A heart stopping moment.....

[Alan White]

After some time getting myself in the right head space, it is now time to share my tale of woe with my friends of SGL, some folks already know about this.

.........................................

Some weeks ago, my Vixen ED103, my much loved scope and one that gave perfect images and star tests,
slipped out of the clamp and landed some 5 feet bellow onto the eyepiece, diagonal and draw tube.
That was my intial heart stopping moment......but it got worse!

The darn scope then bounced up, just missed the mount and in an arc then landed optics first, the sound was quite horrific.
See it got worse!

I have to admit, I do have a tendancy (quite wrongly) to utter some rude words, but at this event, apart from one quiet and very mild rude word,
I was rendered speachless and indeed found myself welded to the spot upon which I stood in utter disbelief and shock.

Mustering great sterngth, I picked up the scope and wandered indoors to see what damage was done.
I was close to tears at this point as the 103 was my forever scope......or so Ithought.

The focuser had twisted in its threaded connection to the scope.
The eyepiece and diagonal were sitting at an odd angle and not looking well.
The dew shield is bent.
The optical cell is bent and the optics obviously moved, so not good at all.
The baffles have shaken loose and the cement that held them is all over the lens cell rear.
So the kit is done for and an insurance claim with my home insurer set in motion.

After some messaging, photgraphing and some time with a specialist optical assessor, the claim is being settled, thankfully.
They have told me to dispose of the kit or try and fix it if I can, thye don't want it.

I think the scope itself is sadly done for,
But the LVW22 may live to see another day.
The TV diagonal perhaps will not be OK, we will see.
The Rigel finder is in about a million pieces all over the garden.

............................................

So that is my story.
What caused it, who knows,
too slack a tightening on the clamp knobs?
an issue with the clamp and my vixen rail ?
or just pure bad luck?

I know I am not the first and sadly not the last to live through this experience,
I just hope it does not happen to you dear reader of this thread.

...........................................

The LVW was loosened on the retaining bottom thread and gently tapped, nothing changed.
So back to the second method, you got it, tap it harder.....
Well more aligned than it was, so perhaps another tap on another day, I will bide my moment on that.

This is posted as it can happen to any of us, however careful we are, so be careful outside folks.

 

 

[Stu1smartcookie]

This made me go cold when reading . Unfortunately,I'm sure it will happen again to somebody somewhere  . But I think it's really good to share incidents like this . We all feel for you Alan . And I'm sure we are all going to give an extra check when setting up our gear in future 

[Franklin]

I'm gutted for you, that's horrific! What mount and what kind of dovetail bar?

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

I feel for you Alan. Similar happened to me a few weeks ago and I nearly had a heart attack!

Lucky the telescope somehow escaped unscathed and a snapped in two RACI finder is as good as new after a being glued back together.

Sorry for your loss. ☹️

 

[david_taurus83]

You can never be too careful with checking clamps and hand screws etc. I was attempting a dual rig a few years ago but on the cheap so didn't have one of those fancy adjustable clamps that allow for XY axis adjustment. I was using thin plastic shims between the scope dovetail and mount clamp. Had a sudden cold feeling rush up my back as I heard a horrible metallic sliding noise as I was walking up the garden from the mount. The scope I was adjusting had slid all the way down the clamp and only caught at the very end due to a protruding bolt head under the dovetail. Never again!

Sorry to hear of your misfortune and hope your insurance gets settles quickly so you can get another!

[Alan White]

Yes, a horrible sliding noise, I now know what those stope screws achieve.

[F15Rules]

Hi Alan,

SO sorry when I heard about this calamity..as a previous delighted owner and user of two of these fantastic scopes I can feel your pain and loss at such an awful incident.

Thank goodness your insurer is doing the right thing Alan..and I know the temptation is to rush out for another scope, but I really hope it proves possible for you to source another Vixen apo..they are superb scopes, right up there with Takahashi IMHO. If they had offered a 5" Apo I would have happily gone for one instead of the Tak 5" I was lucky enough to see on sale almost 6 years ago.

Do let us see your replacement scope once it's all sorted out..👍

Best wishes,

Dave 

 

[Mr Spock]

Sounds horrible and just the sort of thing everyone dreads.

I came close with my 8mm LVW a few weeks ago. Suddenly the diagonal swung round leaving the LVW pointing downwards towards the patio. Luckily it didn't fall out.
With that in mind, and the fact I've never liked the twist grip fitted to my 102mm - it's just too stiff and unpredictable - I'm replacing the twist grip with a Baader click lock. It's already on order from FLO 

[Stephenstargazer]

My condolences. Insurance payout good for wallet, but not that sick feeling. We have all had a slip at times but usually catch it in time. I try to use handles, stop bolts and even split pins to be safer, but gravity is always waiting.

I do think the variation between different manufacturers 'Vixen' rails and clamps is getting worse, and dont even start me on incompatible finder brackets.

[wookie1965]

OMG this is horrific, could you not send it off to Mark at Moonraker Telescopes he maybe able to bring it back to life worth a phone call.

[skybadger]

Are the optics actually damaged?

Want to sell them if not ?

[Telescope40]

Alan. Horrendous news fella.  Can't imagine your feelings given your thoughts on the scope in your post. Every astronomers nightmare !!!!   AS you have said.  Things moving forward for you now.  Maybe you already have an eye on a replacement and you can get back at the eyepiece as soon as possible. 

Looking forward to future updates on your journey.

John 

[F15Rules]

1 hour ago, Stephenstargazer said:

I do think the variation between different manufacturers 'Vixen' rails and clamps is getting worse, and dont even start me on incompatible finder brackets.

I agree..the vast majority of "Vixen" aftermarket accessories like dovetails etc have nothing whatever to do with Vixen..they are Chinese knock offs, often to incorrect tolerances and inferior design/build quality. If you want a true Vixen product you need to buy it from añ authorised Vixen stockist..

Dave

Edited October 29, 2022 by F15Rules

[Stu]

Really sorry to hear about your accident @Alan White, horrible feeling as I know from when my 8” f8 fell over, but your was a much worse outcome.

I’m very glad the insurance is going to pay out without too much quibbling, that must be a big relief.

Looking forward to seeing what replacement you end up with 👍👍

[Saganite]

Hi Al,

You well know my feelings on this.  You were not the first and you will not be the last to suffer a calamity such as this.  It almost happened to me a few years back with Andromeda.

You made sure it was well insured and you can look forward to a replacement.

I would not be in a rush to dispose of the parts, you may be able to salvage something, and I , as you know, have a  Vixen ED 103 S focuser which you are welcome to....

Edited October 29, 2022 by Saganite

[globular]

So sorry this has happened. I'm quite shaken just from reading your account. Thanks for sharing and keep us posted with your replacement(s).

[RobertI]

Horrible. Just horrible. It must have been horrific to see (and hear) your beloved scope mangled and bent. What a sad end to a wonderful instrument. Thanks for sharing your story and glad that at least you are getting a payout and can replace it. I suppose you could argue that it was better that it was “written off” than just a bit scratched or dented. I had an apo fall five feet into carpet - it seemed ok, but I never had confidence in the scope after that, I was always looking for signs of misalignment or damage. 

Edited October 29, 2022 by RobertI

[Pixies]

Made my stomach turn just reading that. 

I'm glad it sounds like you are on the way to some kind of replacement. Still, such nice scopes are hard to find.

[JeremyS]

Really sorry to hear this sickening news, Alan. Bad times! Good the insurance is paying up, though.

[HollyHound]

Really sorry to hear this Alan… we’ve all had a few scares, but when the worst happens, it must be awful 😬

Looking forward to seeing the new scope… I’m sure it will be a very suitable replacement 👍

[AdeKing]

I've had both my ED120 and my ED100 slide out of the clamp, but as I observe on grass, I was fortunate to only need a change of trousers.

It's such a shame as I know how much you loved that scope, but I'm glad that your insurance is all settled.

You'll find another scope in time.

Take care,

Ade

 

[Ags]

Awful... but if the lens elements are undamaged, maybe it is possible to rescue them with a donor scope?

[Mircea]

Alan

 

I'm really sorry for the accident, really sorry for your loss.

I'm living in a country where twelve years ago it was quite a luck to get an ordinary 60mm achromat.

But let be optimistic, I believe I see there is an even better telescope in your future.

Our sympathy is with you. Please let us know how you recover out of this situation.

 

Regards, Mircea

 

 

[RT65CB-SWL]

Sorry to read about your loss @Alan White

My heart stopping moment was whilst I was tightening up a die-cast white metal dovetail and it snapped. Attached to it was my ETX105. Luckily [#1] the OTA, primary, secondary, meniscuis cell survived, but two of the three mounting points on the rear ABS plastic cell and cheap star diagonal did not. Luckily [#2] it was on grass/lawn.

When I got the replacement backplate made by a local engineering workshop made and fitted, I made an appointment and took it to Steve Collingwood at SCTelescopes to check the collimation. It was only slightly out and was soon rectified within thirty to forty minutes.

Edited October 31, 2022 by Philip R

[Highburymark]

Blimey Alan - sorry to read this. Thank goodness you were insured.