F15Rules

Great report Stu, thanks for sharing👍.

That TOE sounds great, and I know the HR 3.4 is, having owned one..will definitely aim to get another one at some point.

Dave

1 minute ago, Franklin said:

 

 Maxbright II should be available in Jan 22 according to the Baader UK rep.

Thanks Tim. 

It will be interesting to see by how much they will have gone up in price by then🤔..judging by how much everything else is rising, I suspect we could get a nasty shock.

Dave

9 hours ago, Andrew_B said:

That's useful to know. I'll try my Hyperion 2.25x Barlow first and I can always invest in a GPC later on.

Hi Andrew,

I use the same Hyperion 2.25x Barlow and it works very well in the binoviewer, as does the W.O. 1.6x nosepiece. If you can find one (they come up fairly often used for c £50), the Celestron Ultima is a fine Barlow too👍.

Dave

2 minutes ago, MalcolmM said:

Hi Dave, not critical at all. I'm just getting started in this hobby after a very long hiatus and I think advice like this is invaluable, albeit too late for me having already bought a bunch of Tak eyepieces But like I said, I have been bitten by the Tak bug

Malcolm

..and of course Tak eyepieces binoview very well!😈😂..

Dave

On 06/10/2021 at 21:57, Paul M said:

I do have some eyepieces but I've forgot how to use them...

..that's a shame..I'm happy to give them all a home..for FREE👍🤭

Dave

Thanks Malcolm😊..much appreciated!

I hope my opening comments didn't sound critical..I think it'd just be a shame if you missed out on the great views (for selected targets) that binoviewers can deliver versus cyclops views.. 

I confess I don't know why binoviewers can deliver in some cases better views using cheap eyepieces versus premium ones in cyclops mode..but I can't deny the evidence of my own eyes, and I think it is definitely more natural and comfortable to view with both eyes. In my own case my right eye (previously my main observing eye) has deteriorated significantly in the past few years (age related, I'm told). So I had to train myself to use my better, left eye as my main observing eye..but when I seriously decided to use a binoviewer, I found that on the Moon, planets and some double stars, I really did see better views, often significantly better, using both eyes.

I now have just one binoviewing pair of quite cheap Kson 16.8mm orthos, giving natively about 60x in my FS128. Using a  WO barlow nosepiece (1.6x) and a Baader 2.25x Hyperion zoom barlow, I can get up to between about 180x and 300x+ with just these eyepieces, and the views are often as good or better than those through my premium Morpheus, Nagler T2 and Vixen LV eyepieces (as stated above, on some not all targets).

I hope to get a Maxbright II next spring, if available, when my State Pension kicks in😊😂.

If I do, I will be sure to post a detailed review!

Dave

On 10/10/2021 at 18:31, MalcolmM said:

On 10/10/2021 at 18:31, MalcolmM said:

I'm afraid I was disappointed to concede that WO Binoviewers plus 1.6 GPC and 10mm Baader classic Ortho was both easier to view and provided better views than my fully Tak light path!

 

Why be "afraid to concede.."?? -why not just celebrate the fact that you have found a way to improve even further on already excellent views?

Takahashi are a great company and I really like their products..my main scope is an FS128 and it sits on a Tak EM2 mount.. my "lifetime scope".

But they are not a perfect company, nor do they always seems driven by customers needs, (which to me is a real test of a company's true "aspiration to perfection").

For example, the original Tak 7x50 finder scope that came with my FS128 was optically superb..but it was a literal "pain in the neck" to observe with, and I replaced it with a Skywatcher RACI finder, which for the last 4 years or so has sat in the original Tak finder holder and works very well. I'd rather have a Tak finder but they simply won't offer a RACI one, as the "Japanese way" is straight through viewing -despite hundreds or probably thousands of non-Japanese Tak owners worldwide preferring the RACI design.

In a similar way, Televue steadfastly refuse to do away with the wretched undercuts on their eyepieces, despite a large number (perhaps the majority?) of observers preferring a smooth barrel option. Televue have apparently said that the cost of offering smooth barrel options would not be economically viable..really?? I find it hard to believe that the omission of an undercut could add much, if any additional cost to the manufacturing process, and surely to stock smooth barrels as an aftermarket option would not be too difficult? So, despite their superb product quality, I only own one Televue eyepiece (well, that and their increasingly unaffordable new prices!).

By contrast, (no pun intended!), Baader, for example, offer an incredibly large range of accessory options for their products (and for some of their competitors products, including Takahashi), well engineered, and (in normal, non Covid times),with good availability.

I'm glad you have found your WO binoviewers to work so well in your Tak. For now, my Revelation/Seben pair work well for me, and I hope at some point to get a Baader Maxbright MkII when they reappear on the market😊.

Dave

What about the Morpheus 6.5mm?

I've not used that focal length, but have the 9mm and 17.5mm and both are excellent, I would expect the 6.5mm to be no different. The Pentax 7mm is a lovely eyepiece too, I've owned and liked it very much.

I do agree with Mike though..on the Moon and major planets, any well collimated binoviewer with a half decent pair of eyepieces will outperform every top end solo eyepiece I've ever used.

I had a short session earlier this evening (due to mist and low cloud rolling in), and in hazy but steady skies I had superb views of Jupiter in moments of good seeing, (6 belts/bands, and I split the double double Epsilon Lyrae at just 61x..all with a Revelation/Seben binoviewer and a pair of Kson 16.8mm eyepieces at native focal length. Using a single eyepiece I have never been able to do this at less than 80x plus!

Dave

On 30/09/2021 at 13:36, JeremyS said:

Here’s my Tak FOA 60Q in an Oklop bag. Great for sticking in the car boot when I travel

..and a very robust handle, Jeremy!👍🤭

Dave

I got my vintage Vixen SP102m out 3 nights ago for a short, Vixen based session, including LV eyepieces and LV zoom..

Some nice views with a nice old setup😊

Dave

I tried to email them some years ago a couple of times without a reply. I haven't tried again since..

Dave

5 hours ago, FLO said:

Have had the Mazda three years and counting. Prior to that a Toyota. My taste in cars has never been extravagant. 

Me neither..😎🙃

2 hours ago, John said:

One thing I've sometimes wondered about refractors with thinnish diameter long drawtubes is, with a diagonal in use and the drawtube therefore racked inwards to take account of the diagonals light path length, is there any possibility that either the inner end of the drawtube or the baffles within it could clip the light cone from the objective ?

 

Mark, sorry for the slight diversion from your original thread topic..

The answer is "yes", John.

On some of the old Japanese 76-80mm F15 refractors by Towa, Kenko, (some branded for retailers eg Prinz 660, Topic etc), this was known to happen when upgrading a scope originally intended for use with 0.965" eyepieces: these scopes have very long drawtubes, and in the case, for example, of the Topic 80mm F15 1200mm focal length scope, the long drawtubes contained at least one, sometimes two, inner baffles. 

An adapter became available which threaded into end of the chromed drawtubes (the original screw in adapter with 0.965" fitting being removed first), and this adapter allowed the insertion of a 1.25" diagonal or eyepiece instead.

It was noted, however, that the view using some 1.25" eyepieces was rather dim, and investigations showed that the inner baffle(s), which was optimised for 0.965" eyepieces, was actually narrowing the drawtubes' internal diameter, and thus starving the 1.25" of precious light.

Fortunately, the baffles could easily be removed with a sharp tap from a screwdriver and hammer, and this enabled the 1.25" to work properly, often transforming the performance of the old refractor, widening the fov, and allowing often good quality lenses to deliver of their best.

I did this myself on more than one occasion 😊.

These threads might be of interest if you have nothing else to do..🤭😂

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/573766-towa-drawtube-modifications/

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/482086-towa-965-focuser-extension-tube-modification/

(Scope image credit Cloudy Nights).

Dave

Call me naive, but I go by what I see rather than all the clever theory and detailed analysis 🙂.

I use a Baader T2 prism with 32mm clear aperture and both 2" and 1.25" nosepieces, and I also use an Astro-Tech 2" Dielectric mirror diagonal in my FS128.

Both are excellent and give great views. I cannot usually see any meaningful difference between between either unit apart from the prism taking up much less inward focus than the 2" mirror unit..this matters when I am binoviewing as I can use my binoviewers natively with no barlow lens needed.

Occasionally, when viewing close doubles at high power I have had the impression that light scatter is slightly better controlled in the prism.

The Baader T2 prism, having 32mm clear aperture, will fully illuminate most 1.25" eyepieces with no vignetting. 

I chose Baader over Tak for the prism purely because of the impression of more robust, stronger construction, especially when loaded with a binoviewer and 2 eyepieces. The Tak is superb when using lightweight small eyepieces.

HTH,

Dave

It's certainly a big beast, Martin, and you need a strong 2" focuser to handle it. But honestly the views through it make it worth the rebalancing of the scope now and again..👍

Dave

Nice report, Martin 😊.

I know that there are "best practices" and "theoretical reasons" as to why using 2" eyepieces is sometimes not recommended, but at the end of the day, if you like what you see when using a particular combination, that is what really matters IMHO.

For example: some years ago I had a cheapish Moonfish clone 30mm UWA 2" eyepiece. I think it was my first 2", and I loved the views it gave me in a long focus achromat (not by any stretch a widefield scope!). The point is, compared to what I was used to, the 2" gave views that were a good deal wider than I was used to, with many more background stars visible.

Often, I think it is the context that using a low power 2" gives..your core object that you view in the centre of the field of view is better "framed"  by the wider field, and it doesn't really matter that much if the edges are a bit vignetted, or a little out of focus, or distorted..the centre will be sharp and the width of field will enhance the view..

Hope that makes sense.

Of course, if you really start to like such views, you might then begin to hanker after expensive, big beasties like Nagler 31mm, Ethos, Meade 30mm UWA etc! (In my own case I fell for a Celestron Axiom LX  31mm, weighing in at a cool 1.4kg!!😱😂😂). But the 82 deg views of the Cygnus starfields are jaw dropping!

Dave

5 minutes ago, Stu said:

Don’t worry Jeremy, the Telementor isn’t going anywhere. I was going to post up a list and description of all my current kit but to be honest it started boring even me, so I just saved it somewhere and decided not to inflict it on you lovely chaps and chappesses 🤣🤣

Well, Stu, I'm sure your equipment list would be less boring to read than Jeremy's list of all the scopes he has that have handles..

Dave

12 hours ago, Stu said:

Yes indeed Magnus! I have a 12” truss dob chassis, bought a few years back and waiting to fit your mirror set into. The garage is just about workable now so I should be able to make so progress. Trouble is, Mrs Stu wants a desk building for her office, and some shelves, and…. 😱🤣

Its just a matter of evaluating two things, Stu..

1. What are your "really, truly" priorities?

2. How much do you value your "soft bits"??

😱🤣

Dave

On 27/09/2021 at 07:36, Pete Presland said:

Wow, what an odd looking cloud! Where was it captured?

I asked my son but he doesn't know where it originated from..just saw it while browsing the net.

Dave

On 28/09/2021 at 22:00, Deadlake said:

I suspect moving country to get better seeing would help

..er, don't move to the UK then!😂🤣😂

Dave

3 hours ago, Rainmaker said:

Skylight AR101.15 looking up at the Light in the Sky

What a wonderful looking scope!😱😁

Dave

57 minutes ago, moriniboy said:

Love my Skylight 80mm

Beautiful!👍

Dave

1 hour ago, John said:

This is not a Moonraker or a Skylight I'm afraid and has a much plainer, though very well made, finish. I did buy it from John Timmins of Peak2valley though and he delivered it in person. There was also an F/15 version in his vehicle which, after seeing the size of it, made me glad that I went for F/12

The Istar Perseus AT150-12:

 

 

That was a monster, John, quite scary in "Menacing Black"😁.

Dave

I came across some photos of the IAS exhibition in Leamington Spa in 2014. It was the first, and so far, the only Astronomy exhibition that I've ever been to, and I found it fascinating.

I found three stands in particular of interest: RIchard Day's Skylight Telescopes, John Timmins Peak2Valley scopes and Mark at Moonraker Telescopes. What they all had in common was a love of long focus traditional refractors, and there were some truly lovely scopes on show.

None in my opinion were more beautiful to look at than Richard's handmade range, and I for one am really sad that he is no longer active as a telescope maker.

I also had some interesting discussions with Mark from Moonraker at this event, and they resulted in him doing some major work on my then D&G USA 5" F15 refractor, "Andromeda", now in the loving care of Steve (Saganite). Mark's work and attention to detail were amazing, and he was completely self taught in machining, believe it or not.  He sourced a lovely Moonlite focuser, in polished aluminium, for Andromeda, flocked the tube, and cut about 130mm off the tube to allow native binoviewing. I was delighted with his work, and I hope Richard and Mark's scopes are still delighting users in 100 years time, as the old Cooke refractors of the 19th century still do now.

The photos below, I hope, shows what care and attention went into Richard and Marks work. If any of you have photos of scopes from any of the above manufacturers, it would be lovely to see them👍.

Dave

The thickness of the padding in the Oklop bags is about 10mm. My big FS128 feels very secure inside. 

But it's not just the padding that's important, it's the "fit" and the fittings..the Oklop has great zippers, a pair of handy outside pockets for bits and bobs and an excellent carry strap (handle, Jeremy??) which is well balanced.

I believe these come in 4" refractor sizes..not specifically in 5", but as my scope  has an oversized tube, like other FS doublets, and is F8.1, it fits beautifully into the bag designed for 6"F8 achromats👍.

I'm sure the Geoptic bags are great as well, I just don't have experience of them (my Nadira observing chair is great!), and I actually prefer the black colour of the Oklop bags. Oh, and they do others for reflectors and SCT)Maks too I believe.

Here's a link to my bag..it would suit most 130mm refractors of F8 or less..

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescope-bags-cases-storage/oklop-padded-bag-for-150mm-1200mm-refractors.html

HTH,

Dave