Franklin

1 hour ago, Alan White said:

The scopes I have came with flatter plastic knob bolts for the rings, but they can foul a Vixen shoe if a longer one is in use.
They also supply a pair of dome headed screws to replace the knobs with if desired.

Yes that's right, most Vixen refractors have that style but the SD115S comes with different knobs and they fit to the shaft via a grubscrew. The bolts are 6mm and have a flat-edge tip, the same as the Vixen focuser pinion shaft, so @F15Rules has fitted these instead because they're easier to grip, being larger. The AX103S, being the Vixen premium scope, may well come with this style off the shelf.

1 hour ago, Ianfuk said:

I’m still looking for one , hopefully FLP will get one

"Buyee" Japanese auctions have them from time to time, that's where I got it and for under £100.

@F15Rules, I see from this pic above, that you're not the only one with the idea of using focuser knobs to hold the rings.

12 minutes ago, Ianfuk said:

2nd photo have you got the blue micro focus fitted 

Yeah, I thought the More Blue micro was a touch better than the Vixen one, being 1:12 v 1:7 and a bit cheaper as well.

3 hours ago, Ianfuk said:

I wouldn’t mind seeing the SD 115 on the mount🤔

It does indeed but I replace the stock APZ conical weight (1.65kg) with the long bar off the AP and a 3.7kg weight. Slo-mo's on the APZ are buttery smooth and the "freestop" design, when the friction levers are set correctly, works very well.

Sadly this lovely scope is no longer with me but has gone to a very good home with a fellow SGL'r.

Edited July 12, 2023 by Franklin

I used the SD103S, which is a bit lighter than the AX103S, on the APZ and it worked well, with the SD115S it still worked ok but was better with the extended AP counterweight shaft and a 2.8kg weight.

Lovely setup btw.

30 minutes ago, Stu said:

Any hints on what comes next? 😊

Nothing for a while I expect, but I'm always on the prowl for a great condition FL102S F9.

After my recent Vixen cull I'm left with just this one setup for now, SD81S atop the manual APZ on APP-TL130 tripod with 1/2 pillar and a set of SSW's, not too shabby😁.

Can't remember the last time I only had one scope to choose from, but it does make life a lot simpler, I like it!

1 hour ago, Ianfuk said:

Here’s my vixen AX103S

I bet that's a cracking scope for visual, it bests the FL102S according to Vixen's catalogue specs. Must be a bit heavier than the SD103S though, does the APZ cope ok?

4 hours ago, Franklin said:

the Vixen plastic RA cover is a green one that's been painted black

In fact the whole green GP looks to have had a black paint job. Vixen did make black GP's back in the day, I think for Celestron.

41 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

I can recommend JS

I'm an ALDI man myself😁.

2 hours ago, Ratlet said:

No beans for scale but have some more of the bunny my daughter made me.  Just need a diagonal to take it, though I will give it a burl in the dob if the skies clear.

How can we not look into the evil bunnies eyes if you keep posting pics of it?

19 hours ago, John said:

I seem to recall that Vixen motors have DIN type connections so I would guess that the motor under there is a Skywatcher EQ5 RA drive, or similar.

Vixen's motors are 8-pin DIN, that looks like a SW motor to me as well. Also, the Vixen plastic RA cover is a green one that's been painted black so it may be a tight fit because of that.

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

sorry, we don’t eat Baked Beans in this household)
 

This isn't just a telescope, it's a Takahashi telescope and this isn't just an eyepiece, it's a TeleVue eyepiece, so obviously this isn't just food, it's M&S food.

Only the best for our Jeremy😁.

Baader Skysurfer III comes with multiple foot adaptors, I'm sure one would fit. Looks like the Bresser style foot.

The only problem with the SLV range is that there are just too many of them and some of them are too close together. Why Vixen dropped the 18mm and the 7mm from the original LV range is beyond me. I had a full set of SLV's at one time but found I really only used the 25mm, 12mm, 9mm, 6mm and 4mm, with the 2.5mm being an optimistic option as mentioned above.

I've tried the original LV, the NLV and the SLV and in my eyes the SLV wins every time. Nothing wrong with the earlier versions, optically speaking, but the build of the SLV is better as you say. Optically excellent eyepieces and only lack in FOV when compared with other more premium ranges.

The Tals a good achro but my money's on the Vixen. You'll love it and it's very lightweight.

38 minutes ago, Moonlit Night said:

Others will vehemently disagree, hey ho. 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say. Some people use eyepieces to simply view through, whilst others like to test out every single nuance an optical design has to offer and compare with others, in their quest to find the ultimate optical system. Nothing wrong with either approach but when you consider limited observing time, due to weather etc. It makes sense to use your equipment rather than worrying over slight differences that in the real world of observation will only be splitting hairs.

Considering your love of Vixen, how about the SSW range? Online they have a bad press, though I don't know why, they are superb eyepieces. I sold my LVW collection and kept the SSW set which is complimented with a Pan 24 for low power.

5 hours ago, radiofm74 said:

They may seem pricey at first, but in fact they're priceless.

Very true.

8 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

These larger knobs could have been made for the scope rings, and I do think they look great, as well as feeling much more solid👍☺️..

Just don't turn them in the dark thinking you're focusing Dave😁.

To find the best alignment of the objective elements can take time and lots of patience. When you first put the cleaned elements together, mark the sides with a pencil to establish a reference point, get it back in the cell and don't over tighten the retaining ring, just snug is all it needs. Get the scope back together and star-test, if it's not good or you think it could be better, then back to the drawing board. Break down again and rotate the elements 180 deg from your mark, reassemble and star test again. If improvement is still needed just repeat at 90 deg, in both directions, reassemble and star-test each time. This way you will always have a return reference and from the star-test be able to see the differences alignment actually makes. When doing this if you notice astigmatism increasing then you know to go in the other direction etc. A total ball-ache but rewarding to get it spot on. Good luck.

Also, don't go putting any padding or shims in there, just sit the glass on the metal rim, it's meant to be like that.

2 hours ago, Adaaam75 said:

If indeed the IR Pass 685nm produces monochrome images, could you point me in the right direction for the filters i will need for imaging the planets as this will be the next step for me....

I'm no imager but I think colour filters are used with monochrome cameras. OSC camera with UV/IR cut for planets, I'm sure someone who knows what they're talking about will be along soon to give you a better answer😁.

8 minutes ago, Adaaam75 said:

I do have coloured filters as part of this set https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/celestron-eyeopener-eyepiece-filter-kit-125.html

If I need colour filters, will they work? 

They are visual filters for planetary observing not imaging.