F15Rules

Cheers Tim. I can now see that you have the shortest possible light path on your setup. That's a shame that you can't bv native, but the overall fabulous features of your SD115S mean it's not at all a major setback. Thanks for sharing the photos! Dave

Hi Tim, Can you post a close up picture of your 115s with MB II's in place? From your last post to Stu I'm assuming that you too have removed any clicklock from the optical train from in front of the T2 prism? It's that area where I have saved the most consumption of in focus..the parts I needed to get were this one.. ..the Tak Adapter M72/M68 (part#2558230) and Baader Tak Ultrashort clamp (part#2458196).. these, according to Baader, have a combined optical length of 22mm.. ...now, there is this adapter https://www.baader-planetarium.com/en/accessories/adapters-imaging-accessories/eyepiece-clamps/baader-2"-four-in-one-adapter-m68-(zeiss)--2.7"-(a.p.)--m60-(vixen)--m56-(synta).html which may do the job for your Vixen..according to Baaders specs, this adapter has a total optical length of 24mm - just 2mm more than the parts I use on my FS128..and I have about 12mm infocus to spare natively with my set up. Got to be worth looking into Tim? On the T2 prisms, its worth mentioning that the Baader Specs state that the T2 Zeiss BBHS prism (which I use) has an optical length of 38.5mm and a free aperture of 34mm. By contrast, the ordinary T2 prism has an optical path length of 35mm, so 3.5mm LESS than the T2 Zeiss BBHS unit, but a free aperture of 32mm, ie 2mm LESS than the T2 Zeiss BBHS unit.. ..so, the Zeiss prism takes up 3.5mm more in-focus than the standard T2 prism, but will vignette long focal length eps less than the standard T2. This matters more if you use low power long FL eyepieces for binoviewing, but less, if like Stu, you use high powers more often. Hope that makes sense!🙂 Dave

Q. "What are "bright" DSOs, really?" A. They are easily visible small grey smudges, as compared to barely visible, wispy grey smudges. 🙂 Dave

As you know, Stu, I use the same setup shown in Mike's photos..and I know you're planning to get the same adapters when available.. The photo below shows my FS128 using the Baader Adapters, with Maxbright IIs and a pair of Tak Abbe 12mm orthos, at perfect native focus with no barlow or OCS and probably about 12mm or more of spare infocus left. The MEF3 microfocuser is fitted to the standard 2.7" Tak focuser assembly, and the small black microfocuser fine focus knob can be seen to the right of the silver aluminium standard right hand side knob in the photo below. I find the Tak MEF3 microfocuser retrofit upgrade to be excellent, and I understand that users of the More Blue equivalent microfocuser rate it highly as well. I've never used a Feathertouch, although their reputation speaks for itself: I simply couldn't afford the c £1k I believe one would cost including adapter for my FS128, nor do I feel any such additional investment would be worth any potential gain I might get. I'll watch with interest though if you buy one and will be interested to hear your thoughts😉👍.. Dave

After a 5 day family visit, we are alone again now and it's looking good for a (all too rare recently) look at the moon a bit later.. Trinity the FS128 out cooling under a just-past-1st quarter moon, loaded with Maxbright IIs and a pair of Meade 4000 32mm and Tak Ortho 12.5mm..no barlow or OCS needed to get focus.. Dave

I felt the same about the Tak finder, Stu. It felt "wrong" to sell it soon after I bought Trinity, my FS128, but its just so hard to use a straight through finder without contorting my body in ways it just doesn't want these days! Like you, I kept the original Tak bracket, which is so much better than the SW one..it holds its settings really well..the only watch out is that the grub screws on the bracket can easily scratch the finder body, so I wrapped some black electrical tape around the finder body. This tape protects the finder body and can be removed if required. About 2 years ago I found a mint unused SW RACI finder in white..it works brilliantly in the Tak bracket holder 👍👍. I'm so pleased for you that you like the 128.. you've had, and still have, some superb scopes, so it's great to hear how highly you rate this new one. It's a real shame that Takahashi don't currently offer a full 5" apo doublet in their range. Dave

..and end up on an assault charge in a police cell? I doubt that the real Mr Spock would have thought that approach was very logical!🥴

Just further to my previous post back in March on the topic of Kit Testers/Traders.. I've noticed in recent months how many ads per week are being posted by the "Kit Tester" who was the subject of the original "A bit Cheeky" thread by Tim @Franklin.. As I subscribe to the automatic notifications from UKABS when new ads are posted, this has become increasingly annoying: if I don't check my phone for several hours, I can often find 20 or more ad notifications waiting for me in my inbox, only then sometimes to find on opening them that 5 or 6 of them are posted by this person..and very often they are just repeats of ads I have seen before, sometimes several times before!🤦‍♂️. Add to that the waffling, badly spelt content that would do credit to a dodgy car salesman, I decided to contact Paul at UKABS to ask if there's a way to block ads from a particular seller from coming to me. Perhaps not surprisingly, the reply from Elsie, who owns the site, advised that there is no facility for advertiser blocking, and that the seller in question does pay for the ads he posts, and that he also adheres to the 3 Day Rule on reposting of adverts. I want to stress that I have no criticism of Elsie or Paul: they offer a very useful, free service in a niche market, and I have had many successful transactions over 15+ years through the site..and will continue to use it in the future. For myself I have now unsubscribed from automatic ad notifications: I am pretty happy with my equipment these days, but will look at the ads now and again out of interest and habit. I heartily endorse UKABS as a valuable resource for amateur astronomers for buying, selling and trading privately with each other, and with their bona- fide advertisers. I just thought some of my thoughts might resonate with others. Clear skies (one day!!😂😂). Dave

Is the carry handle obscured by the finder, Jeremy?🙃 Dave

Love it! Back to basics minimalist viewing at its best!👍 Dave

And very likely too the 60mm aperture isn't really 60mm, probably stopped down a fair bit. Still, you got them for nothing!😊👍 Dave

Steady, Tiger!!🙄😂 Dave

Here is my entire scope collection.. firstly, FS128 1999 vintage on 1998 Tak EM2 mount. Note Tak decal on OTA tube.. ..and Fluorite decal on dewshield in both English and Japanese..apparently not all FS128s have all the decals..🤔 EM2 mount conservatively rated (as ever with Jap mounts) at 10.5kg. I'd say 12kg was more like it. The Fluorite element (Front Surface ie FS) was a breakthrough in the 1990s as it allowed high quality hard coatings to be applied to the Fluorite element, now located at the front - which Takahashi stated was the optimum Fluorite placing to get the lowest scatter and best contrast from a doublet lens. The coatings are certainly attractive, and more importantly seem to work really well. This shot shows also my Vixen built 1980s "SBS" branded 80mm F15 achromat. Note the length of the F15 tube..longer than the F8 1040mm Tak. This scope originally was purchased in France, and I believe the SBS branding may have been specially for that market..for a French Importer, perhaps? This one shows the Tak acting as a mega finder for the Vixen!😂🤣 ..and finally, this one shows the ladder I use to reach the Vixen dewshield!! Thanks for looking😊 Dave

You see, Jeremy, you have an unfair advantage here: when you're already a Pain in the Neck you don't have to worry about getting a further one from using a straight through finder!!🤪🙂 Dave

Fabulous Stu.. Actually a GPDX holds this scope quite well provided it's on a good (ie wooden) tripod..I used mine on one a number of times and its stability compares to my Tak EM2 mount. Dave

Saw that ad, John. But he specifies an F9 Lzos (Stu's is an F6) or Tak TOA130 and doesn't seem to think a non triplet can match a Mak Newt or an apo triplet for planetary observing😵‍💫🤐. Hey ho.. Actually, Stu will soon be able to give us a first hand comparison of the FS128 and Lzos 130 F6: Will make interesting reading! John, you mentioned that Mike has got another FS128 recently?? More details please!🙂 Dave

Wonderful Stu! Looks immaculate all round and a rare find. I'm very chuffed for you and am sure you will love it. How do you plan to mount it? Btw, I love the clamshell on mine and IMO so much easier to use and adjust than rings👍. Dave

Well, I can say that I definitely won't be..🙂🙃😂 Dave

Nah, that's not a proper FS128..it's lens has flour in it...🥴🤦... Dave

Sirius and the Pup? Dave

Everything that Alan said, IMHO a wooden tripod beats a steel one every time for "ordinary sized" refractors👍👍 Dave

Hi Steve..that looks ideal..and if I'm not mistaken that's a rather nice Pentax XL7mm that's moved in...??😂👍 Dave

🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

Both the ROC case and Oklop holdalls are excellent IMO. I went for the Oklop holdall for my FS128 as the OTA is not far off 120cms long, so a suitable ROC hard case would be very bulky to store. The Oklop holdall can be folded down to c 1/3 of it's in-use size when not needed. Also, the construction of the Oklop holdall is top notch and incredibly robust..and the zips do a great job of keeping dust and bugs out! Dave

That is fabulous Dave, what a great gift! Many congratulations and here's to the next 25 years👍 Dave