WFT 204/1200 Has Landed!

[astromanuk]

My WFT 204/1200 has arrived!

UPS delivered my telescope to the UK  less than a week after it left Mike in the USA. Mike did a wonderful job of keeping shipping costs down and in the end this has proven to be a very smooth transaction. I have to say that the ISTAR customer service I have experienced both from Ales and Mike has been exemplary. I can honestly say that they rank up there with TeleVue and Skylight Telescopes in making you feel the most important customer they have.
I have only had a short time to unbox the telescope and check it over, but to say that I am impressed by the quality of engineering and finish would be an understatement! From the time I first set eyes on the black tube with the crystal blue details I was won over. The coatings on the lens look perfect and the baffles are hard to spot on first looking in the tube. The new flat black interior coating that they use is just about the best I have seen.
The telescope is no light weight. Anyone who has been used to a 6” Chinese refractor will be surprised at the increase in physical size and weight to get another 2 inches in aperture. It has been built to last though, built like a tank but a tank constructed by a Swiss watchmaker.
Unfortunately I do not have a portable mount for it but hope to get one before too long. I have seen others mount this model on the large AOK Swiss mount or the Losmandy G11. Any other suggestions from those who use the 8” WFT?  I do have a pillar mounted Fullerscopes MkIV mount that I will eventually set it up on permanently, but that is too heavy to use as a portable.

The Moonlight focuser supplied with my telescope appears to be an ideal match for it.

[Mike]

Thanks for all the compliments Ian. It's our pleasure. I know you're going to enjoy that scope. I certainly did while testing it Moonlight makes a great focuser. I have two of them now. Give us a little report once you get to use it.

Mike

[Kitch101]

Hello and welcome Ian, You know the rules .................... we want to see pictures of the happy owner with his new toy, pronto !


oh and Congrats on the acquisition!

[bn1777]

Yes , welcome and congratulations on your new scope .
Photos , please .
Brian.

[astromanuk]

Thank you all for the warm welcome.  I will get around to taking photo's as soon as weather here improves.  In the mean time the telescope is resting in the black packing box it arrived in.  I have fitted the focuser and have been getting used to the feel of the telescope.  Although it is the heaviest telescope I have the squat shape makes it easy to handle.

[ukjohn]

Hi Ian and welcome to the forum.

Congratulations on your big new Istar. I'm in the UK too and have a 6" F/12 Perseus achromat myself. Finding a suitable mount is proving a challenge for me as well. The length of my scope is more of a challenge than the sheer weight.

I have a cunning plan at the moment though which I hope will deliver good results.

Hope you enjoy the scope and that we get some nice Autumn / Winter skies to use them under.

[astromanuk]

Hi John,

Since my last post I have picked up a Meade giant field tripod and am considering the APM A max mount to go on it. I think that I will need a pier extension so the telescope will clear the tripod legs. Also need to modify the spreader assembly so that the legs don't open so wide and give me some extra height. That is the plan at the moment, everything could change if I see a reasonably priced G11 head available. Watch this space!

[astromanuk]

Finally, a decision! I have placed an order with Markus for an APM AzMaxLoad mount. It will go on the Meade Giant field tripod with Losmandy adapter and pier extension between. Markus estimates a month or so to machine the mount so will post again when it arrives.

I am in no doubt that it will take the 204/1200 WFT and even something larger  should the 204 live up to expectations. I am not interested in digital setting circles, nor do I need slow motions. I much prefer to star hop having spent the last near half century (gulp) learning the night sky and having dark skies just love exploring the byways with low power eyepiece and star map.

Out of interest, does anyone with an f/6 Istar use the 31 Nagler or 21 Ethos? I am thinking that the 5mm exit pupil that the Nagler gives is about as low as I want to go. I have mild astigmatism and find that using a TV Dioptrix fully corrects it. Any Lower power than this without Dioptrix and star images loose their tight appearance. The 21 Ethos with 3.5 approx exit pupil would allow use without Dioptrix, give approximately same field of view and with darker background and larger image scale. I have the N31 and wouldn't part with it but I do enjoy my E13 and its expansive field of view. Let me know your thoughts.

[Mike]

Ian, the 21mm Ethos has come to be one of my favorite pieces. The huge field with higher magnification make this a universal eyepiece in any of my scopes. The 21 would yield 58X and about 1.7 degree field which is about .2 degrees less than the 31mm but as you said a larger image scale. More beneficial than the 31mm? In numbers? No. In actual experience? Maybe. If I had a 204-6 in stock I would drag it out to find out. When viewing most DSOs the Ethos 21 always impresses. I had a line of guys looking at M42 this past February at the Winter Star Party. M42 is one of my favorites. I have observed it through countless scopes in countless locations. That night with the 21 was "the most impressive view" I have ever seen. The amount of nebulosity was amazing. Except for the lack of color it was as impressive as any astrophoto. Maybe more so because of the 3D appearance. I bought it for $575 from a close friend who is kicking himself to this day for ever parting with it. I know this is blasphemy but you should see the view through my C14 with it... Of course, the stars are not as pinpoint and the background not a black as through a refractor.