Nice kit David, I too was blown away by the FSQ106ED as a visual scope, adding the extender 1.5xED gave superb views !!!.
Absolutely - NEVER listen to the old twats that tell you you don't use an imaging scope for visual "It's an astrograph - you can't look through it". Pure dribble.
It's a MAGNIFICENT visual view through an FSQ - flat to the edges, pin point stars, port-hole like views.
Made a few scope handles in the last week, here is one for Lewis for the old AP:
19.05 mm aluminium solid bar cut to 144mm then machined to 143mm & drilled and treaded for M8.
Glue grooves cut every 8mm,
Carbon fibre 20mm/22mm gloss tube epoxy glued over the aluminium,
M8x35mm S/S Button head socket screws
OK, I might make a drive around after school-o'clock yet Itching to get it on the A-P.
Absolutely - NEVER listen to the old twats that tell you you don't use an imaging scope for visual "It's an astrograph - you can't look through it". Pure dribble.
Unless of course said astrograph doesn't have enough back focus for even the shortest of 1.25" diagonals and an EP
Absolutely - NEVER listen to the old twats that tell you you don't use an imaging scope for visual "It's an astrograph - you can't look through it". Pure dribble.
It's a MAGNIFICENT visual view through an FSQ - flat to the edges, pin point stars, port-hole like views.
Well that isn't exactly what the old twats who know what they are talking about will tell you.
Petzval Refractors like the Tak FSQ106 and the Televue NP101 and several others, will all perform superbly as visual telescopes. I have used them both for visual, I know These are both unobstructed systems of very high quality.
Where it all falls apart for using imaging scopes for visual is with Newtonian astrographs with > 30% central obstructions and insufficient backfocus to reach focus with an eyepiece and with other imaging specific scopes like Ritchey Chretiens and the Planewaves with large CO's.
Well that isn't exactly what the old twats who know what they are talking about will tell you.
Petzval Refractors like the Tak FSQ106 and the Televue NP101 and several others, will all perform superbly as visual telescopes. I have used them both for visual, I know These are both unobstructed systems of very high quality.
Where it all falls apart for using imaging scopes for visual is with Newtonian astrographs with > 30% central obstructions and insufficient backfocus to reach focus with an eyepiece and with other imaging specific scopes like Ritchey Chretiens and the Planewaves with large CO's.
Cheers,
John B
That is the problem - the urban myth goes wild, without the caveats attached - a true Chinese Whisper.
I was still staunchly told by 3 guys on Cloudy Nights that an FSQ cannot be a good visual instrument because it's an astrograph. You just grin and smile.
Unless of course said astrograph doesn't have enough back focus for even the shortest of 1.25" diagonals and an EP
I used each and every FSQ 85 and 106 I have owned for visual without a hitch. Just use the Tak 1.25" diagonal and where needed the "In" adaptor, and all good to go.
Mewlon-210 sitting on my EQ6. Didn't get much time (AGAIN!) before the clouds rolled in but long enough to get a quite nicely centred secondary shadow. Collimation is now good enough to split a double, now just need some half decent seeing to actually be able to see something that resembles a diffraction ring.
Fsq 85edx for travel and grab and go.
Just for visual at this stage. The baby q is mounted on a manfrotto fluid video head (1.6kg) rated to 7kg and gitzo carbon fibre tripod (3kg) and rated to a whopping 40kg load. Really light weight comes in under 8 kg total + eyepiece.
I removed the CAA ring to give plenty of in focus ranging from a Tak Le 5 - nagler 31 = sweet views
My gear, just a newbie but loving the learning!
TS-PL-80mm-F6-Triplet, Sony A99 24MPix 5.97 microns, 50mm Orion guidescope Prostar Guidecam Sony IMX224LQR, 3.75microns. HEQ5-Pro, QHY Polemaster, ASCOM, EQMOD, PHD2, Cartes-Du-Ciel running on my HP Spectre I7 Ultrabook.
Rho Ophi
M42/3
B33 Horsehead:
Last edited by GaryPlum; 31-08-2017 at 09:28 AM.
Reason: Embedding and linking images
My gear, just a newbie but loving the learning!
TS-PL-80mm-F6-Triplet, Sony A99 24MPix 5.97 microns, 50mm Orion guidescope Prostar Guidecam Sony IMX224LQR, 3.75microns. HEQ5-Pro, QHY Polemaster, ASCOM, EQMOD, PHD2, Cartes-Du-Ciel running on my HP Spectre I7 Ultrabook.
TEC MC200 F15.5 with supercharged Zeiss binoviewers and acting as a counterweight, Takahashi TSA120 F7.5 with TV Binovues, both fitted with Takahashi Abbe eyepieces.....
Itching to get it on the A-P.
Good luck with it 
Nice , I had one of those 127mm triplets and it was a good one .
Newbie Gear and first images.
