Oz Companies Qualified to Collimate Refractors?

[Logieberra]

Received my copy of Aus Sky & Telescope today. On p23 I see that Astro Optical Supplies in Sydney now offers a 'Collimation Clinic' for most scopes. 'High tech facility using multi-laser technology'.

What professional options do Oz refractor owners have out there?

I'm thinking about a Takahashi TOA which need a professional's touch if out of collimation.

[alpal]

I don't know about that service.
Send it back to Takahashi for collimation if in doubt.

[Logieberra]

Thanks for chiming in.

That's very true but the issue there - a $2,000.00 round trip back to Japan at best guess and possible miscollimation on the way back home.

Is there no one in Oz (apart from perhaps Astro Optical) with the skills and tech to do this? If so, what a shame! If you live in the US the Takahashi America / Texas Nautical Repair team, Fred and Art can a) sell you the scope and b) provide that level of after sales service...

[wasyoungonce]

Multi LASER collimator.......I wonder if they are referring to the GMK (http://www.fernrohr-service.de/4.html)collimator by Wolfgang Grzybowski?

[Logieberra]

Looks interesting but small. A consumer / home use version? I'd expect something bigger and more expensive.

I'm going to call the Astro Optical Supplies guys next week to see what's on offer. I'll be sure to report back. Fingers crossed it can handle the likes of a TOA :)

[RickS]

Have you seen this thread, Logan?
www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=81149 (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=81149)

[Logieberra]

Rick, thanks for bringing 'that' one to the conversation. A sobering read. I saw that post for the first time a few years back. The thread starter did not reveal the name of the Aus company that did the dodgy, 'at no time have I said who the company is, there have been numerous guesses, and that is the way I prefer to leave it for the time being. My close friends know, that much I will say'...

Cheers.

[alpal]

$2,000 ?

I heard that $750 was the price to recollimate including shipping.
The result on a Baby Q was perfect.
I won't say who it was.

[OICURMT]

GMK (http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fernrohr-service.de%2F4.html)site, via Google Translate...

[Logieberra]

$750.00 - not loose change in my book, plus the TOAs are far bigger and heavier than an 85mm BabyQ. $2,000.00 was a rough guestimate, but the principle still remains, why no similar services down under?

[alpal]

Hi Logan,
Colimation is not an easy job.
This is an expensive hobby - you will have to face that fact.
There are many Takahashi telescopes around that amateurs
have tried to collimate which are way out of spec.
I can ask an expert friend of mine about it tonight if you want?

cheers
Allan

[Logieberra]

Thanks for contributing Allan.

To clarify, I don't own a TOA (yet).

Referring to my opening post, I am looking for domestic collimation options. The luxury of sending a TOA back to Takahashi in Japan has long been an option for southern users - but expensive.

Yes, collimation can be complicated. I don't claim to be a collimation guru, but after using laser collimators, Catseye gear on newts, the Takahashi collimation scope on Mewlons and general collimation software - I can appreciate the complexities that must accompany collimation of an air spaced triplet, like the TOA.

Please do speak to your expert friend, as it's that sort of domestic option that I am attempting to investigating here...

[alpal]

PM sent.

[Logieberra]

Thanks Allan :)

[Satchmo]

I'm a little mystified as to why it should be particularly complicated to collimate a Takahashi?

Assuming that the lenses were well centered and edged in manufacture ( the elements therefore having no `wedge') , and since passed a factory collimation check, then simple tilt of the whole lens assemble should be all thats required to return the scope to perfect collimation , and that can be adjusted looking at a star with a high power eyepiece whist adjusting the tilt. I thought that was one of the benefits of a refractor - freedom from any particularl complexity in collimation ?

[alpal]

I found out tonight that it is done on an expensive laser jig.

[bert]

The TOA series from takahashi is a air spaced triplet. The 3 elements are collimated separately. With 2 sets of collimation screws at the front of the scope.

It's just not a case of collimating the triplet assembly as a whole. This is just for the TOA series, but then again, I don't think I would like to collimate an fsq....

Brett

[Exfso]

Just chiming in here regarding the Aust company who say they can collimate Tak scopes. Well I can assure you that they cannot:mad2:, I had a very expensive lesson learnt here, if you have problems with a Tak refractor, send it back to Japan, end of story. Feel free to PM me about this and I will fill you in with the gruesome details.

[Logieberra]

Peter, good to hear from you. This is very helpful information.

To clarify, I don't own an out-of-collimation TOA, but should that situation ever arise, then back to Japan really does sound like the safest bet.

Case closed on this one I think :)

Cheers, Logan.