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Vixen Super Polaris DX

John

By John
in Discussions - Mounts

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John

John

Posted
Posted

I realise that these are getting very old now (1980's ?) but they used to be pretty highly regarded I'm wondering if anyone still has an SPDX and has any views on it ?

I believe the SPDX has the old style tripod fitting, ie: it is not compatible with the later GP / GPX / EQ5 / HEQ5 etc, etc.

Vixen used to supply the SPDX on a pretty massive wooden tripod I seem to recall :icon_scratch:

Just "kicking the tyres" of other mounting options as it were :icon_biggrin:

Thanks in advance for any feedback :smiley:

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F15Rules

F15Rules

Posted
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Hi John

I think Johninderby has one for sale on this forum.?

I believe he mounted his FS128 on it, but if I'm mistaken I'm sure he'll correct me.

I've not used a DX myself but my trusty old SPGP was a superb mount which went to a new home with Steve (Fozzie), only as my FS128 came with a Tak EM2 mount (which I believe is rated similarly to the DX, around 9-10kg?).

I'd also say that Vixen mount capacities (for visual, at least) are quite conservative: my SPGP always felt it could take a good deal more load than my CG5 SP clone☺.

HTH.

Dave

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Fozzie

Fozzie

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57 minutes ago, F15Rules said:

 was a superb mount

*is a superb mount.... :lol: :hello:

That GPDX looks in fantastic condition too, these "old" vixen mounts do seem to stand the test of time if they are looked after.. Something which My GP has been, by lots of appreciative people, before it came to me..

 

 

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Stu

Stu

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Yes, they are lovely mounts. I’m on my third GP now! This one is probably the best, despite lacking motors and polar scope. It has been very nicely fettled and the movement on both axes is so smooth!

I do love the GP-DX too, very capable, I just need the lighter weight currently.

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F15Rules

F15Rules

Posted
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13 minutes ago, Fozzie said:

*is a superb mount.... :lol: :hello:

That GPDX looks in fantastic condition too, these "old" vixen mounts do seem to stand the test of time if they are looked after.. Something which My GP has been, by lots of appreciative people, before it came to me..

 

 

Just by me Steve, and the original owner who was in Spain☺?

Dave

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John

John

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Thanks for the feedback folks :icon_biggrin:

I've owned a Vixen Super Polaris back in the dim and distant past and that seemed very well put together. It handled the Vixen 102mm F/9.8 achromat that I had on it with ease and could probably have managed a heavier scope.

Vixen do make things well :smiley:

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JeremyS

JeremyS

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, John said:

I'm wondering if anyone still has an SPDX and has any views on it ?

Not an SPDX, but I had a GPDX for several years. Fantastic mount, used with either my Tak FS102 or a C8

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John

John

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8 hours ago, AstroPhil said:

Yes I have one, and still use it (was using it to look at Jupiter just this evening). Still going strong after 20 years!

Thanks - I've bought a pre-loved Vixen GPDX which I should receive on Monday. Looking forward to using this - the Vixen DX's seem to have an almost legendary reputation :icon_biggrin:

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JeremyS

JeremyS

Posted
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9 hours ago, John said:

I've bought a pre-loved Vixen GPDX which I should receive on Monday. Looking forward to using this - the Vixen DX's seem to have an almost legendary reputation :icon_biggrin:

Looking forward to hearing how you get on with it, John. It's indeed a legend. What do you plan to put on it?

In the meantime here's a pic of my GPD, which I no longer own, which was a superb match for the Tak FS102 it's carrying.

GPDX.jpg

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JeremyS

JeremyS

Posted
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2 minutes ago, Stu said:

I did enjoy the Skysensor 2000PC with my Atlux, amazingly advanced for a 20’plus year old controller!

Me too Stu. It was a nice piece of kit. Very intuitive to use, too (I had the previous Skysensor 3D at one time - the SS2000 was a huge improvement)

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Stu

Stu

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I think I said elsewhere on one of John’s recent threads that I would love a GP-DX at some point, I just don’t need one now! I have a GP (on my third now!) which is more than adequate for my needs, which is for something lightweight that I can plonk down in the garden and enjoy some solar or planetary with simple tracking.

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John

John

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1 hour ago, JeremyS said:

Me too Stu. It was a nice piece of kit. Very intuitive to use, too (I had the previous Skysensor 3D at one time - the SS2000 was a huge improvement)

I had the original Skysensor, way back - about the size of a house brick and about as easy to use !. Still, it did a good job of acting as a dual axis drive controller and I could bypass the GOTO stuff !

 

 

556143_10200214382707934_1976352599_n.jpg

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John

John

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2 hours ago, JeremyS said:

Looking forward to hearing how you get on with it, John. It's indeed a legend. What do you plan to put on it?...

 

This little beauty - TMB/LZOS 130mm F/9.2 triplet :smiley:

 

tmb130bbst04.JPG

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Froeng

Froeng

Posted
Posted

Thanks John,

i had the mount regreased recently as it had started to stiffen up (after about 25years!). It now works again as new. It is on the edge of being overloaded with the c8 and vixen 60l refractor plus camera for imaging, but it works for hanguided exposures of up to 5mins...

 

Frank

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JeremyS

JeremyS

Posted
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2 minutes ago, John said:

I've now received my Vixen GP DX. The build quality is really good. I'd forgotten just how well engineered the Vixen mounts are :smiley:

Pics please, John - with the scope on board ?

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