Highburymark

No need now Matthew - I've been onto your excellent website ('alpha-lyrae' for the uninitiated) and read the reviews of your 60/76mm Tak - you have the same Feathertouch adapter as I do with 76mm diameter, so I'm going to track down a 76mm tube ring (SW or Orion) on which to mount my finder. I cannot praise the Feathertouch (FT2025) enough. It's an exquisite piece of engineering. Playing around with different loads this afternoon, I attached a Baader 2" Coolwedge, 2" Barcon barlow, several T2 spacers, Baader MkV binoviewer, and 2x Fujiyama eyepieces, and it handled them beautifully. Something that was just not possible with the Tak focuser. The fit and finish is also perfect.

Looks great Matthew! Is that a standard Skywatcher tube ring? I have the FT-2025 2" focuser with an adapter which has a circumference of 24.5cm - is that the same as yours? Very elegant solution.

I am very protective of that paintwork Mike - though noticed on another thread that it is possible to get Tak green touch up paint. Presumably would have to come from Japan - maybe we should order a shared bottle for UK SGL Tak owners....

Thanks Stu - yes, I left the second focuser section on there to reach focus without the binoviewer - for night vision and standard EPs. Will remove for native binoviewing - and presumably for white light solar with the Coolwedge - that's something I haven't tried yet but really looking forward to the next sunspot!

Both brilliant suggestions! Thanks Freddie and Mike. I had tried fitting some sort of contraption to the protruding screw Mike but failed - your idea is much better.

Thanks John - guess I have the Rigel/Telrad options if no other solution possible. Was hoping to fit a standard red dot finder shoe somewhere.

I've just taken delivery of a feathertouch focuser to cope with heavier night vision weights - it's a joy to use, but unlike the larger Feathertouch focusers doesn't have any holes to mount a finder - I only want to use a simple red dot finder. And there's nowhere else on the scope to fit one either. One option is to get tube rings to replace the Takahashi clamp, but I'd rather not do that. Just wondering if anyone has another solution?

Indeed - my Steeltrack is the previous generation Newtonian version.

Congrats. Lovely scope Gavin. And perfect for night vision. I have a Steeltrack focuser on my Lunt LS60 - mine was also a bit clunky when I got it - all sorted now and a very nice upgrade if you don't want to stretch to a Feathertouch

One very small bit of American aluminium with one very big function - the final link in my new night vision set up. Cue three nights of cloud and rain.

Thank you Peter - just had 30 mins outside - at this time of night surrounded by bright lights from adjacent houses and a school at the end of the garden - lovely array of stars made it difficult to recognise constellations. The tube appears to be blemish free from my inexperienced eyes. Most amazing (having never looked through an NV device before) was that the only way I could detect scintillation was to turn the gain up to the very highest level - otherwise very natural and familiar sensation of looking up at the night sky.

Sadly not Neil. Maybe you should be their marketing advisor?

Thanks Gavin! Free t-shirt too!

And here is the night vision device, just arrived this afternoon from Nighttec in Germany. Just waiting for a small adapter from TNVC in the States now, so will be a week or two before I can fully test it with a telescope and eyepieces - and see how it performs under the most light polluted conditions in central London

Currently the only eyepieces we can use afocally with a PVS-14 night vision monocular are those that accept TeleVue dioptrx. Luckily the Baader aspherics fit into that category - and they're £200 cheaper than a Panoptic 35. Surprisingly light and compact too.

New night vision PVS-14 monocular being delivered tomorrow. Three new 2" eyepieces for night vision work with my 80mm and 100mm refractors.

Slightly late replying to this but that sounds like progress John after so many attempts. I think the WOs are excellent - give them a try in your solar scope - on days of activity they bring surface details to life

Fabulous looking scope Garry. Neighbour of mine used to have one - I was in awe of it. Love the old Vixen logo too.

Good to see you back on the "acquisition trail" Stu. It's a lovely looking telescope.

Just taken delivery of an external pressure controller for my Lunt solar scope after coming up at a bargain price. Have wanted one for a while as the manual pressure tuner on my LS60 only comes on band right at the very end of its travel, which means it's very tight - and difficult to keep the scope balanced and on target while tuning. Now can dial in exact desired pressure without affecting the view - so I can concentrate on observing.

I'd presume the 120 would show globulars/galaxies better, while the FC's slightly better control of CA might edge it on bright stars and open clusters? Maybe the SW would show a bit more lunar detail - small craters for example - but the Tak would be slightly sharper. Tak also better in poorer seeing conditions?

Managed to track down a new Astro Physics Barcon at APM - for high mag WL solar

So nice to have Quark option. Opportunity for 24/7 holiday astronomy instead of the paltry normal 8 hours ?

Oh - got that completely wrong! Very nice looking scopes though and perfect for travel

JG777/Gavin, Is your scope the 4" or the 90mm TS Photoline? And how easy is it to package up in cabin bags? Very nice looking telescope.