As you can see, the tripod folds up into a small package, as does the rest of the telescope. This is probably one of the advantages of this type of telescope; it breaks down into three major pieces for ease of portability. I guess this was one of the reasons I purchased this scope, because I would mainly be taking it out of my garage and assembling it in the backyard for observing.
The tripod is well constructed out of sturdy aluminium and all you do is simply pull the legs apart to set-up as this next picture shows.
Here is a close up view of the tripod leg locking knobs that are used for levelling the tripod.
This picture shows the equatorial head mounted onto the tripod. Vixen has two models available, the GP or the GP-DX version. This one is the GP-DX model, which is the heavy-duty version and is claimed to be able to carry a telescope tube of up to ten kilograms. I feel that the telescope tube is perfectly matched to this, but any additional heavy equipment mounted onto the telescope tube will possibly effect its operation. The star rate drive (sidereal rate) is accurate enough for visual observing, but if you use the scope for photography at the telescope's focal length of f/9, extra attention will be required to control the tracking wander which most drives have.
The large lock knob pictured under the top of the tripod holds the equatorial mount securely and quickly onto the tripod.
The equatorial mount has a number of features and the picture above shows the polar alignment scope that is standard on this mount. The polar scope is a delight to use as it contains an illuminated reticle (a reticle is a system of fine lines that are seen in the polar scope for lining up the constellation of Octans that is very close to the south celestial pole) suitable for use in the southern hemisphere. Takes about five to ten minutes to accurately position the mount for photographic use. Normally this accuracy is not required for general viewing, simply point the polar axis of the mount to the south pole (you could use a compass if required) and that is all there is to it to enjoy marvellous sky views. Also in this picture are the setting circles, which are used for finding celestial objects. These are graduated in a rather course manner and would benefit from vernier scales to increase the accuracy of this object finding method. A plastic cover goes over both ends of the polar scope when not used.
This photo is looking down into the polar alignment scope from above. There is a hole in the right ascension shaft to facilitate this procedure. The light emitting diode can also seen in the centre of this hole. This illuminates the reticle at night (this is also adjustable in brightness) so the constellation of Octans can be used to facilitate polar alignment.
The picture above shows the base of the equatorial mount. The black azimuth knob shown here is used for fine adjustment of aligning the equatorial mount in the horizontal plane for polar alignment. If you look closely next to the adjustment knob, you will see the small bubble level fitted into the base of the mount. This simplifies the levelling of the mount to increase the accuracy of the polar alignment. In addition, you will see the chrome looking altitude adjustment screws either side of mount. Simply find out the latitude of the location where you will observe and set the mount to that value using the scale provided on the mount (which you can just see in the photo next to the GP-D sticker)
Pictured here are the clutch knob and the declination motor. The clutch is a handy addition to this telescope; it can be operated in either manual mode or motor driven. There is also a clutch installed on the right ascension motor too. This can just be seen in photo looking down into the polar scope previously spoken about. A nice touch is the ease of removal of the motors if ever that is required. The motors are of the stepper motor type, driven by an accurate quartz oscillator and are interchangeable.
Pictured here is the dovetail mounting on top of the equatorial mount for the telescope or other attachment. Shown are the main lock knob and the smaller secondary security screw, for those moments when extra security to hold the telescope tube may be needed.
In this image, we can see the lever type clamps that prevent the mount from turning in declination and right ascension. This allows you to unlock the mount and swing the telescope tube quickly to another area of the sky. The only problem I have with this type of lock system is that it may be a little fiddly to find the levers to lock the mount after you have swung the telescope to a new position. Nevertheless, the action is very smooth to operate and the levers are at least large in their dimensions to facilitate their eventual capture with your fingers. The entire telescope is made in Japan and I would have to say of very high quality, it feels nice to the touch (no sharp edges) and silky smooth to operate. The paint scheme is a light green "you will eventually get used to it" hammer-tone finish.
The next piece to attach is the counter weight shaft that simply threads into the mount. It also is supplied with a large locknut that securely holds the shaft rigid. It is pictured as the cone shaped object with the grooves. The digital clock is an after thought of mine only. Underneath the clock is the plastic cover for the right ascension motor.
After the shaft is installed, the counter weights must be fitted onto the counter weight shaft, otherwise if the telescope tube is attached - the whole mount may topple over, as it is very unbalanced without the weights. For the cassegrain, two weights are supplied and positioned onto the shaft as shown. These weights are equal to the weight of the telescope tube assembly (about six kilograms). Each weight has its own lock knobs fitted, to allow easy adjustment up and down the shaft.
With the counter weights on, it is now time to fit the hand controller that is simply plugged into the right sockets on the mount. It comprises of a four-button hand piece and is dual axis. Power supply is 7. 5 V DC to 12 V DC. Originally the telescope package came with a holder for eight D size batteries, this would last about five to eight hours on new batteries. However, I have converted to a 12 V DC deep cycle battery system for more power, as Tim Allen would say. This will give around 30 hours of continuos use. It is a pleasure to use the controller, just sit back and relax. Cruising around the moon is especially rewarding as the controller has three speeds - 1.5X, 2X and 32X. Sidereal rate is the standard setting to follow the stars, but is sufficient for observing the moon, sun and planets.
Next, fitted onto the mount is the telescope tube. Do this by securing the dovetail tube plate into the dovetail recess on the mount, as shown in the photograph above. The dovetail runs the full length of the telescope. This feature allows full adjustability of the balancing of the telescope tube if different accessories are added to the telescope.
The close-up photo shows the dovetail type mount for the guide scope. Other accessories can be mounted onto telescope using the brackets to the right of the image. A good view of all the fine adjustment allen key screws on the back of the telescope. Every aspect of the Vixen's optical train can be adjusted easily using these screws, but rarely needed.
The guide scope is a 7x50 unit of high quality construction. If focusing is required, the primary lens housing is turned on its thread and locked with the knurled lock ring.
The focuser is large at 60mm in diameter; this is a great for unvignetted photos through the telescope. This means that the edges of the photo are not gradually shaded off; focuser tubes that have restricted diameters can suffer from this problem. The focusing rack and pinion is a delight to use, is very smooth with virtually no backlash and certainly no image movement which plagues telescopes that move their mirrors to focus. The backlash and focuser tube sideways movement are adjustable if ever this is required. Focuser travel is 70mm; this allows the telescope to reach focus under almost any circumstance.
Into the focus tube adaptors goes the supplied prism star diagonal and followed by the eyepiece. We are just about ready to view through the telescope.
This view down into the telescope tube shows the primary mirror and the secondary holder. As with all cassegrains the spider is of substantial construction so it can hold the large secondary mirror securely. The four spider vanes are 5mm thick. The reality is that it becomes most apparent when viewing stars such as Sirius, being so bright causes the image to have four spikes radiating off the star. Viewing the brighter planets can also cause this effect to some degree but because these objects show a large disc, it is not so noticeable. The secondary mirror obstructs the main mirror by 35%, similar to the Schmidt cassegrain type telescope. The Schmidt cassegrain scope has a corrector plate mounted in front of the telescope tube and this acts as the secondary holder. You do not get those diffraction spikes with this arrangement. I should imagine that the Vixen would reach ambient temperature quicker than the Schmidt because there is no corrector plate to cool down. In addition, air is allowed to circulate more freely in the Vixen because the end of the tube is open to the air. Also of interest is the telescope's ability to resist the temptation to dew the optics because of the absence of a corrector plate. Dewed optics is not a concern to the Vixen owner, condensation can be dripping off the telescope tube and you can still enjoy the views without heaters. I have had the mirror out on one occasion to clean it. Horror you may say, but I live on the north of Tasmania and near the sea and over time there is a fine layer of contaminates on the mirror that I would assume would be salt. The mirror is washed with water from the tap and rinsed with distilled water and left to dry. The mirror is then reinstalled and on checking the collimation, it is still perfect. After that, you can admire the mirror because it is a beauty with quality coatings that I think will last the test of time. Of note is the Japanese quality optics, the mirror is very thin, I would have to estimate here because it has been a while since I have held it in my hands when I washed it last - I would say that the thickness would be somewhere about 10 to 15 mm. This is thin compared to the norm and would result in quick cool down times of under the hour to get exquisite views of the cosmos. To be critical, the planets need the most cool down times to get the crispest views, observing star clusters and nebula do not require this as they are more diffuse.
Projecting out from the hole in the primary mirror is the baffle tube that stops light intruding into the main light path. Inside this tube are fully multi-coated lenses that correct for coma and curvature of field. Peering into the focuser, the anti-reflective coatings are so good on the lenses that on first inspection the lenses are not detectable, you have to look very hard to even see them! The sixth-order aspherical primary mirror corrects spherical aberration. Views through the telescope yield pinpoint stars to the edge of the eyepiece. I have read Harold Suiter's book on "Star Testing Astronomical Telescopes" and have not detected any problems with the optics.
Shown here is one of the two eyepieces that come standard with the telescope. They have a few features worth mentioning; they are fully multi-coated and include the cut grooves in the area where lock screw tightens onto the barrel. If he screw happens to be a little loose the eyepiece will not fallout because the groove prevents this. Instead, the eyepiece feels only loose and so gives early warning of an eyepiece that could be on the concrete shortly, heaven forbid! Most eyepieces are straight barrelled and if loose will easily fall out if gravity is given a chance. Also of note is the 20mm eye relief on all the Vixen Lanthanum eyepieces that would be of interest to spectacle wearers.
Well, that about completes the assembly as you can see with this last picture; yes, I know its in black and white - slight technical error. Normally, the tripod and equatorial mount are left assembled in my storage area. If I intend to use the telescope, the tripod/mount are brought outside and then the weights attached. Bring out the telescope tube and the finder scope and eyepieces and start the observing. The complete unit assembled weighs about 27 kilograms, but broken down into smaller pieces is easily manageable. The telescope is a pleasure to use and shows excellent images, stars pinpoint right to the edge of the eyepiece field stop. I have seen the planet Pluto with this scope and watched the moons of Jupiter cast their shadow on the giant planet's cloud tops. Globular clusters are no less stunning and elusive galaxies are a wonder to see with your own eyes. There are also numerous accessories in the Vixen catalogue to customise the telescope. An alternative telescope - lightweight, very portable, excellent optics, astrophoto capable, - highly recommended. All the photos were taken with a Sony Cyber Shot 3.3 digital camera and images processed in Paint Shop Pro.
