Hobbies And Interests
StarGuide Lenses
Tasco has four models of StarGuide telescope: Model 60, Model 80, Model 114, and Model 4. The Model 60 uses a 60 mm two-element objective refractor. The Model 80 has a 80 mm short tube refractor. The Model 114 uses a 4.5-inch spherical mirror with corrector plate and built-in Barlow. This model cannot point straight up or at 20 degrees and is not good for viewing satellites. The Model 4 uses a 4-inch spherical mirror with corrector plate reflector.
Hand Control
The StarGuide is a computerized device with a hand control to direct its movements. You can point it to exact coordinates as well as store that information in a database so you can refer back to specific locations. Unfortunately, the StarGuide's hand control has a number of bugs that were never fixed (as opposed to Celestron's NexStar which issued a replacement hand control). StarGuide's controller cannot save observation locations in the Eastern Hemisphere and backlash settings. The keypad is very sensitive, leading to frequent double-entries. The cordwrap and light control features do not work. Users also have reported errors in the coordinates of M2, M10 and M110. StarGuide's database is also smaller than NexStar's. NexStar's controller is compatible with Tasco's StarGuide and is available separately.
RS-232 Converter
The RS-232 converter can let the StarGuide hand control communicate with Celestron's NexStar software. By this means, you can use your PC to control the direction of your StarGuide telescope.
Power Supply
The StarGuide uses a battery pack with 8 AA cell batteries for DC power. The hour capacity is only good for a few hours. However, third parties sell battery adapters that provide additional voltage (up to 18 volts input).