A big thanks to Gary Beal (NZ) who sold me his beloved Tak FS102 and Lars Hansen, who personally brought the scope back from Gary on a recent trip to NZ for me as hand luggage. Thanks heaps fellas.
I've just received it - and wow, it's a beast for a 4" scope. I've attached the rings to two Losmandy dovetails (universal on bottom and D-series up top) such that my existing FS60-C can sit in its Losmandy guide rings. A very solid setup indeed.
I'm thrilled that there are no special tricks involved with the 2" visual back, allowing me to mount both a DSLR and a 2" dielectric diagonal and get perfect focus on both. Normally you need to delve into Takahashi "accessory city" to achieve this by buying all sorts of extenders and tubes that are totally proprietary.
Please excuse the finder, I have a proper Tak 7x50 coming up from Takaya in Canberra over the next couple of days. I'll then try illuminating the reticle with an Orion illuminator off my 12mm ill. reticle EP...if it fits. If not, I'll have to get a genuine Tak unit. Anyone tried this before?
Hopefully I'll get time to put one of my heater strips together tomorrow, so that it can be tried on Saturday evening, weather permitting!
Next - a field flattener and/or field flattener/focal reducer, and a camera swivel ring as per the one on the FS60-C which is absolutely fantastic.
So - form the Tak guys, what accessories do you most use in typical imaging (SLR) situations? The Tak accessory sheet is a killer to follow unless you know EXACTLY what you need. King-size PITA.
Awesome Chris you must be very excited congrats. I'm sure you'll like the Tak finder too, love mine best I've used reckon its better then the stellarvue sparrowhawk I have. I lost my illuminator for it but I have another off a meade eyepiece and it fits.
Thanks all - can't WAIT to get into it. I was hoping to get the G11 out tonight and mate them up - but there is this fuzzy stuff up there that looks suspiciously like precipitation...
Quote:
Originally Posted by beren
Awesome Chris you must be very excited congrats. I'm sure you'll like the Tak finder too, love mine best I've used reckon its better then the stellarvue sparrowhawk I have. I lost my illuminator for it but I have another off a meade eyepiece and it fits.
Stuart - thanks. Good to know that the Meade one fits. That means that the Orion one should fit too. I agree with your take on the quality - even the 6x30 on the FS60-C is brilliant, so the 7x50 with illumination should really be wonderful. How's your Sky90/FS60 team doing?
Congratulations on a great scope Chris, you are certainly on the road to Takitis which is not treatable. When people ask me which telescope to buy, my standard answer is " Buy a Tak, you'll never look Bak". Yes, the illuminated reticle from the Meade Astrometric or guiding eyepiece fits in the Tak finders and works just as well as the Tak one, far cheaper to.
I have Takitis and just to show what it leads to, I have attached a pic to prove to you what can and will happen. The big Taks spawn little Taks and sometimes the other way round. No place in a cold and dirty shed or garage for these little babies, they need the warmth and comfort of the loungeroom.
Congratulations on a great scope Chris, you are certainly on the road to Takitis which is not treatable. When people ask me which telescope to buy, my standard answer is " Buy a Tak, you'll never look Bak". Yes, the illuminated reticle from the Meade Astrometric or guiding eyepiece fits in the Tak finders and works just as well as the Tak one, far cheaper to.
I have Takitis and just to show what it leads to, I have attached a pic to prove to you what can and will happen. The big Taks spawn little Taks and sometimes the other way round. No place in a cold and dirty shed or garage for these little babies, they need the warmth and comfort of the loungeroom.
Cheers,
Steve B
Thanks Steve - what a stunning collection of instrumentation. Yeah, in my case a 60 gave birth to the 102. Before too long I can see that I'll catch the same damn sickness that you're battling. My G11 is going to get a bashing, because I hope that next on the list is a TOA130 or 150 with an STL11k hanging off it.
They really are lovely instruments. I've just spent the last hour matching each scope's R&P effort, so now both feel exactly the same to focus. Oh so nice.
Steve - is that the Teegul SP-II or III? I have the SP-II and absolutely love it. I don't have the Tak tripod though. They're superb with the FS60 and a camera on them, huh.
Steve - is that the Teegul SP-II or III? I have the SP-II and absolutely love it. I don't have the Tak tripod though. They're superb with the FS60 and a camera on them, huh.
It's the SP-III Chris which uses the new TG-HD hand controller. Tak are pretty clever as the TG-HD is also used to drive the P-2Z mount. I only bought the SP tripod and adjustable mount adaptor recently. Previous to this, I used a Celestron Alt/Az mount. The legs on the little Tak mount unscrew so the whole outfit is ultra portable. The adjustable tripod adaptor is the weak link in the set up as the central pivot bolt just can't be tightened up enough to hold the mount and scope and it moves downwards. I ended up drilling and tapping for an M4 thread just above the cap screw and putting in a stainless steel grubscrew and it works a treat. I have it set to 34 degrees elevation.
tack sharp i presume
Someone has to be lucky to have their dream come true and refractoritis treated,well,at least temporarily.
I was hoping to get the G11 out tonight and mate them up - but there is this fuzzy stuff up there that looks suspiciously like precipitation... 
