F15Rules

Cracking mount Mike, so smooth and well engineered.

If you could source a good wooden tripod for it, it would be immensely stable (I'm sure it is already very good) - and the Tak will only have its own objective and sky conditions as it's limitations ☺.

Dave

27 minutes ago, 25585 said:

I am waiting for my last 2 eps ever to be delivered

..Gasping for breath sounds.."my - last - two - eps - ever"...

If you say so, if you say so...

Dave

My expected new old stock Parks Gold Series Pseudo Masuyama 3.8mm arrived from the USA today☺.

Here's a pic of it next to my 7.5mm, which it dwarfs..

I've added more details on my Eyepiece forum thread "Going retro vintage Japanese glass"..

Dave

19 hours ago, DeepSkyMan said:

Hmmm in that case the T4s are gonna be just a bit on the big side methinks?.  Was looking for something a little bit smaller than my Maplin heavy duty flight cases, to clear up some space in the car when travelling.  Thanks for the feedback anyways.

Paul.

If you look at Jeremy's link to Amazon, they do seem to do larger size versions which might be big enough for your Naglers?☺

Dave

2 hours ago, russ said:

Fantastic set of eyepieces Dave. And it takes me back to 2004 when I had a set of Orion Ultrascopic (rebadged Parks Gold) eyepieces. Loved those eyepieces so much. So sharp and contrasty. Regretted selling them

Thanks Russ. Yes, spot on. I think these are very early Parks ones, maybe even dating from the 1980s..

Looking forward to a proper first light before long..

Dave

4 hours ago, Saganite said:

A classic set of optics Dave, and I see you managed to find some eye guards.

Hi Steve,

Yes, I bought a pair from Robtics in Holland (£22 for a pair shipped!), and I was very fortunate to be gifted 3 very kindly by MikeDknight, one of which was large enough to fit on the 30mm, which is a lovely eyepiece .

Just need to find one or two more now but at least I can swap them around if need be..

Dave

I've got an old small ali case which just happens to fit my newly acquired set of Parks Gold Japanese Pseudo-Masuyamas quite nicely..

I also have an incoming 3.8mm which should arrive any time now, so I'll have 7 of the possible 9 variants in this line: 3.8, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30mm

Dave

On 2/10/2018 at 16:06, rockystar said:

The arrival of the 9mm yesterday fills the gap nicely, and i'm done   (for now....  )

So add it to your sig!!

How do you like your 9mm? Are you tempted by the new 17.5mm?

Dave

1 hour ago, iPeace said:

1 hour ago, F15Rules said:

53 minutes ago, Saganite said:

Dave, you crack me up .....Freda the Funnel indeed !

All said in good fun Steve☺..

Perhaps our Newt and Dob friends can come up with some names for fracs??

 

19 minutes ago, iPeace said:

21 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

 

Oh, shush and behave.

...because???? 

1 hour ago, iPeace said:

Besides, I haven't named the Newt yet...

Now about a few suggestions?

Nellie the Newt?

Freda the Funnel??

Dumbo the Dob???

I'll get my coat..

Dave

14 hours ago, Stu said:

I know, dreadful little pea shooters they are, don't know why anyone bothers looking through them..

"Looking THROUGH them??"

I thought Tak owners only looked AT them..at EVERY  opportunity!!! 

Dave

A beautiful vintage achromatic Dave, should be great on Jupiter and a real double star splitter!

Congratulations!

Dave

40 minutes ago, Dave_D said:

Nooooooo.... my first refractor  there's a 'proper' scope behind it lol

Ha ha! "Touche", as the French would say?. 

Enjoy your new toy!

Dave

1 hour ago, Dave_D said:

well, the lens wasn't chipped at all... must have been some odd reflection. got it for £170 which may or may not be a bit higher than normal, but i've wanted one of these for years so i really don't care. can't wait for a clear night  

this is the first frac i've had since i was 7

Really? Your first proper scope since the age of 7??

Enjoy, it should perform really well.

Dave

The scope looks to be in fine condition Jock..

If you have the RS focuser and get the 100r tube, I'm sure it would be possible to get an adapter made to join the two parts..in fact, you could have the tube shortened to allow the use of a binoviewer without needing a Barlow lens to get focus as well!?.

Good luck,

Dave

59 minutes ago, jock1958 said:

Hi Dave

Great bits of info on the TAL 100r. I have a 100rs and was wondering if you could swap the focusers over without major surgery.

TAL 100r with 100rs focuser hmm! that would be nice to try ?

Hi Jock,

I don't know for sure, but as per my post, I fear that they are not interchangeable.

Our TAL expert on SGL, AndyH, may be able to help out. Might be worth messaging him, you should find him on SGL members search, AndyH☺.

Hope that helps a bit.

Dave

On 28/02/2018 at 11:16, wookie1965 said:

 

4 hours ago, wookie1965 said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TAL-100R-4-refractor-telescope/222858808029?_trkparms=pageci%3Abbb7d43c-1c78-11e8-b300-74dbd1808fd7|parentrq%3Adc2028731610a88459a58108ffff7e3e|iid%3A1&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236

That's the one I was looking at (but I won't be bidding as I have an ED103s Vixen already☺.

It looks great, but ask to see photos of the lens and accessories.

The Tal 100r is very Russian.

Good points:

Great lens, lovely purple coatings, slightly better figured than the later RS models IMO.

Decent, if a bit agricultural equipment mount, built like a tank.

The tripod is definitely Tal, and it's a good one, ideal for this scope.

Accessories are good, the 6x30 finder is a cracker, with helical focusing. The 25m Plossl is superb, optically gives Tele Vue a run for it's money. The 10mm is decent too. The diagonal is excellent.

Not so good points:

The baffling on the 100r tubes can be poor. Look up the tube and if you can see daylight around the edges of the baffles, they may have moved or not been fixed properly. It is fixable but annoying.

The focuser on the 100r is poor and has a tiny amount of travel,  maybe c40mm, enough for the Tal eyepieces but other brands may not come to focus. The Crayford focuser on the 100rs is excellent and MUCH better. I think you would want to swap the focuser and Tal stuff has its own build foibles so may need for example to have a custom adapter machined to fit the tube. I don't think the RS focuser fits the 100r tube (even if you  could find one).

Someone like Mark at Moonraker Telescopes could probably help. That would add to the cost. Mind you, the lens is worth it.. a Moonlite dual speed equipped 100r would be a serious refractor ?.

Good luck if you bid, let us know if you win it!

Dave

6 hours ago, twotter said:

No doubt about the tripod and GEM - they're TAL. I bought my 100R a few years ago on eBay and paid £125 if my memory serves. Mine came in an enormous wooden box with the OTA, mount and eyepieces. It's made for an excellent work surface in my garage for the last few years as it's a pretty solid item! Actually I've been away from stargazing for a few years so this thread has got me thinking it's more than time to get back outside. 

Do we still get clear nights???

Welcome back Twotter☺..(or "Twitter" as my Android wants to call it!).

Yes, we do get some and in fact this winter (I'm in Lincolnshire) we have had a fair number.

So go on, get that Tal out, you know you want to!?

Dave

6 hours ago, Stu said:

Shame, that does look like a chip. Won't affect performance at all but it will affect resale value so don't pay too much for it! 

Use that chip as a bargaining chip!?.

Seriously though, it's tiny and you wouldn't see it in use. Paint it over with flat black paint, job done.

But you will know it's there though..

I wouldn't pay more than £80 for that if it is tube only.

Dave

3 minutes ago, 25585 said:

Considering selling my SW Equinox 100mm. But if a Vixen is only worth £600, might not be worth it. I would have asked £675 & buyer collect. 

That Vixen model is quite old, I think John has had his for about 10 years..at F6.5 and your 'Nox at F9, I doubt there would be a large difference (your F9 has fine optics) - although the tube would be a good deal shorter (but " fatter", with a 114mm ID tube).

At the end of the day it's worth what someone would pay, and sadly Vixens don't hold their value Vs new price like Taks do, which is a shame, as they almost always have great optics.

Anyway, to avoid hijacking this thread, we could begin another one about Vixen scopes and resale values if you like, Alan??..

Dave

11 minutes ago, Alan White said:

If they are as nice as the Tak LE then I am sure they will great in your refractors, perhaps not the Vixen though.....

how about I give you a fiver for the Vixen and save the upset ?

Nice try Alan!

Did you see there is a Vixen ED102SS F6.5 on UKABS this evening?

I think it's the same model that John Huntley has..it's actually from the same seller I bought my first ED103s from.

IMO the price for the above one is a bit high, I reckon £600 or so would be about right..should be a great scope, ask John!

Dave

4 minutes ago, Alan White said:

Nice set Dave, very nice indeed.

Now know what the 7xl sale was about, or is that a other purchase?

Yes, Alan, I sold the XL7 and a couple of other items to fund these?..time will tell whether I made a good decision or not.. ?

Dave

36 minutes ago, 25585 said:

I think the Parks Gold were same as Baader Eudiascopic, of which I have a 30mm. It's a good ep rivalling TV 32mm Plossl. 

Correct☺.The Eudiascopic seems to be intermittently available in just a couple of sizes (and quite expensive too)

Rother Valley optics list 3 variants of the Antares Elite (will be new old stock if they do have some), and you may find the odd Tak LE new, although I think they have now been replaced by the new TOE range..

Dave

Thanks Steve?.

I thought hard about buying these, but I've always really liked vintage quality Japanese glass and I'll be very interested to see how these compare with my Pentax and LVW EPs. My

The Parks Gold are quite uncommon in the UK, which adds to their appeal for me☺.

All I need now to get the set is a 5mm and a 35mm!

I'm opening a thread on the Eyepiece forum so as not to hijack this thread☺..

Dave