Joe G

I’ve enjoyed reading about your dilemma & the various interesting responses so far so I thought I throw another suggestion to you. There’s a nice used 4” fluorite refractor going for a bargain on ABS & he might take an ONO which if I didn’t have the Vixen model it would already be on it’s way here now . Test it against your present scopes & if you like it, store it away safely. With the money left over buy whatever you fancy & after a number of years when you’re my age you might find, like me, the 4” scope may be the only one you’ll need

Sometimes we have to sell the past to buy the future so I’m looking forward to seeing what you get for a replacement

Great comparison photos!! The 120 doesn’t look to be much bigger /longer but probably a bit heavier than my Vixen FL102S. I definitely have something else to think about now

Congratulations David that is always my dream scope but not sure what is the minimum size mount for something as heavy and expensive as that beaut!! If you ever get a chance later on could you post a picture of both your Taks to show the physical differences

Hi Apologies in advance for butting in but I didn’t want to start a new thread. I have a friend calling this evening to hopefully look through my telescope & was wondering if the GRS will be visible on Jupiter at some point. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated thanks Joe

Hi It’s strange the different seeing conditions there were out there. I was out yesterday evening till about 8.30 & the views were the best I’ve seen this last month . I was able to view Jupiter with a Pentax XF 8.5 mm & Saturn with a Meade UWA 5.5 mm showing great amount of detail

Hi folks thanks for the replies. It’s also good to see that Saturn is also going to rise higher in the sky as time goes by Joe

Hi I went back out last night & got set up again. However I had left the scope in the garage and it was still dewed up from the earlier session. I didn’t want to use a hairdryer ( old wives tales about different temperatures on fluorite) so packed it away for the night

Hi all Jupiter just appeared to my naked eye when I went outside to take a look but I believe the clouds are coming in. Anyway thanks for the heads up & hopefully I’ll get a chance to see it again some time soon Joe

Hi Stu what time do you reckon the GRS will appear approximately? I just finished viewing for tonight and it’s getting cloudy but it’s giving a couple of clear periods later on. BTW I’d love get a look at Jupiter through that 5” fluorite scope !! Health to enjoy Joe

Hi I’ve been looking at the planets lately and Jupiter is nicely positioned for good viewing sessions over the next few months but Saturn seems to be disappearing out of view more quickly. I’m wondering if Saturn will always still be visible in the nighttime sky in the Northern Hemisphere over the next few years . Hopefully someone out there can reassure me & any replies would be appreciated thanks Joe

Spot on Franklin!!😁

I just had my recently purchased FL102S out for the first time doing some daytime terrestrial viewing. Also just back in from a short session viewing Jupiter, Saturn & the moon before the clouds finally blanked everything out. Maybe I’m a little “starstruck” at the moment but I believe the optics in this scope is something special

Hi I picked up this scope lately. I was looking for a 80mm doublet but went for this as I always wondered what the viewing would be like through a triplet. It gives a clear sky tonight so hopefully I’ll get my first look at the stars

Good idea, I need one for my dob so let us know how you get on with the project

The dew shield looks similar to some Borg models especially if the cap is an internal screw on type

Hi I had a Borg 90FL & a Tak FC100DZ together for a while. I decided to sell the Tak as the Borg is a great scope on a lightweight mount for both day & nighttime viewing

Hi David I was always going to disassemble the base but was wanting as much advice as possible. Yours just give me the incentive to go for it & it’s worked out great. Again thanks Joe

Hi David I decided today to disassemble the dob base & followed the procedure as you advised. I sprayed a little Tygris Silicone Lubricant onto a cloth and gave the spacers, washers & rotating areas a good cleaning. I noticed the centre nut was fairly tight before & retightened it until, as you said, I got the right feel on the movement. I now believe that was main problem I’m just back in from giving it a quick session on Orion. I was using a Meade UWA 5.5 eyepiece & the nudging at that magnification was just sweet! So no need to purchase any extra bits thanks to your reply Again thanks Joe

Hi Apologies for the late response but I’ve only just seen this. I managed to pick up a nearly new used one that was for sale on this forum as they couldn’t be bought new anywhere. I tried Google again using different suggestions & found a few tips such as using Teflon pads, Lazy Susan rotators etc. I don’t know how to add the links & have yet to try out anything yet

This is all that’s left of my first telescope. I bought it in the early eighties from a shop near the Bronx Zoo in New York. I had to pack it away in the original cardboard box after use every night as I had only a small garden shed at the time. I moved to my present home in 1987 with a lot more room to keep it stored fully assembled. I took it out one night to view the planets, left it unattended & when I went back out ,it had blown over & smashed the focuser. Anyway I got over it & at least I got my first close up views of the 4 main planets with it

Hi All I just fitted a used Lacerta focuser upgrade that I got on this site. Not only is it smoother to use but the coarse tuning knob is wider & smaller, which allows me more space around it & the focuser base place to operate. I had it out on Sunday night viewing the moon & Orion and the upgrade was well worth the price I’d bought the dob earlier last year. It was literally assembled but never used. I was never happy with the assembly as the tube would squeak when tilted forward or backwards. Also it is very stiff to swivel the base ( I had a 8” version years ago bought from a very experienced guy who used this site regularly & the scope would manoeuvre perfectly in every direction). I believe the squeaking came from the 4no cylinder saddle side bearings & noticed one wasn’t attached squarely so hopefully that might be sorted. I’m aware that the round base shouldn’t rotate too freely but I’m finding it frustrating to nudge the scope at higher magnification. Is there any tips out there from knowledgeable members or links I can use to make the base more servisable? Hopefully all this makes sense & thanks in advance of any replies Joe

I got this scope last year for quick viewing. Works great for day or nighttime sessions

Hi You definitely have enough there to get you more than started!! However, before you order I would recommend getting a 45degree diagonal from the same supplier for terrestrial viewing as it will enable you to view right way up and left to right ( great for ship spotting & other targets ). I would also suggest that you only need 1.25” diagonals, which will work with your Baader Zoom & any other eyepieces you’re likely to use with your new scope in the future

Hi I do a lot of terrestrial viewing using astronomy telescopes. I would totally agree with others who recommended a basic 80ED doublet such as the Skywatcher version mounted on something simple like a Vixen PortaMount. It’s also great for first time viewing the moon, planets etc