Some handy Tal based links

[AndyH]

http://www.npzoptics...log/teleskopes/ Tal's new website, including a regularly updated forum.

http://npzoptics.ru/...?showtopic=3144 The Tal factory forum. I posted this link as it shows Yuri Elovenko's new email address. He's the man to ask regarding info, pricing and spare part availability. His English is decent, but it's always wise to include a pic or link to the item you need info on. Helps cut down on 'Lost in Translation' issues.

http://www.telescope...duct.html?cat=1 Tal's old website, that is handy as a reference for the older scopes, of which many are in use here in the UK and elsewhere.

http://tech.groups.y...roup/TALScopes/ A long running yahoo group. Being a member opens up lots of files etc. Lots of good stuff hidden away in various sections.

http://www.die-talianer.de/ Lots of great info etc on this German Tal fan site.

http://www.thefirmam...ain_screen.html Jan Timmermans most excellent site, full of interesting and useful Tal based info. Check out 'tutorials' & 'equipment'. He sadly passed away early this year, but the knowledge he built up lives on here.

http://www.cloudynig...p?author_id=202 Various Tal based stuff by Bill Brady(Godfather of Tal, in the western world).

The following are review sites of Tal items. Often Tal is refered to as Sovietki & Novosibirsk, mostly on U.S. based sites.

http://www.cloudynig...p?category_id=2

http://www.excelsis....5833609e55ff311

http://www.astro-baby.com/

http://www.nfilipovi...200k-ota-review

http://www.npzoptics.com/forums/ As requested by Andy, the other forum (english?)

Don't forget to use the 'search' function, here on SGL. There's years worth of useful info to be had.

I'll update the above when I find or remember other links.

Hope it's of interest.

Cheers,

Andy.

[John]

Interesting links Andy - thanks.

You will have read the new Cloudynights piece by Neil English on the TAL 125R no doubt

What do you make of it ?.

[AndyH]

Interesting links Andy - thanks.

You will have read the new Cloudynights piece by Neil English on the TAL 125R no doubt

What do you make of it ?.

Ahh. Thanks for the heads up on Neil's article. I'll go have a look for it.

Cheers,

Andy.

[garethmob]

thanks andy cracking list!

just out of query, i was on the new tal site, and it mentioned this

The telescopes are completed with finderscope with field of view of 8°. They are completed with projection screen, black (solar) light filter, two 1/25" Plossl eyepieces of f'=25 mm, f'=10mm, 2x Barlow lens, solar screen.

is the solar filter just for the projection screen?

[AndyH]

Highly doubtful. An old fashioned 'eye burner' filter would be far too dark to let any light come to the screen.

Strange that it's only mentioned with the Tal 1 & no other newt. I thought Tal had stopped including filter sets with their scope packages apart from a yellow one, with the 75mm achro.

Andy.

[nicnac]

Great posts

[Marki]

<You will have read the new Cloudynights piece by Neil English on the TAL 125R no doubt >

Thanks for the pointer, John. Had a quick look at this article. The 125 seems a really interesting scope, but it seems Neil had to essentially have his rebuilt. If I recall correctly, John's review raised a number of issues too. I'd dearly like to try one of these myself, but really wouldn't want to have to deal with the problems that have been reported (nor do I have the capability!). But it seems once resolved, these are lovely scope. Now if only TAL would sort themsleves out, tune the scopes, and get to grips with their qa and release a 125rs version .

Thanks for the assorted links, Andy. Lots to look at now!

[AndyH]

Enjoy the links folks. There's a lot of reading there !!

An updated version(ie: it has a crayford, similar to the 100RS) of the 125R has been available for many years. Sadly it's never(?) been imported from the motherland.

When I read about the previous owners 'dissapointment' with this scope, I knew something had to be terribly wrong. The opticians at Tal, do seem to be on the ball. Rarely if ever, do you hear of a duff optic. How the scopes are handled by couriers & arrive after their long journey from Novosibirsk(check it out on a map. It's a loooong way, away), is another matter. That's my opinion, anyway.

Andy.

EDIT: I wonder if the wooden crates, whilst of excellent build, are perhaps not so great at offering protection for their long, possibly rough journey. I know that may sound wrong, but do they have enough 'give' if dropped. That is, are they too rigid? I wonder if the internals of the case where the scope sits/is held should have the thin felt replaced with a thick foam or similar? Would that offer better protection? I ask as with John's first damaged 125-5 apolar, this is not the first time I've heard of an apolar being received damaged.

[John]

When I read about the previous owners 'dissapointment' with this scope, I knew something had to be terribly wrong. The opticians at Tal do seem to be on the ball. Rarely if ever, do you hear of a duff optic....

I think TAL optics are invariably excellent in terms of figuring but sometimes the scopes leave the factory with poorly aligned optics or they get knocked in transit, as Andy says.

If you are a newcomer to refractors / TAL then I guess you would not feel able to diagnose and fix mis-aligned optics so you would be disappointed by the scopes performance.

Neil is an experienced astronomer with a particular interest in achromatic refractors so knows how to deal with these issues, as he clearly has for the review he has written.

I think TAL's are great scopes for enthusiasts

[Caldwell 14]

Oh dear, I now feel like a bit of a traitor...

[AndyH]

Oh dear, I now feel like a bit of a traitor...

Nonsense, you have a great scope:icon_salut:

BUT. The FSB have you on their 'list'.

Watch out for brisk walking gents with pointy umberellas..........allegedly:evil6:

[Caldwell 14]

I was thinking abut buying another TAL100RS (.....here he goes again!!) And chopping it up into a 6/5fl short tube, just thinking like.....perhaps

[hunterknox]

Thanks for the links, Andy. I want a 75R badly!

[AndyH]

Thanks for the links, Andy. I want a 75R badly!

Have you read the mini review on TalScopes yahoo group?

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/TALScopes/message/13690

Another here. It's an old post. 6 years? You'll need a toolbar translation thingy, but a lot of it, at least with the translation I got, is a bit gobbidlygookish. Nice pics tho....

http://www.astroclub.kiev.ua/forum/index.php?topic=869.0

[AndyH]

I know a few of you that may be reading this thread, have contacted Yuri Elovenko at the factory, in the past.

Please note that his email has changed to

uran@ponpz.ru

uran(at)ponpz(dot)ru

Should've made that a bit clearer in the original post.

Cheers,

Andy.

[nightfisher]

<You will have read the new Cloudynights piece by Neil English on the TAL 125R no doubt >

Thanks for the pointer, John. Had a quick look at this article. The 125 seems a really interesting scope, but it seems Neil had to essentially have his rebuilt. If I recall correctly, John's review raised a number of issues too. I'd dearly like to try one of these myself, but really wouldn't want to have to deal with the problems that have been reported (nor do I have the capability!). But it seems once resolved, these are lovely scope. Now if only TAL would sort themsleves out, tune the scopes, and get to grips with their qa and release a 125rs version .

Thanks for the assorted links, Andy. Lots to look at now!

I had the chance of owning this very scope, but i declined it, strange as i had been searching for one! i have completely given up my quest to get one now

[nicnac]

http://rusoptics.com/?module=catalog&action=viewcatalog&id=5

http://www.hoo-germany.de/index.php?manufacturers_id=2

[sloz1664]

Nice one Andy. fountain of Tal knowledge, as always. One point, looking through the updated Tal website I noticed the 2" focal reducer was listed but not the 1.25" focal reducer. How odd, I would have thought the 1.25" would have been more popular.

cheers

Steve

[AndyH]

Hi Steve.

Yes I've always found that strange, but I think it's got something to do with the focuser on the 200K. Some folk use a 250K reducer on the 200K with an aftermarket 2" focuser. I had a look in their forum and found this.......

SpookyKatt has had one of the 1.25" reducers for a while.

Hope that helps a bit, Steve.

Andy.

[AndyH]

Found this official Tal dealer(or factory representative as Tal call them), thanks to Yuri Elovenko.

http://shop.tecnosky.it/

Perhaps somewhere that could source parts for you, as an alternative to contacting the factory direct? I haven't actually contacted the chap myself, but it is another option.

Oh.........he looks to have the 125R's in stock.

Andy.

[Marki]

<Oh.........he looks to have the 125R's in stock.>

Must....resist....willpower....failing..... .

[John]

Oh.........he looks to have the 125R's in stock.

Andy.

I wonder what his pre-delivery checks and returns policy are like

[AndyH]

I wonder what his pre-delivery checks and returns policy are like

Regarding the former. Can't be any worse than OVL's

[AndyH]

Nice part of the world, I reckon, between Turin and Milano.

Whispers into loved ones ear.......'fancy going to Northern Italy??'........'oh how lovely, how wonderful', is the reply.......'yes, yes it will be, mwahahaha'.

Andy.

[Marki]

Emailed Tecnosky today to ask re checks and returns. Will let you know what the reply is ... .