Photos added?. . My Astro dreams have come true?

[DRT]

If it truly is a keeper then those stars aren't going anywhere soon so you will just have to serve your punishment from the weather gods before being allowed to use such a wonderful new toy ?

...or drive to Scotland tomorrow ?

[dweller25]

11 hours ago, F15Rules said:

Hi David

Thanks?. I hope mine will be with me for as long as yours has been with you. I just can't wait to have a proper session with it.

I plan to keep the original focuser but will probably get a baader helical micro focuser to give that extra precision at very high powers.. I've used one before and they are very good. How high do you go with yours on very steady nights?

Dave

Hello Dave,

Just checked and my FS128 was made in 1997 - 20 years old and still going strong

Generally I use mine for the planets, typical observing powers are :

Jupiter : x148 to x225

Saturn : x173 to x235

Mars : x238 to x297

HTH

[F15Rules]

Thanks, David, very interesting.

I also like targeting double stars and have got Sissy Haas' catalogue to start ploughing through, ideal for a 5"?.

Dave

[F15Rules]

As we've had wall to wall cloud since Friday evening, I decided to put the FS128 and EM2 mount on my fixed height hardwood tripod to see if it is more rigid than the original EM2 tripod.

I've used this tripod for about 6 or 7 years and it has coped really well with some heavy scopes, including a Celestron 150mm F8 achromat.

As I suspected, it is significantly more rigid than the EM2 tripod, being made from thicker timber and being braced by a very good Berlebach accessory tray. The damping time is now between 1 and 2 seconds, so I will use this configuration for first light (if it ever comes!).

I've also set up the RA drive now?.

A few pics of the scope on the above tripod..

Dave

[DaveGibbons]

Hi Dave, 

A dream come true indeed. Rare as hens teeth those tripods ?!  Fantastic scope for a confirmed refractor nut like you .

Wish I had one !

Cheers

Dave

 

[F15Rules]

Hi Dave,

Good to hear from you, I hope you are keeping better lately?

For those who don't know, Dave built the tripod I now have the FS128 on, i must have had it over 6 years now and it's solid as a rock.

Dave also got me into bigger fracs originally, with his great reviews of Helios 6" F8 achromats. If they are still on the archives here, they are a cracking good read!

I've at long last had a look at the sky with the scope. I'll put a few thoughts on the observing forum, but it's no kind of proper first light, I suspect that will have to wait until the autumn at the current rate of clear skies where I live..

Dave

[Sunshine]

I am here from the future to compliment and congratulate you on this beautiful Tak, I suspect  It will not be your only Tak.

[F15Rules]

On 31/08/2022 at 12:24, Sunshine said:

I am here from the future to compliment and congratulate you on this beautiful Tak, I suspect  It will not be your only Tak.

Thanks, Sunshine👍😉.

Well, 5 and a half years on I still have "Trinity" (that what I call "her"😁), and still love the views she gives me.

To be honest, I still don't quite feel I've had the best from her yet..not the scopes' fault at all, but our local micro climate means that good seeing often comes late into the night (takes a few hours after the sun has gone, to steady down).

But when the sky is steady, boy, the views are fabulous 😉👍

Dave