Alan White

My First Newt a Skywatcher Explorer 150p f5, what a sky surfing simple set up it was.....

On 2/16/2018 at 20:30, iPeace said:

Show you my what? Ah, I see... I only have the one.

TS/GSO 150mm f/6. Losmandy AZ8 on Berlebach Planet.

And we all know just how good its being too, nice that you have joined the Newt Brigade.

1 hour ago, laudropb said:

Latest acquisition. Delivered this morning. Looks like a very good read.

Now that looks an interesting read, please feed back on how it reads.

25 minutes ago, Jforson said:

Hi Dave, 

I was about to ask that question with respect to the Sabre, thanks for the confirmation. 

Scope ordered this morning, hopefully it will arrive over the next couple of days.  Roll in the clouds.... 

Nice one John, something I really desire myself.
 

John

I looked at one at the IAS last year and it’s quite a bit longer than my ED80, but how much was quite a surprise.

Good luck with your purchases.

I will be interested in which way you go J.

I keep being tempted by this or similar scopes to sit with my ED80.
I have a Skytee 2 and have just bought a Berlebach Uni 28 Tripod to sit it upon and also an Altair Sabre 2 as well.

Cannot comment as of yet as its not all arrived yet.

That 102 F11 just looks so yummy, the red is now growing on me.

3 minutes ago, Dave1 said:

My main way of getting around is by Ural motorcycle and sidecar.

Now that is old school style, like it Dave.
Is this an older Ural or one of the newer ones?
The Ural is an opposed twin if I remember correctly. 

So reading the posts of ED and Dave, you do have it bad, but nothing wrong with that at all.
It must be us low tech visual astronomers, I too am a classic fan of all things mechanical and optical, used to be into classic motorcycles too.

Ed like the photography things you mention,
I have a small collection of Rollei, Voigtlander, Olympus and other cameras, all still work.
 

Dave, that’s a very fine classic scope, wow.

Slight scope envy going on in my head, very nice, I like older Vixen scopes a lot.

Really look forward to the first light report.

1 hour ago, parallaxerr said:

Nearly completed my equipment draw down to one all-purpose scope now. Here it is in a bit of a hybrid visual/imaging setup trying out my new ADM guidescope clamps. The clamps make removing the guidescope complete with guider quick and easy and I've made up two wiring looms, one for visual and the other for imaging. I hope to continue DSO imaging and have a crack at some planetary too.

Received a Sky-Watcher reducer/flattener yesterday only to find it needs an M48 adapter not T2, which I already have - another purchase required! Boy have I spent enough on Astro this last 6 months! Still, sold a few bits on too, so recuperating some cost.

Now I just need the baby to sleep through the night and the scope might actually get some use!

 

Nice set up John, very nice indeed.
Good luck with the baby sleeping!

Just now, F15Rules said:

Yes, Alan, I sold the XL7 and a couple of other items to fund these?..time will tell whether I made a good decision ?

Dave

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 ?

Just now, F15Rules said:

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.

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!

Dave

Nice set Dave, very nice indeed.

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

13 minutes ago, spaceboy said:

This is an interesting thread. When the AZ5 came out used prices seems to fall off on the AZ4 yet it would appear the AZ4 remains the heftier mount of the two. I've certainly never had any problems using my ST120 on my AZ4 at higher mags and I even used a 150P for some time with no issues. Granted it doesn't have slow motion controls but when it's well balanced I've never felt the need for them anyway. I guess it is always assumed a later version number means they are a better mount. I have no doubt it brings a far better capability to the table over the AZ3 which would in all fairness be it's direct competition regards the use of slow motion controls and lightweight portability. As for a comparison to the AZ4 it's probably not in the same bracket. An AZ4 would probably be better compared to a Giro II, mini or similar I guess??

Did you not have an AZ4 @nightfisher

I can only comment on the AZ4, Giro Ercole and Skytee 2.

The AZ4 is indeed a solid mount and worked OK with my ED100, 150p f5 and ED80, but its a bit rough around the edges.

The Giro Ercole is a bit big, beutiful and very smooth, but everything has to be spot on in balance, very nice mount, no idea why I sold it!!

The Skytee 2 is biggest and heaviest with slow motions, agricultural finish and engineering, but it will support a lot and is rock solid.

The OP was asking about the AZ5 which is a nice light mount and suited to smaller lighter scopes, but only when on a decent tripod.

 

Wookie you should be delighted, all the TV Plossls work well,

the 20mm was my first TV eyepiece.

33 minutes ago, laudropb said:

The nice postie brought me this lovely eyepiece today. Bigger than I expected so put televue plossl for comparison.

Many thanks to Dave (F15 rules ) for a quick sale.

I said much the same thing when the 10XW I had arrived, it dwarfed all my other small eyepieces.
Wonderful unit though, great views, enjoy.

26 minutes ago, 25585 said:

 Weight difference in case compared to my Equinox 100 in its case is very noticably less. 

 Just paint the lid a plain colour probably or cover with checker plate. 

Does that suggest the Equinox will hit the for sale boards soon?

The plain lid idea I understand,
but why not leave it in disguise and then surprise as the ED100 turns into a Tak, et Voila!   

2 minutes ago, Saganite said:

Probably where the comparison ends Alan. Beautiful scope though , congratulations 

It certainly does for me Steve, my pockets are not deep enough or full enough for a Tak.

42 minutes ago, 25585 said:

SW ED100 case, for my Tak 100

That shows how alike the ED100 is in size.

14 minutes ago, 25585 said:

Surprised at the small straight through finder however.

Clearly the SW 50mm finder is too good or cheap to replace with a hand made one.

46 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Good point Alan. However, the 4 mm is feeling somewhat inferior and is trying to find a place to hide in my eyepiece bag to escape being bullied. So if anyone has a spare cloak I could dress it up in, then perhaps I should do that. Or maybe somebody with appropriate skills could knit a nice warm cloak for it. Failing that, I could always resort to Lego:

Ah, the 4mm just needs to use The Force to protect it and other smaller EP.

28 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

Little and large: the Fujiyama HD-OR 4 next to the Luminos 82 deg 23 mm (which has escaped the de-cloaking fashion)

But if you got hip and with it Jeremy the 23mm would be as small and light as the 4mm once de-cloaked 

The Meade 3000 series started with the Japan made 9.5mm for me, it’s a very nice unit indeed.

The new addition was available and Japan made too so I had to go for it, a slow burn collection, but I will collect Japan made ones as they become available and I have funds.

1 hour ago, laudropb said:

Delivered by the nice postman today.

 

Nice one.

 The very first Televue I bought was a used 20mm Plossl, hooked from first light, really hope you enjoy it.

I have gone for a Panoptic 19mm as a trial of smaller and lighter to compare with the 22mm LVW and my 25mm TV Plossl.
Winner takes all, the others go to the for sale section, whichever two they are.