initial charge required almost 48 hours.  There was no description in the text about the correct function of the indicator lights.  The power cable was very light and did not fit snugly in the port on the power tank.  The replacement cable I purchased from the vendor was a better design and it was more sturdily built.  Once it was fully charged, the power tank worked perfectly.

Telescope: The power indicator light on the base of the telescope shines directly into the face of the user; I use a lens cap to cover the light.  The diagonal which accompanied the unit I bought has no lock, so using it at an angle other than 90o requires holding the diagonal.

The main assembly was of high quality and excellent construction.  The optics are very good.  The tracking system is very good.

Computer program: There is no list of the stars and objects included in the booklet; how does one know which items are available?  To determine if a star is included in the Named Stars list, one must scroll through the list using the hand control; where is the information about the items in the NCG or the SAO? When I telephoned the store I was told to look for the information on the internet.  This fact makes the claim on page 14 of “40,000 ” objects less significant.

When the “MENU” button is used, and a selection is made, the only way to return is to use the “UNDO” button.  This choice is confusing, as it implies a reversal of the last selection when“Go back” is what is meant.

The “hibernation” feature is useless if the telescope is moved, and all of the setup information must be entered again.