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Rating: 
Summary: To Go Or Not To Go?
Review: Hello Amateur Astronomers,
Purchased the little Gem at Service Merchandise in Illinois, back in Feb, 02. What I did not like about this Go To scope was Star Guide hand control and that chinsy battery pack. (watch the frail wires, they break off the terminals.)
First, the Star Guide hand controller is very complicated to figure out. For example, when first turned on it reads "custom"
What is custom? Custom means the kind of scope. The instructional manual then reads if your telescope doesn't function properly, then go to the menu (#3) and scroll down to the correct model. Listing custom again and 3 other choices. Oh, those many addendums! One addendum to the manual advises you just skip everything and be sure to use "auto align" citing a two star alignment. Another addendum then reads it it not advisable to use this method since you have to know the stars names and location. Well, guys, what other method is there?
Be careful, though, the little battery pack that powers the 114 is not built into the scope. I don't know how many times my scope wrapped the rubber coated wire around the tripod and into the mount. My advise is to velcro the Vinyl covered pack to the fork mount, and get the wires (which are black) out of the way.
Another gripe I had was switching observing locations. Finding stars at the first location, the scope functioned properly, however, for some reason, it didn't like Dansforth Illinois. Even though I picked kankankee as the nearest city, it just wouldn't point to anything, not even Venus. I suspect someone forgot to program other terrestial locations in the hand controllers database. So my advise is to load the proper latitude and longitute into the controller if you're going to switch observing sites. Oh, and those poor blotes in Ohio, well Ohio, and all its cities, are listed under the State of South Dakota? Also Tasco is not honoring its warranties, since, as I understand it is going under.
Rating:
Summary: How to remove the black carboard lens cover from front cover
Review: I purchase this scope on 12/22/01 and was setting it up. It tells were you can align with your eyeball while some else adjust the front lenseMine has a piece of black paper in side and I would like to removed it.
Thanks for listening.
Rating: 
Summary: Go To!
Review: Okay, after a little practice with my Tasco 114, and getting in touch with the NexStar group, and getting additional encoder information,I must revise my previous review.The encoder numbers entered into handpad computer are the scopes weakest point, since they delete themselves if you pick the C114 configuration as advised in the owner's manual. Keep your scope on Custom/Model or you loose the scopes go to capability.
If you do loose this code, go to the Nexstar group on Yahoo and get the sequence and manually reload it. One of the strong points of the scope is the optics. I must admit, this F10/1000mm focal length has a rather ingenious way of using the built in barlow to achieve the focal f/10 focal ratio. Star tests revealed a perfect concentric circle or airy disk on inside and outside focus at high power. Once you conquer all the bugs, this little robotic scope is really a good performer. Oh, I also wouldn't mount the hand control bracket on the mount, since it prevents the adjustment of the tripod leg. Attach it afterwards.
Oh, you can do slow motion adjustments with the hand controller. Just press undo, press the directional arrow and its opposite to make little tweaky adjustments.
Rating: 
Summary: Starguide Telescope Simply Awesome
Review: Purchased the telescope 02/09/02. Within 15 minutes I was seeing planets. The alignment setup process was easy and simple. I have never owned a telescope before and if its this easy to see the planets and stars, I might buy an even stronger lens. The two that come with it are good, but they should have used a stronger one. All in All, EXCELLENT!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Money well spent
Review: The only reliable and functionally satisfying aspect of my Tasco Stargate 114 telescope is the little white light that illuminates the key pad. Considering the amount of Australian dollars (Money) spent, I now feel my recreation money would had been better spent wiring ten trillion little white lights and transmitting photons towards aliens.
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