F15Rules

It appears that Bresser UK (now the UK Vixen Distributor) is having a sale on these wonderful fracs..you wont get a brand new Tak 4" apo for this price!

https://www.bresseruk.com/Astronomy/Vixen-SD103S-apochromatic-Refractor.html?mtm_campaign=Google_Shopping&mtm_kwd=X000062&mtm_source=English&mtm_medium=CPC&mtm_cid=UK&mtm_group=PLA&gclid=CjwKCAiA8YyuBhBSEiwA5R3-E90PW_ZGZNehsC4y9v2xANwIFa_KI_zKg08Aj1ojiK7AXIq2EJ2XQhoC3FgQAvD_BwE

(..and the Vixen has a full 3mm extra aperture!!😋😂).

Hurry!!😈😈

Dave

4 hours ago, osbourne one-nil said:

So jealous! I'd love one of these. I already have the SD81SII which I adore, but I also have the flattener/reducer which would work with both of its bigger siblings. I've also got an R200SS so logically it would make no sense whatsoever for imaging, but when did logic ever come in to gear?

I noticed the Italian one, but am put off by the import duty and VAT which would be added on, making it almost as cheap to import a brand new one from Japan. 

I hope you're very happy together. 

 

Thanks 😊.

I seem to recall you had an ED103s (or SD?) in the past? I had two of those and they both impressed me deeply..to the point that when I seriously considered a modest downsizing from my 5" Tak, I had no hesitation in pursuing this lovely 4.5" Vixen apo👍..

PS. Heads up..

https://www.bresseruk.com/Astronomy/Vixen-SD103S-apochromatic-Refractor.html?mtm_campaign=Google_Shopping&mtm_kwd=X000062&mtm_source=English&mtm_medium=CPC&mtm_cid=UK&mtm_group=PLA&gclid=CjwKCAiA8YyuBhBSEiwA5R3-E90PW_ZGZNehsC4y9v2xANwIFa_KI_zKg08Aj1ojiK7AXIq2EJ2XQhoC3FgQAvD_BwE

A cracking good deal on a cracking good Japanese top quality refractor!!

Dave

Not THE Postman..but huge thanks to Tim (@Franklin) for personally delivering this beautiful scope and case of LVW eyepieces on Sunday.

Great to meet Tim, and a real nice gent!👍

With grateful thanks!

Dave

On 04/02/2024 at 16:48, DirkSteele said:

Technically I was the postman as I picked these bad boys up at AstroFest yesterday. Looking forward to trying them out.

Did you pick them up with a Fork Lift, Matthew??😄

Dave

Hi all,

Well, due to the Monsoon like weather,  I've been fiddling out in "The Barn", having fitted Superfox with a solid sliding mounting bar bought from Tim, which enables the scope to be slid easily fore and aft for rebalancing, but which has a "nut or stud" at each end of the left hand side, to prevent the scope from sliding out of or off the plate..

I've also now got the OTA perfectly balanced in RA & DEC on the Tak EM2s mount..amazingly, the scope will balance at the same point with Binoviewers AND 2" diagonal with 23mm decloaked Axiom LX!

I've got my RACI finder installed too, but not aligned yet..

A few pics and close ups of the rings, plate and MoreBlue microfocuser...

I just want First Light!!!😝😂

Dave

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54 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

No need to tender your resignation Dave. Vixen are cousins, and so still the same family in my mind. Do you know if Canon Optron made your objective? I'd imagine they did!

I really dont know, Mike. I thought I read somewhere that Vixen design and build their high end lenses in house? But they definitely had their earlier Fluorite objectives made by Canon..

49 minutes ago, Nicola Fletcher said:

Congratulations Dave on your very handsome new acquisition. It looks fantastic and I am sure you’ll be very happy with it. I wish Trinity’s new owner the very best also!

Looking forward to your observing reports.

Nicola

Many thanks, Nicola!

I feel I did the right thing for me personally. I traded a fantastic scope for a fantastic slightly smaller scope plus a set of 6 excellent LVW eyepieces.

The new scope is a good deal smaller all around than the Tak:

The Vixen will save me I estimate around 4 -5kg in weight between the OTA tubes (Tak 7.5kg (plus the clamshell, see below), vs Vixen 6.2kg, tube only,

It will also save around 24cm in maximum extended tube length    (Tak 1176mm vs Vixen 930mm).

..and tube diameter (Tak FS128 145mm vs Vixen 125mm), so less bulky all round. 

In addition, the Tak's cast aluminium dewshield  is a hefty 185mm in diameter, and it's cast aluminium dewshield "manhole" cover (which is great), must add another 500gms or so, compared to the almost weightless, but efficient Vixen plastic dewshield.

Finally, the Tak Clamshell (which is fantastic!) must weigh 1.5 to 2 kg, much more than the Vixens' tube rings and dovetail.

All that said, in the flesh, the Vixen does still look like quite a large refractor..just not pretty huge like the Tak!

My Tak mount (think similar to Vixen GPDX capacity, perhaps slightly more) worked well with the FS128, thanks partly due to the heavy duty custom made wooden tripod..but the Vixen feels totally planted on this mount/tripod setup, like a glove on a hand!

And its nice to still be a Tak owner mountwise!👍

Dave

49 minutes ago, Telescope40 said:

Dave. This has been a great read. The Vixen has already hit the mark with you, if I may be so bold. 
As others have said I’m looking forward to your adventures with “Superfox”. 
 I’m immediately thinking it will be giving you as much viewing pleasure as you got from the Tak and maybe more so given your reasons for your very measured change of kit. 

BTW - my 128 is staying put with me and I’m still grateful for  your help when I was looking to become its custodian. 
John 

Thanks John.

I'm really glad you're hanging on to your FS128..they are Special, Legendary scopes and few and far between in the UK. I will always remember fondly my 7 years of owning one.

Which reminds me, now that I am Takless, to whom should I tender my resignation from the UK FS128 Owner's Club?? Mr Mike Hezzlewood (aka mikeDnight)? Or perhaps JeremyS should handle it??😆😂

Dave

Oops, double post!

Thanks Ian, glad you enjoyed the story😉.

I'm really looking forward to first light, but I fear it may be delayed for a bit looking at the weather forecast..so my apologies to all for that!🤦‍♂️😂

Dave

Thanks Robert, much appreciated. I feel very blessed and fortunate!

Dave

Thanks Jeremy..

Not yet, but I'll probably start with 3 of my favourites as viewed when I last used the FS128 for the last time, ie M42, The Pleiades and the Double Cluster in Perseus. And Rigel and Alnitak doubles.

Dave

Well... please bear with me, as the story that follows is true, and illustrates just how,  sometimes, a small event can lead to something very unexpected!

..after a somewhat stressed, hectic and overall exhilarating past week, the deals are done. Trinity, the Tak FS128 has now gone to her new keeper, someone who owned one 20 years ago and has regretted it ever since ( no, not @MikeDnight!😂..), and Superfox, formerly Tim's (@Franklin) wonderful Vixen SD115S, has today come to Lincolnshire..🤩

I had been contemplating the unthinkable (ie selling the FS128) for around 6 months, due to a combination of truly awful autumn and winter weather, slow but definite deterioration of eyesight, lack of "Mojo", and physical bulk of the FS128 setup. 

I've mentioned more on this in the recent thread about the sale of the Tak, but suffice to say, I had by Christmas more or less decided to downsize a bit, it was just a question of when.. I just needed that "nudge" to get on and do it. 

As far back as last March, when Tim (@Franklin) revealed his lovely new Vixen SD115S, I had decided that for me, I could only move from a Tak to another Tak..or to a big Vixen.. I've owned 2 fabulous 4" ED103S's, one of which, Foxy, is now lovingly owned by my good friend Steve (@Saganite).

The decision as to which way to go wasn't too difficult, as Takahashi only do the TSA 120 which is too expensive new, and quite heavy, and a Triplet (I've always been wary of Triplets, probably unnecessarily so) due to the 3 elements, possible expensive misalignments, etc..and not much if any of a weight saving versus the FS128.

The 100mm Tak doublets are optically superb, but I didn't want to drop down from a full 5" apo to a skinny 4 incher, (NO offence to owners, I just like a somewhat larger tube such as the oversized, but quite lightweight tubes the older Vixens and FS Taks had).

Takahashi make lovely 4" scopes but I've always loved Vixens, right back to the 1970s/80s when I drooled over their legendary SP102 F10 achromats on equally legendary GP mounts - good quality astro gear for the masses!

The problem was, the SD115S (the largest Vixen refractor they currently offer), was and is as rare as hen's teeth in the UK, (rarer, it seems than FS128s!) and very expensive new (not far short of £3k)..at which point many buyers would automatically go for a Tak, as much for the resale values as much as the optical quality.

Anyway, whizz forward to last Monday 29th January..Steve messaged me to say that Tim (@Franklin) had put up for sale his Vixen LVW set..still highly rated oculars (rightly so).. so, Steve knew that I'd wanted for some years to get some more LVWs, especially the 22mm, and he wanted a 3.5mm, so he said I should contact Tim asap before someone bought the set!

I pondered for a short while then asked Tim by message if the set was still available, and if so, would he would hold it for me for a few days while I put my FS128 up for sale. Tim very kindly said yes, but that Steve had offered first on the 3.5mm, so he felt he should have first refusal. I was very happy with that, since without Steve's heads up I'd never have even known they were available!

Moving on. On Monday I took the plunge and put the FS128 up for sale on SGL. In the meantime I remembered I'd actually seen an SD115S for sale on UKABS a few weeks back...but in Italy, so I hadnt then pursued it.

I found the advert and opened a message dialogue with the seller to confirm if it was still available.. I must he say is a lovely guy and has a longstanding history of problem free sales to the UK. He confirmed it was/is still for sale, and that he would offer  free shipping to the UK, too.

Anyway, just as I was convincing myself that the Italian SD115S was worth taking the risk of shipping from Italy, I had a message via SGL from Tim..

To my astonishment, Tim said he'd been thinking a lot about his plans for this year, and that, if I was interested, he would offer to sell me his SD115S (11 months old!), and his LVW set (minus the 3.5mm going to Steve).. and he would deliver them all in person to my home !! I was genuinely shocked..and delighted!

I was fortunate enough to have 2 firm offers to buy the FS128, plus another seriously interested party, within c 7 or 8 hours of advertising, so I was able to properly accept Tim's offer..

I also contacted the Italian seller in fairness to him..he was superb, and said that the newer scope, located in the UK, was too good a chance to miss, and he positively encouraged me to proceed!

So, there it is. I have now wound up with, for me, probably the best possible replacement for my Tak that I could have hoped for. And I will always be grateful to Steve for that heads up, and to Tim for selling me such a wonderful bundle of astro kit!

Thanks for staying with my ramblings..here are more photos of Superfox, and I"ll post much more on the scope as I get used to it in the coming weeks...Weather permitting!!😊

Dave

1 minute ago, JeremyS said:

I can see what sold it to you Dave @F15Rules. Nice!

That's right Jeremy..if the FS128 had had a handle, I'd clearly never have sold it!😋🤪😅

...and the winner is....

David (@dweller25)!!!🤩

May I introduce "Superfox" 🦊🐺🦊🐺, a stunningly beautiful, and as new Vixen Japan SD115S, courtesy of Mr Tim Lumb, a real gentleman and all round top notch fellow..

And accompanied by an excellent, almost complete set of Vixen LVW eyepieces..a full set minus the 3.5mm which my good friend Steve is now looking after.

I will post more details and photos shortly (after supper!) on a new thread in the Scopes forum.

I am thrilled.

Dave

Well, she's now gone to her new home..

Of course an element of sadness at seeing such a wonderful scope go, but the new owner will use her often and take good care of her.

And now it's time to move on, and I am sure that the FS128's replacement will prove a worthy successor in terms of my enjoyment of our great hobby.

More to follow very soon, I hope😉😀

Dave

On 01/02/2024 at 14:06, mikeDnight said:

It's amazing that we've got to page 17 and I haven't shown any of my Tak's. I must not have been paying attention, for several years!

First Tak: FS128, 2003.

 FS128 on pier mounted Losmandy GM8

Next was my FS152. 2007. (The EQ6 wasn't able to carry this scope well!)

My next Tak was some time in coming, and it was a FC100DC. 2015.

My DC alongside paulastro's FC100DL. 

Then came my FC100DZ. 2020.

And bringing things up to date, my second FS128. Oh the money I'd have saved had I never parted with my first FS128! 😢

 

Blimey Mike..

Thats what I'd call a "Back2backStackedTakAttack"!!😁😂

Dave

Its been nice here today and I'd thought of getting the old Vixen achro out for an hour..but clouds have rolled in..so that's another fireside evening tonight then..been a LOT of them this winter!!🤦‍♂️🤪

Dave

These are my last images of Trinity, my FS128, which many of you know will be going to the care of a new owner this week.

It has been my great privilege to have this wonderful scope for the past 7 years, and I have had some fabulous views with her.

I managed a last session last night under very dark and transparent skies..my abiding memory of my first and only Tak will be Sharpness and Contrast, Sharpness and Contrast, Sharpness and Contrast!!

I have today been checking the scope from top to bottom to ensure the new owner is as delighted when they come to the handover as I was when I picked her up from the first owner..

I think I am there now.

Lastly, all I need is for Jeremy to officially confirm that the objective does in fact pass his lickability test?😊

Still not sure yet Jeremy?? Oh, alright, just one more..

Au revoir, mon ami..🥹😂

Dave

Thats briliant, Steve..we need lots of pics of the Lyra please. I well remember Glen at Lyra optical: he only ever sold quality products, and I remember he did a good trade on Tani Circle T volcano orthoscopics as well as his branded "Lyra" scopes (I think these were made for him by Kunming Optics - and very high quality optics they were too!

I too, owned one his 4" achromats and it was great..I think (but cannot be sure) that I sold it eventually to Phil Jaworwek, (but I'm sure he will correct me if I'm wrong!😉). A really fine scope and great value for money👍.

I managed a last farewell session with Trinity the Tak FS128 last night..😩😓😂.

The sky looked great. However, the seeing was coming and going a lot, with moments of both mush and real clarity.

M42 was beautiful, with the Axiom LX 23mm the contrast was stunning, and after a few minutes when my eyes were dark adapted, both E and F stars were clearly visible with direct vision. The Tak's contrast is amazing, the  view to the "right side"of the nebula (east, as in refractor view with diagonal,) was jet black, contrasting so sharply wwith the ghostly "batwings" of the nebula itself.

Also to the "right" of the Trapezium there are two stars, one brighter than the other, and the fainter sometimes hard to see..interestingly, with cyclops view, both E and F were clear, and both the above stars were visible, the fainter one with averted vision.

However, through the Maxbright II binoviewers, and despite the more comfortable two eye viewing experience, I couldnt see E or F - and only the brighter of the two stars to the east.

This probably reflects my eyes as much as anything, but consistently reflects what I have experienced ever since using binoviewers..I estimate that using binoviewers loses me about a half magnitude in the visibility of faintest objects, which I think is also due to the prisms and splitting of the light path in two.

This just means my observing is always likely to be a mixture of using binoviewers AND cyclops styles, whatever scope I use.

The Pleiades was just stunning with the 31mm "Terminagler" type Axiom LX..84 degrees of diamonds and blackness!🤩.

Jupiter was mushy but to be honest I was more interested, in such a tramsparent night, on drinking in the fabulous wide angled views.

I will remember the Tak with such fondness and consider myself to be honoured to have had it in my care for the past 7 years.

But now its time to move on, and all being well she will be with her new keeper on Friday..and I will hopefully have a new main scope next week..

TBC..😊😅

Dave

14 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

But curiously not short enough to let your EM2 slip from your grasp Dave. Hmmm... could there possibly be a new pet in your sights? 

Er...Take the Fifth???😉🙄🙃

21 minutes ago, Joe G said:

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

Thanks Joe.

Thats a lovely way to put it.

It reminds me of another saying I used to hear in our family.." Today's Future is Tomorrow's Past"...meaning "don't waste your present by continually putting off something until a future that may never come"

That feels more true to me now than ever before..life really IS too short!..

Dave

43 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

I think Dave has more than just the FS128 in his armoury, so I doubt he's going to be without a jewel to observe with.

Thanks Mike. 

My only other scope is the 1980s vintage Vixen 80mm F15 refractor.. I thought I have to keep that or Stu or one of the other mods will demand that I change my handle under the Trade descriptions act!🤦‍♂️😂.

Joking apart though, even now I feel that a quality long focus achro can deliver outstanding stellar images like no other...

I don't have my own mount for the Vixen 80mm but have borrowed a nice old SP equatorial which suits the scope well.

Dave

Hi everyone,

What a great bunch you all are! Many thanks for all your kind comments, I really appreciate them all..

I thought very long and hard about doing this..once I made the decision to sell, I remembered very clearly that when I shared my joy at aquiring my FS128 back in 2017, John posted a nice comment, and then added at the end of his reply.."Now, for goodness sake don't ever sell it!!".. a reference, I'm sure, to my previous history of buying and then selling again, numerous scopes!

The truth is, I never would have sold the scope had it not been for a worsening of my age related eye condition (my right eye), which started about 4.5 years ago, but has got noticeably worse in the last 2 years. My left eye is still pretty good, and I've trained myself to use my left eye for cyclops viewing, but it's actually binoviewing (something I struggled to adapt to when I first tried it about 10 years ago), that has helped me a lot..I now have a good quality pair of Maxbright IIs, and with these I find the two eyed view is significantly more comfortable than with one eye, at least on many objects such as planets and the moon.

However, the binoviewers plus my preferred large 2" eyepieces do add weight to my setup, and in the past year the combination of weight and unpredictable weather has severely curtailed the number and quality of my observing sessions.

So, my next and hopefully my last scope setup will be lighter, and shorter, but still of high quality..

I feel strangely content with all this, and John and others nailed it when he said "While it is sad to part with a much appreciated piece of equipment it is sometimes the correct decision to make."

 I now feel sure I have made the right decision.

Thanks so much for all your support.

Watch this space for the next installment!😉😊.

Dave

8 hours ago, John said:

I'm not a binoviewer user but I wonder if they add some light scatter to the view, even the really good ones ?

Light scatter is a killer when trying to see the Pup star, whether it's from the atmosphere, central heating plumes, optics or observers eye. 

 

I've managed the Pup several times John, as you know, (Vixen ED103s apo 4" and Takahashi FS128 5"), but I've never yet managed it with Binoviewers.. and I doubt I ever will.

I think Binoviewers reduce light transmission by maybe around half a magnitude or so.. also, however good and well aligned BVs seem to be, I feel that you cannot improve on a single high quality image with a double image..the double image surely is unlikely to ever combine to give the 100% equal of a perfect single eyepiece image?

That's why I still prefer cyclops viewing for double star observing..you get the brightest, tightest image your optical train can deliver..the remaining variable apart from sky conditions is then the acuity of your eye..😉

Dave