Arrival of my New Takahashi TSA-120 and Ioptron Mount

[issdaol]

Hi All,

My new Takahashi TSA-120 APO and Ioptron Minitower II mount arrived on Wednesday.

I have chosen this combination as a Grab and Go setup and for my son to use since he has started showing serious interest in Astronomy over past 2 years.

The TSA120 is small and light weight but provides some good aperture and very good glass for visual (and future astro-photography if needed). It is ideal size for portability or a younger person to handle.

The Ioptron MTII mount is also very portable but I have not used one before or unpacked so I will give details and pictures as I go.

I have unpacked the TSA120 already (pics to come) and interestingly it was packaged in a triple box and foam packaging i.e. First (Outer Box) had internal foam lining and box inside, Second Box had internal foam lining and box inside, Third box had Foam Scope Supports and Scope surrounded and cushioned by lots of foam donuts.

I recall my Mewlon 300 was only double boxed.

Packed inside is the TSA120, 7x50 Tak Finder, Finder bracket, manual. The Takahashi TSA120 OTA Clamp was in a completely separate box.

On Inspection all components appear to be faultless and have very high quality build/engineering typical of Takahashi. Optics appear perfect for the OTA but I will of coarse need to use it to validate that :).

I will take some pictures as I am putting the system together and also cover the Ioptron as I go over the next couple of days.

Unsurprisingly there is clouds now in the sky:mad2:

[dannat]

Holy crap you bought a toa120 for your son who has shown an interest I astronomy...not a bad grab & go scope

[allan gould]

Well done Phil and I'm sure that he will appreciate it.

[issdaol]

Yep, but it will also be a "Family" grab & go scope as well.

He has read piles of astro books and constantly hogs the eyepiece at star parties for the past 2 years so it is more than a passing kids fad. He is actively involved in setting the TSA120 up as well and has already mounted the OTA into the OTA Clamp.

Also I believe that scopes like Takahashi and Astrophysics can be true "Lifetime" or "multi-generation" telescopes due to the engineering quality of the units.

I reckon the Ioptron Mount will look tattered and fall apart long before the TSA120 (or my other Tak gear).

[issdaol]

He is pretty excited about it and keen to start using it.
He was a bit disappointed about the clouds rolling in tonight. He was in and out of the house constantly checking the sky. Unfortunately the clouds got worse :sadeyes:

[MortonH]

Hope you're taking photos for the family album. When he wins a Nobel prize years from now they'll be nice to look back on :)

[issdaol]

Quick Update:

Due to bad weather we have not had any urgency to setup the scope.

However we have continued to unpack all the items and finished up with the Ioptron Mount.

The mount is actually the Minitower Pro Version not the Minitower II. The Pro version can handle a larger payload and has the larger tripod.

Build quality is no where near the quality of Takahashi gear and smacks of low cost Chinese construction. To tell the truth I was a little disappointed probably because I had become so used to my Tak EM400 mount. Then I needed to sit back an remember that my EM400 mount cost over 10 time more. (Darn if only Tak made a Alt/Az Goto Mount of the same capacity !!) However for the price/payload/features it is good value.

We will be doing some preliminary power up testing and will upload some photos tomorrow :-)

[brian nordstrom]

:D I know exactly what you are saying about Takahashi build , I love using mine , they are so well made .
Brian.

[issdaol]

Hi All,

Just a quick update with full details and pictures to follow (after converting them to web size).

After overcoming some issues with the mount, http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=102431 ,
we have managed to take the TSA120 out on quite a few occasions now since receiving it.

The scope is very light and easy to transport and setup. We can have everything setup and ready to roll within 20 minutes :-)

Visuals are outstanding showing pinpoint stars and precise color and this remains true for very bright objects.

Views through the Pentax and Delos 10mm Ep's and the Nagler 31 are fantastic. I am fast becoming a fan of the Naglers but they are big heavy units ! Lunar view through both 10mm's shows amazing detail.

Will post a more complete update in the next few days!

Cheers

[Poita]

Nice scope for your son!

BTW. I'm available for adoption :)

[issdaol]

He He Strange I have had a lot of requests for adoption recently :lol: