[ubique (Hugh)]

Vixen vc200l with thin spider vanes
VIXEN VC200L WITH THIN SPIDER VANES

I have decided to sell off most of my equipment as I haven’t been able to use it due to bad weather and changing circumstances. It will be a few years before I will have the free time and before I can set up a permanent observatory so it all has to go.

This VC200L has Milled Spider Vanes, 2mm thick instead of the standard 6mm vanes. Its currently fitted with a 2 speed focuser and comes with an Orion electric focuser as well. There is also a VC200L focal reducer f6.4 this shortens the focal length from 1800mm f9 to 1278mm f6.4.

The Vixen VC200L has an enviable reputation for its flat field for astrophotography, producing extremely sharp images with no chromatic aberration mainly because of their unique VISAC design.

• The Vixen VC200L telescope features VISAC (Vixen Sixth-Order Aspheric Cassegrain) optical system which is free of coma, curvature of field, spherical and chromatic aberration.
• The VISAC optical system is composed of a concave primary mirror, a convex secondary mirror and a three-element field corrector at the base of the focuser.
• The Vixen VC200L telescope features rack-and-pinion focusing mount that accepts optional 2 eyepieces and accessories.
• Open tube design eliminates dew problems common to conventional Schmidt- or Maksutov-Cassegrain designs.

See- http://www.vixenoptics.com/reflectors/VC200L.htm
The biggest complaint people have about the Vixen VC200L is the thickness of the spider vanes. They are 6mm thick and they really don’t need to be that thick. At 2mm they are still very strong and no detrimental effect can be seen regards to holding the secondary mirror in place, it’s still solid as a rock.

By milling the spider vanes you gain extra aperture as well as less spiky stars. The milled area of each vane is 71mm in length, 4mm has been milled from each vane so multiply 71mm x4 and you get 284 sq mm of extra light reaching the mirror for just one vane, now multiply 284 by 4 to get the total area of extra light reaching the mirror, this is 1136 sq mm or 11.36 sq cm or in Imperial terms 1.760 sq inches which is almost the size of the secondary mirror.

If you look at the photos I have placed a standard Vixen spider assembly on top of the milled vanes so you can see the difference in thickness.
Condition is excellent the mirror is perfect, comes with the original box all the adapters and accessories for imaging

• VC200L Focal Reducer
  
• Vixen Guide scope (smaller type)
  
• Extension tube
• Vixen Flip Mirror
  
  PRICE $1500 plus postage or local pick up.

PM me if you are interested.