TeleVue 102

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TeleVue 102
I just took delivery of this scope from Pocono. The first thing I did was perform a star test but unfortunately high moisture content and turbulence in the atmosphere here in Los Angeles all week long produced just short of perfect images. It easily split the Double-Double at 100X using an 8mm rad. Plan on heading out to Mt. Pinos within the next few days with this scope and will post a review soon.

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TeleVue 102
I recently purchased the TV-102, and the image contrast is far superior to the TV-101 and Genesis SDF (likely because this telescope is an APO doublet, rather than having 4 lenses like the named others). I also own a TV-85, which has a similar design, although the 102 has a tad less spurious color in the images. In focus images are easily the equivalent of the AP Traveler, although parfocal images have a hint of false color in the 102. Detail in the belts of Jupiter as well as in the Red Spot Hollow are clearly visible...Encke's division on Saturn pops out during moments of good seeing, too. Overall, an extremely well-built telescope capable of delivering AP quality, but without the wait time. Still, by the time you add up all the miscellaneous costs (tube ring, Everbrite diagonal, Gibraltar), the telescope ends up costing more than $3000.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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TeleVue 102
Perfect star test and astronomical performance
perfect workmanship and design
simplicity
light weight
beautiful way of mounting

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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TeleVue 102
I want to tell you a particularly outstanding feat of the TV-102; during a Ganymede transit of Jupiter, I not only could easily resolve Ganymede as a disk, but at times it appeared I could make out a difference in shading on the disk itself (the western portion appeared significantly darker than the cream-colored easter portion). I guess this is theoretically possible, since Ganymede's disk viewed from Earth should be about 1.8", well above the scope's stated resolution...an AMAZING VIEW...definitely the best of the Galilean system I've ever witnessed! I LOVE THIS SCOPE!

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40502

TeleVue 102
Perfect star test of this damn scope! Totally outrageous and absooooooooooolutely damn near perfect1 gooooooooooooood! oooooooooooohh Yeeaaahhhh oooomiiiigaaaaaaaaawd! blutsch! Blutsch Blutscika patti-patti parta
part thisiiiiiiiiiiiis is the best godamn scope in the whoooooole woooorrrlld!
OOOooo yyyeeeaaaaahhhh! So go ahead godamit and buuuuuy it! Today!

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TeleVue 102
Perfect star test of this damn scope! Totally outrageous and absooooooooooolutely damn near perfect! gooooooooooooood! oooooooooooohh Yeeaaahhhh oooomiiiigaaaaaaaaawd! blutsch! Blutsch Blutscika patti-patti parta
part thisiiiiiiiiiiiis is the best godamn scope in the whoooooole woooorrrlld!
OOOooo yyyeeeaaaaahhhh! So go ahead godamit and buuuuuy it! Today! Very kinky scope! :))

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TeleVue 102
Perfect star test of this damn scope! Totally outrageous and absooooooooooolutely damn near perfect! gooooooooooooood! oooooooooooohh Yeeaaahhhh oooomiiiigaaaaaaaaawd! blutsch! Blutsch Blutscika patti-patti parta
part thisiiiiiiiiiiiis is the best godamn scope in the whoooooole woooorrrlld!
OOOooo yyyeeeaaaaahhhh! So go ahead godamit and buuuuuy it! Today! Very kinky scope! :))

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TeleVue 102
While it does not have the light gathering power of a 17.5" dobson, this scope is adequate in that regard and largely makes up for it by the lack of a center obstruction and fine optics, yielding high resolution, sharp and contrasty images, coupled with great portability. I attended a recent star party in San Diego and had a chance to very favorably compare the TV-102 to many scopes. It did extremely well. The image quality is truly superior.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
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TeleVue 102
Excellent 4" Apo refractor, Great Contrast and tack sharp views.

Overall Rating: 10
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TeleVue 102
Scope is amazing I own an lx90 also but it doesnt begin to compare....The 102 couple with a 31 nagler blows me away. This scope seems to have unlimited potential for a 4 inch apo..

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40508

TeleVue 102
I am considering purchasing this scope as I enjoy looking at the planets and the moon. I already own a Nexstar 8 and get good images from it. i have seen at least 6-bands on Jupiter in nights of good seeing. i have also seen Encke's minima on Saturn and 4-craterlets in Plato on the moon. would the TV 102 outperform my Nexstar 8 on the planets and moon? i have heard many conflicting answers to this question. Thanks for your help...

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TeleVue 102
I replaced my C102-HD achromat with the TV-102. While the achromat
was a tremendous value, the TV-102 is a tremendous scope.

Here's an exerpt of a copy of my letter to Al and David Nagler.

"I spent several torturous months trying to decide between the TV-102, Vixen
102-FL, and the Takahashi FS102 (alas, the TV-101 was beyond my budget).
Even after much research and e-mailing owners, I was still unable to decide.
The final push to the “right” decision was my telephone call to Tele Vue,
when I was unexpectedly transferred to you, David. Such accessibility to the
owners (both of you) is unheard of in today’s corporate public relations. I
now often tell people who are trying to decide on purchasing these refractors
to consider this: would they ever be able to talk to the owner of Takahashi
or Vixen? (Don't take me wrong - I have a highest regards for the Tak and
the Vixen flourite and I wouldn't have gone wrong if I had decided on the
Tak or Vixen.)

I have the TV-102 for over a month now (actually two) and what a joy it is to
use! It is such a finely crafted instrument that I consider it an
heirloom. It is truly the “perfect” telescope for me, with just enough
aperture and the right focal length for planets without resorting to a Barlow
and still with enough satisfying wide-field. Virtually, there is no setup
time required (and no collimation hassle). I love the green color with the
ivory tube and called my TV-102 the “Frog Prince” since one day a beautiful
astro-princess will come along, gives it a kiss, and turns it into the NP-101
☺. I also own a few superb TV Radian eyepieces: 8mm, 6mm, 4mm and 3mm and
will be adding another TV eyepiece shortly. My 2-inch Everbrite diagonal
excels together with the whole system.

The view through my TV-102 is simply jaw-dropping! Mars was just awesome
when good seeing arrived; my wife commented that the dark regions looked like
a map of continents! I got my first view of tiny Syrtis Minor this
weekend! Also, I got my first “wow” with M13 and M22 through my 4mm TV
Radian, what a sight and the whole cluster still fits in the FOV with the
salt-and-pepper look! I also caught the Owl (M97) with my TV-102 that has
been eluding me in my C102-HD for months, and without any nebula filter!
There is simply no contest against my TV-102. All under a magnitude 5.5 sky
in my backyard."

The view of the moon at high magnification is like cruising inside the Lunar
Lander looking down. There is no more chromatic aberrations on the moon nor
on Mars. When seeing permits, 220x (with my 4mm TV Radian) is lofting with the
TV-102. I now got a 3mm TV Radian (293x) but seeing hasn't permit its full
potential yet (although Mars wasn't bad through it on one good night).

As to double stars, I've got a very clean split of Epsilon Bootis. My TV-102
is currently chewing on Gamma Virginis, a real tough target, but have managed
to get a nice figure 8 (or peanut if you prefer) so far and need to get that
excellent seeing. Nebulas looked great, especially the brighter ones such
as M57, M27, M8, etc. Oh, the Swan (M17) is a joy. Open clusters seem to
come alive (especially when seeing is bad with stars twinkling) due to its
high contrast and pin-point star focus. For instance, the Butterfly (M6)
seemed to have taken on life and flying right out of the FOV the other night!
With the motor turned off that is ☺. Oh, did I mention that the ultra-smooth
focuser is such a joy to use? Except for the brighter galaxies such as M51,
M104, etc., most galaxies are still disappointing (due to the 4" aperture not
the scope).

Highest recommendation and a 10+! If you want a 4" APO, you simply can't
go wrong with the TV-102.

Ron B[ee]
PS I'll follow up when Jupiter and Saturn comes around this winter.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40510

TeleVue 102
I have a nexstar 8 also and I really dont see what all the fuss is about. The views are nice thru the 102 but the views are nice thru my 8 sct also. The one thing i will say is the mounting system for this scope is bad. At high power forget trying to push this scope by hand by the time the vibrations settle down the image is out of view, case in point mars. I would suggest to anyone who buys this not to waste their money as I did on the televue gib or pano mounts. They are ok for my pronto for just scanning around with a 55mm but forget high power use with this mount setup. I am buying a eq mount and hopefully this will work and i can use the high power that this scope is capable of handling. I would have give it a 9 but the mount setup sucks. Televue lost my vote!

Overall Rating: 7
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=40511

TeleVue 102
Thanks for the comparison. I am happy with my Nexstar 8 as well. I have just wondered if a smaller APO refractor would outperform it on the planets. I guess not.

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TeleVue 102
For high magnification with the TV-102, definitely go
with a solid EQ mount. Mine is a Vixen SP mount.
It works ok even without motor drive. I think the
Vixen GP mount may even work better.

Ron B[ee]
PS Years ago, I use AZ mount and I would never use
it again for high power observation (too painful).

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TeleVue 102
I own a Lx90 and a 102. The 102 outperforms the Lx90 in everyway except for light gathering ability. The images thru the 102 are far more impressive in both deep sky and planetary. The views on saturn and jupiter thru the SC are nice but not near as sharp or crisp as the 102. An SC will not outperform an Apo of good of this quality. Star cluster are pinpoints like tiny jewels in the 102 not so with the SC. Lunar images are far more detail and pleasing in the 102 Yes the SC stars are nice but its not the same pinpoints you see in an APO . In addition while an has more light gathering ability the 102 can achieve a greater FOV....In conclusion Flourite Glass produces far superior images thats why they are so expensive but certainly worth every penny....

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 3 (Unreliable Vote)
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TeleVue 102
To the above reviwer who commented that the Gibraltar Mount sucks at high power I must strongly disagree. I own a TV102 and use it on my Gibraltar with no problem. I use wide FOV eyepieces(Radians) and have no problem going up to 180X. Keep in mind if you go above this range and use a smaller FOV eyepiece of course vibration would be a problem. I'd be intetested to get your opinion on what you'll think you'll see at 300x compared to 180x-200x. I don't think it's fair for you to condemn Tele-Vue for high power vibrations. The mount isn't designed nor will Televue tell you it's designed for ridiculously high powers. Assuming your SC is 2000mm try putting a 4mm Radian in it and tell me about vibration then.

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TeleVue 102
Oh-one more comment to Mr. Nexstar 8-At least I can push my TV102 by hand!! What happens when you're little "Go To" computer/drive stops working?

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TeleVue 102
I must say I love the hostlity that gets generated when someone doesn't like, or points out a weakness, in a product. These reviews are meant to give a sample of views and allow for some generalizations. Disagreement is expected, courtesy apparently is not.

I think the point that alt/az is not good for high power is a valid one, no matter who makes the mount. Furthermore, if I owned a refractor (and I do), I would want to use high power because "they" thing refractors are known for is their planetary sharpness. Of course they are wonderful for widefields and can be done at low powers.

I for one do not own a Nexstar 8, but, I imagine I would get it fixed if it stopped working.

A little civility would be nice.

Take care all,
john

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TeleVue 102
I LOVE ALL YOU GUYS!!!!!!!

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