Vixen Porta mount and R130 newtonian

[Starkler (Geoff)]

Ive got the collimation a lot better now. That secondary was hard to align properly the way it was.

I've just come inside and I have changed my mind, the nagler isnt that bad in this scope Im looking forward to taking it somewhere dark

[dhumpie]

Geoff,

Same train of thought here. I had a 102mm f/5 refractor for a while but sold it as the C6 (6" f/5 Vixen/Celestron) was just so much brighter and more detailed. And I think you would probably win the widest field newt on ISS

Darren

[gbeal]

Nice review Geoff.
One thing that struck me as I read it was, are you ever intending to image with it? If not, then lengthen the tube, or get the primary further away from the secondary/focuser, and get a nice small light smooth helical, something lower profile. If it ever does get used for imaging, then maybe you are stuck with having an extension for visual, and nothing for imaging. I would still set it up so that the focuser is almost at min when you image, and you may find that no extension, or very minimal extension is required. This is how my 10" is set up.

[Starkler (Geoff)]

I have been lucky enough to have not been bitten by the imaging bug and this is unlikely to change considering the number of excellent images posted on ISS by others
This scope was always intended to be a light, convenient grab-and-go cum travelscope and it fills this role nicely.
If i do decide to take up imaging I could put this ota on the eq5 that i have

[dhumpie]

No imaging for a visual guy like me other than the occasional dabble in moon photography and wide field stuff I much prefer spending time at the eyepiece thank you....anyway still thinking of getting one of them Porta Mounts. They look soooo cool and light.

Darren

[Starkler (Geoff)]

What scope do you want to put on it Darren? Its not quite big enough to take the 6" unfortunately. The dimensions are such that max ota diameter is limited to 150mm and be able to reach zenith

Anyhoo....

I took the R130 to my fave dark sky spot tonight and gave the new mods a try.

Panning the milky way with the 31mm nagler was awesome, giving 21x mag and 3.9 degrees fov
I saw the dark lanes and features of our own galaxy as I never had before.
Who needs binoculars

Getting good focus with the original plastic focuser was a tricky task with the focuser tube shifting sideways and its body flexing. The crayford works like a charm, and now that the collimation is right, images are nice and crisp

The downside, (there always seems to be one) is that the crayford weighs a lot and the ota balance point is now more than half way up the tube. What this means is that what was a good standing eyepiece height with the tripod fully extended, is now a bit less comfortable and the tripod a bit more shaky.

Overall I'm happy with the mod and this scope makes a nice RFT, while also quite capable of planetary viewing

Can you tell I like this scope

[redsquash]

Hi Geoff,and everybody.
Sorry to hear you live in Melbourne.
I suffered for 20 years.

1
I bought this scope home tonight and having a break while I put it together.
I wonder , If you or any others professionals, who were starting out with this scope as a beginner, what additional lenses might you get.
I am a beginner.

I am in Japan for a while so I have a wide range to choose from though prices on everything are often very expensive.

2
This is my first scope and I am more then a little concerned as to how to colimate.

Is getting a laser gadget the most practical and efficient
way to go? I will se how things are tomorrow

3
Two years later I wonder if the collimation screws which you referred to have been changed in Manufacture.
Was your problem related to th e4 screws on the outside of the tube?

4 How do you rate your R130 now, 2 years down the track ?
up the magpies

[rjbokleman]

It's 10 years later since these original posts, but I'm looking at buying this scope myself as a beginner (and totally new to this forum). I like the Newtonian design as someone mention already it probably will gather more light than an ED80mm. My main reason for looking at this scope is 'Grab & Go' as I don't have the best viewing, save East, from my backyard.

My question is, if you were to buy a 130sf today, which focuser on the market would you buy to replace the original Vixen unit?

[DavidLJ (David)]

rjbokleman


If I can add my two pennies worth. I bought a R130sf a year ago and yes the focusser is still plastic and if you are VERY determined you can finger push it from side to side just a bit. But the two supplied plossl eyepieces are so light they don't seem to affect the focusser's axial alignment no matter which way the OTA is oriented. Maybe the plastic has been upgraded? Maybe I just got lucky? Or maybe I'm not so demanding but with these two eyepieces I have not noticed any image shift at all. And because my aging eyes + spectacles need all of the eye relief they can get I sometimes use the Baader 8-24 Hyperion zoom eyepiece for comfortable viewing. This is quite a heavy eyepiece. But again I can't say that I've noticed image shift and of course once focus is set changing the zoom level has no adverse affect. In any event this 'scope's strength is the wide fovs that it delivers – 2 degrees using the 20mm plossl - and any image shift at that level could only be very small and would easily be corrected by slightly tweaking the mount's controls. In short, I'm not planning to change away from the supplied focuser any time soon.


The primary mirror arrived already centre spotted. The OTA holds collimation very well which is important for a highly portable 'scope. But occasional checking with my laser collimator is easy. The OTA has a back plate that is apparently designed to keep out stray light. You have to remove it to access the primary's collimation screws. Not a big deal but if that bugs you I doubt that permanently leaving it off will have much, if any, affect on performance.


As already reported, optically the 'scope punches well above its weight – certainly in terms of price. And for non-eyepiece use it marries very well with my GStar video camera. AstroShop has an article about that – http://www.myastroshop.com.au/guides/vixen-r130sf.asp. I reckon that the camera's frame accumulation and gain adjustment features deliver an enhanced on-screen view that is equivalent to near doubling the 'scope's aperture for visual use. And because the maximum exposure time is only 5 seconds you don't need to guide the 'scope or even have a tracking mount – simply nudge the mount's RA control frome time to time as needed to keep the target more-or-less centred in view.


One complaint. The non-adjustable 6x30 finder that I received was of poor quality. Since no one else has mentioned a problem with the finder I assume that I got a Friday afternoon job. But replacing it with a decent Orion right-angle illuminated reticle 50mm finder was not too expensive and makes locating objects a pleasure. It adds a little weight but nothing that my SW EQ3 mount can't handle.


Hope this helps, David

[rjbokleman]

DavidJ, yes that does help. I didn't realize that folks used CCD camera's on this scope. It just expands the possibilities.

A lot of people have been telling me to look at an Orion XT6 or XT8 as my first scope, but I really need the portability since my backyard isn't suited for the best viewing. (Light pollution and trees in 3 out of 4 directions.)

I think the XT6/8 have been reviewed favorably, but getting them too and from a darker location might be a challenge.

I need something light and very portable. This scope, for it's aperture and price, would gather more light than an 80mm refractor.

I'm going to place my order tomorrow before the current sales run end.