ukskies

No stock of DF or DZ at FLO at time of ordering, I actually have been waiting for a DZ. I found the DF in stock at RVO tho I see now the DZ is in stock at FLO.

https://www.officeoutlet.com/products/roc-cases-aluminium-flight-case-silver-1# It's not a drive your truck over it model but with care it should last me a few years at least.

I'm having a whale of a time too. 😃 It's just the best fun well apart from observing with it of course.

I can't tell you how excited I am to finally have a Tak, my dream scope! 😃

Got these to go with it.

Takahshi triple boxing, I've read about this but it's impressive.

I hope not, she wouldn't do that to me would she?!

This one looks quite interesting

I came home to find some largish sealed boxes in the lower hall tonight. I wonder what they could contain?

Hi, many thanks and I really appreciate your kind comments but Ill just be happy if a few newcomers find it a useful when they're considering buying eyepieces as that's the reason I made it for myself. I could do the math on the phone but as I'm considering several eyepieces in the future it's nice to be able to see at a glance up to 10 possibilities at the same time and compare them. No point in having focal lengths to close together is there?

Yes, I did get that but not on the first read thro unfortunately. My apologies.

Thanks again Malcolm, I might be tempted to try it now.😀

Hi Malcolm, many thanks for the link. I'd not even considered a Vixen weight! I may be sorted in the short term but I will keep this in mind going forward as i think the 4.5 is a little over the top, I was going to order 2x2kg weights but no stock at RVO who, like most in the industry are struggling to get stock of certain items. It's a Bresser one because I preferred the smaller diameter/ longer weight. I'll be honest,since Brexit I'd not tried to buy from Europe can I ask did you have delivery and find there was more to pay or was it as per the website when you ordered?

Hi Cleetus and many thanks for your helpful post. I actually hadn't thought about Vixen counterweights (doh) and I see Malcolms post following yours has put a link to some. Just for info I actually ordered the OTA package which includes the 6x30 finder,bracket and clamshell just because I love the look of the clamshell and because @mikeDnight recommended the 6x30. I also ordered a Baader clicklock dielectric 2" diagonal with the intention maybe of using 2" eyepieces maybe in the future and because many diagonals have no stock at FLO, a Vixen style short dovetail bar and a 35mm 2" extension tube just in case I encounter focus range issues. The MEF focuser TBH is under consideration but I'm not quite sure about it yet, from what little research I've done online it seems a bit like Marmite tho Doctor D (for one) loves it. Hence 'm going to try the standard focuser first and then decide what to do. Can I assume though that you have or had the MEF and like(d) it? If so what did impress you about it? And finally eyepieces, not 2" to begin with tho I will be buying some in the near. I'm not a rich so quality eyepieces have to be thought about very carefully prior to ordering. I am aware that most ranges of eyepieces have a couple of gems, the Morpheus 17.5 for example and it may pay to cherry pick across different ranges. My main eyepiece in the 12" dob has simply been a Baader mk4 zoom and dedicated 2.25 barlow. I do love to zoom in on the moon, it's like being in a space ship as you approach. I know it's childish but heck I'm 66 and haven't grown up yet.😉 There are no doubt better eyepieces than this but the ability to change power with a simple twist as the seeing varies is priceless. I do feel the FC100 will deserve a few better eyepieces however.

Hi Michael, no worries, it's not for everyone.

No, I hadn't seen any calculators for exit pupil so decided to make my own. Just thought Iwhilst I was doing it that I'd share it with anyone who may want to use it. Edit: apologies I misunderstood your meaning about div/0 errors. I posted this purely out of my desire to help others where I can and because I hadn't seen any readily available to newcomers.

Hi Malcolm, thank you very much for this, it reinforces my thinking. Lighter counterweights are quite difficult to find in stock atm but I did manage to get a 4.5 kilo one. This i'm sure will need to be near the top end of the shaft but if I have calculated correctly I should be able to balance with it. The DF is 0.8kg heavier than your DC plus I have another nearly 0.8kg added to the top of my Vixen SP mount so I think it will work ok.

Hi everyone, I've made a simple excel spreadsheet calculator for eyepiece Mag and exit pupil size it also allows Barlow magnification to be calculated. I just thought some newer members might also get some benefit from it. You won't need to have excel on your device to be able to use it as it will work in your Google Chrome browser window. You simply type in your objective or mirror diameter in mm and the focal length of your scope in mm and the focal length of the eyepiece that you are looking at or considering and the sheet will calculate your magnification and exit pupil size. If you are using a barlow type the mag of the barlow (eg for a 2x barlow type 2 in the box under Barlow mag X) and the sheet will calculate the revised magnification and the size of the exit pupil too. Depending on your device it may be necessary to download it to your device then click it to open it. If you would like to give it a go you can download it here: Eyepiece calculator.xlsx

Hi thank you for posting this, maybe I'll need less weight than I thought. I guess I'll see soon enough.😃

Thanks Gary, I'm really looking forward to it. Yes the price of Tak gear is eyewateringly expensive I'll admit and the DF has now cost as much as the DZ would have back in the spring. It's a dream coming true for me tho so what price do you put on that?

Hi Gary, thank you for your response. I'm really looking forward to joining the Tak club as I've wanted one for many years but other things always got in the way and hence never had the money.

Thank you JeremyS I will be posting some before midweek I hope.😃

Hi everyone, some of you may remember back in the spring I decided on getting an FC100DZ and have been saving and waiting for stock ever since. I recently found out that Takahashi have stopped taking orders for these until further notice which wasn't the best news I could have hoped for so I decided to get something else. I have been on ABS looking at used FC100's but I really don't fancy spending a lot (to me anyway) on a used scope that might have issues that I might be unaware of at time of purchase. With this in mind I decided to order a brand new FC100DF which I did on Saturday. I'm now ordering a few bits that I need as well, diagonal, dovetail bar and I'm wondering about a counterweight hence this post. I have a Vixen SP, bought used earlier this year , which came with a large counterweight. I've weighed it today and it's 14lbs (6.4 kilo) and I'm thinking it's going to be a bit heavy for the Tak. I'm wondering if I might get away with it at or near the top of the shaft? What do you FC100 owners use to balance your scopes on a GEM please?