Vixen 102M

[woldsman]

Here’s how it all fits together. 

[Franklin]

The .965 visual back you have is made of two parts, unscrew the .965 holder from the 36.4-43mm ring and replace this ring into the drawtube. Your Baader helical will fit straight in. Shame about the chip but the rest of the glass looks good, it will still work well.

Edited March 8 by Franklin

[Franklin]

Bresser UK | Vixen reducing sleeve 36.4–31.7 mm | Call 01342 837 098 for advice and sales.

This is the Vixen part, £22 for a little eyepiece adaptor, but it's the same as what you have but for 1.25" rather than the old fashioned .965. The Baader you've ordered is a better holder all round, plus you'll have fine focusing.

Edited March 8 by Franklin

[wookie1965]

3 minutes ago, Franklin said:

Bresser UK | Vixen reducing sleeve 36.4–31.7 mm | Call 01342 837 098 for advice and sales.

This is the Vixen part, £22 for a little eyepiece adaptor, but it's the same as what you have but for 1.25" rather than the old fashioned .965. The Baader you've ordered is a better holder all round, plus you'll have fine focusing.

I do hope so or it's going the tip. 

[John]

I assume that your Celestron C-102 F/9.8 is one of the more recent, chinese made ones ?

Back in the 1980's / 1990's Vixen used to make them for Celestron and they were exactly the same as the 102M Vixen's, apart from the gloss black colour scheme.

 

[Franklin]

10 hours ago, wookie1965 said:

I do hope so or it's going the tip.

The internal thread on the old Vixen drawtube is 43mm and the internal of the stepdown ring is 36.4mm, so if you're going to throw anything out it should probably be your calipers not the scope😁.

[wookie1965]

8 hours ago, John said:

I assume that your Celestron C-102 F/9.8 is one of the more recent, chinese made ones ?

Back in the 1980's / 1990's Vixen used to make them for Celestron and they were exactly the same as the 102M Vixen's, apart from the gloss black colour scheme.

 

To be Honest John I dont know I will take a picture of the label maybe you can find out from that. I know its an old scope.

Paul

[Stu]

48 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

To be Honest John I dont know I will take a picture of the label maybe you can find out from that. I know its an old scope.

Paul

Says made in Japan, so from what John says it is likely the same as a Vixen 102M anyway. Do you not get good results from it?

[Franklin]

1 hour ago, wookie1965 said:

To be Honest John I dont know I will take a picture of the label maybe you can find out from that. I know its an old scope.

Paul

This is an old "Vixen made" for Celestron 102M, @wookie1965 it's the same scope as the Vixen 102M you've just bought, apart from the colour that is.

[wookie1965]

2 minutes ago, Franklin said:

This is an old "Vixen made" for Celestron 102M, @wookie1965 it's the same scope as the Vixen 102M you've just bought, apart from the colour that is.

I am sorry Tim my heads all over the place, the celestron ota is slimmer than the vixen I was going to put the celestron`s rings on the vixen just to try it but they wont fit.

[wookie1965]

48 minutes ago, Stu said:

Says made in Japan, so from what John says it is likely the same as a Vixen 102M anyway. Do you not get good results from it?

Yes very good but it is not my scope a friend lent it to me, had some great nights with it.

Edited March 9 by wookie1965

[Franklin]

4 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

the celestron ota is slimmer than the vixen

Yeah, your older Vixen model is from the 80's because it has the attachment on the focuser for a swivel finder and Vixen have always had oversized tubes (115mm for a 102mm scope), the later (90's) Celestrons were made for the US market and may have had narrower tubes to allow for after market focuser upgrades? Not sure on that one, but the two scopes will have the same objectives, 102mm f9.8

[John]

I'm a suspicious so and so and I am wondering that sticker has been applied to a chinese made Celestron 102 F/9.8 ?

The focuser (or at least what I can see of it) does not look quite right for a Japan / Vixen made 102 either - it looks like the chinese one that the 102 F/9.8's branded Helios, Skywatcher, Konus, Saxon etc used. 

Hope I'm wrong of course 😕

If it is a chinese made Celestron 102 the tube rings from the Skywatcher Evostar 102 should fit it.

Sorry to spread more confusion 

[Stu]

1 hour ago, wookie1965 said:

Yes very good but it is not my scope a friend lent it to me, had some great nights with it.

Can you buy it from him??

[wookie1965]

11 minutes ago, Stu said:

Can you buy it from him??

I'm not sure he did say he was going to give it to a young man from his club I will have to ask he is away this week incommunicado. 

[wookie1965]

23 minutes ago, John said:

I'm a suspicious so and so and I am wondering that sticker has been applied to a chinese made Celestron 102 F/9.8 ?

The focuser (or at least what I can see of it) does not look quite right for a Japan / Vixen made 102 either - it looks like the chinese one that the 102 F/9.8's branded Helios, Skywatcher, Konus, Saxon etc used. 

Hope I'm wrong of course 😕

If it is a chinese made Celestron 102 the tube rings from the Skywatcher Evostar 102 should fit it.

Sorry to spread more confusion 

Do these help John. 

[John]

That is a chinese made one IMHO. Probably one of the later Celestron ones. The lens cell design is the give away for me as well as the focuser and smaller diameter tube. 

It's a pretty decent 4 inch refractor of course, but IMHO, made by Synta in China rather than by Vixen in Japan.

Just my opinion of course.

[Peter Drew]

I agree with John, it looks nothing like my Vixen 102M.       

[Franklin]

1 hour ago, John said:

That is a chinese made one IMHO.

I'd agree with that as well, it's got the wrong sticker on it. Still a nice achro, but not as good as the original Japanese version.

[wookie1965]

So the Vixen will be better even with the chips.

Paul

[Peter Drew]

Most likely!            🙂

[Franklin]

8 minutes ago, wookie1965 said:

So the Vixen will be better even with the chips.

Yes.

Vixen still produce their 4" achro, the A105M and it retails around £950 whereas a SW Evostar 4" is currently on offer at FLO for £194. Both usable scopes but the difference in price is reflected in the quality of the optics.

[wookie1965]

I wonder if I could get new glass for this if anyone sees any please let me know.

[John]

2 hours ago, wookie1965 said:

I wonder if I could get new glass for this if anyone sees any please let me know.

A "wanted" advert in the SGL classifieds and on UK Astro Buy & Sell can throw up some interesting offers. It's worth a try. 

 

[wookie1965]

33 minutes ago, John said:

A "wanted" advert in the SGL classifieds and on UK Astro Buy & Sell can throw up some interesting offers. It's worth a try. 

 

Done thanks John also on ABSUK see what happens.