Vixen Half Pier & Slow Motion Controls

[Scopeman]

Here is my beloved Takahashi FS128, must be worth a fortune now as they stopped making them some years ago now.

Edited October 18, 2022 by Scopeman

[Nightspore]

6 hours ago, Scopeman said:

Here is my beloved Takahashi FS128, must be worth a fortune now as they stopped making them some years ago now.

 

Very nice. Every time I decide to buy a Takahashi refractor I end up buying some other make of telescope. Maybe one day. 

[Nightspore]

7 hours ago, Scopeman said:

I like the TV 2.5, if you ever want to sell it 😁. I have a fair few Explore Scientific 2" and 1.25" and a nice set of Pentax eps

 

 

I have some ES, I think everyone does lol. I'm pretty sure they're made by JOC. I replaced many of mine with Naglers, although I ended up keeping the ES EP's as well. I actually prefer the 24mm ES to the 24mm Panoptic.

 

 

I usually take out just four eyepieces with my 72ED DS Pro.

 

 

It's my most used scope. The 24mm and 8.8mm ES for rich field/deep sky. A 4mm TS Planetary HR and a 3.2mm TMB clone for lunar/planetary and doubles.  

 

 

I used to take the 6.7mm and 14mm ES out with the 72ED as well but the overall carrying weight was not ideal. I've discovered that adding a Barlow element to the 8.8mm (effectively making it around 5.8mm) gives me a 1mm exit pupil. So I get five useful magnifications from four eyepieces and a Barlow element (17.5x, 48x, 72x, 105x and 131x). 

 

 

These stand-alone SvBony Barlow elements are quite good with excellent on-axis transmission. Although I've seen some edge of field colour. 

 

 

The only Pentax I own are the XF and XL zooms. The XL is very good, although the transmission could be better. The XF is basically a portable spectroscope. I'm not saying there is much false colour but it might make a good kaleidoscope. Or a paperweight. Good for hippies, bad for astronomers.

[Scopeman]

Mine are XL's

[Nightspore]

3 minutes ago, Scopeman said:

Mine are XL's

 

They look really good. The undercut puts me off a bit though.

 

 

I've often thought about the Pentax XL's, but I kind of went the TV route. Maybe one day.

 

 

Probably helps with my OCD.

 

[Scopeman]

TV's are nice, Nagler are too but too pricey for me tbh. The ES's are very good ut you can only do what you can do when on a budget and I in the past didn't have the money to do it. Going to try the FLT91 soon, got to change the Losmandy plate for a Vixen first though.

[Scopeman]

I put it on, not quite as stable as the Mak but I think it is weight. Funnily the higher you point it the more stable it seems. Probably over the limit with the ep and finder but may do for a quick look.

Edited October 19, 2022 by Scopeman

[Nightspore]

1 hour ago, Scopeman said:

TV's are nice, Nagler are too but too pricey for me tbh. The ES's are very good ut you can only do what you can do when on a budget and I in the past didn't have the money to do it. Going to try the FLT91 soon, got to change the Losmandy plate for a Vixen first though.

 

My TV's were a lot less expensive when I bought them. 

[Nightspore]

1 hour ago, Scopeman said:

I put it on, not quite as stable as the Mak but I think it is weight. Funnily the higher you point it the more stable it seems. Probably over the limit with the ep and finder but may do for a quick look.

 

I think weight and balance are both equally important. My 102mm Starwave is 4kg, up to 5kg with 2" accessories. Once balanced it does well on the Porta II/HAL-130 (plus pillar). Although I keep the accessories as light as possible for the Porta II/TL-130. 

[Scopeman]

It is all 2" eps on this one too! Don't want to start reducing it to 1.25" defeats the object of a 2" aperture then.

[Scopeman]

Looks really cool this scope, I may invest in a 1.25" diagonal though just to take some weight off on this mount

[Nightspore]

1 hour ago, Scopeman said:

Looks really cool this scope, I may invest in a 1.25" diagonal though just to take some weight off on this mount

 

It does look cool. I tend to use 2" mirror diagonals as they are generally lighter in weight than prisms. Although for lunar/planetary observing I'm not sure a 2" diagonal/eyepiece is strictly essential. I thought a 1.25" mirror/prism would make more sense for high magnifications. Plus, less vibration. With my 80ED DS Pro I use a 2" mirror and 2" eyepieces for rich field and medium magnifications. Anything over 100x and I switch to a Tak' prism. I usually use the 80ED on the Porta II/TL-130.

Edited October 19, 2022 by Nightspore

[Scopeman]

You're right, I only use 1.25" eps and prism diagonal for lunar/planetary, I just ordered a WO 1.5" Durabright Dielectric diagonal for those on the AP2 to reduce the weight but on the EQ6R Pro I'd use all 2" with this scope

Edited October 19, 2022 by Scopeman

[Scopeman]

I would also use a 2" diagonal to 1.25" for lunar/planetary to get as much light into the 1.25" eps, just depends on what the seeing is like.

Edited October 19, 2022 by Scopeman

[Nightspore]

1 minute ago, Scopeman said:

You're right, I only use 1.25" eps and prism diagonal for lunar/planetary, I just ordered a WO 1.5" Durabright Dielectric diagonal for thos on the AP2 to reduce the weight but on the EQ6R Pro I'd use all 2" with this scope

 

The only WO diagonals I have are Amici prisms. I have dielectrics.

 

 

[Nightspore]

3 minutes ago, Scopeman said:

I would also use a 2" diagonal to 1.25" for lunar/planetart to get as much light into the 1.25" eps, just depends on what the seeing is like.

 

I didn't think it was physically possible after a certain size. 18mm?

 

 

Something about the laws of physics as that Canadian chap kept stating (albeit in a funny accent.)

[Scopeman]

4 hours ago, Nightspore said:

 

I didn't think it was physically possible after a certain size. 18mm?

 

 

Something about the laws of physics as that Canadian chap kept stating (albeit in a funny accent.)

 

[Scopeman]

Just now, Scopeman said:

Don't know what happened there! Anyway, there probably is a limit which is why I decoided to get the smaller diagonal earlier

 

[Scopeman]

[Nightspore]

I'm a tad wary of diagonals with brazed eyepiece holders. 

 

 

 

[Nightspore]

 

WO Amici diagonals with helical (new design shown above on top).

 

 

Above, 45° WO Amici.

[Scopeman]

Amongst my plethora of eps I do have this 8mm Radian for lunar/planetary

[Nightspore]

43 minutes ago, Scopeman said:

Amongst my plethora of eps I do have this 8mm Radian for lunar/planetary

 

Nice. Apparently the DeLites are the replacement for the Radians. TV had difficulties sourcing the lanthanum glass used in the Radians and so stopped using it.

 

  

The Plossls aren't bad, but the Nagler zoom is outstanding.

 

[Scopeman]

Not sure I like the look of that last one, what is the top piece all about? I do have a few TV Plossls on my case too.

[Scopeman]

I also have the Baader planetary eyepiece set