DirkSteele

Nah, I am still young (ish) and want to play the field! 😉

1 hour ago, Elp said:

I think by it's very nature being made of tiny carbon tubes it is quite brittle (so likely expensive to process too), you wouldn't want such deposits however small on your optics even though it is utilised in this field.

Paint can also be quite reflective at steep angles which a textured material tends to break up due to the random surface construction.

I did wonder if there was risk of material flaking and ending up on the optics but never looked into to see if that was the case with Vanta.

Always found it annoying that Vantablack cannot be purchased by individuals but I am surprised some high end telescope companies have not looked into it. No baffles so narrower tubes meaning less weight is no bad thing.

Perhaps this might be a good substitute. Certainly the flat black in scopes today when viewed at acute angles is at best grey.

3 hours ago, JeremyS said:

Wish they would expand the scale of the longitudinal aberration plots.  I know they have zero crossings and are basically straight lines across the aperture, but it would be useful (for the geek in me at least) to see the variation in wavelength focus.  Still I saw one plot which had a scale of 7mm on the x-axis and all the lines just looked straight (but definitely were not based on the telescope model) so they are not the worst for it.  Pretty sure even a singlet wouldn't need a 7mm axis for its aberration plot!

Loving the catalogue pics.  Any chance they feature some of the big custom order FCTs?

2 hours ago, johnturley said:

I've just ordered one from FLO for my shortly to be acquired Tak 100 DZ, looks like this particular bag  will be the best fit, wondered whether it might be a bit on the big size with it being designed for 900 mm fl scopes.

John 

There is a gap with the DC but if you kept a diagonal in place there would be little room for the scope to move. Should work well with the DZ.

Woo! 4 in a row(see three posts above). Is there a prize for that?. 😜
 

My Takahashi FC-100 continues to require extra bits and bobs. This time a bag to transport it around. Selected the Oklop 100/900 refactor bag. Should serve my needs well. Already use a larger version with my APM LZOS 130/1200.

Placed order at 12:45pm this past Friday. Received an email almost exactly an hour later stating the order was complete with a Royal Mail tracking number. Arrived the next day before lunchtime. Great!

Yet more stuff for my recently acquired Takahashi FC-100DC. Now he needs a home so I picked up the Oklop 100/900 case from FLO. I already use a larger case with my APM LZOS 130/1200 so I know this will serve my needs well.

Welcome to SGL. Having spent an accumulated few months stargazing from Namibia and Mozambique over the last decade I can safely say you will have some amazing skies to explore.

A pair of binoculars could serve you and your daughter well. I would suggest a lower magnification (say 6-7x) so she can hold them still and fairly light weight would be the place to start. If she maintains her excitement for the subject, then a telescope in the future perhaps.

Of all that is good and great!  That scope would cut the impressive figure on the observing field.

15 minutes ago, tico said:

I'm really looking for small and quality.
I have little time, my sky is unstable by nature, I already have an SCT 8"... but I barely use it because the cooling time is what I have..., my back is terrible, I have three locations in my backyard from where I can observe a small part of the sky... that is... I have to move the telescope to three different places,...,
what more can I say

In which case, could be a perfect second scope.  I would say if you are considering Takahashi, the FC-76 is not that much heavier (i use the same mount and tripod combo with both) will show way, way more than the FS-60.

http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2017/03/12/takahashi-fc-76-dcu-review/

This is the upgrade module for the FS-60 but you could build it your self if you want the split tube without buying the FS-60 as well as detailed in the review, or just the regular OTA.  The reality is, you could even go to the FC-100DC (I just bought one two weeks ago) as it is still light weight at 2.8kg and I think the same mount and tripod will still work, and that is a big step up from the FC-76 and would blow the FS-60 away.

I have reviewed both of these scopes on my website.

http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2016/04/03/takahashi-fs-60-review/

http://alpha-lyrae.co.uk/2018/03/31/takahashi-fs-60q-review/

Love both, and the reviews should give you a lot of the info you seek.  But I will leave you part of the conclusions to consider....

From the FS-60 Review:

The baby Tak is perhaps one of the ultimate grab-and-go scopes available, especially for the internationally travelling astronomer, but unless you are really pressed for space or must always travel to do any kind of observing it should not be your primary scope.  It is expensive (OTA, clamshell and finder will set you back about £740 as of the date of this review) and you will see a lot more in a good 80mm scope and immeasurably more in an 8”.  But as a second (or in my case sixth) scope to compliment your main larger instrument, it is worth serious deliberation.

From the FS-60Q Review:

If you happen to be new to this hobby, the FS-60Q is definitely not for you.  Unless you always have to travel to observe or have no room to store a larger scope, you will receive far more bang for your buck buying a larger scope such as a 4” refractor or better yet a 6-8” reflector which will be easier to use and show you far more of the heavens than the little Takahashi ever could.

This is becoming the watch Matthew build his full Tak FC-100DC set up (see the two posts above). The standard Takahashi finder mounting is a bit of pain if you transport the scope so I added the More Blue quick release finder base. Was out of stock with an expectation of 10-15 days for new supply. Registered to be told when it came back in. Email was sent last Friday so less than 10 days from when I flagged interest, but I didn’t notice till Saturday morning. Placed the order. Dispatched Monday and arrived the next day. Nice and easy.

Oh and I see FLO are back to telling the truth with their sticker seal! 😉

Needed another widget for my recently acquired Tak FC-100DC. This time the More Blue quick release finder bracket.

19 minutes ago, Deadlake said:

Markus is listing this scope on CN

APM - Teleskop APO FPL 53 Refraktor 130/910 mit 3.7"ZTA APM-130-910-T-3.7ZTA  $ 4890

I suspect it’s a Japanese sourced lens to replace the LZOS. 
No more news as yet.

Is that in the Vendor forum?  Do not see it.

Optics in the cabin, tripod and mount etc can go in the hold. Wrapped in clothes in a suitcase and served me well for many years. I tend to secure the tripod with  cable lock in side the case just on the off chance a less than honest security person opens up the bag. It won’t stop a determined individual but makes a snatch and grab impossible.

For optics, maximise the carry on allowance. Never seen anyone weigh a bag (so long as you can lift in to the overhead bin) but dimensions can cause issues. I have experienced multiple size allowances over the years. A flavour below (the backpack is a camera bag and small enough to under the seat).

One other thing I have found helpful. X-ray scanner staff see camera all the time. Telescopes and similar not so much. A camera in the bag makes the scope lol like a huge telephoto lens. Never had questions with a camera present. Also have a star chart handy to get over any language barriers (that was a Middle East experience).

Time to buy some more kit then that I won’t be able to use. Always makes me feel better.

Seriously do find my mind plagued with thoughts about picking one of the dumbest hobbies as a resident in the UK.

I might have borrowed that second one, but the first one is me (and often my Astro pub quiz team name).

1 minute ago, JeremyS said:

This one is even more compact 🤔

Reinforcing previous known statements by me that “mirrors are for shaving” and “only refractors will do otherwise you never see the space vampires coming.”

Probably explains why I just added another scope to the collection. Chances to observe this year have been slim and I am somewhat sustained by an amazing session at AstroCamp back in the spring when the aurora also put on a display as well (despite being in South Wales).

We have definitely had a bad run with the Baker Street Irregular Astronomers. We have to select the meeting date as much as two weeks in advance and no long range forecast is accurate enough. Think we have had clear skies perhaps 2-3 times this year (if only partially).

Right now back to the FLO website to see what else I can buy… 😉*
 

*only semi-joking….

Most of the time the YouTube recommendation algorithm is a mystery to me.  But sometimes it makes very appropriate calls as it just did.  A 102mm f/4 truss tube dobsonion that weighs 800g,  More cute than anything but quite nice piece of woodworking (scaled down his 400mm dob).  Certainly worth 4 mins of your time.  And now I want one.... 

Pretty remarkable capture consideirng the brightness of your skies.

Nice work.

Decided to add the Baader Click Lock 2” adaptor to my Takahashi FC-100DC. Also added an Astronomic 2” OIII filter as had been thinking about trying one out alongside my UHC for a while. Placed order very late Friday (after office hours). Received a dispatch confirmation the following Monday and was delivered Tuesday morning. Nice and easy.

Decided to get the Baader 2” click lock adaptor for my Takahashi FC-100DC. Also decided to pick up an OIII filter as well.

Great list. At least you let some go (though from the list I can see at least one mistake rectified at a later date). My issue is after the first (my dad’s 10x50 bins) instrument, I only let the next two move on (a 4.5” Newtonian which wasn’t great, and an excellent 8” Newt on a simple alt-Az) and the rest are still mine.