Hello Friend,

Recently I got an email from a long time customer who just was not getting the use out of his telescope
lately.

Why?  Well he was getting up in years   (tell me about it) and the instrument he currently owns just takes too much
effort to set-up an use.   That's reason #1 that people don't use their gear;  It's too much work.

What's reason # 2?  They can't quite figure out how to use the software functions on it, because it was a while
since they last use it. That's normal.  We all forget things over time.  It's happened to me with software on a PC
recently. Solution: RTFM!  

Reason # 3:  Some part of the telescope is not working properly. It could be the focuser mechanism, the 
instrument might be out of collimation (alignment) and they don't have the proper tool to solve the problem.
Perhaps the computer is acting up.  Or the power supply is not working.  Strangely, they also never do much
about getting the problem resolved. It can sit for months or even years.  

Reason #4:  Laziness. Yup. It's human nature to be lazy sometimes. I know because I've been guilty of that myself on occasion. It was far easier to 
just not be bothered because the "clouds will roll in as soon as I set the scope up".  (That one has actually happened
to me several times, so it's not entirely untrue.)

So how about some solutions then?

1) If your present equipment is not working for you anymore, trade it in and get something that does. Maybe you just need
something more portable. Or a telescope with bigger aperture than you presently have.  If you have not looked at 
telescopes for a while, things have really changed both in terms of portability and optical/mechanical performance.
It's far better than it ever was.

 2)If your telescope is not working correctly here are a few things you can try:
 
a) update the firmware. Those updates are FREE via the web by most manufacturers.  If you need special cables,
     we have them, you can find them on our website.

b) Buy a collimation device and learn how to collimate or align your instrument. Once you learn how to do it once
    it's a skill you have for life.  If you don't want to do it, or don't have the time  then bring your optical tube in and let us do it for you.

That about sums it up:  We've got some new offers up on the Daily Deals  including some TeleVue eyepieces
direct link: http://khanscope.com/collections/daily-deals

Clear Skies,

Ray Khan

PS There is a reason #5 actually: "It's cloudy!" . Hopefully we will see some better skies this spring than we have this
     past winter.