Takahashi Star Party

[Allan]

On behalf of Phil (issdaol), Matt (Kunama) and I, we are excited to announce an event for the gathering of Takahashi Telescopes - TSP 2016.

The star party is going to be held on the 8th and 9th of April, 2016 at Phil's property located near Yass in New South Wales. Yass is approximately 3 hours drive south west of Sydney. We would really like to see as many people as possible come along with their Tak telescopes for much socialising and great observing under dark skies. It would be great to put some faces to the names and make a bunch of new astro friends. To the rest, we will keep this thread going over the coming months with information and photos in an attempt to make you as jealous as possible.

We will relay information over the coming months through this thread. I will provide a few brief details now.

There is no cost for the event. However there are no facilities on the site, so accommodation will need to be sorted in the nearby town of Yass. It is a 10 minute drive away on good roads, and there are several accommodation options available in town. We can help sort that for you if needed. The location of the actual observing site will be relayed to you closer to the date, for security reasons.

I have a few other ideas in the works, such as getting Takahashi involved in some way, which will add to the occasion. I think between the 3 of us we already have 6 or 7 Tak scopes, and there seems to be a lot of support already for the event. So I don't see any reason why we won't have a fun and special few days of all things Tak, with hopefully a whole armada of telescopes to drool over and observe through.

It will help us as we organise the star party to compile a list of attendees. If you intend to come along please let us know by posting or PM, and for interest sake what telescope(s) you are bringing.

[Kunama]

Looking forward to this Allan. I hope that people see this as a great opportunity to come and try out some of Japan's finest telescopes both old and new.

I will be bringing the Takahashi FS102/EM10 USD3 combination with Zeiss prism and the Takahashi CN-212 on the KK T-Rex with Nexus DSC and featuring the new Baader Broadband Hard Silver 2" Hybrid mirror diagonal.
These two will be sporting some Pentax XW and Denk eyepieces.

I will also bring the 18" F5.6 "Guinevere Dobsonian" with some Tak eyepieces for those that want to observe from a ladder.

[issdaol]

Thanks Allan :-)

It is very easy to get to the property from Yass or from Canberra.

A couple of international Tak owners mentioned interest in attending so if people are planning to come in from longer distances the best way would be to Fly into Canberra - Australian Capital Territory

It is then a very easy 30-35 minute drive to Yass ..... which will make it easier for those interested in coming from further afield.

I thought it might be interesting to make note of what scopes people might want to bring.

I will have my Takahashi TSA120, TOA150 and Mewlon 300 setup so those that have never used or don't own any of those will get to see them up close and personal :-)

I'm hoping we can get people with Mewlon 210, 250, FSQ's, FS128's, CN's, Epsilons and the newer breed FC's on site.

Of course is someone wants to bring along a C400 or FET300 then they will be the star attractions !!! :-)

[multiweb]

I'm in. I can bring an FSQ106N and a Mewlon 210. :thumbsup:

[Logieberra]

Cool. I live 10mins from Yass. I'd bring the FSQ and AP1600GTO mount.

[Allan]

This is going crazy already after only a few hours, fantastic to see. I've had messages today of guys coming and apologising for not coming. Already we have 11 Taks confirmed in the first day. Unfortunately imposters with Tak stickers don't count on the list. :D

My contribution will be the TOA130 on a Dismounts DM6 mount with the Nexus DSC for push to observing.

There are a few ideas I've been working on, and I want to mention the first one to motivate as many people as possible to come along to the party.

I have applied to the Guinness World Records for the "Most Takahashi Telescopes Observing From The Same Location". How great will it be to have a world record to go with a fantastic observing weekend.

Now if Takahashi comes on board with a TOA150 door prize, we will really get this party rocking. :D

[ian fry]

Hi Allan

Not sure which one to bring 😁

[issdaol]

ALL OF THEM of course !! :D :lol:

[JohnG]

Sounds like the place to be in April, not that far from Cootamundra where I live, would bring an FC-76DS on an EM-200 mount.

Looking forward to some further details..

Cheers

[issdaol]

Some Pictures of the Venue - Will add a couple more later :-)

[Logieberra]

Will Claudio (or Peter Tan) have a booth there ;)

[Allan]

Ian, beautiful scopes, and as Phil said, the answer is both. I certainly hope to observe through both of them. Plus, you would be helping the world record cause.

Can we add both of your scopes to the list, that would bring us to 12 already after a few hours. I think Matt is the scope registrar co-ordinator so I will leave it to him to compile the list.

[Allan]

Fantastic John, I look forward to seeing you there. Number 13 and counting.

[Kunama]

Here is the current selection that will be available for your viewing pleasure:

Mewlon 300 F11.9
Mewlon 210 F11.5
CN212 F12.4/F3.9 (x2)
TOA150 F7.33
TOA130 F7.7
TSA120 F7.5 x 2
FSQ106ED F5.0
FSQ106N F5.0
FS102 F8.0 x 2
FC100DL F9.0
FC76DS F7.4

[Allan]

That's looking nice Phil, I hope you've got enough room. :lol:

[Allan]

Stranger things have happened.

[ian fry]

:lol: no problem

How about this snap shot taken with the iPhone and 18.2 delite using the DL

[Exfso]

Pity I live so far away, would have been interested in this for sure. I had a feeling John would be interested as Cootamundra is relatively close.:)

[MortonH]

Drat. I thought the rest of that sentence was going to be "purchase in the gift shop".

[Allan]

Hi Peter. One of the reasons I thought Canberra/Yass was the ideal location was that it got the party closer to Adelaide. I've had messages from Adelaide today and there seems to be a lot of Tak owners there. Maybe something to do with Claudio being over that way.

There's a chance people from the U.S. 7000 miles away might come. I think you might be disappointed if you don't come and see the event for yourself.

[Tropo-Bob]

What a novel idea. A bit too far for me to travel and I do not have a Tak, although I have 6 of their eyepieces!

[Allan]

Nice photo Ian. I did something similar with my TOA and iPad.

[Allan]

No worries Bob, just grab yourself a Tak grab and go scope and come on down.

[ariefm71]

I'm in! I'd bring the CN-212 on a modded CPC925 mount.

Arief

[Allan]

2 CN-212 scopes is quite a surprise and something I am really looking forward to.

[strongmanmike]

Hey, this might be a bit of fun, I'm only a stones throw away too :)..I use a Tak NJP but I wouldn't be bringing it...so would I still be invited? :sadeyes:

Mike

[Kunama]

You're welcome to man my FS102/EM10 if you like. I will be using the CN/T-Rex :welcome:

[JohnG]

Just a query, is there going to be any power or is to be bring your own power supply and visual only..

Cheers

[Allan]

John there's no power available, so you will have to bring along your own supply.

If you want to image I'm sure Phil could find a nice spot on the other side of his property behind some trees or something. Seriously though, we haven't discussed it. I guess the implication is the light affecting everyone doing visual. If you can block that out totally, I suppose it would be ok. As long as you let us all look through your scope before jamming a camera where the eyepiece is supposed to go.

[Camelopardalis]

Eyeballs are sooooo overrated :P :lol:

[FlashDrive]

:sadeyes: ...Gee I don't know ... it all happens ' South ' of the border ... must be God's Country ....

Can I bring my SDF .... :whistle:

Poppy ....:D

[JohnG]

No problem Allan, quite happy to do visual, have a battery power supply.. :thumbsup:

[Octane]

Happy to bring my FSQ-106N and G-11 along.

H

[Octane]

And, an FS-60CB.

H

[issdaol]

It's great to see everyone enthused by the inaugural Takahashi Star Party :D

Yes Col if you bring all of those Taks of yours you may just get away sneaking the SDF in if its hidden in the middle of the pile ;)

With regards to power...... at the moment there is none......I have a 2kva power tank that supplies both 24v and 12v so assume other will bring theirs.

I guess with spare connections we may be able to run additional 12v feeds.

By April there may actually be Solar with Battery Backup and Inverter but don't count on it yet as I may not have the time to get it all hooked up and operational but keep and eye out anyway as I will post on here if I do get it up and running :-)

Would be great to see Tak owners from WA (my old home state) and QLD as well.

A bit of a journey to be sure but I don't think a dedicated Takahashi Star Party has been held anywhere in the world before !!! so its a chance to be part of a unique event :party2:

[ian fry]

Hi Allan

That looks good what eyepiece did you use, I played with a Tak 7.5 and 30mm LE last night.

[ian fry]

Just booked a motel place called swaggers motor inn looks ok getting 4 stars on reviews.

[Allan]

I can't remember exactly what eyepiece I used. One of my Delos anyway.

I'll have to book a motel as well, before the Takahashi head honcho's find out and book everything out.

[LewisM]

This is only a tentative MAYBE from me - depends on work and family and if I am in country. Also depends if I still have a telescope then :)

IF I come, it'll be a 1990 original model FC-76 (I bought that back!!!) with all the Tak accessories...

[Kunama]

It looks like the Takahashi attendance list is growing well. I will make an up-to-date list when things settle a bit more.

If you are a definite then please Copy and paste to the list with your addition.

TOA130NFB - Allan
TOA150 - issdaol
Mewlon300 - issdaol
TSA120 - issdaol
CN-212 - Kunama
FS102 - Kunama
Mewlon210 - Multiweb
FSQ106N - Multiweb
FSQ-106ED - Logieberra
FC100DL - ian fry
TSA120 - ian fry
FC76DS - JohnG
CN-212 - ariefm71
FSQ106N - Humayun
FS60CB - Humayun
FC76 - LewisM ???

If I have missed anyone please add yourself to the list and accept my apologies for the omission.

I note that at this stage we don't have a Takahashi Binoscope listed, if you have a pair of TOAs we can bolt together please let me know.........

As for mounts that will be on display: we have entries from Takahashi, AstroPhysics, Kokusai Kohki, Skywatcher, Discmounts, Half Hitch, Losmandy, Celestron, Vixen, iOptron, ...........

I will be registering the phrase; " Tak-Attack 2016" for the commemorative 'T' shirts........ :D

[Allan]

.

That's a pretty impressive list. I just changed mine to the 130NS.

Morton is coming with his FS102, and John Wheeler might be coming with his FC100DF. I'll let them amend the list though.

[Allan]

Tak Attack 2016, I love it. I'll buy one

[MortonH]

Unfortunately my Tak purchase turned out to be a scam. :mad2: It's now with Paypal to deal with but this will take some time.

Attendance is now dependent on whether I get my money back or need to start saving up again. :shrug:

[issdaol]

!?! Whaat !?! :mad2:

Not on Icetrades I hope !?

Fingers crossed they sort it and get your money back !

[MortonH]

Yes, a member since 2014 PM'd me in response to my wanted ad and offered a FC-100DF. I won't go into detail but I wasn't the only person affected. They've been banned from the site now.

I posted something in the General Chat section as a reminder to be careful.

[Allan]

Morton that's disastrous news. I hope you get it sorted soon enough. I've not had trouble like this before, but isn't that one of the benefits of PayPal and the fees they slug us, that we get protection against stuff like this happening. Hopefully the a...hole scammer gets more than a slap on the wrist.

[Allan]

Phil and I had the idea to try and get Takahashi involved in someway.

Well, I have the first bit of great news. Claudio from AEC, who most of you know as the Australian and New Zealand Takahashi dealer has come to the party. Well, not literarily, because he said he will be too busy to attend the star party. But, he has offered a 10% discount on any Takahashi product to anyone who attends the star party.

Check here for inspiration http://www.astronomy-electronics-centre.com.au

He is also going to let Takahashi in Japan know about the event. It would be fantastic if they showed interest.

[rrussell1962]

Is it OK to camp there if I needed to resort to a tent plus TSA120 on Vixen SXP? Have sent PM to Phil on this.

[DJT]

Sounds like a great event. Am in

TOA130NFB - Allan
TOA150 - issdaol
Mewlon300 - issdaol
TSA120 - issdaol
CN-212 - Kunama
FS102 - Kunama
Mewlon210 - Multiweb
FSQ106N - Multiweb
FSQ-106ED - Logieberra
FC100DL - ian fry
TSA120 - ian fry
FC76DS - JohnG
CN-212 - ariefm71
FSQ106N - Humayun
FS60CB - Humayun
FC76 - LewisM ???
FS60Q on a Teegul Sky Patrol. - Djt

Looking forward to it.

[Logieberra]

I'll mention this event to Steve Crouch, another Cbr local and FSQ owner. He did own a Tak Epsilon but might have sold it. Would be good to get an 'E' on Matt's list...

[Kunama]

Slowly getting the kit together for April..........
Just waiting for Mr Telescope Express to get the latest order to me .....

[MortonH]

Thought I'd be optimistic so I've booked accommodation at the Hamilton Hume motor inn. :D

EDIT 30/1/2016: Thanks to Paypal refunding my money quickly I hope to bring a Tak after all. Watch this space...

[Logieberra]

Sorry. No Epsilon...
P.S. If you need any logistical support, e.g. we've got two long fold-up event tables, PM me.

[Kunama]

Still time for an Epsilon to turn up in the classifieds Logan.....

[Logieberra]

My FSQ would get jealous ;)

[issdaol]

I for one would love to see see someone bring a FET300 :eyepop: :lol:


Quite a few people have asked about motels to stay......In terms of accomodation in Yass, I think Thunderbird Motel is probably the most recently updated so the nicer selection in town.

Next in line would be The Colonial Lodge followed by The Swaggers.

Maybe a group booking can be done at a discounted price at Thunderbird ???

[issdaol]

OK I paid a visit to the ThunderBird Motel in Yass yesterday.

In my opinion this is definitely the place to stay.

The rooms are huge and very modern and very clean. They showed me a couple of different types of room.

The largest single room is their Queen room which is massive and has 1 big bed and a single but piles of room for dancing or telescopes LoL

The next size is more like a standard style Queen bed room but again bigger than the normal motel this time only one queen bed.

The third type is actually 2 bedrooms with a common living room which is good for kids or 2 people that want to share the cost (there are only 3 of this type)

In each case the Bathrooms were nice and large with both bath and separate shower. Very clean.

There is a very good Restaurant and BBQ & Pool area at the back which has nice elevated garden views.

That weekend of April is a long weekend so is their busiest time. So if everyone wants to stay together bookings need to be made very soon to avoid having to stay at different places.

[Allan]

Thanks Phil for checking this out for us. I need to go ahead and get something booked in. This sounds like the place to stay.

[Kunama]

Phil "Trivago" R, well done on the accommodation scouting !
(I will most likely camp in the Merc)

[issdaol]

I guess Trivago is the best choice Matt !! LoL

Now what happened to Col's reply .... ?? he he

[Kunama]

Cheeky beggar :mad2:
Casa D'Astro > no point slumming it ;) This will take an 18" F5.5 fully assembled and still have room for some Taks !

[FlashDrive]

and an SDF :scared3:

.... to right Matt ... no point in slumming it.

Col.....

[MortonH]

Looks like most of the motels are within a minute's drive from the Thunderbird even if we're not all staying there. The place I'm staying (Hamilton Hume) is cheaper but doesn't have the same facilities (e.g. no restaurant) so I might end up hanging out at the Thunderbird anyway.

[MortonH]

I have an FS-102 arriving at the weekend. :D

No need to add it to the list as it's already on there - just need to change the owner's name. ;)

[Kunama]

TOA130NFB - Allan
TOA150 - issdaol
Mewlon300 - issdaol
TSA120 - issdaol
CN-212 - Kunama
FS102 - MortonH
Mewlon210 - Multiweb
FSQ106N - Multiweb
FSQ-106ED - Logieberra
FC100DL - ian fry
TSA120 - ian fry
FC76DS - JohnG
CN-212 - ariefm71
FSQ106N - Humayun
FS60CB - Humayun
FC76 - LewisM ???
FS60Q on a Teegul Sky Patrol. - Djt
Tak ???? - Kunama. ( 10 weeks to go, still time to buy more Taks;) )

[multiweb]

Will probably only bring the Mewlon 210 then as there's already an old Q on the field.

[issdaol]

Bring the Q too :-) the more the merrier !! :)

Actually it might be an opportunity to do a small comparison of potential optical variation if a couple of the same scopes are setup together on the same targets etc

[multiweb]

Would have to piggy back the two on the G11, might be a bit of a headache on the field.

[Peter Ward]

Work roster permitting...I think I may be able to attend

FSQ106 (New Q)
FSQ85 (Baby q )

Would an AP130GTX also be welcome? Or would the Crucifixes come out? :)

[multiweb]

Would be fun to look in the new toy for sure. :thumbsup:

[Allan]

C'mon Pete, you're at the top of the FO list. You'll be there.

[MortonH]

My ticket to the party was delivered by Matt this morning :D

[DaveO]

Damn. I won't be able to get to this event for other reasons. My TSA102 would have enjoyed the outing.

But if it is the success it looks to be, perhaps 2017....?

[Atmos]

There is a part of me that wants to buy Flash's FS60 purely to be able to bring a Tak along hehe If only my budget was going to stretch that far with other up and coming purchases.

[Kunama]

I was right, there was still enough time to buy another Tak, and remember that the Australian Takahashi Agent, AEC will be offering discounts to those who have attended so come and 'Test Drive' before buying...

FC100DL - 2 out of 3 of Australia's DLs will be there as well :thumbsup:

[MortonH]

Anyone taking some orthos with them? I'd particularly like to try a 5mm to see what the eye relief is like.

Might let you try my 11mm DeLite in return. ;)

[Allan]

The orthos I have are my Tak 25, 18 and 12.5 I use in the bino.

I've been curious about the TMB Supermonocentrics for a while and I bought a 16 pair to compare to the Taks. They are good, probably better than the Taks, but they do come at the expense of a tiny FOV.

Just got a 5 to see if it's worth having a speciality eyepiece line like this alongside my Delos. It's not an ortho, but you're welcome to give it a try.

[Allan]

Well it's only 4 weeks today until the party kicks off. We have around 20 Taks coming along at this stage, give or take depending on last minute changes.

My 10 year old will be coming along with me and we are booked into a motel in Yass. I'm keen for a Friday or Saturday lunch get together if anyone's interested.

[Atmos]

I'd love to try to make it to have an opportunity to look through my first Tak... Many first Taks haha
Sadly...ish... I'll be over in Cambodia and Thailand :)

[Kunama]

Checked out the site with Phil today, should be great viewing if the Weather Gods allow it. Certainly a DARK SITE ! Not a streetlight in sight!

Looking forward to it. Lunch time get together sounds great Allan.

Did some fine tuning on the Dob as well, for those not frightened of ladder climbing. Still have to mount the FC100DL onto the Dob as a finderscope....

[Am]

I would love to attend this event with you guys.

I will arrive in Sydney from Jakarta March 30'th or March 31'st. Then I can stay there and explore the city for a week before the event.

Is there anyone I can hitch a ride with from Sydney?

[MortonH]

Alas, I am pulling out due to a medical issue that is sucking up my spare cash.

Not happy, Jan. :mad2:

[issdaol]

Hi All,

Some members that have confirmed coming to the Tak Star Party have asked for the location to be posted.

Matt/Kunama has been to the location so please feel free to contact him or me if you want further idea of what it is like.

In terms of posting the location ..... rather than do so on a public access forum the address will be given to those attendees that do turn up in Yass/Canberra on the Thursday/Friday of the event.

I suggest that we all get together the day of the first night for introductions and lunch :-)

There are a couple of nice little cafes in Yass or some excellent ones in Canberra depending on how far people wish to go for lunch :-)

Looking forward to meeting you all !! :-)

[issdaol]

:( Sorry to hear you can't make it Morton..... I hope it is not something too serious....

If this year is a success perhaps next year !?

[Allan]

Friday lunch sounds like a great idea Phil. We can get all the details from you then. I vote for Yass if that's ok as I think a few of us are staying there.

[Allan]

Morton, that sucks. I was looking forward to catching up, I hope all is well.

I'm sure someone from Sydney will gladly bring your FS102 to the party for you.

[MortonH]

Thanks, Phil. Will definitely be on my list for next year.

[MortonH]

The FS-102 is going nowhere without me!

Yes, it does indeed suck. Been having some problems with my left eye that the opthalmologist hasn't been able to pin down yet. Had a precautionary MRI today. Being stuck in that narrow tube felt like I was about to go into space! :lol:

Fortunately my scope eye is fine. It's more annoying than anything at this stage but obviously I want to get it checked out and sorted.

[Kunama]

Just confirming that, although I believe some people are arriving in Yass on Thursday, the first meet-up will be lunch on Friday the 8th in Yass, after which Phil will lead us to the site. This being 'Deliverance' country, we want to make sure everyone gets to the correct property. Who know's what the locals might do to a stranger....... (cue the banjoes ...... da,da,dang,dang,dang...)

I hope to have the encoders set up in time for the Blunderbuss ... still trying to work out how to attach the FC100DL as a finderscope...

[Kunama]

** STOP PRESS **
T-Rex Mounts are now included in the discount offer from A.E.C.

Our friendly Australian Takahashi dealer Claude has now extended his discount offer for attendees at the Tak Party to include the T-Rex Alt Azimuth mounts.

The discount offered now includes any Takahashi products or the Kokusai Kohki T-Rex mounts ordered within 2 weeks of the event by persons who have attended this event.

[Am]

Is there no one I can hitch a ride with from Sydney? I can go on the 7'th or 8'th. I will be staying in a hostel close to the Sydney airport.

I have a bit of luggage; a 70L backpack and a carryon suitcase. Backpacking with Astrophotography gear can be heavy!

[FlashDrive]

:rundog: ... Runn'in in the other direction ... real fast... :rundog:

Flash......:D

[Kunama]

Sent you a PM Andrias

[issdaol]

Hi All,

Avalon are also offering 10% discount to people who attend the event.

So if anyone was after a TPOD Tripod or Avalon Mount or StarGo GOTO upgrade for their Tak Scopes this is a great opportunity to grab one.

Website to view Avalon Products : http://www.avalon-instruments.com

PM me for more information.

[Allan]

The long range weather forecasts are kicking in, and not to jinx anything, it's looking good. Mostly sunny and mild with light winds. Fingers crossed.

I hope everyone is looking forward to what should be a great event. We had somewhere up near 20 Taks on the list, and it would be great to see most of them in the group photo.

Phil/Matt, have you picked a time and place for us to meet on Friday?

[Kunama]

I'll have to leave the selection of cafe/restaurant to Phil, being a 'local' I think he knows the places better. We are arranging tables, water, BBQ and toilet facilities this week.

The rains look like starting tonight so by the following week it should be clear as.......:stargaze::stargaze:

I am going to fit my new encoders to the "Blunderbuss" this weekend. The mirror might get a wash too.

The big white disc in the above emoticon is actually not going to be there!

[Atmos]

To save my lazy arse from trawling through this thread, what weekend is this on?

[Allan]

Colin, it's the weekend after next, so only 10 days to go. Friday and Saturday 8/9 April.

[Allan]

Matt just leave your dob out in the rain tonight, that'll wash the mirror.

[Atmos]

Thanks for that Allan, have to see if I can make it :) Seriously looking at buying a Tak in the nearish future so it'll be good to do some road testing before making a purchase :)

[DJT]

I have to ditch, my social secretary has other plans and given what I just spent recently, no is not an option.

Enjoy the event gents.

[issdaol]

Ok so was thinking two locations for lunch ...... not being aware of anyones budget or preferences I have decided to put it out here for majority opinion.

1st option:

Clementines.....this is a bit more pricey but everything I have heard the food and service is excellent.

http://www.clementinerestaurant.com.au

2nd option
Gil & Sue's....this is the club dining at the Yass Golf club....again great food (Thai or Aussie), your standard casual club service etc .... but good prices

http://yassgolfclub.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Gil-and-Sue.pdf
http://yassgolfclub.com.au/#_=_

Clementines is a bit closer and easier to get to from the main street.

So let me know your thoughts and we'll go with the majority opinion :-)

Also it would be good if we can take a poll of definite people coming so please let us know.

Looking forward to seeing you all !! :-)

[Kunama]

I'm happy with either one Phil, though perhaps those travelling longer distances might prefer the more relaxed atmosphere of the Golf Club.

[JohnG]

Am easy on where to meet.. although the Golf Club sounds just fine.

Is the property accessible by ordinary 2wd vehicle...

[Allan]

I confirm I am coming along and I will have my 10 year old boy with me. I'm happy with either lunch choice as well. Just let me know where and when and I'll be there.

[Kunama]

It should be fine John, a little steep gravel driveway and grassy on the level area. The track winds around a couple of small rocks, nothing too serious.

[JohnG]

Thanks for that Matt, will just have to be careful :thumbsup:

Cheers

[Atmos]

I'll have to let you all know whether I can make it on the Thursday. I'll end up leaving Melbourne early Friday morning if I am able to make it.

[Kunama]

The lunch is on Friday the 8th.....

[Atmos]

If I leave Melbourne at 6am I'll be able to make it to Yass by like midday :)

[issdaol]

Im happy with the Yass Golf Club if everyone else is ? will be a bit more casual and the meals are meant to be good.....

Might be an opportunity to get a few swings in :-)

[Kunama]

and maybe play some golf as well ;)

[Octane]

Stupid questions:

Will there be power on site or are we expected to bring our own? Will it be purely visual or can we image, too?

Can I camp in my roof top tent?

Pending final approval from the missus (I'll be springing this on her; I completely forgot about this event as I haven't been around here much lately) and I'm not on-call for work (or working that weekend), I'll be there.

My gear is just sitting in storage, waiting on me to build an observatory, and this would be the perfect reason to take it all out of boxes and get going again.

H

[Octane]

Scrap that. Wife has reminded me that I have a 20 year reunion with friends who I grew up with on the 9th, in Sydney. :(

Bugger!

H

[Atmos]

I am picking up my new imaging refractor next Wednesday/Thursday so I'd be interested as to whether that should tag along :P

Plus, if I can make it I'd probably bring my swag along as I can just roll that out anywhere :-)

[Am]

Hey I'm in Australia now, in Sydney. Really looking forward to this event!

I was wondering if anyone would like to share accommodation in Yass to cut costs? There seem to be a few places for around 100$/night on booking.com that have 2 beds.

[Kunama]

Hello Andrias, hopefully someone will chime in soon. Look forward to meeting up on Friday.

[godina06]

Hi All, it sounds really exciting please also count me in. I will bring a Mewlon 250 and NJP mount. Wondering in this party are we all using Tak mounts as well? ;)

Tommy

[Kunama]

Hi Tommy, great to have you along as well, as for mounts...... it will be a 'liquorice all sorts' from Vixen SXW to Tak EM400 with DM6s and T-Rexs in between.
I think there will also be a chance to view through nearly every eyepiece in current usage. TV PLössls to Ethos, Pentax XFs and XWs....

[Allan]

Hi Tom. I just replied to your PM. I see now you have a Mewlon 250, that is sweet, I was really hoping someone with one of those would come along.

I also have a few different eyepieces if anyone wants to try them out in their Taks. I just picked up some TMB SMC's as well. They make my Tak orthos feel like wide fields by comparison, but they are pretty sharp.

[Allan]

I think we need more people to put their hands up and confirm they are still coming, so Phil can book the Friday golf club lunch. Dare I start a list

Phil
Matt
Allan x 2
John
Andrias

Tom - Saturday night only

[Atmos]

Not up to the same standard of others but I do have a full set of Meade Series 5000 EP. Have a 35mm Panoptic, 20 plossl and a 10mm radian.

[Allan]

That's a pretty nice setup Colin. I wouldn't mind taking your 35 Pan for a spin in my TOA130.

[Atmos]

Just remembered I can bring a TV 4x Powermate and an unidentified 2.3mm ED lens for some unusably high mag work :P

The 35mm Pan will get a smigen wider than your 31 Nag :) More than welcome to give it a shot!

[Allan]

Thanks Colin, I'm keen to try a bigger Panoptic. Although the 31 Nagler actually has a larger FOV, 42mm field stop vs 38.7mm field stop. Not much in it, but just keen to see how the two are different.

[JohnG]

I have a 27mm Panoptic as well as the 35mm, you can try them both if you wish.

Cheers

[Atmos]

Silly me, you are right! I may have to try the 31mm Nagler. Will turn my scope into a 21x130 monocular. Should make some nice wide field views!

[Allan]

So far the weather forecast is looking good for both Friday and Saturday.

Updated list for Friday lunch

Phil
Matt
Allan x 2
John
Andrias (from Faroe Islands)
Mark x 2 (from Florida)

Tom - Saturday night
Ian - Saturday night

Looks like everyone needs to be there or be square Saturday afternoon for the Tak photo shoot.

[Atmos]

What time are we meeting at the Golf Club? I am expecting to get up there about midday, leave at 6am for what Google Maps says is a 5:45 drive :)

[Kunama]

I am picking up Andrias at the Yass Railway Station about 11.30am. Maybe we should look to have lunch around 1.00pm.

Glad to see you can make to this event Colin !!!

[Atmos]

That works, gives plenty of leeway for many coffee stops along the way :P

How could I miss looking through so many Taks! I've looked through an ED100 and my old (now) Sky Rover but that is my refractor experience. So much glass to experience hehe

Plus, will also be good to see some other mounts, am yet to decide whether to use my HEQ5 or go alt/az.

[Kunama]

Could everyone :prey: advise by Wednesday evening if you are attending for the gathering and also if you're going to be at the Golf Club for lunch :drink: at 1.00pm Friday.

Please also PM Allan, Phil (issdaol) or me with your mobile phone numbers so we can contact you if the need arises.

Apparently there are still some vacancies at the Thunderbird Motel for those seeking a bed to sleep in.

Weather for the area is looking promising :cold: but we won't talk too loudly about that......


:thanks::astron::stargaze:

[brian nordstrom]

:thumbsup: Been following this since inception and I wish you guys all the best and hope that the weather is good for this weekend. Enjoy guys.

I ( like many other people ) look forward to reports and lots of cool photos.

Brian.

[Kunama]

I'm packing my Taks up for the weekend at the moment!

[Atmos]

I am about to leave to pick up my Tak wannabe from Bentleigh :)

[multiweb]

Count me in for Friday night.

[Kunama]

Sean Chan and family (from Tokyo) have arrived in Canberra and will be coming for some viewing on Saturday evening.

[Atmos]

Well it appears that we won't be able to easily peer through the new Sky Rover. Being an astrohraph it only has a back focus of 74.4mm and my William Optics 2" Diagonal chews up too much back focus for an eye piece to come into focus.

I may be able to get something off of Teleskop Express as they have a very similar telescope but that will not arrive by tomorrow afternoon :P

[Kunama]

If anyone has a spare Telrad, could you bring it along so we can use the Blunderbuss on some of the fainter things
( I hope nobody suffers from aperture envy, i can leave it at home if need be )

My Telrad took a nosedive today and may not be repairable in time as I am travelling tomorrow....
I also decided against painting the big fella in Tak Green, hope nobody minds!!!

[brian nordstrom]

Thats a shame , have you tried a 1 1/4 diagonal the difference in length compared to a 2inch is a good 40-50mm depending on make .
Brian.

[Kunama]

Colin, I can bring along a spare Zeiss T2 prism diagonal with a 2" nosepiece so you can try it out. If it still doesn't work, I have a little Tak here you can use for the weekend....

[Atmos]

I don't have a 1.25" diagonal to test with and due to design I am not sure how I'd connect it at this stage. I connected the WO diagonal by screwing it onto the M48 thread on the focuser.
No harm in trying the T2 diagonal :)

If worst comes to worst I'll just get like 15 hours of luminance data on some random galaxy, maybe 5128 :P

[multiweb]

Well it looks like Yass will be one of the few areas in NSW with a clear sky between 19:00 and 01:00 Friday so it should make the decision very simple: come to the TAK party :stargaze: or go and buy an umbrella and a pair of assorted gumboots :windy:

[Allan]

Yes the weather is looking promising. I'm packing the car now and will be heading off in a couple of hours. See you all there.

[Kunama]

Arief,
Got your PM but your inbox is too full for a reply.

[ariefm71]

Oopss, sorry Matt..

Please resend.

Cheers,
Arief

[Atmos]

Well no first light on astrophotography this weekend for me, need a Zeiss M68 to M48/M54 adapter. Just about to order one from Teleskop Express :)

Going to try to see if I can get the eye pieces to work with a Bintel 35mm Extension Tube as it has an M48 thread. If my mathematics are correct, some will come into focus and some won't. Bigger issue being that it won't have a diagonal so I am expecting some uncomfortable eye piece angles! A 1.25" diagonal is also going to be coming from TE.

Bringing my only brass telescope for Matt to pass his eye over (glaze over) :roll eyes:

Figured it may be good to bring my Coronado PST along if we have some sunshine during the day :)

Look forward to seeing ya'll tomorrow :)

[Kunama]

Colin, I have a Baader ultra short visual back with M68 thread that might help. Also have a Zeiss diagonal you can use:thumbsup:

[Kunama]

Just a reminder to start thinking about what you can use your Takahashi/T-Rex/Avalon 10% discounts towards ...... List of attendees will be given to our friend Claude who will honour the discount for at least one week starting today....

I see a new triplet, or maybe even two, in my very near future :question: .... Takahashi Triplet :astron: Avalon StarGo?

Any purchase at all will help ensure we have this support again next year when we meet........... (Though I feel I have already paid for Claude's new car and kitchen)...

I will be bringing some Takky surprises along.....

[Am]

I'm all packed and heading to Yass in 2 hours from Bowral where I've had a lovely stay with John (The Mekon) and his family.

Will be interesting to camp in a tent, it's been years since I last tried it. Weather's comparable.right now to early summer weather in the Faroes and I'm used to imaging cold nights at home, with a car or house to hide in occasionally. I might still chicken out after 1 night and book a motel room, we'll see. :lol:

[Kunama]

I'll see you at Yass Junction Railway Station Andrias,
I will be easy to spot:
I am travelling incognito>

[croweater]

Gee you guys. I reckon there are a lot of jealous people like me following this thread. Sounds like you' re in for a great night. What a treat to look through(and at) all those beautiful Taks. Maybe if I start saving now I can go next year :question: . Does a Tak finder qualify? :lol: Good luck Matt from your old stomping grounds here in the SouthEast. Cheers, Richard.

[Kunama]

You should have been here Richard!!! Rain at midday..... Clear skies by 5pm..... Magical..
I'll let others expand on the evenings viewing.

[croweater]

That's good to hear Matt. Sounds like you guys had a great night. Very happy the weather didn't spoil it. I'm looking forward to reading the attendees comments.:prey: Cheers, Richard

[multiweb]

Great night. It was good to catch up with all the attendees. Thanks Phil for hosting it. Beaute site. Even the weather was in on the party. Good seeing and transparency. Thoroughly enjoyed watching 47 Tuc in Matt's dobs. It was that steady and sharp that I reckon he cheated and showed us a picture he had taken before instead. Also Arief's hybrid scope was a real treat looking at Jupiter. Tak sharp. :thumbsup:

[Atmos]

T'was a great night! Big dob, smaller refractors and a Sky Rover that couldn't come into focus ;) (Adapters on the way)
Looking forward to another clear night!

[MattT]

Dobs????Hybrid Scopes????Sky Rovers????

Thought this was a Tak only event :screwy:

Naahh.... just wish I could have been there too....Sheeesss.... I hate working for a living, as fun as work is.

Matt...in cloudy Melbourne.

[ian fry]

Thanks Phil such a great night , it was great to meet everyone , And thanks to Allan for the power 😊

[Allan]

In the end we had one non Tak intruder, and that was Matt's 18" dob. But as one of the organisers he had special dispensation.

Hopefully I can post some eye candy tonight when I get home.

[godina06]

Thanks everyone for such a wonderful night! Look forward to the Tak star party 2017 :)

[FlashDrive]

:( ... I couldn't get there.

Col .... in a ' Tree House ' up on the Mountains.

[JohnG]

Good to catch up with people at the Takahashi Star Party, thanks to Matt, Phil and Allan for an excellent couple of days, special thanks to Phil for opening up his property and excellent observatory to the attendees.

Friday started off as a rainy day with solid cloud cover but, to my surprise, it cleared into an excellent night with everyone getting a lot of telescope time in. Was surprised on Saturday morning when I woke to find my scope was the only one left one the field.. :lol:. Saturday was warm with a lot of high cloud drifting through but started to clear not long after people started getting their scopes setup, was an interesting night with layers of high cloud drifting through and seeing going from excellent to ordinary when the high level cloud came through.

Special thanks to the 5 international guests that attended, was great meeting you :thumbsup:, this morning Matt and I were lucky enough to show Am his first Kangaroos :). Mark, your baby Tak arrived home safe and sound ;).

A couple of photos..

[multiweb]

Phil's Mewlon is a beast. That's the only thing I regret, not having been able to look through it on Friday night, but Matt's 18" made up for it.

[MortonH]

Sorry I missed it but already planning to attend next year!

[AnakChan]

I just noticed this thread, had an awesome time Friday night. Pity I missed Saturday. Sadly I couldn't bring any Taks with me; instead I had my Vixen Polarie & Telesco-Factory counter balance setup snapping away whilst good folks were generous enough to share their scopes with my wife & I.

Big thanks to Matt & Phil for the invite and being so accommodating. I do hope to meet all of you again!

NB: Matt, almost got it right with Kyoko's name :D. No worries as when I first met her I thought it was "Kiyoko" too!

[Allan]

What a great few days we just had. Thanks again to Phil for the use of his terrific observing site, and to Matt for being master of ceremonies on Saturday night with the Champaign.

I'm sure I'll mess this up, but I think the list goes something like this.

Mewlon 300
TOA 150
TSA 120
TOA 130NFB
TOA 130NS
FC 76D
FC 100DL
FC 100DL
CN 212
Mewlon 250
FSQ 106

We had 5 people from overseas and about 20 at the star party at various times over the 2 nights.

[Allan]

Some eye candy.

[Kunama]

Great weekend with great company at Phil's beautiful property, thanks to all in attendance, especially to Karen and Mark from Florida, Andrias from Faroe Islands and Sean and Kiyoko (hope I got the spelling right) from Tokyo.
Good to also see the younger observers, Emilie, Jordan and Alex, in attendance.

It was fantastic to have the variety of Takahashi scopes to compare on the same night. Allan was very busy demonstrating some rather fine eyepiece pairs on the TOA130NS.

Mark's and Andrias' comments on seeing the southern objects for the first time made me realise how lucky we really are to have these beautiful sights above us.

New to Tak ownership, Colin (Atmos) went home with the 'door prize' FC100DL refractor, a scope I am sure he will enjoy for years to come and our thanks for the Porta-trailer towing.

This morning was a beautiful sunny morning, being an early riser I managed to finish off the Mumm Champagne, brought by Phil, while waiting for the billy to boil. (John, Andrias and I proved one can live a couple of days on biscuits, water and coffee and still be sociable).

After packing up and conducting an 'emu-bob' Andrias and I left the property in JohnG's capable care and collected our new friends Karen and Mark for some sightseeing around the historic town of Yass and the Yass River Gorge. We then took Karen and Mark to catch their ride at Yass Junction and said our goodbyes.

The rest of the day Andrias and I toured the Mount Stromlo Observatory and the Tidbinbilla Deep Space Comms Centre to watch the 70metre DSS43 tracking Voyager II, before meeting up with John 'The Mekon' for the next leg of Andrias' travels.

My new Tak and the Blunderbuss will be there again next year......
Clear skies,
Matt

[issdaol]

Matt and Allan have pretty much said it all :-)

It was a great weekend and I would like to say thanks to everyone that attended.....especially our International Friends who made the effort to come such a long way to get out there.

Special thanks to Matt and Allan for helping organise everything and Colin for his help as well :-)

I hope everyone enjoyed the location and plan for next year to have things setup even better with Solar Power 12v, 5v and 240v, Battery backup, Water, Fridge, Toilet & Shower and an undercover outdoor shelter to place benches.

It was great to see all the scopes setup...and compare the views.....

However the company was by far the highlight of the 2 nights, people of such varied backgrounds & origins sharing common interests and values......what a great group of interesting and amazingly friendly people !!

It was great to hear all the stories and experiences of everyone.... and look forward to welcoming you all back next year to share more stories ! :-)

Phil :thumbsup:

[Atmos]

I had a fantastic time! My first star party that I have been two that I haven't run myself, thoroughly enjoyed myself! T'was a very expensive trip for me, not only being more than happy with my new purchase but found a whole bunch of other accessories to buy for it now too!

Matts Blunderbuss and Allans binos (TOA-130) were a real pleasure to view though :)
DL came out briefly tonight, attempted to see Jupiter through passing cloud, over a couple of hedges and trees, quite wobbly at 140x but still better than naked eye :)

[ariefm71]

I had a fantastic Friday evening albeit only for a few hours. Sorry had to leave early due to my son not feeling very well (he's ok now). I missed viewing from Phil's Mewlon, will make it up next year! Thanks everyone.

Arief

[Kunama]

The Mewlon 300 sure gave beautiful views but might not be your ideal "Grab&Go" mount :D

( Arief, are you missing a WO 2" eyepiece cap? and a Telrad ;) )

My assessment from the viewing:
The FC76DS performs as well as many 4" Apos given good skies.
The FC100DL is very close to the TSA120 in visual performance
The TOA130NS is unable to show you any chromatic aberration so if you like CA you need to look at some other scope.
The Mewlon 250 is really really nice
The Mewlon 300 is amazingly good :thumbsup:

and Taks Rule :poke:

[JohnG]

It's an FC76DS Matt. ;) :lol:

[Octane]

Glad to hear it all went well!

I hope I can make the next one.

H

[issdaol]

Some quick comments on observations too :-)

John's FC76DS is a great wide field grab and go scope.......amazing how well these perform considering everyone seems to think that 100mm is the only acceptable minimum.

The FC100DL throws up some pristine views....this scope truly punches above its size......if I did not see it fist hand with detail on Mars in low to the horizon in less than ideal conditions I would never have believed it !!! go out and get one now !!

M250 is the perfect portable Mewlon......views were outstanding especially on the limb of the Moon providing such clarity and detail in less than ideal conditions.

TOA130 with bino's give a definite almost 3d depth wow factor :-) !!

The Mewlon 300 showed its usual pinpoint stars :-) Jupiter exhibited multiple clear brown banding and detail to be seen in the bands with moons all lined up nicely :-)

Matts Blunderbuss is lovely to use and brilliant on deep space ! :-)

I now have an appreciation for how well constructed the DM6 mount's are.....much better to see in real life than perusing specs.

One lesson learnt.....turn up early and setup and align as best as possible BEFORE dark ..... and never get impatient and try to drive a Mewlon 300 on a EM400 mount manually around the sky !! LoL

[Am]

I had a fantastic time this weekend at the Takahashi Star Party, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Saw many of the great southern objects for the first time in my life and with the most amazing scopes at my disposal, there were next to no queues either for us, so it was pure luxury. My jaw dropped when the Magellanic Clouds first starting appearing, and I got some cool widefield shots as well.

Even more importantly, it was so great to hang out with friendly people with common interests. There's no astronomy clubs in the Faroe Islands unfortunately (got to do something about that!)

Big thanks to the hosts and everyone else for having me & showing me around the southern skies, I will see some of you again for the SPSP and I'd love to come back anytime.

Special thanks to Matt for transporting me to Canberra after the star party & showing me around the Stromlo observatory & Tidbinbilla tracking station (I could happily spend all day there), it was remarkable to think about that 70 metre dish is still receiving information from the Voyager 2 more than 18.8 billion kilometres away.

http://i.imgur.com/05O1YM9l.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1tjvu98l.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/B3fF7zWl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KnBVKCel.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/9IuIHtLl.jpg

[johngwheeler]

It sounds like the Tak Star Party was a great success, and kudos to those who organized and participated. Sadly I had other commitments, and a serious wallet-depletion having just returned from an overseas vacation, so couldn't make it this time.

I'm hoping you can make it a regular event!

[Am]

Here's a short timelapse sequence I made from Saturday night of the Milky Way Center rising behind the Star Party, I've only ever dreamed about doing a sequence like that, until now. :D

This is a quickly processed timelapse of lower quality for easy upload on my mobile internet connection, but please watch in 1080p. Later on I will upload a higher quality version together with undoubtedly many fantastic sequences I'll have a chance of capturing during my stay here in Australia.

Again thanks for having me!

https://youtu.be/UxunkZqj89c

[Allan]

I love it Andrias, well done.

[multiweb]

Very good Andrias. Good to see you had fun. :thumbsup:

[Kunama]

Nicely done Andrias ! Hope you're enjoying Cooma and getting some clear nights.
Phil and I have already started planning for next year :thumbsup:

[Kunama]

Just a reminder to those who attended, AEC are giving a 10% discount on all things Takahashi or T-Rex if you order within 10 days of the meeting. One week more to get your orders in to Claude.

I have already sent my order and now have to gather up the $$$$. I HAVE ALSO SENT A LIST OF ATTENDEES TO AEC, but just in case, when you order mention that you were at the Tak Party !!!

[issdaol]

Love it !! :-)

Hope you are enjoying the rest of your trip :-)

[Atmos]

Maybe next year, I'll forget buying a house and buy a FCT-250 instead ;)

[issdaol]

Why compromise !?!.....Just go the FCT300 instead :D:P

[GC - South Aus]

G'day All

I was just trawling through the Tak related posts and noted this one.

I know it's an old post and from last year, but thought I would ask if there was going to be a Tak Attack 2017?

Or have I missed it?

Just paid for my first Tak today (on its way soon - thanks Beren). Wife is going to kill me as I have gone where no man should, into joint savings! :scared3:

Would love to attend the next event.

Cheers

Gav

[Kunama]

Gavin, The next one is planned for the new moon weekend in late November at Allan's Astronomy Lodge near Coolah NSW.

[GC - South Aus]

G'day Matt

Thanks for the heads-up!

Hope all is well with you.

Regards

Gav