Takahashi FSQ-106EDX4
As the astrophotography hobby developed, so did the desire for more versatility. The interest grew towards a wider field of view. There are two ways to achieve this: either a larger sensor, or a shorter telescope. The decision was made for the latter. And when in early 2019 the TOA-130 had to be sent in for maintenance, an FSQ-106 was welcomed to the observatory. This telescope is designed for astrophotography. It is a quadruplet APO-refractor of the Petzval design. The imaging circle is 88mm, straight out of the box. The weight of the telescope is only 7kg, so with rings and camera probably just over 10kg. A modest scope in physical dimensions, but fast at f/5.0 and with stunning image quality.
Specifications
Aperture: 106mm
Focal length (with reducer): 530mm (382mm)
Focal Ratio (with reducer): f/5.0 (f/3.6)
Image circle: 88mm
Length: 580/675mm
Weight: 7.0kg
Cradle
The tube is mounted on a Losmandy plate using an original Takahashi 125S cradle. This 1.2kg cradle with 125mm inner diameter offers more than sufficient support for the FSQ-106 tube. The 98mm wide bottom part of the cradle makes for a very solid connection to the mounting plate.
Arca Swiss plate
On top of the cradle an arca-swiss compatible plate is mounted. This allows for the connection of equipment on top of the telescope using easy arca-swiss style clamps. Typically a Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox V2 is placed here using a custom designed and 3D printed mounting bracket.
Losmandy plate
A 14” losmandy-style dovetail plate specifically designed for Takahashi cradles, forms the basis for attaching the FSQ-106EDX4 onto the mount. The sleek design makes for easy and comfortable attachment on the mount clamp. The thick plate has zero flex or torsion. These plates are custom designed and produced by European Takahashi importer Optique Unterlinden.
Rotator Focuser
The FSQ-106EDX4 comes with its own robust 4” focuser and camera-rotator. Unfortunately the rotator has no rotation angle indicator on it. So I made a 360 degree label with indicators. This makes it very easy to rotate to the same angle between targets and/or sessions.
Auto-Focuser
Autofocusing is done using the Pegasus Astro Motor Focus Kit v2. This device only contains a focus motor. The focus controller is built into the Ultimate PowerBox. The benefit of this combination is that only one ethernet-style cable is enough to provide power and data to the focus motor.
645RD QE0.72x Focal Reducer
There are two reducers available for the FSQ-106. I own the 645RD 0.72x focal reducer which reduces the focal length to 382mm and turns this scope into a fast astrograph with a focal ratio of f/3.6. The reducer is screwed inside the focuser. This means no issues with specific back focus distance. Just dial in the focuser for maximum sharpness. It has a 60mm flat field, so more than large enough for a full frame camera.