Show us your Vixen Scope or mount

[osbourne one-nil]

Where did you find these...or is that your secret?!

[Franklin]

13 minutes ago, osbourne one-nil said:

Where did you find these...or is that your secret?!

Mercari, it's a bit like a Japanese Gumtree.

[Fedele]

[Astroscot2]

I had to search the archives for a photo of the one and only Vixen ive owned,  I was in the market for a 4" inch scope and got speaking with Markus Ludes on a forum, he had this scope for sale and i jumped at it.  The  Vixen 108DED F5. had a huge imaging circle which I attached a Mamiya 645 camera to.  Sold it eventually for an FSQ.

[Zirkel 2]

Hi from France,

Great topic,

It's my winner combo.

Vixen ED102S and GP mount,  made in Japan 👍

More information about Vixen ED102S (my personal blog) : ED102S

Edited September 20, 2023 by Zirkel 2
Correction and add

[The60mmKid]

I bought a Sky-Watcher pillar from FLO to spare me some of the anguish of carrying a tripod through my building. I was concerned that the fit would be awkward with my APZ, but it's really almost* as though they were made for each other.

*The recessed part at the top of the pillar is 60mm in diameter, sized for an EQ5 configuration. The protruding bit at the bottom of the APZ is 45mm in diameter, but this doesn't appear to make a difference in practice so far.

Edited September 20, 2023 by The60mmKid

[Zirkel 2]

Other personal setup : Vixen GP mount with a long Japanese refractor : Scopetech ST80A-MAXI.

f/15 excellent achromat.

Edited September 20, 2023 by Zirkel 2
Add

[Franklin]

7 hours ago, Fedele said:

I like your 102 Fedele in black, the NP102 is quite a rare scope. I know there are plenty of 102M's about but the NP102 was Vixen's 4" achro supplied on the New Polaris mount which was only in production for a short while, a kind of transition between the Polaris and the Super-Polaris mounts back in the very early 80's. At this time Vixen also supplied the 102M for Celestron which had the black tube so maybe they had a few left over?

[Franklin]

Got my new GNG, the ED70SS set up and ready for when the clouds to clear off!

 

 

[Stu]

I guess this one belongs here too. I’ll stick the FL102S on it soon and update the piccy.

[900SL]

Getting ready for darker nights here now summer has faded.

 

Moving in a month to B5 location, can't wait!

 

 

[Fedele]

[Froeng]

10 hours ago, Fedele said:

Nice setup - in a nice backyard!

[Cleetus]

On 20/09/2023 at 20:45, 900SL said:

Getting ready for darker nights here now summer has faded.

 

Moving in a month to B5 location, can't wait!

 

 

For a moment there I thought you might be moving to Birmingham! Are you staying in Finland or moving further afield?

[900SL]

On 27/09/2023 at 15:35, Cleetus said:

For a moment there I thought you might be moving to Birmingham! Are you staying in Finland or moving further afield?

🤣 moving to Kirkkonummi, near Helsinki. It's on the edge of a national park called Nuuksio. It's the kind of place where I need a snowblower, and to protect the bushes from the deer which wander in and out.

So not that dissimilar to Birmingham, I guess 🤔 😅 

I think I'll like this place 

 

Edited September 29, 2023 by 900SL

[Cleetus]

 

Looks fantastic but I guess you will not have as many clears skies as you had in the desert?

[900SL]

On 29/09/2023 at 23:18, Cleetus said:

 

Looks fantastic but I guess you will not have as many clears skies as you had in the desert?

Thanks, and it will be a lot colder and overcast here ☁️ 

There's also the trees 🌳  although I'm happy to be custodian of these mighty sticks. 

[Saganite]

A lovely Vixen SP recently acquired to carry my ED103S on the Berlebach tripod so that I don't have to keep removing my AZ100 from the Obsy.  It is in almost pristine condition, lovely and smooth.  The plinth is  a 20mm thick Oak blank in which I cut a 63mm hole and put in a North peg.  I just happened to have a hexagon connector 10mm male to 12mm female which was perfect and means that when I lift off the SP and Oak plinth the AZ100 goes straight back on  in seconds. I have yet to give the plinth a coat of Danish Oil to finish it off.

The exact Vixen rings were supplied within a day or so rather amazingly, by a friend, who just happened to have them.....🙂

Edited October 8, 2023 by Saganite

[Saganite]

This little treasure came with the SP.  I only wanted the mount, but having had two sessions with it, I am very impressed so who knows I may have to keep it....

In this set up it is impossible to vibrate the image. Viewing Jupiter with a .965 Vixen 5mm Ortho, 144x was rock solid, not a ghost of a tremor !

Edited October 17, 2023 by Saganite

[900SL]

11 hours ago, Saganite said:

This little treasure came with the SP.  I only wanted the mount, but having had two sessions with it, I am very impressed so who knows I may have to keep it....

In this set up it is impossible to vibrate the image. Viewing Jupiter with a .965 Vixen 5mm Ortho, 144x was rock solid, not a ghost of a tremor !

That's a curious focuser SG. How does it work? 

[Saganite]

The eyepiece travels longitudinally, in effect, backwards and forwards along the tube.  It now runs very smoothly after a little fettling , and is really very good.  The first time I have seen anything like this.  This scope I believe, was only supplied to the French Astro market, but I could be wrong.

Edited October 18, 2023 by Saganite

[Franklin]

17 minutes ago, Saganite said:

This scope I believe, was only supplied to the French Astro market, but I could be wrong.

Vixen had 100mm, 130mm and 150mm reflectors with this type of focuser in their Japan catalogue in 1985.

 

[Franklin]

13 hours ago, Saganite said:

This little treasure came with the SP.

Great find Steve and quite scarce especially with the French PERL connection and in such good condition for it's age. Have you managed to get the RA drive powered up through the old controller ok?

[Saganite]

Hi Tim,

Yes , it works beautifully.  The chap from whom I bought it had made a little cardboard battery pack holding 6 AA batteries and to my astonishment it tracked very accurately right where you can see it for nine hours, the setting circle graduations being exactly in line with the elapsed time.  Later that evening I took it into the garden aligned it North with a compass and had a very enjoyable couple of hours. 

Edited October 18, 2023 by Saganite

[Fedele]