Vostok 1
Posted 13 January 2021 - 09:21 PM
Tak FS 60NZ and Tak FS-102NSV. This was the scene the night of the Great Conjunction. To explain the gloves and Lysol wipes on the table, our club tried to support a (social distanced) public outreach for those who happened by the area. (What appears as white debris in the foreground is actually feathers from the Canada geese.)
Refractor Fanatic
Posted 13 January 2021 - 09:22 PM
Beautiful photo, Tom! Did you get a lot of visitors, or was the pandemic keeping people away?
Vostok 1
Posted 13 January 2021 - 09:42 PM
Beautiful photo, Tom! Did you get a lot of visitors, or was the pandemic keeping people away?
Thank you, Scott. That was just a casual photo from my phone. I had at least 2-3 dozen at my scopes with more still stopping by well after Jupiter and Saturn had drifted below the horizon, it was a work night for me so I turned in early. I think the answer is that the pandemic kept people away, but still a lot of people were out.
It was an informal outreach. The club has formally discontinued outreach temporarily. A few club members decided on where to meet together at a well frequented public area adjacent to a local lake in OKC with a clear view to the southwest (albeit less than ideal near the horizon over a body of water.) We intentionally did not advertise. A club member did call local media and he was interviewed on site and hopefully that was instructional for those only watching TV from home.
Lift Off
Posted 16 January 2021 - 12:05 PM
WOW indeed !
Voyager 1
Posted 16 January 2021 - 12:41 PM
Ranger 4
Posted 16 January 2021 - 12:56 PM
Vostok 1
Posted 16 January 2021 - 01:56 PM
YES thank you for posting that link! AWESOME.. Takahashi are truly hand made! Also all quality telescopes are hand assembled, that is from Scott from Explore Scientific. Of course some parts are made by casting and CNC, but Takahashi takes it 1 more step further.
On Youtube you can see how Canon makes their Fluorite glass, which Canon makes that kind of glass for Takahashi, or used too. It's cool to see how these are made...
Thank you again, now I want to see more on Takahashi.
Christopher
Messenger
Posted 16 January 2021 - 04:27 PM
How to get the subtitles translated? Seems odd if they are also Japanese.
Vostok 1
Posted 17 January 2021 - 01:22 PM
So beautiful....wow...after seeing it I wound up to order a new Takahashi, the FC50! Oh, I got addicted with Taka!
Seems to be a very labor intensive process. Not much room for automation either with the way those lenses are made and aligned. CNC machining could speed up the manufacture of the focuser.
Regardless, a unique product to use.
Hideously expensive would be an understatement, at least here in the US.
Mercury-Atlas
Posted 17 January 2021 - 01:39 PM
Takahashi could easily machine their telescope focusers, rings, and clamshells and instantly have a lighter better functioning telescope. But there is little traditional Japanese craftsmanship in simply assembling a fully CNC'd telescope. I am torn between the traditional value placed on the lovely forms but inconsistent hand made focusers and the much improved functionality of a modern rack & pinion focuser.
IMO there could be some blend of traditional casting and CNC reduction and finishing to improve the fit and function while retaining the beauty of traditional sand casting forms so lacking in cut from solid focusers from just about every maker of focusers.
Ranger 4
Posted 17 January 2021 - 01:40 PM
Thank you Tom for sharing the video link. I appreciate all the fine craftsmanship that goes into these scopes every time I look into the eyepiece. Worth every dollar spent in my opinion.
Dennis
Sputnik
Posted 17 January 2021 - 03:58 PM
So beautiful....wow...after seeing it I wound up to order a new Takahashi, the FC50! Oh, I got addicted with Taka!
Where did you find one of those little beauties, Marcus?
Voyager 1
Posted 17 January 2021 - 04:31 PM
Seems to be a very labor intensive process. Not much room for automation either with the way those lenses are made and aligned. CNC machining could speed up the manufacture of the focuser.
Regardless, a unique product to use.
Hideously expensive would be an understatement, at least here in the US.
The Hattori Hanzo of refractor manufacturers 
Mercury-Atlas
Posted 17 January 2021 - 05:04 PM
The Hattori Hanzo of refractor manufacturers
Man that is the truth! Can you imagine the waiting time if Takahashi made their own lenses? Takahashi could never deliver the number of scopes they produce without Canon making the lenses for them and they would cost double!
Mariner 2
Posted 17 January 2021 - 08:55 PM
In watching this video I was surprised at how small the manufacturing area is. It is also interesting how single individuals make such a difference to a company of this size. I particularly like watching the casting process. That takes a lot of skill to do. It looks simple but it is not. Even removing the positive from the sand mold takes great skill. Impressive.
Mariner 2
Posted 17 January 2021 - 08:58 PM
Thank you, Scott. That was just a casual photo from my phone. I had at least 2-3 dozen at my scopes with more still stopping by well after Jupiter and Saturn had drifted below the horizon, it was a work night for me so I turned in early. I think the answer is that the pandemic kept people away, but still a lot of people were out.
It was an informal outreach. The club has formally discontinued outreach temporarily. A few club members decided on where to meet together at a well frequented public area adjacent to a local lake in OKC with a clear view to the southwest (albeit less than ideal near the horizon over a body of water.) We intentionally did not advertise. A club member did call local media and he was interviewed on site and hopefully that was instructional for those only watching TV from home.
Props to you for doing the outreach.
Mariner 2
Posted 17 January 2021 - 09:01 PM
I would rather have a cast mount than one that is CNC'ed out of a block of aluminum. Just personal preference, probably influenced by my collecting southwestern bronze sculptures.
Mariner 2
Posted 17 January 2021 - 10:57 PM
Hideously expensive would be an understatement, at least here in the US.
Well, I dunno. It depends on your perspective.
The average American household pays $217 per month for cable TV. https://decisiondata...bills-combined/ Let's say you want to buy a TSA-120 refractor. The cost: $4,430. Give up cable TV, and your TSA-120 is paid for in 20 months. Get an internet package for $70 per month, thereby saving about $147 per month, watch internet TV (Hulu) for $5.95/month, and your TSA-120 is paid for in 30 months.
The average price of a new car is $40K. https://www.cnet.com...car-price-2020/ A Tak Mewlon 250CRS will cost you $8,070.00. That's only about 20% of the cost of the average new car. Buy yourself a less flashy car costing "only" $32K, and in effect, you can get the 250CRS for free.
Bottom line: if you are suffering from Tak-itis, you can always justify the price of a new Tak--and it's even easier if you can find a used Tak!
P.S. I'm awaiting delivery of a TSA-120N right now. It's already paid for because I haven't had cable TV in over 10 years, and I buy less expensive cars. And, of course, there's the Covid stimulus money, too (which covered my Mewlon 180).
Edited by Oyaji, 17 January 2021 - 11:21 PM.
Vostok 1
Posted 18 January 2021 - 06:53 AM
Here is another video of a no name Japanese refractor company whose name momentarily escapes my mind!
Not sure about the date.
The collimating part of the video was interesting. The process appears to be very visual and manual!
A study in contrast compared to say the S&T video of the current Stellarvue operation where the lens cell elements are aligned using a Zygo interferometer.
Edited by RedzoneMN, 18 January 2021 - 07:14 AM.
Apollo
Posted 18 January 2021 - 08:42 AM
Here is another video of a no name Japanese refractor company whose name momentarily escapes my mind!
Not sure about the date.
The collimating part of the video was interesting. The process appears to be very visual and manual!
A study in contrast compared to say the S&T video of the current Stellarvue operation where the lens cell elements are aligned using a Zygo interferometer.
Which part of the video? @ the start with the old chap making the cast, is Takahashi Shinjiro, of Takahashi Seisakusho. The chap doing the focuser was Kawai Masaaki and the chap doing the lens assembly is Sodeyama Toshinori (although I keep hearing the narrator say Yuyama Toshinori?), and the chap doing the collimation is Takahashi Akihiro. They're all with Takahashi?
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