Show us your Vixen Scope or mount

[Franklin]

It was a Vixen 4" refractor that started me off on my astro journey back in the mid 80's and since then I've always held these 4" F/9 ish achro's in high regard. I've had the Sensor102M, the SP102M, the Custom102M, the GP102M and more recently the A105M. All pretty much the same optical tube, only the mounts were different.

In more recent years, having acquired a few ED refractors, I decided to let my A105M go to a new home and it was taken on by a nice chap here on SGL. But the other week I happened to see another A105M up for auction in Japan and even though I had no intention of trying to buy it, that didn't prevent me from putting in a stupidly low bid and then preceded to forget all about it. A week later I was in shock when I received an email telling me that I had won the auction! But some things are meant to be, as they say, so considering the story behind how I ended up with this classic Vixen 4" refractor, I think I'm going to keep it. Apart from a couple of small cosmetic marks to the paint work it is in really excellent condition and the optics are just as good as I remember in the other examples I've owned.

 

 

Edited July 12, 2023 by Franklin

[John]

My 2nd "proper" telescope was a Vixen SP102M from the late 1980's with a very early GOTO system, the Skysensor Mk1. Although Vixen made the whole thing it was in an all black colour scheme (matt black rather than the gloss black that Vixen used on the scopes they made for Celestron). My scope was branded under the Bresser label and the model was the Uranus. It was a very nice scope indeed 🙂

[F15Rules]

52 minutes ago, Franklin said:

It was a Vixen 4" refractor that started me off on my astro journey back in the mid 80's and since then I've always held these 4" F/9 ish achro's in high regard. I've had the Sensor102M, the SP102M, the Custom102M, the GP102M and more recently the A105M. All pretty much the same optical tube, only the mounts were different.

In more recent years, having acquired a few ED refractors, I decided to let my A105M go to a new home and it was taken on by a nice chap here on SGL. But the other week I happened to see another A105M up for auction in Japan and even though I had no intention of trying to buy it, that didn't prevent me from putting in a stupidly low bid and then preceded to forget all about it. A week later I was in shock when I received an email telling me that I had won the auction! But some things are meant to be, as they say, so considering the story behind how I ended up with this classic Vixen 4" refractor, I think I'm going to keep it. Apart from a couple of small cosmetic marks to the paint work it is in really excellent condition and the optics are just as good as I remember in the other examples I've owned.

 

 

Just lovely, Tim, thanks for sharing! 👍✨

Dave

[John]

One of the things that attracted me to Vixen telescopes from early on in my time in this hobby were reports that the company used to regularly consult with Japanese amateur astronomers and then use their feedback to improve their products. 

We could do with a bit more of that today I think. There are number of specific scope-related issues that seem to get reported and discussed over and over again on forums such as SGL which could be easily rectified by manufacturers and yet the message never seems to get back to them  

 

[F15Rules]

20 hours ago, radiofm74 said:

I am going dizzy with all the great Vixen scopes, mounts and eyepieces on display on this thread ;D

I've started out during COVID on a (much-loved) Celestron OMNI 150 kit (6" Newt on a CG-4), acquired a C6 for an airline-friendly tube, then being a lover of EQ mounts and an urban dweller in need of a lot of portability I got a Vixen Advanced Polaris. It was a real eye-opener. Super-portable, precise… an amazing piece of kit. When I decided I'd do imaging too, I fitted it with motors and a polar scope, and got a used SD81S. A second w<yw-opener: what a wonderful scope! With the spare parts of the Advanced Polaris I made a fully manual APZ. Both mounts are fantastic, both can hold my (recently acquired) C8 if well balanced, not to speak of my other tubes. The SD81S is my favorite imaging scope and to my utter surprise and confusion also my favorite visual scope, especially for doubles, lunar, and clusters, even though it competes with a pair of good SCTs with much more aperture.

I am now hopelessly hooked. I'd like a 4-5" apo and a nice motorised mount to sustain it, especially for doubles and planetary from my balcony, so my first choice are an old GP(D) and 4-5" Vixen ED doublet. I am so taken with my AP that I'd love to get a Sphinx to upgrade my HEQ5 Pro as my "static" imaging base. And if a R200SS passes by I won't let it go. I am even getting a bit of Vixen eyepiece fever. This thread ain't helping ;D

Hi, and welcome to SGL and this Vixen thread😊.

It's great to sense your enthusiasm for your new hobby, and in particular for Vixen Japan's excellent range of scopes, especially refractors.

You say that you aspire to own a Vixen 4-5" ED scope? There are two fine scopes within that size range..the SD103s (formerly the ED103s, they are virtually identical), and the SD115s (formerly ED115s, they too are virtually identical).

I've owned 2 ED103s models, and both were truly excellent: one of them is now owned by a good friend and he absolutely loves it.

Our resident UK Vixen guru, @Franklin, aka Tim, has recently become the proud owner of a beautiful new SD115s model.

Both these scopes perform superbly, and I only sold my second ED103s back in 2017 as I had the opportunity to acquire a mint Takahashi FS128, a full 5" Fluorite doublet..had a similar sized Vixen been available, I would happily have bought one.

I can heartily recommend a used Vixen ED103s in good optical condition as offering top drawer performance at a significantly lower cost than a similar sized Takahashi 4" scope..👍🙂.

Above: later model ED103s with dual speed focuser on Celestron CG4 equatorial mount..note the scope in this photo sits in a Takahashi Clamshell ring (originally supplied with a Takahashi  FS102 apo 4" refractor - both the FS102 and the Vixen SD/ED103s have an oversized 114mm tube diameter.

Below, same scope on Vixen Porta II Altaz mount, this time the tube sits in Vixen original white tube rings.

Dave

Edited July 12, 2023 by F15Rules
Additional text info

[radiofm74]

8 hours ago, Franklin said:

The SD81S is my most used scope, on the AP or APZ it's so light, portable and excellent quality.

I see from your picture above that the dovetail bar on your SD81S is right at the limit. I found this too and overcame it by attaching the lower ring one bolt hole up on the bar which allows you to slide the tube further forward and means you can fix the bar to the mount further up, adding stability.

Great tip! Right at the limit, it balances quite well, but a few millimetres more might be better. Thanks!

[radiofm74]

1 hour ago, F15Rules said:

Hi, and welcome to SGL and this Vixen thread😊.

It's great to sense your enthusiasm for your new hobby, and in particular for Vixen Japan's excellent range of scopes, especially refractors.

You say that you aspire to own a Vixen 4-5" ED scope? There are two fine scopes within that size range..the SD103s (formerly the ED103s, they are virtually identical), and the SD115s (formerly ED115s, they too are virtually identical).

I've owned 2 ED103s models, and both were truly excellent: one of them is now owned by a good friend and he absolutely loves it.

Our resident UK Vixen guru, @Franklin, aka Tim, has recently become the proud owner of a beautiful new SD115s model.

Both these scopes perform superbly, and I only sold my second ED103s back in 2017 as I had the opportunity to acquire a mint Takahashi FS128, a full 5" Fluorite doublet..had a similar sized Vixen been available, I would happily have bought one.

I can heartily recommend a used Vixen ED103s in good optical condition as offering top drawer performance at a significantly lower cost than a similar sized Takahashi 4" scope..👍🙂.

Above: later model ED103s with dual speed focuser on Celestron CG4 equatorial mount..note the scope in this photo sits in a Takahashi Clamshell ring (originally supplied with a Takahashi  FS102 apo 4" refractor - both the FS102 and the Vixen SD/ED103s have an oversized 114mm tube diameter.

Below, same scope on Vixen Porta II Altaz mount, this time the tube sits in Vixen original white tube rings.

Dave

Beautiful scopes! Well, both the ED/SD103 and the ED/SD115 are at the top of my "want" list. The news given by Tim just a few post above that the APZ can hold a 115 is great. I am also very attracted to the older designs, like the ED102 f9 (not to mention the Fluorite… should one pass by, I might have to snatch it!).

I am sure that even with its bigger brethren around the house, my SD81 would retain a special place. It's a wonderful, easy-to-use imaging scope and just as wonderful and easy to use in visual. In past nights I've set it up on the AP on my balcony and spent a few hours in Draco, Lyra and Cygnus hunting for beautiful doubles. The views were so pleasing: the vibrant colours of Albireo, a perfectly clean split of the Double Double, the lovely trio of 16/17 Dra, the subtle lilac shades of Dziban's secondary… The C8 splits tighter doubles, of course, and shows me dimmer companions, but I have never in any other scope enjoyed the aesthetically pleasing views that "Vicky" has to offer. And not only doubles… give her a good sky, and she goes pretty deep!

[Franklin]

4 minutes ago, radiofm74 said:

I am also very attracted to the older designs, like the ED102 f9

One of these is being offered for sale in UK right now with upgraded focuser. I'd love it but I've got too many all ready😊.

[JeremyS]

4 minutes ago, Franklin said:

One of these is being offered for sale in UK right now with upgraded focuser. I'd love it but I've got too many all ready😊.

 Don’t recognise that state of affairs

🤣

[John]

19 minutes ago, Franklin said:

One of these is being offered for sale in UK right now with upgraded focuser. I'd love it but I've got too many all ready😊.

I saw that one as well. I can just about explain why I need 100mm F/9 and 102mm F/6.5 refractors but I can't see how I would explain the need for a 102mm F/9 as well 🙄 

The ED102S has had some very good reviews over the years, not least by Roger Vine:

Vixen ED102S Review (scopeviews.co.uk)

Edited July 12, 2023 by John

[Franklin]

7 hours ago, John said:

I saw that one as well. I can just about explain why I need 100mm F/9 and 102mm F/6.5 refractors but I can't see how I would explain the need for a 102mm F/9 as well 🙄 

The Vixen F/9 ED102 is a very nice scope but I don't think anyone would swap a Tak F/9 FC100 for it.

Edited July 13, 2023 by Franklin

[radiofm74]

On 14/09/2022 at 00:18, Pixies said:

New toy out tonight. @Franklin was a little concerned the scope might be a bit too big for the AP mount, but it is working fine, even when it's a little breezy. Vibrations damp down in under 2 seconds if I knock it. The bigger tripod helps, I'm sure. 

The tracking and slewing are something else, compared with the old Super Polaris. So quiet.

I'll get a better picture in the daylight.

Forgive me for asking almost a year later (I saw this picture just now), and forgive also the rookie question, but is it an ED103 or an ED115 perched on the AP? Or……? And how did the AP hold up with such a relatively large scope?

As the AP is my "getaway under dark skies mount" I am always interested in knowing what scopes it can hold and how ;D I've done my bit of daring experimentation and if you're careful with the accessories and balancing, I've found it can pretty decently hold a C8 making for a truly powerful and portable set-up

[Franklin]

The AP will hold up to a 6kg payload according to Vixen but I think that limit is set by the motors. In fully manual mode it could probably hold a little more, but again it's not just about weight, it's also about the length of the ota and the moment arm that produces. I think you've had success with the C8 because it has a short, stubby tube. I personally won't mount anything larger than the SD81S on the AP but the APZ can handle more, up to 8kg according to the Vixen spec.

 

[radiofm74]

10 minutes ago, Franklin said:

The AP will hold up to a 6kg payload according to Vixen but I think that limit is set by the motors. In fully manual mode it could probably hold a little more, but again it's not just about weight, it's also about the length of the ota and the moment arm that produces. I think you've had success with the C8 because it has a short, stubby tube. I personally won't mount anything larger than the SD81S on the AP but the APZ can handle more, up to 8kg according to the Vixen spec.

 

Thank you Tim! And indeed, the C8 usually goes on the APZ while I am imaging with the AP + SD81… BUT: could you satisfy my curiosity about which tube sits on the Advanced Polaris in Pixie's picture I have quoted just above? Thanks in advance!

[Franklin]

3 hours ago, radiofm74 said:

BUT: could you satisfy my curiosity about which tube sits on the Advanced Polaris in Pixie's picture I have quoted just above? Thanks in advance!

I was waiting for @Pixies to answer your question but he may be away on holiday. It's the Vixen A105M refractor, weighing around 4.8kg.

[radiofm74]

Thanks a lot! 

[Pixies]

On 13/07/2023 at 12:48, radiofm74 said:

Thank you Tim! And indeed, the C8 usually goes on the APZ while I am imaging with the AP + SD81… BUT: could you satisfy my curiosity about which tube sits on the Advanced Polaris in Pixie's picture I have quoted just above? Thanks in advance!

Indeed. I was on holiday and it is a A105M (it used to belong to Franklin).

 

[woldsman]

I’ve just acquired a scope that I’d really welcome information about. While it lacks Vixen livery, as the photos show it is marked with a Vixen “V” in several places. The alt-az mount it came on is clearly branded as Vixen. So too is the solar aperture stop. 

There are no markings stating the focal length but it appears to be a 90mm aperture with focal length of around 750mm. 
I’m not absolutely certain of the latter measurement and suspect it is f9.

The scope also came with 30mm and 15mm branded Vixen multi-coated eyepieces and branded Vixen diagonal. It also has a 6x30mm finder scope.

Does anyone recognise this scope? I am fairly sure it is a Vixen but not 100% certain.

 

 

Edited August 1, 2023 by woldsman

[Franklin]

Definitely a Vixen, probably from the late 70's judging from the pictures. It's a Vixen Custom (alt-az mount), they made a 60mm, 80mm, 90mm and a 102mm. All achromats and very nice optics. The Custom 80mm was the most popular which was F/11.4, the 90mm had 1000mm fl so F/11. Yours looks shorter so not sure. The eyepieces appear to be the more modern and still available NPL plossls.

This picture is from the 1985 Vixen catalogue and yours predates these.

 

Edited August 1, 2023 by Franklin

[Franklin]

I think it may be an 80mm scope fl 910mm F/11.4. Here's a picture from the 1981 Vixen catalogue which looks like your scope. They didn't list a 90mm till after that date. The mounts and livery were black unlike the hammered green in 1985.

 

Edited August 1, 2023 by Franklin

[woldsman]

57 minutes ago, Franklin said:

Definitely a Vixen, probably from the late 70's judging from the pictures. It's a Vixen Custom (alt-az mount), they made a 60mm, 80mm, 90mm and a 102mm. All achromats and very nice optics. The Custom 80mm was the most popular which was F/11.4, the 90mm had 1000mm fl so F/11. Yours looks shorter so not sure. The eyepieces appear to be the more modern and still available NPL plossls.

This picture is from the 1985 Vixen catalogue and yours predates these.

 

Thanks so much for replying and posting these catalogue pictures!

[woldsman]

59 minutes ago, Franklin said:

I think it may be an 80mm scope fl 910mm F/11.4. Here's a picture from the 1981 Vixen catalogue which looks like your scope. They didn't list a 90mm till after that date. The mounts and livery were black unlike the hammered green in 1985.

 

I reckon you are right about the 80mm Custom. Intrigued by the way the tray hangs down in those catalogue drawings and have been trying to work out how to install this bit of the mount. Thought the legs would have chains for stability but they don’t. I’ve put the tray on as in  the photo which appears to stabilise the mount.

Edited August 1, 2023 by woldsman

[John]

I think there should be longish thin bolts with wingnuts on them through those holes in the upper leg sections just above the top of the lower leg sections. These bolts go through those "loops" in the metal tray supports and secure it as well as enabling the tripod legs to push against the supports creating tension and rigidity.

Any DIY shop will probably carry them. 

Edited August 1, 2023 by John

[Franklin]

Your tray is a newer larger one, the original was smaller and had a green triangular plastic box for accessories. The two bolt holes each tripod leg should have bolts and wing nuts as @John says but they are to tighten the extendible middle leg in position (for adjusting the height). The tripod below only has one fixing bolt. The 3 metal  spreaders that attach to the tray would have been connected to the tripod legs with pairs of U-brackets which hold the pin as you can see below.

 

Edited August 2, 2023 by Franklin

[woldsman]

2 hours ago, Franklin said:

Your tray is a newer larger one, the original was smaller and had a green triangular plastic box for accessories. The two bolt holes each tripod leg should have bolts and wing nuts as @John says but they are to tighten the extendible middle leg in position (for adjusting the height). The tripod below only has one fixing bolt. The 3 metal  spreaders that attach to the tray would have been connected to the tripod legs with pairs of U-brackets which hold the pin as you can see below.

 

Thanks - very interesting. I’ll visit the diy store as keen to make the tripod more stable by fixing the tray in place.