Posts Made By: Del Pruett

Help please - can anyone tell me if this is a female Rufous or a male juvenile Allen's? I was able to safely free this bird after it flew into the house through an open door. This was photographed in august of 2002 on the Northern California coast. Any details you can observe to help with the ID would be greatly appreciated. Thank you - Del Pruett

I am the extremely happy owner of the FS 128 previously owned by Don! This particular scope sets a very high standard in all performance attributes and I am looking forward to some side-by-side comparisons in the near future. Given that Don owned this fine scope for 4 years I expect his recollection of it's images are very good and result in noteworthy comparisons for your consideration. Unfortunately Don and I live too far apart to do a direct comparison in the near future (Don - if you are ever in middle California give me a call, we will test them) Regardless of comparative results this scope sets a high point in my refractor ownership to date! My first evening with the FS 128 a few weeks ago was a jaw-dropper: the contrast and almost 3D details of Saturn were some of the best I have ever seen (in 34 years of owning scopes and observing).

Back to Kevin's original question I think the FS 128 represents an incredible value point in the market right now and many observers, like myself, are very well served by such a high quality used instrument. To those who aspire to the next level - that's great, we need pioneers to move the ultimate standards forword (and create additional used scopes:-)! However, many of us benefit more by the "education of the eye", increasing our ability to understand and discern detail, and the acquisition of quality viewing experiences, than by owning the ultimate best-o'the-best! The FS 128 is a great tool for doing this!

Thanks, Del Pruett

Mike,
I am very pleased with the custom Purpleheart legs made for me by KB Systems in Washington. They can provide legs which are just like the Gibralter ash legs in a number of different woods. In fact at the bottom of their product page you can see a picture of mine on a TV EQ Systems mount. If I ever sell the mount I will keep these legs - they are beautiful to look at, very solid with excellent craftsmanship and finish. Kay and Bill Reid are also very nice folks to deal with. The wait may be a month or two but well worth it. Try http://www.kbsystem.com
Good luck, Del

Paul,
I owned and used both and an older Vernonscope 1/20th wave. Sold the TV with a scope - great diagonal but.... I like the AP better than the TV. No optical difference, I just prefer the mechanical design, fit and finish. My old Vernonscope is visibly, very slightly dimmer, does not accept filters, but is right with the other two for optical performance - and on some occasions seems to have an edge in resolving planetary detail. I also like the thinner profile of the AP and Vernonscope 1.25" adapter compared to the high-hat style of the TV. If you plan to use either with a binoviewer you may want to consider how the mirror can be collimated since I was told recently (by Russ at Denkmeier) that this can be a factor in binoviewer performance, even with brand new diagonals.

Del