10 hours ago, jabeoo1 said:

Thats why F15Rules

Why, thank you, kind sir??..

Dave

4 hours ago, JOC said:

I bought the one advertised in this thread:

It's a really cute little telescope.  What I didn't appreciate before I bought it is that the 3 little legs actually store inside the vertical bit of the stand which is a rather neat system.  What I really like is the action of the movement - it is just so absolutely smooth with just the correct degree of sticktion - it stays exactly where it is put when the movement stops.  The only problem is that I haven't really used it yet - I thought I'd have it in my room and look through the windows (perhaps with it on a camera tripod), but I can't get them open wide enough and if I take it outside I tend to have the Dob out too and then I use the Dob.  I also envisaged that I might take it camping, but when I went last year I couldn't fit it in.  I've got a lovely Revelation diagonal for it (it has an adaptor to take 1.25") and all those lovely EP's I bought that would work in it.  I really should make use of it - it's such a lovely well made instrument

Perl is/was a French Vixen distributor, see this thread: 

Perl-Vixen 80m F11.4 Super Polaris

By astro mick, May 22, 2016 in Discussions - Scopes / Whole setups 

I also had a Perl branded Vixen made frac some years ago, can't recall which at this point, but it was a nice scope. You just now need to USE it!??

Dave

On 20/01/2018 at 13:23, cotterless45 said:

Wonderful to see these scopes appreciated and loved . The  optics are sweet. Old school here. Rescued and fettled. Old Nick.

Vixen 90 on az and 102 on SP mount.

Fabulous Duo Nick?. Had both some years ago, really liked both. The Altaz is the essence of simplicity, and as for the GP....the original, and the best!?.

Dave

3 hours ago, John said:

FrT Telescopes do an F/12.5 120mm ED doublet refractor. Quite expensive though:

http://www.frtelescopes.com/frt120ded

That's a beautiful scope John?. Lovely lines and colour. It's not cheap, but I guess if the lens is a good one...very much a niche player a la Skylight, but it's good to see small artisan companies like this.. thanks for the link ?.

Dave

1 hour ago, 25585 said:

Thank you John, interesting comparison. I thought the Vixen had a flourite lens!

As SW ED PRO models do, perhaps your 120 is a smidgeon closer to your Tak for that reason.

Tak F7.5 seem to be ideal travel/grab scopes, while F9 is perhaps the "Home Not Away" one to own.

All that remains is to compare a SW 100 ED PRO F9 doublet against a DL.

 

The SW ED Pro has an FPL53 element, not Fluorite. 

The SW ED100 Pro F9 is a nice scope, but not in the same league as the Tak ☺.

Dave

"Here is a short post I made on the CN forum comparing the two:"

I saw that thread John, interesting read. I think any F9 scope will give sharper and better star tests than  an F6.5, (given equal quality glass etc) if only because the elements have gentler curves which are easier to polish and figure?

At any rate, there are very few Tak vs Vixen direct comparisons around. Perhaps the "fairest" might be the Tak FS102 F8 (or your FC100DL F9?) versus the legendary Vixen FL102 F9?

I'm sure I've read somewhere that the FL102 was replaced with the  ED102s/1033s scopes on cost grounds, but I don't think I've seen a direct comparison of them in print. If there was such a comparison, I'd also expect the longer FL102 fluorite to edge the non fluorite and shorter ED103s.

That's why I'd love to see a premium F11-F13 ED or Fluorite doublet offered. It would sit well on an EQ6 class mount and would genuinely be a double star killer I reckon.

But I know it will never happen, not enough demand for a long, expensive modest aperture apo, so the economics probably wouldn't add up. And it's much easier to stack F7 or 8 100mm tubes on a pallet!

Dave

35 minutes ago, runoffshed said:

Here is my SP102 being used by a friend while we wait for darkness; I've had it about 10 years and have loved owning it.  Only an achromat but I can't say colour fringing has ever bothered me much.  I stripped it down 6 years ago as the axes had become a bit stiff and there was a lengthy discussion on SGL about the type of grease to use with lots of interesting stuff I didn't understand about 'high pressure' for the worms.  I wouldn't say it was 'heated' but there were many different opinions...all very interesting.  Well I used white lithium for everything and now I need to do it again...which seems quite soon to me(?)  It's still quite usable, I just notice it getting harder to balance properly. Anyway, lovely scope that I can't see myself ever selling.

That's a cracking all Vixen setup, and looks to be in excellent condition. I remember drooling over that setup around the early 1980s, when a young man, and Orion Optics were the UK Vixen dealer. If I'm not mistaken, the scope and mount had an RRP of around £795, maybe more - a lot of cash in those pre- mainstream ED apo days.

Thanks for posting☺.

Dave

1 hour ago, kens said:

The scope has good optics but the focuser was always a bit sloppy. Ok for visual but hard to focus well for imaging.

Maybe worth an upgrade to Moonlite or similar?

Dave

2 hours ago, kens said:

Here's my Vixen R150S on its SP mount which I've had since about 1983. Piggybacking is a Vixen 60mm guide scope. The only mod I've made since is to add a helical focuser to the sled focuser and build a controller for autoguiding.

 

That's a nice reflector, and non too common now I imagine? How are the views through it?

Dave

15 hours ago, skybadger said:

Here's my na140 and VC200 on a non-vixen mount

Great observatory, great setup!

Must be great to have a nice calm dome around you at this time of year..

Dave

I'm really surprised that the new SD103s didn't come with a dual speed as standard, especially at that price....

As you say, it's not the end of the world, but a retrofit fine focuser will cost around £180 I believe. My own ED103s, being an older model, also only has a single speed, but it's very smooth, and with a T2 Baader prism and fine focusing eyepiece holder (1.25), I effectively have a dual speed focusser on the cheap?.

My ED103s worked well on the Porta II and I will probably get another  Porta eventually.

Dave

1 hour ago, osbourne one-nil said:

My first Vixen was the NA140SS which was so lightweight and fabulous for deep sky or doubles. It wasn't too bad on brighter stuff either; CA certainly never bothered me. The T-Rex didn't even break sweat carrying it, but that was a heavy mount.

Life changes saw me needing to sell it, but it's been replaced with my new SD103 which appears to sit very nicely on my Porta II - although I've not managed a clear night since getting the scope last week. The Porta II does still have the encoders on from my Argo Navis days and I could get another Argo Navis handset or the Nexus DSC, which I personally found more user-friendly. 

 

The NA140SS always intrigued me.. such a big refractor for not all that much money. And not SO much CA according to some reports?

And you DID go for the ED103s replacement, the SD103s! Brilliant! Did it come with the rings, handle, finder and flip mirror all included? 

Please do a full report, first light etc with more pics asap??.

Dave

1 hour ago, dweller25 said:

A Vixen GP-DX EQ mount......

 

 

A Vixen GP EQ mount

My first scope on a Vixen Super Polaris EQ mount

Cracking setups David!

An FS128 on a GPDX mount, a dream combo..

An Intes Micro Mak on a GP mount also a dream setup. I had the same model scope I believe, almost refractor like sharpness and contrast?.

Dave

That Atlux was a beast Stu! I recall drooling over that in the Astro mags back in the day, I think Fullerscopes sold it on the matching mount for around £5k? - a fortune in those days..but what a scope! Thanks for sharing??.

Dave

"You have a beautiful set-up there Dave! Your 103mm makes my 100DC look pathetic!"

Er, I don't think so, Mike.. mind you, I'd love to do a side by side comparison of the two, that would be interesting!

Dave

That tripod and pier extension is a work of art, Steve

Dave

11 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Here's a old one of my C8 on a Vixen GPD mount.

And a Pentax 100 SDUF II on a Vixen GPD. I think that a very similar design to the SDUF has now been taken up by Vixen in the Vixen VSD 100 f/3.8 astrograph

Both with Vixen Skysensor 2000PC GOTO controller.

Jeremy

Great pics Jeremy..I really think the C8 looks great in "refractor white"!

Dave

20 minutes ago, John said:

Can't see the pics of yours Dave (edit: oh yes I can now - very nice ! )

Here are pics of my old (I owned this around 1990) Bresser Uranus which was really a Vixen SP102M in a black colour scheme (complete with early Skysensor GOTO) and a couple of my current Vixen ED102SS toting it's Vixen handle and rings, care of your good self Dave plus Moonlite focuser. I've owned the ED102 for over a decade now

 

 

Lovely John☺. The goto handset on the Bresser reminds me of how big mobile phones used to be!! That must have been very cool back then..

I suspect your lovely ED102SS will have to be prised from your cold hands many years from now?.

Dave

I have loved Vixen telescopes and mounts for nearly 30 years. I think they are a very underrated brand, and they have (and still do) produced some of the best, most accessible amateur scopes and mounts ever.

From achromats to reflectors, mak-cassegrains to apochromats, they have offered, in my experience, excellent optics, understated but attractive build characteristics and very pleasing instruments. Their Super Polaris, Great Polaris and GPDX mounts were the original (and best, IMHO) affordable equatorial mounts, much copied, but not bettered for longevity and quality of engineering for the price. I have owned the following models:

SP102m, Custom 80m, Pulsar F13 102mm all achromats), and 2 ED103s doublets...and 2 wonderful GP mounts.

I'd love to see your pictures of Vixen scopes past and present, of whatever type, and with any anecdotes or stories about them that you are happy to share.

Here is my starter, my ED103s doublet, seen here fixed to a CG-4 mount with a Takahashi FS102 clamshell. It is optically excellent, very lightweight and portable, and makes me smile every time I use it.

Looking forward to seeing yours

Dave

On 12/01/2018 at 19:58, JeremyS said:

Here's my Takahashi FS102 in the obsy. Nowadays it's gone walkabout and more likely to be seen on an NEQ6 or a WO EZTouch

Jeremy

 

Just superb Jeremy!

Dave

On 20/11/2017 at 17:29, iPeace said:

Got this setup for dad-in-law. Our friends at FLO supplied bins (Pentax WP 20x60), finder and bracket. Gitzo GH2720QR head and TS photo tripod. He uses it for astro and for birding. Couldn't be happier.

That's s lovely setup?.

Dave

I think the thrust of this thread is that the Mission Controller needs a rocket up his solid fuel booster!

Still it's given us all a lift to watch it...

Dave

Great story Mike☺.

Thanks for sharing!

I had an ED120 for a short time, but didn't get on with it. I also had a DS Pro, and didn't fall in love with that either. It must be me, as I know there are loads of paid up fans of the ED120 on SGL.

The Tak, Vixen and D&G are the ones that really got to me..

Below is my old GP mount which was a pleasure for me to use. Only sold it to help finance my Tak. Great, well engineered mounts ☺.

Dave

One more..