What did the postman bring?

[HollyHound]

Finally got 5 minutes to open the box.... packed in the usual lovely way of Takahashi 👍

As a complement to the refractors, providing a bit more aperture (and focal length) when required... a Takahashi Mewlon 180C 😃

[Soligor Rob]

Finally arrived my Sky Watcher extension tube and More-Blue Losmandy 

Dovetail rail, Thank you Flo.

No more groveling on my knees.

 

[HollyHound]

These adaptors also arrived today from @Plantins, thank you 👍Amazing coincidence these came up for sale the same week I buy the Mewlon 😃

It wouldn’t be one of my Taks, if I didn’t replace the standard visual back with something else 🤣

This gives a little bit more back focus and (hopefully) will allow the binoviewers to focus 🤞

[jock1958]

20 minutes ago, HollyHound said:

These adaptors also arrived today from @Plantins, thank you 👍Amazing coincidence these came up for sale the same week I buy the Mewlon 😃

It wouldn’t be one of my Taks, if I didn’t replace the standard visual back with something else 🤣

This gives a little bit more back focus and (hopefully) will allow the binoviewers to focus 🤞

I’ve been after an even thinner adapter that attaches to the ultra short clamp for quite a while now which will save you even more back focus, only problem is nil stock everywhere ☹️

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/baader-diamond-steeltrack-focusers/baader-takahashi-sky90-m64-x-075mm-m68f-zeiss-adaptor.html

Edited May 28, 2021 by jock1958

[Stu1smartcookie]

Ok , so I’ve seen lots of beautiful scopes on this thread ... but I am just as happy as I have collected a scope ( thanks Widescreen Centre) that I have always wanted to own . Yes it’s an achromat and yes I know the limitations but for me it’s a beautiful wide field opportunity to spend a few relaxing hours out in the garden .  

 

[Robindonne]

10 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

Ok , so I’ve seen lots of beautiful scopes on this thread ... but I am just as happy as I have collected a scope ( thanks Widescreen Centre) that I have always wanted to own . Yes it’s an achromat and yes I know the limitations but for me it’s a beautiful wide field opportunity to spend a few relaxing hours out in the garden .  

 

Wie het kleine niet eert is het grote niet weerd.  Old dutch saying.  Translated its something like: who doesn’t appreciate the small doesn’t deserve the big

[callisto]

43 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

for me it’s a beautiful wide field opportunity to spend a few relaxing hours out in the garden .  

Enjoy 

 

Mark

[HollyHound]

44 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

Ok , so I’ve seen lots of beautiful scopes on this thread ... but I am just as happy as I have collected a scope ( thanks Widescreen Centre) that I have always wanted to own . Yes it’s an achromat and yes I know the limitations but for me it’s a beautiful wide field opportunity to spend a few relaxing hours out in the garden .  

 

Had one of these for a few months last year, my first large(ish) refractor and it gave me the first decent views of a number of galaxies, plus a comet that was around then (not the big one). So I’d say you have a fantastic scope there and will give hours of pleasure 😃

[JeremyS]

6 hours ago, HollyHound said:

Finally got 5 minutes to open the box.... packed in the usual lovely way of Takahashi 👍

As a complement to the refractors, providing a bit more aperture (and focal length) when required... a Takahashi Mewlon 180C 😃

Lovely scope. Looking forward to hearing your impressions, Gary 👍🏻

[Chris]

1 hour ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

Ok , so I’ve seen lots of beautiful scopes on this thread ... but I am just as happy as I have collected a scope ( thanks Widescreen Centre) that I have always wanted to own . Yes it’s an achromat and yes I know the limitations but for me it’s a beautiful wide field opportunity to spend a few relaxing hours out in the garden .  

 

Great refractor for those low power DSO views, congrats and enjoy

[Chris]

6 hours ago, HollyHound said:

Finally got 5 minutes to open the box.... packed in the usual lovely way of Takahashi 👍

As a complement to the refractors, providing a bit more aperture (and focal length) when required... a Takahashi Mewlon 180C 😃

Wow what a purchase! I bet it will knock your socks off for planetary and Lunar. These Mewlon's have the most securely attached looking finders I've ever seen.  

[HollyHound]

1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

Lovely scope. Looking forward to hearing your impressions, Gary 👍🏻

Thanks Jeremy... this is really to give me a mounted (push to and/or goto) large aperture scope, that I can use for sessions when I don’t need the extra light grasp of the 10” dob, or am just feeling super lazy and want the AZ Mount Pro to find something interesting for me at the push of a button 🤣

I’m aware it needs to be allowed to cool down for upto 90mins, so in no way will this be a quick look or grab and go scope. However once cooled it should give a bit more detail on the moon/planets and allow some fainter objects to be seen more easily than the refractors. The refractors will still likely get the most usage, purely based on session length, but this gives options 👍

From what I’ve read, this can give detail similar to a good 5” APO (e.g. TSA120), but with a bit more light grasp, and I’m certainly going to put the FC-100DC side by side with it at some point and assess them together 🤔

As I regard these Taks as “lifetime” scopes (for me anyway), It does mean however that I do finally need to thin down the other scopes now, as I have run out of room in my office, they duplicate the new scopes in many ways, and if they’re not being used, I would prefer they go somewhere where they will be... after I’ve done some final comparisons, expect to see these up for sale (sadly in all cases) sometime soon:

StellaLyra CC6”, StellaMira 80 f/10 ED, Mak127, ST80, C5 (only possibly for this, as I really do love it’s compact bright views... it’s so tiny and light for its aperture!)

I’ll put up a first light report of course and comparisons when the weather co-operates 🤞

Edited May 28, 2021 by HollyHound

[HollyHound]

9 minutes ago, Chris said:

Wow what a purchase! I bet it will knock your socks off for planetary and Lunar. These Mewlon's have the most securely attached looking finders I've ever seen.  

Thanks Chris. It seemed a bit strange at first lifting the scope up and onto the AZ100 with the finder 🤣 But yes, they’re super strong and are indeed a really nice handle 👍

Takahashi even thoughtfully provide a Tak mount adaptor (colour matched) with Vixen clamp too, so it’s possible to attach to a Losmandy plate as well if required. Although it’s real use is for their own mounts of course 🤔Most unusual to get a “free” adaptor with any Tak 🤣

Edited May 28, 2021 by HollyHound

[Chris]

3 minutes ago, HollyHound said:

Most unusual to get a “free” adaptor with any Tak 🤣

You're not kidding, I was surprised you got the finder 😆 it's a seriously nice scope though, you must be itching to use it! Good luck for you first light : )

[HollyHound]

3 minutes ago, Chris said:

You're not kidding, I was surprised you got the finder 😆 it's a seriously nice scope though, you must be itching to use it! Good luck for you first light : )

That would probably be quite mean giving you a handler with a hole where the finder should be 🤣

As I know you’re part of the @FLO team now, I have to say you guys have all been most helpful to me over the last year. Even yesterday, Alex went out of his way to get me dimensions for all the relevant Oklop bags so I could choose one that matches the Mewlon closely, so thanks again to the whole team there 👍

[Victor Boesen]

14 hours ago, Victor Boesen said:

A new flight case arrived this morning. Should be a perfect match for my Evostar 72ED together with some eyepieces and a diagonal.

As a bonus, it also meets the dimensions for carry-on luggage for a small and light setup to bring on vacations

And the result

An 8.4kg carry-on size setup for travelling light and compact!

[Chris]

57 minutes ago, HollyHound said:

As I know you’re part of the @FLO team now, I have to say you guys have all been most helpful to me over the last year. Even yesterday, Alex went out of his way to get me dimensions for all the relevant Oklop bags so I could choose one that matches the Mewlon closely, so thanks again to the whole team there 👍

I won't count myself in with the team just yet as I start on the 7th of June, but hearing feedback like yours tells me how rewarding I'm going to find it working for FLO : )

I'm of course biased as a pending employee, but I first realised how above and beyond FLO were when they sent my wife and I a present out the blue when our identical twins were born 7 years ago! I had been a regular customer for 2 or 3 years at that point in time, but still! It blew me away that they thought to do this! 

Now I'm not saying I'll be including free baby grows with every purchase 😆 but I'm looking forward to doing my best by our customers, or community might be a better word  

I'd better start revising those bag dimensions! 😁

[Sunshine]

10 hours ago, HollyHound said:

Finally got 5 minutes to open the box.... packed in the usual lovely way of Takahashi 👍

As a complement to the refractors, providing a bit more aperture (and focal length) when required... a Takahashi Mewlon 180C 😃

WOW congrats! can't wait to hear about your first light report with this beauty, clear skies! I see they've also included a load of S' in case you're ever short an S.

Edited May 29, 2021 by Sunshine

[AstroNebulee]

Another good addition to my astro book collection arrived today after a recommendation, I've certainly enough reading material for those cloudy nights, hopefully not tonight as want to image Jupiter grs as it's in view tonight/morning. 

[SuburbanMak]

Part 2 of my “minimum glass” system for classic eBay refractors.  Baader Classic Ortho 10mm & 18mm. 

Already have the 6mm which is super although eye relief a little short. 
Have tried these so far only in daylight on the Hilkin f13.3 and in an ST80 for solar white light + solar continuum filter. Very crisp engaging views. Tight sunspots, visible faculae and a hint of granularity even at lowish magnification. 

The 18mm in particular is a joy and pairs really well with the little Barlow designed for the Baader zoom. 

Build quality is beautiful and together with the Vixen 31.4mm adapter in the Hilkin feel like a simple but appropriate modern  upgrade on the murky old .965 Huygens variants that came with the old ‘frac. 
Also picked up the Baader semi APO filter - certainly cuts out red/blue fringing on high contrast tree branches but gives a yellowy cast in daylight - will report back on how it performs on the moon which is the main reason for bothering. 

I’m awaiting a TS Optics 32mm & then should have a nice set to do justice to a lovely old OTA. 

So far though a happy punter. 

 

Edited May 29, 2021 by SuburbanMak

[badhex]

2 hours ago, SuburbanMak said:

Already have the 6mm which is super although eye relief a little short.

I have both the 10mm and 6mm myself - both lovely EPs and fantastic in a slow scope like a Mak or SCT. Eye relief too tight for my F6 frac though! 

[Sunshine]

Finally! after weeks and weeks waiting my 7x50 finder came in. Allowing me to remove my Telrad which I might add I had no problem with except it is ugly, I get that, kind of like installing a roof rack on a Ferrari. This scope now looks the part. Jeremy S, would be proud lol, the owner of my local scope shop thought I had lost my mind putting a Telrad on my scope. It certainly looks very nice now, can’t wait to try it out.

[Marki]

3 hours ago, badhex said:

I have both the 10mm and 6mm myself - both lovely EPs and fantastic in a slow scope like a Mak or SCT. Eye relief too tight for my F6 frac though! 

I think these are excellent eyepieces. I got them as part of the Baader turret set. the 10mm and 6mm are about my most regularly used eps now. They complement my f/8 and longer 'fracs really nicely.

 

[Mr Thingy]

To tame the blue bloat, an L3 filter for use with my OSC.

 

[JeremyS]

12 hours ago, Sunshine said:

Finally! after weeks and weeks waiting my 7x50 finder came in. Allowing me to remove my Telrad which I might add I had no problem with except it is ugly, I get that, kind of like installing a roof rack on a Ferrari. This scope now looks the part. Jeremy S, would be proud lol, the owner of my local scope shop thought I had lost my mind putting a Telrad on my scope. It certainly looks very nice now, can’t wait to try it out.

 Now THAT looks perfect 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻