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Meade DS-2080AT LNT GOTO computerised refractor telescope

Opening remarks

This telescope is part of the Meade DS2000 family of GOTO  telescopes and comes as a complete kit including two eyepieces – for our test we received just a single box and received no other accessories other than the standard kit supplied by the manufacturer. The items we were required to obtain to complete the review were a set of 8 AA batteries as these were not included. The instrument is well packaged and after the plain cardboard outer is removed the telescope is packaged in a smart looking presentation picture box (making it suitable for gift use).

As I handled the parts I noticed that the build quality of the telescope, especially of the main mount, was very good. I expected more plastic to have been used on this economy GOTO telescope and was pleasantly surprised by the solid aluminum construction of the fork arm and the smart high-tech look of the mount and tripod impresses too. The large altitude lock knob is solid and chunky in the hand and feels very positive in use. The tripod looks a tad light and could be a bit heavier but this is a judgement that more properly belongs at the end of this review not at the beginning.

Assembly was simple as the main telescope is pre-assembled and comes in just three main parts. The instruction manual is written in clear English (American English anyway) and we felt that if given to a child under 12 adult supervision would be recommended, as least for assembly and initial set-up.

I set the telescope up outside in the garden on a clear night – there was no Moon but Jupiter was already well up in the south east and the sky conditions were clear and dark and promised a good night’s observing. I had already assembled the telescope indoors and it was an easy matter to fold the tripod legs and maneuver the complete telescope outside. It is not heavy and I was able to move the telescope around easily even with the main tube attached.

Setting up the DS2080 LNT telescope

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