John

Just now, DRT said:

 

Isn’t the DL F9, John? 

I’m comparing F7.5 to F7.4 so not much between them. 

Yes - I've just realised my boo boo there !

The focal ratio is different but the focal length is the same, doh !

The stock focuser on my Vixen ED102SS wore out as well. It was very good when I first got the scope but after around 6 years (the scope was around 15 years old by then) I was having to adjust the tension quite often so I changed to a Moonlite.

If I still have the Tak FC100DL in, say, 10 years time I'll budget for a replacement focuser

It will be interesting Derek. I've made the same comparison (FC100DL in my case so the FL is the same too) quite a few times but I'll wait to hear about your results with interest rather than chipping in any of my findings prematurely

39 minutes ago, Cleetus said:

Are you not happy with the Tak focusser?

I'm quite happy with the stock focuser on my DL but others seem to feel that they need to be replaced so I'm in the minority I guess.

I feel my DIY finder mount solution looks at least as tidy as the Tak FQR1 too but I guess thats a matter of opinion.

But, hey, thats £350 of accessories that I don't need to get for the Tak 

I could get a nice 3-6 Nagler zoom for that !

Interesting that the Primaluce focuser is a re-branded GSO/Revelation.

Oh it's a wonderful little finder and beautifully made but I find the lowly Skywatcher 6x30 RACI does the job just as well and is much more comfortable in use, for me. My poor little Tak 6x30 and it's cast mount are back in their box I'm afraid

4 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

You got me thinking Derek. Since I have 4 Taks but only one FQR1, perhaps I could buy 3 more FQR’s and use the same Tak finder on each.

Now MY eyes are watering!

?

I wonder if the bases as available separately....

 

Do you use the stock straight through Tak finder Jeremy ?

I have one and it's wonderful quality but I just find RACI more convenient to use.

10 hours ago, DRT said:

Thanks, Jeremy.

I have also ordered an FQR-1 finder bracket to complete the upgrades. I have been indecisively hovering over the buy button for a few days given the eye-watering cost but confidently hit "Buy" on Ian King's website after reading your recent review  

I might go for one of those for my FC100DL. I've currently fitted a Skywatcher quick release bracket on small spacers, which does the job but the FQR1 seems a neat solution to making the stock finder easy to pop on and off.

Very nice Derek - looks a really neat upgrade

21 minutes ago, John said:

Thanks Richard.

My TMB/LZOS 130 F/9.25 is the only long(ish) triplet that I've used but it is excellent.

42 minutes ago, rl said:

John...

As far as I am aware these were made as f/9 or f/10 only but I'm prepared to be wrong on this one. At f/15 a doublet would be pretty much colour-free making the extra cost and effort pointless. I'm just amazed at just how well it works..it seems to do everything a decent 6" frac is supposed to do. 

RL

Thanks Richard.

I really like long(ish) triplets - my TMB/LZOS 130 F/9.25 is superb

Very enjoyable review Richard - thanks for posting the link

I think I fancied myself as a "Victorian gentleman astronomer" when I bought my Istar 6" F/12 the year before last - it was only an achromat but quite a handful !

The problem was that I did not have a "Victorian gentlemans observatory" to house it

I'm sure that I've seen a John Owen 6" triplet for sale quite a while back but I think that was F/12 or possibly even F/15 ?. Did he make even longer ones than your F/10 ?

38 minutes ago, MNJay said:

For my first post, why don't I share my beloved refractors? Two of them, anyway...

Takahashi FC-76DC f/7.5 mounted next to my APM/TMB/LZOS 105/650 f/6.2 on the Orion Atlas Pro AZ/EQ-G. In the FC-76DC is a FeatherTouch FTF2025BCR with a Baader 1.25" Zeiss BBHS prism diagonal and a TeleVue 24mm Panoptic, and in the TMB105 is a FTF2020BCR with a Baader 2" BBHS Sitall mirror diagonal and a TeleVue 13mm Ethos. I'm dying to get this setup out to a dark site! It's already late June and weather plus work means I haven't gotten out to my club's Bortle 3 site since November!!! ? I got one night with the TMB105 under Bortle 5-6 with terrible transparency and nearly a full moon. It was just about as bad as my typical Bortle 8 skies at home. But soon I hope to get out. Soon....... until then, it's Saturn from my balcony.

Welcome to the forum

What great taste in scopes you have - Takahashi and APM/TMB/LZOS - same here ! 

1 minute ago, xvariablestarx said:

I may as well tell you the refractor I was interested in, its the Explore Scientific AR102

https://explorescientificusa.com/collections/firstlight/products/fl-ar1021000eq3

 

I think I'd go for a 127mm mak-cassegrain rather than the AR102 in all honesty. If it was a nice ED doublet refractor (eg: Skywatcher ED100) I might swing the other way.

I've owned a few mak-cassegrains but never for very long - the cool down times don't suite my observing too well.

I owned a good Russian 6" F/5.9 maksutov-newtonian for nearly a year alonside an ED120 (4.7") refractor and compared them regularly during that period. The mak-newt's additional aperture gave it a definite edge when viewing deep sky objects but on the planets, the moon and double stars I found very little difference between the two scopes.

After a while I decided to let the Mak-Newt go to a new home because the two scopes were very evenly matched and I could not keep both. I would expect a decent 6" mak-cassegrain to be in a similar league, maybe ?

2 minutes ago, DRT said:

Thanks, John.

Watch this thread  

I've just found it

Very nice indeed Derek

I shall really look forward to your reports on using that scope

19 minutes ago, DRT said:

Very nice, John.

"Ercole II", not just "Ercole"?

Have I missed something?  

Nope, it's a standard Ercole (apart from the base plate addition). It's my 2nd time around with the design so "Ecole II" for me

On 20/06/2018 at 21:18, DRT said:

Well the Postman didn't bring it, but I collected this beauty from @jabeoo1 today in Bristol  

 

Takahashi FC100-DF (Parallax rings courtesy of Ian King & a Postman)

Glad this one has gone to a good home

Ercole II: This time I'm going to learn to love it !

Not sure why I felt I needed to add "not my sale" to my last post ?. If I'd owned a 12" Lomo mak-newt it would have been plastered all over this forum for months now ?

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

I notice you operate with the central column of the tripod extended John. Can you lock it down when extended? Reason I ask is that other tripods I've used where the central column extends, it lacks stability when extended - the central column is definitely the weak link. However, the central column of your tripod is geared and looks more robust than most....

I can lock the central column down Jeremy. I had it up when the photo was taken because I was observing the moon while standing. The Slik Master Classic is a pretty robust tripod all round I have to say but I agree that having the central column up increases the vibrations experienced. 

This is my Tele Vue Ranger ED 70mm on the Universal Astronomics Dwarfstar Mount fitted to the Slik Master Classic tripod. Bit of a mouthful of titles for a compact setup but there you go !

Total weight as you see it is 4.25kg / 9 lbs 5 oz. I tried a carbon tripod with the scope and mount recently but the stability dropped markedly for a weight saving of around 400g so I went back to the Slik Master, which is pretty stable up to 150x. Probably about as portable a setup as I'm going to be able to put together.

Not an Intes but a Lomo. Wow !!! though ?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12-F4-5-Lomo-maksutov-newtonian/323309053578?hash=item4b46b8a68a:g:qG8AAOSwYK1bFJKU

Not my sale I ought to add.

Same era as my Tasco 60mm F/13

Ditch the sun filter though

14 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Do you mean distortion near the edge of filed? There is some with the Pentax and the ES too, but it's not too bad. But they are both quite heavy (back to the theme of miminal weight/bulk). I think the Panoptic is lighter. But it's a lot to pay for another eyepiece when I already have two in a similar FL range. 

Interesting quote from another forum from Don Pensack, who knows a thing or two about eyepieces:

"And no two eyepiece designers seem to have the same idea when it comes to controlling astigmatism, field curvature, rectilinear distortion, angular magnification distortion, etc.
All designs appear to compromise on one or more of the above issues.
And what's acceptable to viewers seems to vary with the individual. I'd gladly accept pincushion distortion for well controlled astigmatism and field curvature. People who scan for comets or who use the eyepieces in spotting scopes abhor rectilinear distortion, yet can tolerate a bit of astigmatism.
Chacun a son goût (Each has his own poison)."

The trouble is, you need to try the various optical types out before you can reach a decision on what your particular preferences are. And that can be an expensive business

Personally, having tried the ES, Vixen and others of similar spec, I love the Panoptic 24 in my Tak FC-100DL and other refractors. In the 12" dob, it's the Ethos that get the vote