jock1958

Bit difficult to see from your original photo but are the threads undamaged / intact on the screws and the threaded inserts on the plate? I.E can you screw them in and out easily without using tools? is your setup the same as what @johninderby has posted above?

Looking at pic you could be right Dave

Daft question but I presume it’s a right hand thread not left hand?

Nice write up @Barry-W-Fenner I’ve tried on numerous occasions to locate M101 and failed! probably due to LP where I live and my lack of aperture. Have you tried M35? nice cluster on the foot of Gemini. Thanks for the heads up on M67 @Paul73 might give that a go tonight if it stays clear.

Berlebach Hydra 11 chair easy to adjust with a nice comfy seat, on offer from FLO last year. A couple of bungees to keep it all together when not in use.

Plus one for Berlebach products, I have the Hydra 11 chair and it’s fantastic for an old crock like me with a dodgy back. Nicely padded seat which is easily adjustable. Decided to use a bungee chord to keep detachable seat and A frame together when not in use.

Thanks John. Looking at your description and attached image I realise conditions have to be spot on to have half a chance with my Tak 100!

Cheers for the heads up. For a change the skies are very clear down here 😁

Thanks John a very interesting post, must admit I didn’t know the positions of the Large & Small MC’s in relation to our own galaxy. Clear skies forecast down here tonight so will give it a go, though not confident I will see anything through my Tak 100!

My aim when getting back into this hobby after a long hiatus was portability and ease of use as the scope you use the most is the best and one of the reasons I gave it all up in the past. My current and fairly portable setup is a Takahashi FC 100DL on a AZ4 steel leg tripod with an Alt / Az Skytee 2 Mount which I can carry out in a oner from my dining room to back garden, it's not exactly light but doe-able! Given the size of your balcony my particular set up would probably be impractical especially if you want to get around your setup and extend the tripod legs as @happy-kathas alluded to. As I've learnt there is compromises to made and no one scope will do it all. I've been looking at the ultimate grab & go for the last 18 months or so and still not sure what to get....maybe a Tak FS 60 on a Manfrotto tripod??

HI Neil do you use anything special as regards observing hood or is it a big coat or blanket? probably a stupid question 🤔

Transparency wasn't great, I'm also in a fairly LP area (Bortle 4-5) with a next door neighbour who seems to leave a bright light on all night with curtains open!

Nice report @Littleguy80. Using M81 / 82 as pointers I failed to see anything using my Tak FC100DL, 31MM Nagler & 14mm Delos. It's cloudy down here tonight so will give it a go later in the week.

Cheers for that Geoff 👍

Yeh my TAL 1 came in a big wooden crate my 100RS came in large cardboard box attached to a wooden plank. 11 on finder bracket denotes year 2011

Hi Stu on my TAL 100RS the only thing I have is a small sticker with serial number & year of manufacture on the finder bracket. Did it come in the original TAL crate? Might be something on there? From memory my TAL 1 had year of manufacture hand written on the original documents and instructions for use, 1996?

Sorry to read about your Vixen woes, it's definitely not what you would expect of a new item and vendors response is not good either! Going back to your original post I'm sure on doublets to avoid pinched optics retainer rings are finger tight only (correct me if I'm wrong), I know my TAL 100RS retainer ring was loose when I received it.

Excellent image @Nikodemuzzand some lovely detail. As a purely visual observer it puts into perspective how dark and difficult to see the Horse Head nebula is compared to M42!

Sorry can’t help with the skywatcher one but there’s an interesting thread on this forum that’s worth a read before you pull the trigger “Which red dot finder?”

I have a Telrad RDF on my 4” refractor and without doubt my best finder and they are relatively cheap, also consider the Rigel Quickfinder which has had very good reviews. If you are on a budget they crop up second hand fairly regularly on Astro Buy & Sell for £30 ish!

It was the first DSO (fuzzy) I saw with my 4” Tal many years ago using the lowest powered eyepiece I had at the time (25mm I think) As Marvin says the pointers of Cassiopeia are good or the corner stars of the Great Square of Pegasus. I would be starting off with your lowest powered eyepiece 30mm? and to make things even easier get a red dot finder and good star chart? Another thing I do is sweep the telescope backwards and forth in the general area and it will eventually pop into view! Cheers and good hunting

I think I paid about £250 for mine. Make an offer you never know

Strange 🤔 just checked it again and add was posted 13hrs ago from Birmingham. Try tapping in telescope in search box and let me know

The Vixen 5mm SLV was my go to high powered eyepiece until I picked up a second hand 3-6 nagler zoom. There’s one on Gumtree now for £280....make an offer?

As a purely visual observer that looks a fantastic image!! Well done 👍