F15Rules

Blimey!! Astro bloggers, personalities, influencers, persuaders, assurers, validators, wafflers...so much NOISE!!🤦😱😭

I'll stick to SGL, books and The Sky above my head, thanks!!😊

Dave

Baader MkIII zoom in mint condition (bought online) and Carton Japan 28mm ~58 degrees (I re-acquired this one from an SGL buddy, having sold it to him a few months ago).

These two will be my ultra grab n go set with my Vixen SP102 when we go to the Scottish Isles in late summer👍

Dave

Thanks Steve.

I can totally get why you'd want to be outside with that lovely big 6" apo👍😊..

It did strike me last night just how light the sky still was, even at almost midnight!

Never mind, the nights start drawing in in less than 2 weeks..😁

(If my wife heard me saying that I'd be toast!!😱😁)..

Dave

First session for weeks, and intermittent clouds for all of the hour I was out..only looked at the moon with the binoviewers and FS128 to test the 6 pairs of EPs I've put together to see which suit my setup best..

Eyepiece pairs shown below, consisting of the following,

..from right rear:

Meade 3000 Japan 25mm plossls

WO clones 20mm wide Angle 65 degrees

Kson 16.8mm orthos

..from left rear:

WO clones 12mm 60 degrees

Kson 10.5mm orthos

Baader Classic orthos 6mm

I was able to get all pairs to focus natively using Baader T2 prism and Ultrashort eyepiece clamp into which my Revelation binoviewer was inserted.

Viewing was very limited due to clouds, but each pair was very sharp..I just have to decide which 3 or 4 pairs to keep now!🤔

And it was just lovely to be out with a scope for a while👍😊.

Dave

On 07/06/2022 at 12:35, bosun21 said:

Yet another addition to my Morpheus collection. This time it’s the 4.5mm courtesy of a nice gentleman called @Gogleddgazer. I have the 17.5mm en route which just leaves the 9mm to complete the range (Hint-Hint)

 

I'll be interested to hear what you think of the 4.5mm Morph..and how it does with a Barlow for Uber high power?

I've used the 9, 12.5, 14 and 17.5mm but not the 6.5 and 4.5..

I still have the 9mm (sorry, not for sale 😁) and 17.5mm, I think they are the pick of the 4 I've used.. I had the 14 too but sold it after I got the 17.5 (the last of the Morpheii to be launched- 3 years after the rest of them), as I found the focal lengths to be too close together. I tried a friend's 12.5mm and really liked it, but I already had a very nice Nagler T2 12mm, and to be honest there was little to choose between them to my eyes, and the Nagler is even wider at 82 degrees.

But I do think the Morpheus range has been a real game changer and has brought true high end performance to the market at very competitive prices👍.

Good luck in finding a 9mm Morph, it's a cracker, just as good as the superb XW10mm IMHO..but wider😊.

Dave

5 hours ago, Alan White said:

 @FLO

Will sit well with the LVW 22mm I returned to the fold a few weeks ago 🙃

 

Now then, Alan..can you please stop slipping into every post a mention of your recently re-acquired LVW22mm?!..😂😂😂

Dave

4 hours ago, cajen2 said:

No 14? Mine is one of my favourite EPs.

I've had two completely different experiences with Pentax XWs..

I owned the XW14(and XW20) a few years ago I bought a Morpheus 14mm to compare them.. I found the Morph to be better than the XW14 in field of view (76deg Vs 70), contrast,  and less field curvature (although it still had some).

The XW20 I had was even worse for FC. All that said, the XW range at the shorter focal lengths are all superb (3.5, 5,7 and 10), especially when you consider they were originally designed for spotting scopes.

I bought an XW30 in last year's Christmas sale from FLO and was incredibly disappointed with it..I have a wonderful Celestron Axiom 31mm 82 Deg, but it is very heavy, and I had thought that perhaps the XW30 could be a lighter replacement for the Axiom. Unfortunately, I found it to be again beset with Field curvature in my Tak FS128, and stars near the edge were elongated. So it went back to FLO who of course refunded me without question. I have kept the Axiom and am very happy with it. Of course, it's possible I got a poor example..and others may draw different conclusions in other scopes.

But I would happily recommend the shorter FL XWs to anyone, just great eyepieces 👍.

Dave

1 hour ago, Saganite said:

I have had the good fortune to grab a 4 hour observing session under very good seeing conditions within  the last week , just a few days  after this APM 6" arrived.  What I have seen so far has left me with no doubt that it, along with my Vixen, is a lifetime scope.  I have been ' blown away' with its performance on all types of objects, but the real show is yet to come, Lunar, Jupiter, and Saturn, and I can hardly wait.

The 3" Feathertouch  rack and pinion is sublime and handles the weight of the bino and eyepieces with such ease, no slip ,no notchiness, just buttery smooth and solid excellence.  Although it is a big scope, the AZ100 handles it with ease. On the tripod  It is excellent  but is absolutely rock solid on my pier....

A sublime setup, Steve, many congratulations 👏🎉 😊!!

Can I ask what were your key targets during your first light sessions?

Thanks for posting 👍

Dave

49 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Had one for ages and find it is a great diag.. Fitted mine with a 2” nosepiece though.

Thanks John.

Yes, I've got a 2" nosepiece on my Baader Zeiss BBHS T2 prism in the Tak..the Zeiss has slightly larger 34mm free aperture vs 32mm in the standard one, so I can use my 23mm Axiom LX  2" 82 degree ep (which has a 34mm field stop) in it with a Baader 2" Clicklock with no vignetting..

The SP102 stock focuser can only use 1.25" eps.

Dave

Nice, mint Baader T2 prism with fine focusing eyepiece holder. I don't think it's ever been used..

Will be used with my trusty old Vixen SP102 achromat👍😊

Dave

2 hours ago, Pixies said:

More glass (pre-loved): 

My LVW collection increases. Thanks to @Rob for the 5mm - it's in brand-new condition!

The 10mm BCO was purchased just out of interest about all the rave reviews it gets. I wanted to compare it with my other little 10mm EPs (like the Vixen NLV plossls). I have a pair of the latter (for binovewing) and wanted to see if this was a better EP. I really like the 10mm NLVs. Thanks @F15Rules

Hope you enjoy the BCO, it's a nice eyepiece!

Oh, and Me wanted that 5mm LVW!!😭😭😂😂..enjoy!

Dave

Hi Ross,

Yes, it went very quickly..

Yes, I have both 2" and 1.25" eyepieces, some if which have barrels which can be used in both 2" and 1.25" mode.

It would be helpful to know what scope you have before giving any more specific advice.. feel free to send me a private message and I and I'll help if I can..

Dave

I saw one of the above for sale this morning on UKABS for an extremely low price, an utter bargain..

If you bought this, congratulations!

As I owned one of these some years ago, let me just warn you not to try to disassemble the lenses inside for cleaning or just for curiosity!

..there are a number of elements in this eyepiece and the bottom black section of the body is ALL that holds all these elements in place..

I learned the hard way when I had one and they all crashed out, onto the (hard) floor, wrecked!!🤦🤪😱

It's a nice starter  widefield 2" eyepiece and at £29 a total bargain.. so, leave it intact, learn from my mistake and enjoy it!😂👍

Dave

That takes me back...

Charles Frank were a respected Glasgow based maker of reflectors..they also imported and distributed a Japanese range of Porro prism binoculars under the name "Frank Nipole" binoculars..they were actually quite decent quality..

Thanks for sharing, Ed👍

Dave

15 hours ago, cajen2 said:

I've only been viewing from my front garden, which is north facing, for a couple of months so a lot of the targets that everyone else is used to are new to me.

I was well chuffed with what I saw, though, even though most of you probably find it old hat! 😄

Not at all!

We've all been newish to our wonderful hobby, and reading these reports really refreshed my enthusiasm, especially when I haven't  been able to get out much recently..

One person's "Old Hat" is another's brand new " Peaky Blinder's Cap"!!😊👍

Dave

Thanks for that..I probably will stain the Spreader first to check how it looks, and possibly then the tripod too..

Just need to work through my other half's To-Do list first!🤦😂

Dave

I clicked on Louis' link on CN and having read (some) of the "review" and the subsequent comments and pontificating, I remembered why I rarely visit that forum these days..

Dave

4 minutes ago, MalcolmM said:

Every refractor man is allowed one reflector

This is right on the stated limit for this mount but I think it'll cope with it. Be interesting to check out it's stability under high power, though I've had no clear sky for weeks now!

Regardless, I think it looks a lovely combination

Malcolm

Looks great..and at least you view through it like in a proper scope!😂😂

Dave

21 hours ago, Franklin said:

Thanks to everyone who replied to my "MT-1 spares" wanted ad, allowing me to get this vintage Vixen SP FL102S back to its original spec.

 

Just bloomin' gorgeous Tim!!

Dave

Thanks Steve..tbh, I don't know why I didn't think of this before!🤦😁

Dave

I bought my Tak FS128 over 5 years ago, and love it to bits. It came, in little used excellent condition, with an equally attractive Tak EM2 equatorial mount on a Luan (type of Mahogany I think) hardwood mount.

Although I loved the setup, I felt that a fixed height wooden tripod I already owned (home built by another SGL member), might be a little more stable, so I sold the original tripod and moved the Tak onto the other tripod. 

This did indeed prove a success, very stable, and I got around the fixed height issue by buying a Geoptic Nadira observing chair.

I used this combination for the best part of 5 years, but more recently I've had a hankering to mate the setup with a Tak tripod again, to keep it as original as possible to how it was when bought new from Tru Tek over 20 years ago. I also missed being able to adjust the tripods height.

Then, to my surprise, an identical tripod to the original came up for sale..so I jumped on it!

I am also finding that I sit to observe more as I get older, so the appeal of the Taks' adjustability was quite attractive. But I still felt the Tak tripod was a little less solid than the trusty old home built one.

The latter had had a large Berlebach 32cm wooden spreader fitted several years ago, and I wondered if such a spreader might "beef up" the feel of the Tak tripod..then, shortly afterwards I was delighted to see one of these exact same spreaders come up for sale! 

So I jumped on that one too.

Well, today I decided to fit the new spreader to the Tak tripod, and then thought, why not fit two spreaders, ie keep the original AND the Berlebach..🤔

So that's what I've done, and am really pleased with it..I can now have extra storage space, for example for a book or my Binoviewer, and a large shelf for my eyepieces, some of which are quite large 2" ones.

And the stability is definitely stiffer, and I can still adjust the height If I need to.

I thought this pretty simple modification might be of interest to others who might like to beef up their mounting solution without changing their actual mount..

Thanks for reading 😊

Dave

9 hours ago, Saganite said:

You mixed  your words Al, should it not read " just received this one from a fine fellow SGL member ".........

That's actually exactly how I (wrongly) read it first time, Steve! But of course, I totally agree with your sentiment!😂🤣😇

Dave

PS: Lovely eyepiece Alan, they will make a great binoviewing pair👍

Obviously I was being a bit tongue in cheek, but a while back I decided that, for me, a good 5" refractor would be my primary "one size fits all" scope.

I'm not interested in faint fuzzies, but prefer sharp, contrasty clear images of doubles, clusters, planets, starfields and the Moon, and this scope nails all of them.

I must give an honourable mention too, to my only other scope, my trusty Vixen SP102m 4" achromat, which in its day was coveted by many frac lovers back in the 70s and 80s..and still a very capable scope and one I plan to take to dark skies in the Scottish isles later this year..😊

Dave

Most used scope: my Tak FS128..    Why??: Well, just look at it!!😍😁😂😂

Dave

On 21/05/2022 at 19:35, badhex said:

Last time I saw a decent 0.965 EP in good condition at a reasonable price (a couple of Swift Circle-Ts I was after) I hesitated and lost out, so when I saw this on that auction site I snapped it up. Not a bad price at 45eur and looks in flawless condition! 

That's a great find, Badhex👍

I think the older Japanese made Kellners were really underrated..I have a nice Circle T 18mm volcano top Kellner..it's pin sharp, edge to edge, with great contrast, really ortho like, and with excellent transmission as it only has 3 elements, albeit with single layer mfg coatings.

It's a shame that so many cheap and nasty "Kellners" sold with rubbish department store scope in the 1970s to 1990s got proper Kellners a bad name..

Enjoy your Vixen made example!

Dave