Takahashi red dot finder shoe

[GavStar]

I like red dot finders which enable me to easily get my scopes into broadly the right area of sky. I've been looking for a finder shoe that fits my takahashi but couldn't find one until I saw a link posted on another forum. I received the  shoe today and it works great. Just thought I would post it here in case anyone else was looking for one. Link below

https://www.intercon-spacetec.de/teleskope/teleskope-marken/takahashi/takahashi-zubehoer/sucherfernrohre/1564-anschlussplatte-mit-v-sucherschuh-fuer-v-sucherhalter-an-takahashi-refraktoren.html

[Highburymark]

Gavster - I'm just about to buy an FC-100DC and am also thinking about a red dot finder so this is useful. Which rdf are you using with this shoe? 

Thanks for your post. 

[GavStar]

A Baader Sky surfer iii. About £30 and does the job quite well.

[Stu]

That looks like a very handy find Gavin! I don't need one, but can see it being very useful for many Tak owners.

[John]

That looks neat

There is an adapter from Tak to enable the finder platform to accept skywatcher / vixen style finder feet but that costs a lot of course.

Your German solution seems much more reasonable.

[Highburymark]

On 11 November 2016 at 19:44, John said:

That looks neat

There is an adapter from Tak to enable the finder platform to accept skywatcher / vixen style finder feet but that costs a lot of course.

Your German solution seems much more reasonable.

John - is the Tak quick release adapter the one you're referring to? Not sure whether it is designed purely for Tak brackets/finders or more universal. 

[John]

1 hour ago, Highburymark said:

John - is the Tak quick release adapter the one you're referring to? Not sure whether it is designed purely for Tak brackets/finders or more universal. 

I think you are right. Not suitable for a range of other brand finders, unfortunately.

Gavster's approach is more universal.

[Highburymark]

On 10 November 2016 at 23:39, Gavster said:

I like red dot finders which enable me to easily get my scopes into broadly the right area of sky. I've been looking for a finder shoe that fits my takahashi but couldn't find one until I saw a link posted on another forum. I received the  shoe today and it works great. Just thought I would post it here in case anyone else was looking for one. Link below

https://www.intercon-spacetec.de/teleskope/teleskope-marken/takahashi/takahashi-zubehoer/sucherfernrohre/1564-anschlussplatte-mit-v-sucherschuh-fuer-v-sucherhalter-an-takahashi-refraktoren.html

Gavster - this will be my final question on this thread, I promise. Do you know if your new finder shoe also accepts a Synta/Skywatcher/Celestron bracket for a RACI finder? I have a couple of these finders which don't get much use at the moment, and prefer them to the Tak ones (sacrilegious I know) - they're also a bit lighter. 

[John]

17 minutes ago, Highburymark said:

Gavster - this will be my final question on this thread, I promise. Do you know if your new finder shoe also accepts a Synta/Skywatcher/Celestron bracket for a RACI finder? I have a couple of these finders which don't get much use at the moment, and prefer them to the Tak ones (sacrilegious I know) - they're also a bit lighter. 

I'd not feel embarrassed about preferring other finders Mark. I swapped my 6x30 Tak finder out for a Skywatcher 6x30 RACI (which fits perfectly in the Tak finder mount) sometime back. The Tak finder is wonderfully made and amazing quality but it's doesn't half do my neck in !

[Highburymark]

2 minutes ago, John said:

I'd not feel embarrassed about preferring other finders Mark. I swapped my 6x30 Tak finder out for a Skywatcher 6x30 RACI (which fits perfectly in the Tak finder mount) sometime back. The Tak finder is wonderfully made and amazing quality but it's doesn't half do my neck in !

That's interesting John - would it be possible to post a photo? I'd like to see which finder mount you have - and whether the base is different on the DL to my DC (pictured)

[John]

Here is the bottom end of my Tak FC-100DL as it was a couple of months back. The Moonlite extension (last bit before the diagonal) has since been replaced with a 2" Baader click-lock adapter and I'm now using a Baader CL adapter for eyepieces into the diagonal as well rather than the TS 2" compression ring adapter pictured:

[Highburymark]

7 hours ago, John said:

Here is the bottom end of my Tak FC-100DL as it was a couple of months back. The Moonlite extension (last bit before the diagonal) has since been replaced with a 2" Baader click-lock adapter and I'm now using a Baader CL adapter for eyepieces into the diagonal as well rather than the TS 2" compression ring adapter pictured:

Ok John - so you have a black finder bracket (made by Takahashi?) which accepts the Skywatcher finder? Looks perfect.

[John]

On 06/12/2016 at 19:32, Highburymark said:

Ok John - so you have a black finder bracket (made by Takahashi?) which accepts the Skywatcher finder? Looks perfect.

Sorry for the late reply !

Yes, I bought the scope with the Tak finder + finder bracket package then swapped the Tak finder for a Skywatcher 6x30 RACI which fits pretty well into the Tak bracket.

[Highburymark]

Great - appreciate your help John

[SonnyE]

I'm also a Red Dot Sight aficionado. Although I am primarily an imager, I mounted a Red Dot Sight to the stalk of my Guide Scope and when sighted in, it can put the star sought in the inner circle of my guide scopes Bullseye.

On the other side (Left) of that same stalk is a green laser that is fun when someone asks what the telescope is aimed at. A gentle squeeze on the pressure switch sends the green laser into the night sky. Followed by young eyes widening, and Wow's!

Since the Red Dot Sight is primarily a firearm sight, I had to procure some mounting rail for it, and affix that to a small vixen rail. Likewise for the laser. But both were able to piggy-back on the guide scopes stalk.

I really like the Red Dot for general aiming, especially during preliminary alignment. Often that first star, but any that seem questionable. For the night sky I use setting "1", the dimmest setting.

The attached picture shows the guide scope with the red dot and the laser sight.

[GavStar]

On 6 December 2016 at 10:37, Highburymark said:

Gavster - this will be my final question on this thread, I promise. Do you know if your new finder shoe also accepts a Synta/Skywatcher/Celestron bracket for a RACI finder? I have a couple of these finders which don't get much use at the moment, and prefer them to the Tak ones (sacrilegious I know) - they're also a bit lighter. 

Yes, I've just tried it with my Orion RACI finder and it works fine as shown below. Same with my Tak fc100DF which is similar to your DC

[John]

FWIW I think the Orion and Skywatcher RACI's are quite probably the same item. The 9x50 RACI ones certainly are - I have one of each brand !

[Highburymark]

Thanks all.

[SonnyE]

2 hours ago, John said:

FWIW I think the Orion and Skywatcher RACI's are quite probably the same item. The 9x50 RACI ones certainly are - I have one of each brand !

They certainly appear to be the same, John. I would not be surprised to find the mount components come from the same factory in China.

[A McEwan]

Once again, SGL helps me in my quest for the perfect accessories!

 

[Moonshane]

It's a neat solution but at that price I think I'd make something out of flat ali bar and tap some holes.

[John]

42 minutes ago, Moonshane said:

It's a neat solution but at that price I think I'd make something out of flat ali bar and tap some holes.

I took a lower cost approach as well. A £3 astroboot finder shoe plus a couple of alloy spacers that I had in my bits box plus a couple of screws: