jock1958

Had a similar dilemma back in 2018, spoke to Ian King one of the UK Tak dealers and he steered me towards the DL and mighty glad I took his advice, it’s been brilliant for the likes of the moon, planets and brighter DSO objects, also the focuser has more than enough travel for my needs. Focuser is the same as the DF and the only thing I’ve added is a Starlight Pinion focuser which is a bit of extravagance I know but I love it, so concur with previous comments and go for the DF you can always add a FT focuser or equivalent later if so desired.

Thanks John I’d never heard of an occulting bar you learn something every day.

Yeh the focuser tube on my RS slipped and drooped especially when fully racked out. A fellow SGL'r @moriniboy had the same issue on his RS and he told me to check the accuracy of the flat on the focuser tube. Turns out one end was 55.04mm other 54.60mm that's just under 0.5mm which doesn't sound a lot but was enough to substantially affect the run of the tube. Things were much improved after I used a carborundum stone to even out the discrepancies and re-adjust the tension. Initially I thought the two silver knurled screws on the bottom of the focuser were to adjust the tension but they are different lengths, the longer one locks the tube and other is for tension, also on mine there was a rubber O ring around these screws and I assume this was to stop either falling out and keep tension consistent?

Glad to be of some help and relieved you didn't need to split the lenses, below other reason's why I wasn't over impressed with my 100RS, any regrets possibly but at least I know what a good and a bad star test is. Compared to the Tal-1 I bought in the mid 90's and earlier versions of the 100RS my 2011 example wasn't nearly as well engineered possibly due to the Tal factory diverting its resources into more pressing needs. Cautionary note if you ever decide to fiddle with those foil spacers...leave well alone unless you are desperate! refitting mine was a pain as there was no adhesive on it to re-secure so ended up using a spot of superglue which seemed ok but was probably too much possibly effecting the gap as @John mentioned. I'm guessing here but when they left the factory they never intended owners to attempt any adjustments of the lens cells possibly why tamper proof paste was applied over those screw holes?

Hi @Etoille sounds like you have sussed the fungal problem out, here's my experience with a Russian Tal-100RS. Bought a second hand Tal-100RS from an overseas contact some years ago unfortunately due to clumsy couriers it arrived with a damaged focuser and a foil spacer adrift between the lens cells, also the collimation was out. The seller was really apologetic and I received most of the money back as I wanted to keep it and hopefully restore it to its former glory.....hmmm! The spacer in the lens cell was the biggest concern so after lots of research I marked everything up, removed the lens cell, split the lenses, re-attached the silver spacer then re-assembled the lens cell to the OTA tube. The repairs to the damaged focuser was more straight forward as it only required a replacement cross shaft (6mm steel rod) and flatting out some engineering inaccuracies on the draw tube. End result after months of fiddling and faffing with a cheshire eyepiece and laser collimator was a poor star test and and unsatisfactory collimation. At the time had considered sending it to Steve Collingwood near Tunbridge so he could bench test it but costs outweighed the value so sold it to a bloke who had a Tal-100R with a good lens but wanted the 100RS for the better focuser, basically swapping the 100R lens onto the 100RS tube. Hope you have better luck with your Tal than me, Cheers Iain PS I've dealt with Es Reid and he's a top bloke and extremely helpful.

I’ve read some excellent reviews on them but they are pricey in comparison so maybe that’s the reason 🤔

Following this thread with interest having recently acquired Maxbright II’s. Seems like there are endless combinations depending on what extras you already have or having to buy 🤔

Great news Dave and thanks for all the photos and feedback. As a matter of interest do the eyepiece holders screw down onto your new field stop washers securing with the grub screws or are they push fits?

Really glad you flagged this up Dave, I’ve had a look into my eyepiece holders and they are the same as yours. I've only used my BV’s a few times and can already see a few flecks of dust on the optics so at some stage they will need cleaning and I’ll end up in same world of pain as yourself. I think it’s a design flaw and sooner or later the elements will get to them even if you haven’t touched them, I think at the very least Baader should be sending out replacement upgraded field stop washers free of charge 🤔

Thanks for that Dave seems very strange these circular field stop thingies are made of paper which could be susceptible to the elements? Hope the plastic repair washers do the job 🤞

Looking forward to the follow up on this Dave especially as I’ve recently bought some MB II’s 🤔

Might be worth contacting fellow SGL'r @Roy Challen he's successfully stripped down and and cleaned a number of eyepieces for members over the years, check out this recent thread "Masuyama 10mm Original, is it missing elements?" Hope this helps Iain

@John beat me to it, pics below of the first couple of pages.

Went out about 09.30ish and spent an enjoyable hour on the moon using the 'Wee Fella', TV 3-6 zoom and Duplex Moon Atlas before it was totally clouded out. For those that haven't tried the Duplex Moon Atlas all I can say it makes life so much easier identifying objects for refractor & reflector users, the coated plastic pages ooze quality and durability essential in damp outdoor conditions.

Never tried the Tak diagonals but for me the Baader T2 diagonals are the way to go with lots of interchangeability options ie different nosepieces and eyepiece holders also the sheer quality.

Some great pics there Mike, think I can see a glimpse of Hadley Rille 🤔 Love the video as well, have you thought about doing your own You Tube channel? 😉😉🤞

What a lovely image Alan. Have seen this many times visually but missed out on the all the starburst action that you’ve captured incredibly well!!

Wise choice IMO 👍

Not 100% sure Stu but I think it’s around 5kg 🤔

Cheers Paul, I will have a look at their website. I know there’s been various iterations of this mount over the years including the TS Optics AZ5 which looks the same with apparent quality improvements.

Yep was out with it last night and my old Tal 100RS.

Hi Paul what’s the FLO version of the Skytee 2 and how does it differ from other versions? Until an affordable quality replacement comes along I’ll soldier on with my 8 year old ST 2.

Your secrets safe with me Mike!! 😉🤣

Very nice finder and paint job Mike and you’ve retained the made in Japan sticker. What make and shade of white did you use? Closest match I could find for my Taks is Amalfi White.

Bought mine off an SGL’r a few years ago and agree about the incredible build quality, love the chunky feel, kerfs on the nosepiece and easy to use click lock. Also it’s the mainstay diagonal for edge to edge views with my 31mm Nagler T5.