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TS TS ED80 FPL-53 Triplet APO & it's Misadventures

johninderby

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johninderby

johninderby

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The TS ED80 Triplet APO & it's Misadventures

I purchased the Telescope Service 80/480 FPL-53 Triplet APO recently and have been very impressed with the build quality and optics. It punches well above it's weight and and has delivered views that I didn't expect through a mere 80mm of aperture. Detail and contrast on Jupiter have been particularly impressive. It has the feel and performance of a much more expensive scope. It's the same weight as a Megrez 72 and almost the same size when the dew shield is retracted so it makes a great travel scope as well.

Unfortunately last week it fell nearly 4 feet lens end down onto a concrete path and somersaulted into a flowerbed. Fortunately though the screw on lens cover was still in place which protected the optics even though the cover was badly dented (3mm thick aluminium) and one side was bent over the trim ring on the end of the dew shield. The drawtube had come loose and was flopping around and the 1:10 focuser knob was now only a one speed knob. In technical terms the focuser was completely knackered. The lens cover wouldn't unscrew and I had to remove the trim ring as well as the cover. It took a fair bit of brute force to separate the two on the workbench.

With the now defunct focuser and the lens cover removed I could inspect the scope and was more than a little surprised to find not one single scratch or blemish anywhere on the OTA, :blob10: the dew shield was still round and undamaged and slid back and forth perfectly, and the optics also looked perfect. I "bodged" the focuser back together and although it was as rough as **** and sounded like a cement mixer it was just good enough to test the optics. Collimation was still spot on. :hello2::eek::p

TS have ordered a replacement lens cover and trim ring which should be here in a few weeks, and I don't have to pay them until after I get the parts. Great service TS. Rather than replace the focuser with the standard one I decided to upgrade to a Baader Steeltrack and ordered one from TS which arrived in about 72 hours. More great service from TS. The focuser adaptor on the OTA needed some mods to allow the Steeltrack to fit. A few minutes work on the lathe reduced the diameter of the adaptors "dovetail ring" down to the correct diameter for the Steeltrack and then it was just a matter of fitting the focuser. While I was at it I drilled and tapped a mounting hole in the side of the focuser body to allow fitting a WO type of finder shoe.

Very happy now as the scope is better than new, and once the new trim ring and lens cover arrive it'll look brand new again as well. It says a lot about the build quality of the scope that it could survive an impact like that. The Baader Steeltrack focuser required no adjustments at all and is beautifully smooth and precise with a lovely weighty feel to the focusing action. It handles heavy loads effortlessly with no slippage and is the next best thing to a FeatherTouch R&P focuser.

I sent a few photos to Telescope Service and they've now decided to alter the focuser adaptor on the scope so that a Baader Steeltrack will be a simple bolt-on upgrade in the future.

John

P.S.

You don't want to know what I said as I saw the scope falling off the tripod. :)

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ollypenrice

ollypenrice

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Ouch, sorry about the disaster John. While I do try to be as flexible as possible in my setups, one thing I do make clear is a house rule of No Changing Telescopes At Night. I will switch them around by day but never at night. Too risky and at £6k for the TEC I really hate moving it at all!!!

Does your scope take a focal reducer flattener, do you know? It does look very good indeed.

Olly

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johninderby

johninderby

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It was a close call, but I still can't believe that the optics weren't damaged or even knocked out of collimation and not even a scratch on the OTA. :blob10: That's one tough scope !

Teelescope Service recommends their TS 2 "Field Flattener for astrophotography

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p1010_Universelle-Bildfeldebnung-fuer-Refraktoren-von-f-5-bis-f-8.html

And check out the photo at the botom of TS80/480 page.

http://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p3881_TS-Triplet-FPL53-Apo-80-480mm---f-6---no-colour-fringes.html

John

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Mikea

Mikea

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P.S.

You don't want to know what I said as I saw the scope falling off the tripod. :blob10:

Was it: "Crikey, I appear to have knocked me blinkin' telescope into the perishin' flowerbed. What a rotten bit of bloomin' luck!"?

Glad it's ok. It looks like a nice piece of gear.

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  • 2 weeks later...
johninderby

johninderby

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I wonder what's going to happen with the FPL-53 doublets. As the Equinox 80 is only about £30.00 less than the TS 80mm triplet who's going to buy a new Equinox 80? Could there be heavy discounting ahead? :)

Also to note that Orion has just brought out their FPL-53 triplet which is made by the same supplier as the TS scope. Will SkyWatcher add one to their lineup? Should be easy as Synta's already buying in the Orion version.

John

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GazOC

GazOC

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I think we'll see Skywatcher versions in time. If thats the case then the 80mm Equinox will have to have more than £30 inbetween it and the triplet. I'd guess the bigger Equinoxs will feel less pressure as the size of the extra lens will ensure a larger price difference.

Edit: Just checked John, theres more like £70 difference between the scopes. Much more reasonable.

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  • 11 months later...

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