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What arrived today to replace the FC-100DL

GavStar

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GavStar

GavStar

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So today I sold a lovely takahashi scope.

But the reason I sold it is due to my requirements/tastes changing. I'm visual only and previously my dream scope was a Fluorite long focal length doublet. Quick cool down, great views. However, there weren't any available new bigger than 100mm and I craved more aperture.

So about six months ago as an experiment I got a TEC140 which was all the things I thought I didn't like : triplet, FPL53, short(er) focal length. And it's fantastic! Easyish to handle due to its short length, quickish cool down due to the oil-spacing of the lens and significantly bigger aperture. This larger aperture does imo make a very noticeable step up in DSO views and planetary fine details are much easier to pick out. It may not be a perfect as a long focal length scope but for the aperture is much easier to deal with and use.

However, I'm a refractor person (I just prefer the sharp views you get) and getting more aperture beyond 140mm in an APO refractor has two problems - size and weight. I've seen pictures of Matthew's fabulous APM 180mm and it just looks huge. So I stopped thinking about it and just enjoyed observing (with a bit of a diversion with Astro-physics).

When I was shopping for the TEC140 I did consider a CFF 132mm but in the end plumped for the more established brand. But CFF have continued to impress the folks on Cloudynights with their excellent optical quality and good workmanship. And I noticed recently that although their 185mm scope was large and heavy, the little brother 160mm F6.5 was quite short and light at 93cm long and 12.5kgs with rings. It would be fine on my t-rex mount and is only a few cm longer than the TEC140 so should be reasonably easy to manoeuvre. 

So here it is - my 160mm grab and go refractor...(looks like clouds for the next week so can't see any imminent first light happening). Strehl ratio is 0.991

 

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GavStar

GavStar

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6 minutes ago, Stu said:

Crikey Gavin, they just keep on coming!! Amazing scope! :) 

Thanks Stu. It's the last one! I reckon we should have a good chance on Zeta Herculis with this...

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GavStar

GavStar

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1 hour ago, mikeDnight said:

:laughing4:

Sorry to have to inform you, but their ain't no cure for what you've got. I just hope its not contagious! ?

Mike

Mike, I think I've discovered a cure - the wife! This morning I got 'What's in that huge box? Not another telescope...'. I'm in trouble... ?

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John

John

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On 02/06/2017 at 22:58, Gavster said:

Thanks Stu. It's the last one! I reckon we should have a good chance on Zeta Herculis with this...

Rather late to this but lovely scope Gavin :icon_biggrin:

If my ED120 can get Zeta Herc, your 160 CFF certainly should !

(as should your 130 AP and 140 TEC of course :icon_biggrin:)

I think I've managed it with my Tak FC-100DL but I'm not 100% sure yet.

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GavStar

GavStar

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4 hours ago, John said:

Rather late to this but lovely scope Gavin :icon_biggrin:

If my ED120 can get Zeta Herc, your 160 CFF certainly should !

(as should your 130 AP and 140 TEC of course :icon_biggrin:)

I think I've managed it with my Tak FC-100DL but I'm not 100% sure yet.

Thanks John. Yes once I worked out that it was better to increase the magnification up to around 400x with my powermate I thought zeta herc was relatively straightforward in my 130mm

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John

John

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46 minutes ago, Gavster said:

Thanks John. Yes once I worked out that it was better to increase the magnification up to around 400x with my powermate I thought zeta herc was relatively straightforward in my 130mm

My mistake then - I interpreted your earlier comment as meaning that you had yet to crack zeta herc.

I find 250x starts to do the trick with the ED120 but 300x makes a clearer separation.

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