radiofm74

8 hours ago, Franklin said:

The SD81S is my most used scope, on the AP or APZ it's so light, portable and excellent quality.

I see from your picture above that the dovetail bar on your SD81S is right at the limit. I found this too and overcame it by attaching the lower ring one bolt hole up on the bar which allows you to slide the tube further forward and means you can fix the bar to the mount further up, adding stability.

Great tip! Right at the limit, it balances quite well, but a few millimetres more might be better. Thanks!

I am going dizzy with all the great Vixen scopes, mounts and eyepieces on display on this thread ;D

I've started out during COVID on a (much-loved) Celestron OMNI 150 kit (6" Newt on a CG-4), acquired a C6 for an airline-friendly tube, then being a lover of EQ mounts and an urban dweller in need of a lot of portability I got a Vixen Advanced Polaris. It was a real eye-opener. Super-portable, precise… an amazing piece of kit. When I decided I'd do imaging too, I fitted it with motors and a polar scope, and got a used SD81S. A second w<yw-opener: what a wonderful scope! With the spare parts of the Advanced Polaris I made a fully manual APZ. Both mounts are fantastic, both can hold my (recently acquired) C8 if well balanced, not to speak of my other tubes. The SD81S is my favorite imaging scope and to my utter surprise and confusion also my favorite visual scope, especially for doubles, lunar, and clusters, even though it competes with a pair of good SCTs with much more aperture.

I am now hopelessly hooked. I'd like a 4-5" apo and a nice motorised mount to sustain it, especially for doubles and planetary from my balcony, so my first choice are an old GP(D) and 4-5" Vixen ED doublet. I am so taken with my AP that I'd love to get a Sphinx to upgrade my HEQ5 Pro as my "static" imaging base. And if a R200SS passes by I won't let it go. I am even getting a bit of Vixen eyepiece fever. This thread ain't helping ;D

17 hours ago, Richard said:

I was offered an ED130SS in response to a ‘wanted’ ad a couple of months ago. I didn’t go for it in the end as it was located in Italy, and after import charges etc would have been more than I wanted to pay. I’d be happy to put you in touch with the chap who replied to my ad?

I love old ‘Vixen green’ kit. I regret selling an ED114SS a couple of years ago, but did manage to re-acquire my FL80S last year, nearly 15 years after swapping it with a friend, via a third owner. Lovely, sharp optics, and really portable. Keeps up with my Tak 76DCU.

Richard

If I may ask, and if the OP does not express an interest, could you provide the contacts in case you think the scope is still up for sale? I am in Italy and would jump on the occasion!

45 minutes ago, SwiMatt said:

Hello from Sweden where I live now, but ciao from Ticino (born and raised) 😁

I did not know that Lausanne has such "good" (lol) skies, is this in the middle of the city or from the hills surrounding it?

I lived in Geneva for 5 years but this was way before I started stargazing, so I don't really remember much. I did my military on the hills North of Lausanne (Bière, above Morges/Aubonnes) and the stars were very nice during the long nights out. But that was probably Bortle 4, I wish I had my binoculars then 😍

Welcome!

Ciao SwiMatt!

That Bortle 6 is in the centre of Lausanne, and quite frankly it's still enjoyable for DSOs when conditions are just right. I remember a couple memorable nights there, and even successfully hunting for Bode's Pair with a tiny 2.5" refractor ;D

But indeed, my main observation site is in the hills and woods about 30' from my place by car. That's a good rural sky, and among many thrilling moments it gave me my first view of Zodiacal Light and Gegenschein … plus, taught me the cries of many a wild beastie ;D

Hello everyone!

I've been stargazing since January 2021, and imaging since January 2022. Both sides of the hobby are important to me and I also like sketching (if only I were a little better at that ;D). I am a city dweller living between Milano (Bortle 9 or whatever is the definition of "worse skies around") and Lausanne (a much more decent Bortle 6) but I escape to rural skies whenever I have the occasion. It is not entirely a coincidence that my favorite gear is very portable… my faithful Vixen Advanced Polaris, Vixen 3" ED (SD81S), my C6, my recently purchased AsiAir, a bunch of light Baader eyepieces, my own naked eyes… But I also enjoy observing from my balcony in Milano with a bigger GoTo mount, hunting lunar features, planets and doubles.

I've been an active member of CN for quite some time now, but I've long been lurking this forum and thought it was about time I'd start contributing here too!

Clear skies to you all!

New member here and I cannot help commenting on Franklin's pic: I am afraid I suffer from the same condition, and your collection is a true inspiration! I have a lovely little Advanced Polaris, an APZ for even more grab'n'go and an SD81S. They are my most treasured pieces of astro-kit, especially the AP and the SD81S. I am now basically only considering Vixen stuff for my GAS plans. I'd like a 4-5" apo, and am on the lookout for a well-loved ED/SD103S or ED/SD115S. I'm also starting to want Vixen quality in my larger GoTo mount (currently a very nice and serviceable HEQ5 Pro), and I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a 2nd generation Sphinx mount. Meanwhile, if a nice old SP or GP comes on the market, or a R200SS, I might not be able to resist… So my hope is to go down that path ;D

Hello! I am even later than Osbourne but in case it's still relevant to you, I thought I'd just confirm what he said. I love my SD81S both for visual and for imaging. It's an absolute joy to use. I have not yet used a reducer/flattener, so the pics below are just examples of the scope on its own (with a Canon 60D)