Deadlake

I thought Nikon’s NAV-HW line where a spin off from their microscope lines?

To explain the costs difference apart from the Tele Vue brand, a lot of EP's are made by KUO whereas Tele Vue fabrication is in Taiwan. If say APM or ES brands are going up then supply chain is having an influence on price. Cost of labour and raw materials. The free lunch is over maybe? Nikon and Takahashi are competitive with Tele Vue IMHO. Same time Nikon EP's are a lot cheaper in Japan than Europe. Vixen telescopes are similar price to Takahashi in Japan and then large markup in EU.

I’d also put this scope forward, compact mini TOE scope, very fast for wide field/NV applications. https://www.widescreen-centre.co.uk/founder-optics-telescopes.html Note: just because it uses the same tube as other Long Perng scopes does not mean same lens cell. Different dimensions to the FLO flavour.

I have an LZOS 130/F6 which is very good. For the Baader 95/580 I was tempted when Gavin put his up for sale, however as mentioned for NV usage the Stowaway was better. If the Baader is better for visual the other option would be to use the Baader for visual and then buy a fast achromat for NV usage, since colour is no long an issue and the faster the scope the better. Also in the NV case a FSQ-85 is another option.

Someone who owns both, he sold the Baader. Mind hair’s breadth between them. He also had specialist application of NV. For visual very close.

I also found this option for build it youself https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/advice/build-a-rolling-telescope-dolly/ same time JMI etc seem out of stock at present….

Well SkyVisions mirrors are meant to be very smooth. Made in house, they have not gone down the GSO route. Gavstar has one of their dobs, very good on all counts..

They are described here: https://digiborg.wordpress.com/2020/11/17/founder-optics-super-triplet/ The scope is inspected at the factory and by the designer as noted here by a beta tester. https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/740611-founder-optics-triplets/#entry11089284 widescreen centre is UK distributor.

Just seen a review of this scope in bbc sky at night. Gets the thumbs up, however the interesting part is the TOA like design. This ask’s the question what’s the difference with the FLO version. Made in the same factory but do they have the same lens cell?

How Jerry would you get your 15” there? Quite a drive from snowy mountains in Canada?

Do you bino’s? I can only use the SXP2 in GEM mode, I can imagine the bino’s coming into contact with the half pillar.

Good report, must be very satisfying after previous nights of cloud. 😃 Have you managed to use more magnification then the 3.4 HR on Jupiter? I’ve managed to use a 2.4 mm HR( x 300) however seeing will not support anymore.

Yes, once you are set up a mount with tracking seems the best option and visual Alt-Az. Given the amount of kit you took out, would the az100 of saved you that much from a weight perspective?

Having a tracking mount for planetary use does mean you can focus on observation. Totally agree. A dolly might be the first best option. However for other uses AZ100 seems idea for those winter nights and for trips to darker sites.

Setup time, AZ-100 will be one trip if attached to the tripod. I have to take down and setup the SXP2 every time. The LZOS needs 6.5 kg of counterweights, so the weight of the mount all in is around 20 kg. I suspect for DSO with bino’s easier to use the az100. For my SD103S I can also use a ScopeTech Zero mount, but I don’t have that option for my LZOS 130F6. The star book is great, unique selling point, if I could have a permanent mount I would not be thinking about az100. A dolly for the SXP2 is another option. Side by side mounting does look fun mind. 😀 If you dual mount, do you need to take a saddle off to fit the counterweight bar?

Derek was quoted “He answered with this: "If the mount is attached to a fixed pier or substantial tripod, then 9.5Kg is just about OK. Limitation is more to do with the offset weight tilting the tripod head and also risk of falling over, mechanically the AZ100 will manage the offset load. For best performance and pointing accuracy, a counterweight is recommended."

Thanks. Interested in how you find the tracking of planets as well compared with your GEM. Quicker setup makes getting an AZ100 attractive. For a TSA120 apparently you need a counterweight for accurate tracking reported on CN site.

Fluorite vs fluorite seems to be a wash in this case, how about compared to an FPL53 scope? I’ve not got a mount so I can not do a side by side comparison but from memory my LZOS has better colour, it shows a film like view with more contrast. Given the Strehl is close between the two scopes I wonder if it’s the smoothness of the lens or just fluorite based lens have better transmission properties? Ps: @Stu wonder as you now have darker skies and more contrast it changes anything.

The Baader BBHS mirror and prism are very close in performance. However I would get the prism as it has a shorter optical path and more versatility via providing more infocus for binos, etc.. 365 have two in stock here https://www.365astronomy.com/Baader-T-2-Star-Diagonal-Prism-Zeiss-Prism-with-male-female-T-2-thread I use a 2” nose to on the telescope end and a click lock the EP side. The T2 prism still has the shortest optical path of any diagonal I’m aware of.

Two questions: 1) Will I need a counterweight if a scopes around 13 kg. Presume this depends on the tripod used, Berlebach or T-Pod would be ok? 2) Has anyone used wheels on the tripod in combination with an AZ100. Would make life easier for me to wheel the whole setup out from the garage. Thanks

Taking of speed of setup have you ever considered putting your tripod on wheels so you can roll it in and out? The unistellar, that would lose you at lot of flexibility in setup.

No luck, need to get a alt-as so I have 5 minute setup… Yourself?

Well at least your LZOS got out of the door.

That establishment does look very inviting last time I visited.

Sommerset is a beautiful part of the world. There is quite a difference observing on Waltons Green to a rural setting, however Waltons Green does have the Prince of Wales pub on it for when the cloud comes in 😃. As far as SQM measurements, most of the data sources are I believe based on 2015 measurements and I believe that light pollution has increased a little. Same time I find SQM highly directional. Really hope the move works out and remote working is here to stay as this opens the door to not having to choose between work and our interests.. Ps. Looking forward to your reports on new kit.