Celestron NexStar 11 GPS Telescope
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- Optical Diameter: 279 mm
- Max Useful Magnification: x 660
- Finderscope: Optical
- Mount Type: Altazimuth
- Focal Length: 2800 mm
- Optical Design: Catadioptrics
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Nexstar 11 GPS review
Pros
Optics, quiet motors, GPS works well
Cons
Clutch malfunction, Power supply, slow slewing speed
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The scope is easy to use. I would recommend it and hope that my experience is just an exception.
I purchased this scope half a year ago after I had a Meade LXD 55 (briefly). I returned the Meade because quality was really shoddy (one of the tripod screws broke off, condensation on the interior of the corrector plate, slewing precision not satisfactory). Now after using the Nexstar 11 for half a year I have good and bad things: The good first: The pointing accuracy is usually good. Optics are very good, came properly collimated. GPS lock is usually achieved quickly (less then a minute). Motors are quiet (although a bit slow). Condensation seems to be better then on comparable scopes due to the carbon fiber tube. Computer control works well with Starry Nite, the only problem I found: You have to have a computer hooked up when powering the scope otherwise the scope does not recognize the computer.
Now the bad: The supplied power supply burned out after a couple of nights. I must have shorted it when inserting the power connector. I still had another power supply which works fine. Then the plexiglass cover of the hand controller LCD fell off.
The mount for the hand controller is very loose and the controller easily falls out of the fork. It is a real pain to reinsert it afterwards.
If one does not level the telescope properly and if the compass is not calibrated it only points very roughly to the alignment stars.
Now my biggest problem: I put the scope on a wedge (otherwise it is impossible to take a photo through the scope; the object drifts out quickly so any exposure longer then half a minute is turning into a streak) and now the clutch does not lock anymore. There are one altitude and one azimuth clutch; one locks the OTA in place with them and then comes the alignment. If the tube slides through the clutches after alignment you have to repeat the alignment process. In my case the scope simply moves to a certain point and then you hear the motors continue but the scope does not move anymore. I called Celestrons support three times, left three messages and have not been called back.
Summary:
Could be a good scope if they were to iron the kinks out. This is my third Celestron (an older 8 inch which performed very well, a Nexstar 5 and now this one) and all but the first one have these clutch problems. The Nexstar 5 is so loose that the OTA moves if I attach my Coolpix 995 camera. Other then that: good optics.
Now the bad: The supplied power supply burned out after a couple of nights. I must have shorted it when inserting the power connector. I still had another power supply which works fine. Then the plexiglass cover of the hand controller LCD fell off.
The mount for the hand controller is very loose and the controller easily falls out of the fork. It is a real pain to reinsert it afterwards.
If one does not level the telescope properly and if the compass is not calibrated it only points very roughly to the alignment stars.
Now my biggest problem: I put the scope on a wedge (otherwise it is impossible to take a photo through the scope; the object drifts out quickly so any exposure longer then half a minute is turning into a streak) and now the clutch does not lock anymore. There are one altitude and one azimuth clutch; one locks the OTA in place with them and then comes the alignment. If the tube slides through the clutches after alignment you have to repeat the alignment process. In my case the scope simply moves to a certain point and then you hear the motors continue but the scope does not move anymore. I called Celestrons support three times, left three messages and have not been called back.
Summary:
Could be a good scope if they were to iron the kinks out. This is my third Celestron (an older 8 inch which performed very well, a Nexstar 5 and now this one) and all but the first one have these clutch problems. The Nexstar 5 is so loose that the OTA moves if I attach my Coolpix 995 camera. Other then that: good optics.
