Tak FC-100 - a few questions :)

[BGazing]

6 minutes ago, GavStar said:

What has surprised me is that even though they are the same weight (about 12kgs) I find my C11 much more awkward to mount than the 160.

could be the width...

[Timebandit]

12 hours ago, BGazing said:

Best bang for the buck is in the eye of the beholder.

150mm refractor is a dream scope for permanent mounting in a suburban home for the Moon and the planets.

It ain't portable for sure. But I'd love to have it in my collection.

 

Yes. Best bang for buck is in the eye of the beholder. But if SW can produce a 150ed that is optically as good as the 80ed, 100ed and 120ed , then they must be onto a winner. For around £1700 for a quality 150 ed then this opens up the market for the average Joe. Need a second mortgage for a Tak 150 ?. And then I would be to scared to use it ,in case it got scratched or damaged, would end up a wall hanger.

 

If the weight of the SW 150mm is sensible ( and from initial feedback , it will be )then I would not have no problem setting it up without a permanent Obs. And just think of those views of the moon and planets through a quality 150mm lens ?. The 100mm Taks would still have a use though, as a finder?

 

 

 

[Pig]

It would be great Simon and lets hope it does happen...... but I doubt £1700 would cut it, but hey bring it on SW ?

[BGazing]

1 hour ago, Timebandit said:

 

Yes. Best bang for buck is in the eye of the beholder. But if SW can produce a 150ed that is optically as good as the 80ed, 100ed and 120ed , then they must be onto a winner. For around £1700 for a quality 150 ed then this opens up the market for the average Joe. Need a second mortgage for a Tak 150 ?. And then I would be to scared to use it ,in case it got scratched or damaged, would end up a wall hanger.

 

If the weight of the SW 150mm is sensible ( and from initial feedback , it will be )then I would not have no problem setting it up without a permanent Obs. And just think of those views of the moon and planets through a quality 150mm lens ?. The 100mm Taks would still have a use though, as a finder?

 

 

 

Along comes someone who will explain you rationally that better views are to be had with 8 in dob, let alone 12 inch, etc etc...

[Timebandit]

36 minutes ago, BGazing said:

Along comes someone who will explain you rationally that better views are to be had with 8 in dob, let alone 12 inch, etc etc...

 

Not sure I agree with that.

For planetary and lunar then IMO you get much sharper , crisper views with a Frac than a reflector.

To my eyes I much prefer the view my 120ed gives me on planetary and lunar than my 14" Dob.

Horses for courses , my preference is a quality Frac for planetary and lunar, and the  reflector of aperture for DSO.

 

[25585]

6 hours ago, GavStar said:

What has surprised me is that even though they are the same weight (about 12kgs) I find my C11 much more awkward to mount than the 160.

I think weight displacement makes a difference, as also do how dimensions allow you to carry it, and lift etc.

 

[BGazing]

Back to FC100, those who use dew strips with it, where do you put them? I note that the dew shield is somewhat short when one actually looks at the front lens element, and that lens elements are widely spaced. Hence I have a feeling that my SCT reflex to place the strip behind the corrector (in this case the back lens element) would not really do it for the front element.

[Stu]

4 minutes ago, BGazing said:

Back to FC100, those who use dew strips with it, where do you put them? I note that the dew shield is somewhat short when one actually looks at the front lens element, and that lens elements are widely spaced. Hence I have a feeling that my SCT reflex to place the strip behind the corrector (in this case the back lens element) would not really do it for the front element.

I bought myself an AstroZap heated dewshield which seems to work very well; even without power just by extending the length it helps a lot. I place it so it starts about halfway up the original dewshield.

Before having this, I was never quite sure where was best to put the strip. I used to put it on the OTA behind the objective but it is probably best on the dewshield, just ahead of the objective housing I think.

[25585]

38 minutes ago, Stu said:

I bought myself an AstroZap heated dewshield which seems to work very well; even without power just by extending the length it helps a lot. I place it so it starts about halfway up the original dewshield.

Before having this, I was never quite sure where was best to put the strip. I used to put it on the OTA behind the objective but it is probably best on the dewshield, just ahead of the objective housing I think.

But if you put it half way up, is the heat not then too far away to work?

[Stu]

46 minutes ago, 25585 said:

But if you put it half way up, is the heat not then too far away to work?

It’s seems to work. I guess if you keep the air ahead of the objective slightly above the dew point then that does the trick?

[GavStar]

I put my heated dew strap on the thin part of the FC100 tube just before the dew shield. This also seems to work fine - I’ve never had the objective dew over.

Edited March 31, 2018 by GavStar

[Highburymark]

14 hours ago, BGazing said:

i salute your spine and your back. alas, i am a lanky crooked guy who has to go light.

Me too. 6ft 5ins and a steadily worsening back injury. For me the FC-100 is in a class of its own - a sub-3kg 4 inch 'scope with excellent optics which sits happily on a camera tripod and is airline cabin portable. The only competition I guess would be one of the Borgs. I just consider myself lucky to have such an option because even the C8 was getting too much for my back. 

[GavStar]

8 hours ago, Highburymark said:

Me too. 6ft 5ins and a steadily worsening back injury. For me the FC-100 is in a class of its own - a sub-3kg 4 inch 'scope with excellent optics which sits happily on a camera tripod and is airline cabin portable. The only competition I guess would be one of the Borgs. I just consider myself lucky to have such an option because even the C8 was getting too much for my back. 

There’s also the 95mm Baader travel companion which one SGL member has got and is very impressed with it. More portable than the Tak but even more expensive...

[JeremyS]

9 hours ago, Highburymark said:

The only competition I guess would be one of the Borgs.

Maybe, but the Borg 125 I owned when I lived in the Far East was not that good visually (OK, I might be a bit picky!). I had much better images with my FS102 - which also has much better construction quality. Hence I stuck with the Tak. The Borgs do have the advantage of breaking down into smaller parts, though.

Edited April 1, 2018 by JeremyS

[Stu]

32 minutes ago, GavStar said:

There’s also the 95mm Baader travel companion which one SGL member has got and is very impressed with it. More portable than the Tak but even more expensive...

 

Will be interesting to see how this one performs, assuming it finally launches.

https://www.astronomics.com/astro-tech-at92-f55-triplet-apo-refractor-ota_p20545.aspx

[BGazing]

was not happy with the in focus with Baader zoom and Hyperion barlow earlier today, so got to measuring focal points for my various eyepieces.

gave it a dry run now on trapezium from the balcony, such an easy split, pinpoints at 30 although it was low in the city boil...

looks like, when using tak 74mm extension on df and t2 bbhs diagonal with 1.25 clicklock, focuser travels from the completely retracted position approximately

- 4mm out for Delos 17

- 5mm out for Baader Mark IV zoom at 16mm setting

- 13mm out for ES82 8.8

- 17mm out for Nagler T6

When using Baader zoom with Hyperion barlow, I am almost running out of in focus.

Looks like swapping 74mm extension with that recommended 47mm Baader clicklock or Moonlight 50mm is a pretty safe bet for my EP lineup. Focuser travel is 64mm, so present zero point will be 27 mm out. Nagler will be the fartherst at 40mm out, still enough remaining if a kind soul wants to drop by and try his/her ethos.  

Edited April 16, 2018 by BGazing

[BGazing]

What a teaser, I had a chance to do some Jupiter with this cope, short report here. Wonderful impressions so far. But straight away, we got soaked, it's raining heavily, which does wonders for my hay fever but leaves me wanting for more...observing. A big thank you for everyone who contributed in this thread and helped me decide, and especially to @Piero and @mikeDnight who I bothered in PMs as well.

Moved to countryside over Orthodox Easter and clear nights are scheduled ahead, yet we are here near the river and in a valley...how does this little Tak handle dew? I expect British observers to be expert in fighting soggy conditions...yet I see no dew shield extenders or dew heaters in the pictures. Dew shield looks to be only 10cm from the objective, which is less than the doctor recommended. SCT experience was a constant fight until DewBuster, little Borg seemed immune (possibly also due to short sessions), but this little gem will probably have me glued for hours...

[25585]

On 29 March 2018 at 18:08, Piero said:

@BGazing, Here are some photos of my dovetail. 

 

The model was called : Vixen Style Dovetail for Tak FSQ85 / FS!106 / FS60 200mm long , so I think it is exactly the one on the website you sent me. It's a nice dovetail in my opinion. 

I bought the extra two bolts separately. Mine are: M8 x 30mm A2 Stainless Steel Socket Cap Allen Key Head Bolt. As you can see in the third photo, they are taller than the dovetail. I intentionally wanted this because I can hang up to two wrist weights on the two ends of a screw to balance eyepieces, if needed.

@Pierowhat size bolts for attaching your dovetail to the Tak clamp do you use please?

I am also considering using washers between clamshell base & my dove bar. 

[BGazing]

8 minutes ago, 25585 said:

@Pierowhat size bolts for attaching your dovetail to the Tak clamp do you use please?

I am also considering using washers between clamshell base & my dove bar. 

I think the standard is M8.

[Timebandit]

11 minutes ago, 25585 said:

@Piero

I am also considering using washers between clamshell base & my dove bar. 

 

 

I would not put washers between the clamshell base and the dove bar. You want as much surface area of these mating materials as possible IMO, as this helps with the clamping effect between the clamshell and the dovetail.

 

 

[Stu]

3 hours ago, BGazing said:

I expect British observers to be expert in fighting soggy conditions...yet I see no dew shield extenders or dew heaters in the pictures

That’s only cos the scope is too pretty to photograph it wearing a dew shield  

I do use a heated AstroZap when it is likely to be a problem. Often just the shield itself is enough to keep the dew off. The AZ-804 model is the best fit, I asked them directly before purchasing.

[Piero]

1 hour ago, 25585 said:

@Pierowhat size bolts for attaching your dovetail to the Tak clamp do you use please?

I am also considering using washers between clamshell base & my dove bar. 

For sure the two safety bolts are M8. It should be the same for the two bolts fixing the cradle. 

[Pig]

If you buy the Tak dovetail you get all the fixings included ?

[25585]

1 hour ago, Pig said:

If you buy the Tak dovetail you get all the fixings included ?

Tak dovetail is Vixen. My Primaluce Losmandy is M6. So presumably I will have some customisation to do. Or forget Tak clamshells altogether - a shame as I have 2 of them. 

[mikeDnight]

16 hours ago, BGazing said:

What a teaser, I had a chance to do some Jupiter with this cope, short report here. Wonderful impressions so far. But straight away, we got soaked, it's raining heavily, which does wonders for my hay fever but leaves me wanting for more...observing. A big thank you for everyone who contributed in this thread and helped me decide, and especially to @Piero and @mikeDnight who I bothered in PMs as well.

Moved to countryside over Orthodox Easter and clear nights are scheduled ahead, yet we are here near the river and in a valley...how does this little Tak handle dew? I expect British observers to be expert in fighting soggy conditions...yet I see no dew shield extenders or dew heaters in the pictures. Dew shield looks to be only 10cm from the objective, which is less than the doctor recommended. SCT experience was a constant fight until DewBuster, little Borg seemed immune (possibly also due to short sessions), but this little gem will probably have me glued for hours...

You could easily make a retractable dew shield from some flexible plastic. Art students often use large plastic cases for carrying artwork, and these cheap cases are perfect for making a shield, as the plastic is quite flexible.

My home made dew shield is made from such flexible plastic, which I lined with black felt stuck down using pray on glue. Then the shield is joined together using a stick on Velcro strip. The additional dew shield was made quite long and the scope doesn't dew over, despite being only 300yrds from a river.