TEC-140 availability in Australia

[thomqos (Russell)]

Can anyone advise of how to obtain a TEC-140 refractor in Australia please?

I am seriously considering the WO FLT-132, but from what I've read, the TEC-140 also seems to be well esteemed and worthy of consideration.

Russ

[Hans Tucker (Hans)]

There is no TEC dealer in Australia so the only way to get a new one is through TEC direct or through a dealer overseas. It would be rare to see one up for sale on IIS so the only other option for second hand is through the various US Astro classifieds like Astromart or Cloudy Nights.

[thomqos (Russell)]

Thanks Hans
Pity about that. Looks like a real nice scope.

Russ

[SkyWatch (Dean)]

Not sure if you can get them in Australia, but have you considered the Takahashi TOA-130NS: seems about the same price landed, and available from Claude at Astronomy and Electronics?
I have used the Tec 140, when I was in France on holidays and it was very nice- but when I got home and got my Tak TSA 102 out I felt the Tec suffered a bit by comparison.
Haven't used the Williams FLT-132, although I have used a number of other Williams refractors, but I suspect it is not in the same class...
Of course, if you want to wait forever, there is always the AP 130mm f/6.3 StarFire EDF "Gran Turismo"...
Good luck with the decision making.

- Dean

[Allan]

Originally Posted by SkyWatch

I have used the Tec 140, when I was in France on holidays and it was very nice- but when I got home and got my Tak TSA 102 out I felt the Tec suffered a bit by comparison.

Hi Dean, I would be interested to know how it suffered by comparison. How do you compare 2 scopes that are 16000 km apart?

[brian nordstrom (As avatar)]

These scopes have a cult following world wide and from what I have read they are every bit as good as the AP or Tak 6 inch APO's , just a little less light grasp that's why they hardly ever come up on CN;s or Astro mart their owners seem to hang on to them and are snapped up fast when advertised.
I to are interested in the TEC's performance compared to the 102mm Takahashi , my thoughts are the 102 being smaller was less effected by local seeing ? .

Brian.

[thomqos (Russell)]

Yes I've considered the TOA-130, but it's current price is just under $7k AUD, which is 50% more than what I can get the FLT-132 for.

So yes unfortunately cost is a factor for me. My main scope is an excellent 10" f6 newtonian which I need to rebuild so it can be mounted on a G-11 which I am also about to purchase; So that's all going to cost me a bit as well.

It's been interesting reading the forums both here & on CN, etc; I've noted that posts by FLT-132 owners generally praise the scope, perhaps with exception of it's focusser where imaging is concerned. However, since my requirements are visual only, it makes the FLT-132 seem like a solid bet. Though not to get off topic, I was nonetheless curious about the TEC-140 as a more affordable alternative to the FLT-132 than the Tak.

My idea behind the APO is to have a smaller scope with 900mm FL which can be handled more easily & cooled quickly for impromptu weeknight viewing.

PS: In 1997 I had paid a deposit on a 155 Starfire EDFS & AP mount; But I ended up getting my deposit back from AP when I got engaged & decided I needed a house deposit instead! So call this my latent desire for an APO. I've never owned a refractor.... yet.

[glnn_23]

Hi Russ
Send an email to Yuri at TEC. He will let you know how long a wait you'll be in for.
I have in the past purchased 3 TEC scopes from them. They all arrived safely and packed very securely.
Stunning scopes and great company to deal with.

[Spookyer (Brett)]

Hi Russ, I have the FLT132. I am into AP so only very rarely use it as a visual scope and I am not experienced enough with visual to give you any serious comment on the visual quality. However I am very happy with it as far as AP goes. I have a feathertouch focuser fitted.

Brett

[Kal (Andrew)]

If you want a TEC then use the order form from the TEC website. No harm in ordering direct from the manufacturer, it's how I got my AP

[thomqos (Russell)]

I have googled for TEC's website & google returns 'http://www.telescopengineering.com'.

However, when I enter that URL, I get HTTP 403 'access denied'.

I'd like to contact TEC directly, but cannot.....so can someone give me their URL? Is google returning an old URL.. maybe I'll try another search engine.

Brett - Good to hear your happy with your FLT-132; Again, I've not seen any unhappy WO owners, though it does seem the stock focuser has/can been problematic for imaging; Though note I hear WO have just released their 2014 model with an upgraded focuser & they have discontinued the feather touch version; This is the model I have current pricing for... about $4.6k AUD.

[LewisM]

Not to be the harbinger of bad news, but WO FLT132 comes under quite a bit of harsh criticism, and doesn't hold up well under testing on the bench. In case you have never seen it:

http://astro-foren.de/index.php/Thre...overcorrected/

And:

http://astro-foren.de/index.php/Thre...8525#post38525

And:

http://www.insideastronomy.com/index...oid-wo-flt132/

Unless WO fixed this, I would keep away. Might be fine visually where the eye is not as sensitive as a camera, but... well. You might get a good one, but unfortunately there are many inferior ones out there.

Is it worth the risk?

If it were me - and I recently had this issue after getting a LARGE tax cheque - is NOT to go down that path. I went Tak all the way, deciding on getting 2 rather than just one - an FSQ85ED for imaging and an FC-100 for visual.

TEC is VERY highly regarded too. Or you could make one of the AP Gran Turismo place holders an offer he won't refuse - many, who have been waiting a decade, have decided against their purchase, and some are offering to fulfill the order if you pay them.

[gregbradley]

I have 2 TEC scopes the 180 fluorite and the 110 fluorite. The 140 is the most popular and Yuri has made something like 600 of them. So its been a spectacular success.

The link is;

http://www.telescopengineering.com/

They often come up on Astromart for about US$5000 or even US$5500 which is high as new they are $5700 plus shipping GST and currency conversion so about AUD$7,400 or so.

For both visual and astrophotography aperture counts so 132mm versus 140mm would give the 140 an edge there. Also Yuri at one stage made lenses for some WO scopes. The 110 as I recall, perhaps others. That tells you something as well.

Either would be great. The original TEC's had the Feathertouch focuser. Not sure what WO uses but I doubt it can match the Feathertouch. A good focuser is critical for astrophotography.

Yuri and Roland Christen from Astrophysics appear to be good friends. Roland himself no doubt would praise Yuri's optics. I doubt he would anyone else.

Marco Lorenzi uses a TEC140 and his images are top notch. Have a look at his site. If you can find any examples from a WO132 to match those I would be very surprised. So its the lens, the focuser, the workmanship, the knowhow. TEC140 is a classic up there in reputation with some AP scopes. I would go the TEC if it were affordable and perhaps wait for a 2nd hand bargain on Astromart. I have seen them go for US$4500 at times. Its also the corrected circle, high quality flattener available. Does a WO132 handle a 16803 chipped camera? It may not and may not have flatteners available that will either.

I have only had one WO scope the 80mm triplet. It was rubbish and the lens was so far off collimated with the focuser it was a joke. A waste of a good lens (made by Lomo).

Greg.

[LewisM]

http://www.telescopengineering.com/ - opens just fine for me, in all browsers.

[casstony]

The TSA120 is quite a bit lighter in weight than the other scopes mentioned - the extra few kilo's can make a big difference in day to day use.
Being an air spaced triplet it does need to be at ambient temperature for at least 30 minutes before observing at med/higher magnification and can take up to an hour to reach full performance.

[Exfso (Peter)]

Just a thought, the Takahashi TSA120 is apparently an excellent APO as well, I know its smaller brother the TSA102 is excellent, one only needs to look at the Images Paul Haese is getting from his. He recently won the overall David Mailin prize with an image taken with that telescope. It is a couple of grand cheaper than the TOA130 which I have, and that is obviously a lovely scope as well.

[casstony]

Originally Posted by LewisM

Not to be the harbinger of bad news, but WO FLT132 comes under quite a bit of harsh criticism, and doesn't hold up well under testing on the bench. .

While those tests show very bad optics, I think WO had a problem with their lens cells/spacing at the time and I imagine they would have got on top of it very quickly. An email to WO about the astro-foren samples would clear things up. I can't imagine many owners not noticing optics of such poor quality.

[LewisM]

Agree Tony, but if someone decides to purchase one second hand, or even old stock, the risk of getting a lemon still exists.

And if it were me, I would INSIST on the FT focuser with a WO - every WO scope I had (and that was 3), all had the stock, very slippy focuser, which was part of the reason I kept NONE of them.

[thomqos (Russell)]

Thanks for the insights guys. The 120mm Tak. might be worthy of consideration as a cheaper alternative to the TOA-130... I'll do some research in that direction.

[LewisM]

http://www.astronomy-electronics-cen...nfo_tsa120.htm