Vixen Sphinx User manual

Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY 29
Vixen VMC200L
Mak-Cass
When it comes to buying new gear, ama-
teur astronomers are usually a very analytical
group. We research options, compare specs and
reviews, and try and make an informed deci-
sion. In the end, we consider all the tradeoffs,
and choose the gear that best fits our needs.
That doesn’t necessarily mean “the perfect
scope,” just the best one available given our in-
dividual set of parameters. Some of the clichéd
sayings, such as “There’s no free lunch,” and
“You can’t have your cake and eat it too,” come
to mind here.
With telescopes, aperture and portability
are often strong considerations. For that reason,
many choose 8- to 10-inch Schmidt Cassegrain
(SCT) designs. However, the long delays SCTs
often require to reach thermal equilibrium
(particularly when going from a warm house
to a cold backyard) partially negates their porta-
bility advantage for “quick looks.” But what if
there were an equally compact and lightweight
scope that cooled down quickly and offered 8
inches of aperture? Additionally, what if this
scope didn’t use the front-mounted corrector
plate that is so famously susceptible to dewing
and didn’t suffer from image shift during focus
as many SCTs often do? Well, if that sounds
appealing, the Vixen VMC200L may be the
scope for you.
First, the specs: the VMC200L is a 200-
mm aperture Meniscus Catadioptric System, a
Mak-Newt. It employs an interesting design,
using an f/2.5 spherical primary mirror and a
meniscus corrector element located between
the secondary and primary mirrors. This gives
the scope a working focal ratio of f/9.75. In-
stead of a front-mounted corrector plate, the
secondary mirror and corrector element are
held securely in place by a sturdy 4-vane spider.
A smooth rack and pinion focuser moves a
focus drawtube, not the mirror, so there is no
image shift during focus. And, the whole opti-
cal tube assembly (OTA) weighs only 13
pounds!
I received the OTA in a well-packed box
and the scope arrived in perfect collimation.
How often does that happen? In the event the
scope had needed to be collimated, there are
adjustments for both the primary and second-
ary, but because the optics didn’t need realign-
ing, I resisted experimenting with any
adjustments.
One of the first things that caught my eye
was the sturdy metal handle positioned on top
of the OTA. This makes moving and trans-
porting the OTA so much easier and makes me
wonder why we don’t see similar handles on tel-
escopes from other manufacturers. The handle
is equipped with a standard 1/4-20 mounting
By Erik Wilcox
Vixen VMC200L
Mak-Cass and
SXD Sphinx
Deluxe
Equatorial
Mount
The VMC200L and Vixen SXD mount are shown assembled at
Yosemite National Park ready for a night of viewing.

bolt, so an additional accessory can easily be
piggybacked directly on top of the OTA. The
VMC200L also comes with a nice illuminated-
reticle 7x50 finderscope with a handy, twist-up
eyeguard to properly position the eye. A 1.25-
inch mirror diagonal with a built-in flip mir-
ror is standard equipment as well.
I brought this scope, together with a Vixen
Sphinx Deluxe Mount, to Yosemite National
Park for a weekend of dark-
sky observing, but as luck
would have it, nearby fires
smoked out the skies both
nights we were there (luckily,
firefighters later extinguished
the blaze, so the park was
spared any damage). So, aside
from a couple of quick looks
between clouds over the next
week, and visually admiring
the scope, observing had to
wait. The next weekend I
brought the scope to Fremont
Peak Observatory for the an-
nual “Star-B-Q” event held
there, and finally enjoyed
those clear, dark(ish) skies I’d
been waiting for!
The first object I pointed
the scope towards was Jupiter,
since it was prominent in the
southeast as darkness fell.
Right away, I was able to ap-
preciate the fast cool down of
the optics. Within 30 minutes
after taking the scope out of
my warm vehicle, I was view-
ing the gas giant at 244x with
a Tele Vue 8-mm Ethos. There was a lot of
banding detail and Jupiter’s moons were tiny
discs. The bands showed a subtle amount of
color and several festoons were clearly visible as
well. Despite the 40-percent central obstruc-
tion formed by the secondary mirror assembly,
contrast was very good. Additionally, the
straight secondary spider mount didn’t produce
the objectionable diffraction spikes that I had
anticipated, even on bright objects like Jupiter.
I could see the spikes if I really looked for them,
but they weren’t intrusive at all – and that’s
coming from a guy who has installed curved
spiders in every Newtonian he’s ever owned!
On deep sky objects, the scope performed
admirably. I had forgotten to bring a 2-inch di-
agonal along, but with a 2-inch extension tube,
I was able to get a William Optics 28-mm
UWAN to come to focus for a wide 71x. Sud-
denly, I was swimming through Sagittarius! Star
fields were just beautiful, with edge-to-edge
sharpness, and all of the showpiece objects
looked decidedly impressive through the
VMC. While swapping out eyepieces and
comparing the views, I did notice that the sup-
plied flip mirror diagonal seemed to degrade
the image a bit. This was seen especially on
Jupiter at high power and several others at the
star party confirmed my impression. The flip
mirror seemed to add its own false color, as one
side of Jupiter showed a bluish tinge that was-
n’t present otherwise. I didn’t care much for the
“flip” mechanism either, as there is no click
stop. The knob used to flip the diagonal is sim-
ply turned until it stops. When viewing, it’s easy
for the knob to get moved a bit, which would
obviously tilt the diagonal mirror at an angle
that wouldn’t be optimum. I’d also like to see
compression rings to secure eyepieces, instead
of setscrews, but that is just my personal taste –
not everyone likes them.
Over the next few days, I was able to get
the scope under the stars a bit more and found
myself enjoying all that the V MC200L had to
offer. It provides a lot of aperture in a small,
durable package, and the scope is very easy to
use. I checked the collimation again after using
30 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
VIXEN VMC200L AND SXD SPHINX DELUXE MOUNT
Let us custom build you
the best, strongest, most
well constructed scope
transport case available!
www.scopeguard.com
Get Yours
Today!
A look into the open end of the VMC200L OTA reveals
well-blackened surfaces and a rigid assembly that holds
rock-solid collimation
True 360 Degree Rotating Pier Plate for
AP 900 and AP 1200 Mounts!
Only $275 for the 900
and $325 for the 1200
– Shipping included
Continental U.S!
www.malcoprecision.com

the scope for several days and was happy to see
that it held alignment well, despite being trans-
ported and set up several times.
Optically, there’s nothing to complain
about. I saw no edge-of-field problems at all
and images were crisp and well defined through
the eyepiece. The f/9.75 focal ratio is notice-
ably faster than the typical Maksutov design
and, of course, that translates into a wider true
field of view with any given eyepiece. Reaching
focus is easy, as there is a nice, sharp “sweet
spot,” and there is never any doubt when you’ve
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY 31
VIXEN VMC200L AND SXD SPHINX DELUXE MOUNT
The VMC features a catadioptric “Field Maksutov” design with spherical primary and
secondary mirrors and a meniscus corrector element positioned between the secondary
and primary mirrors. The secondary mirror/meniscus assembly is rigidly suspended by
four stout spider vanes. Focus is achieved by a rack and pinion focuser mounted to the
rear visual back of the scope. The primary and secondary mirrors remain stationary to
eliminate image shift during focus.
VIXEN VMC200L SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
Aperture ..............................................................................8-inches (200 mm)
Focal Ratio ..........................................................................................f/9.75
Focal Length....................................................................76.8 inches (1950 mm)
Primary Mirror Focal Ratio .........................................................................f/2.5
Primary Mirror Focal Length ..................................................19.7 inches (500 mm)
Secondary Mirror Diameter ....................................................2.8 inches (71.1 mm)
Secondary Obstruction .......................................3.1 inches (80 mm), 40% of aperture
Distance from Primary to Secondary.........................................~ 13 inches (330 mm)
Optical Tube Dimensions.........................................9.1 x 21.1 inches (232 x 535 mm)
Total Weight...............................................................................13 lbs (5.9 kg)
Focuser Type ...................................................................2-inch Rack and Pinion
OFFERS:
SOLAR FILTERS • H ALPHA
ECLIPSE VIEWERS • R-G SOLAR FILM
DEW HEATERS • NEBULA FILTERS
www.ThousandOaksOptical.com

32 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
VIXEN VMC200L AND SXD SPHINX DELUXE MOUNT
hit it. I felt this was important, given that the
rack and pinion focuser is not currently avail-
able with a dual speed option. I should note
though that JMI now offers an adapter for
equipping the VMC200L with its new Event
Horizon Crayford focuser for those who prefer
that design, but I found nothing to dislike
about the standard rack and pinion unit with
which the scope was equipped.
Another thing I noticed was that the
Vixen attracts attention. At the Star-B-Q event,
attendees stopped by frequently and asked
questions about it. They were very interested in
the scope and very impressed after viewing
through it. The large, red Vixen logo promi-
nently displayed on the OTA gives the scope
an air of superiority, and the build quality and
performance lives up to its looks. The glossy
white finish is durable and nice to look at, and
the scope is solid throughout. The flip mirror is,
in my opinion, something that could be im-
proved on, but as it is a removable accessory, it’s
not really an issue. Overall, this is just a really
nice, well performing telescope, and a very
unique one at that. Lightweight, portable, 8
inches of aperture, fast cool down, zero image
shift, and reasonably priced – I guess it may be
possible to have your cake and eat it too after all!
The Vixen SXD
Equatorial Mount
The Vixen Sphinx mounts have been
available for a few years now and are recognized
as a very solid and capable platform for the se-
rious observer and astrophotographer alike.
However, with the release of the new SXD
(Sphinx Deluxe) version of the mount, Vixen is
again pushing the boundaries of innovation
and quality.
Cosmetically, the SXD mount looks
nearly identical to the SX mount, aside from a
more classic black and white logo (as opposed
to the flashier translucent blue of the SX).
However, internally the SXD is definitely in an-
other league altogether. It features one-piece
hardened steel RA and DEC shafts with needle
bearings, 180-tooth brass worm gears, and a
gross load capacity of 50 pounds (including
counterweights). Yes, that’s right, 50 pounds!
Additionally, all of the features people have
come to appreciate in the SX mount are in-
cluded: the innovative Star Book controller, go-
to capability with a 22,000 target object
database, periodic error correction (PEC), and
the very nice SX polar finder scope.
The equatorial head is truly a work of art;
everything is solid and of highest quality. Like
the Star Book, there are some innovative fea-
tures here as well. The counterweight shaft
slides into the body of the equatorial head,
which makes it more portable for transport.
Additionally, the design of the front portion of
the head is well thought out. It appears that
Vixen placed much of the weight in the section
near the counterweight shaft, enabling the user
to achieve balance with fewer counterweights.
Consequently, I found that the 8-pound
weight, the larger of the two supplied with the
scope, was sufficient for countering the
VMC200L and the accessories it carried. In the
control area, there are only two cables necessary
for visual use: one for power and one for the
Star Book. A standard Vixen dovetail plate
makes mounting almost any scope a possibility.
The SXD that I tested was equipped with
Vixen’s renowned HAL-130 tripod and the legs
of that tripod are deceptively solid. While they
are made of aluminum, they don’t at all resem-
ble the flimsy legs used on many entry level
mounts. Unlike those designs, the HAL-130
doesn’t use the standard square-tube leg design
that loses stability as the tripod is extended. In-
stead, one section of each leg of the HAL-130
fits entirely inside of the other, and both are
formed in a solid, one piece design. They’re
made of thick aluminum, so there are no weak
parts to sacrifice stability. Best of all, they’re
much lighter in weight than the standard tube-
steel fare, but not so light in weight that the
mount is top heavy. With the eyepiece tray at-
tached, I found the tripod/mount assembly to
be very solid, with dampening times well under
two seconds. With the 8-inch VMC200L
mounted, the SXD hardly knew it was there.
It’s safe to say that the SXD would make an ex-
ceptional platform for serious astrophotogra-
phy.
The Star Book controller is simply a whole
lot of fun to use. Its 4.7-inch color LCD display
renders controllers with one line of slow mov-
ScopeBuggy
MAKING VIEWING EASIER!
• For use with most tripods, DOBs and piers
• Load tested to 600+ pounds
• Assemble in minutes for use or storage
• Pneumatic inflated 10” tires for soft ride
• Gloss Black powder coat paint
• Optional battery equipment tray
• Adjustable rear axle height, 1 1/2” to 7”
• Anodized gold wheels
• One person can move any size scope
quickly and easily
• Ideal for the new Meade RCX Series
• Ideal for the Meade LightBridge Series
• Ideal for scopes up to 36”
SCOPEBUGGY
P. O. Box 834
Elephant Butte, NM 87935
Toll Free: 866-312-8449 WE ACCEPT: VISA – MASTERCARD – AMERICAN EXPRESS
PAYPAL – MONEY ORDERS – CASHIERS CHECKS
Plus S&H, Approx.
$30 Shipping USA
Shipping weight 36 lbs.
shipped UPS ground
Patent Pending
Please visit us at
www.scopebuggy.com
$295

ing text very much things of the past. The de-
tailed star chart makes aiming the scope with
the controller very simple; it scrolls along in real
time as the scope is being slewed and motor
speeds are automatically adjusted in proportion
to the field displayed on the screen. The buttons
that are used to “zoom” the star field display in
or out also control the motor speed. A wide-
field chart view is typically used to quickly lo-
cate the desired area of the sky. Once there, the
displayed chart can be “zoomed in” for a closer
look. Everything is intuitive and easy to use,
and setup is a breeze.
The Star Book can also be used as a stand-
alone star chart, as it has its own power con-
nector (which isn’t used otherwise).
Additionally, it has an autoguider port, and an
Ethernet connection for running the mount
from a computer. Software updates are avail-
able from Vixen Optics and can be down-
loaded with a PC through the Star Book. New
comets can be entered into the database as well.
For standard visual use, only the 9-pin
connector that attaches to the equatorial head
is necessary; no tangled cords here. The only
remotely negative thing I could say about the
Star Book is that at times I wished it was more
ergonomically designed to fit my hands. Be-
cause of its large screen, the controller is also
physically large, and the big square shape might
be improved upon. But again, the physical size
of the controller is necessary to house the large
4.7-inch screen, which in turn is essential to
showing the level of detail of which the Star
Book charts are capable.
Upon turning the unit on for the first
time, the language must be set, as Japanese is
the default. Luckily, the word “language” on
the startup screen is in English, so setting the
displayed language to English wasn’t at all dif-
ficult. For future use, all settings of the Star
Book can be saved, as well as the “Home Posi-
tion” of the telescope (if it’s in a permanent lo-
cation or won’t be moved far before the next
observing session). After entering local time and
location, the alignment procedure may be
started. First, in Chart mode, the scope is
pointed at the western horizon (the Star Book
asks you to point the mount at the “right” hori-
zon, which could be confusing, depending on
where you’re standing relative to the mount).
Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY 33
VIXEN VMC200L AND SXD SPHINX DELUXE MOUNT
This cutaway view of the Vixen
Sphinx SXD Mount indicates the
locations of the 5 needle
bearings with red ovals. The
mount achieves greater carry
capacity by incorporating
one-piece hardened-steel RA
and Dec shafts and needle
bearings throughout.
VIXEN SXD EQUATORIAL MOUNT SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
Weight is 19.4 lbs (8.8 kg) Without Counterweights
Gross Mount Capacity Including Counterweights is 50 lbs (22.7 kg)
Steel RA and DEC Shaft
5 Sets of Needle Bearings
180 Tooth Brass Worm Gear in Both Axes
Interactive Star Book with 4.7-inch Color Display
Full Go-To Capability to 22,000+ Objects
Upgradeable Firmware and Comet Database
Universal Vixen GP Dovetail Receiver
One 4.2 lb (1.9 kg) and One 8.2 lb (3.7 kg) Counterweight
Zekes Seats
Made in USA
17611 East Street • North Fort Myers, Florida • [phone] zekesseats.com
The Sky Looks So Sweet, If You
GET A ZEKE SEAT!!
Our astro seats are hand TIG welded from aircraft
quality aluminum to last a lifetime.
Great Seat–Great Price.
Four full inches of foam padding for all night comfort.
One handed adjustment from 0' to 33"
Weight approx. 10 lbs.
Only $119.00

After doing this, the scope can then be aligned
with a couple of bright stars. I found that three
stars were more than sufficient for accurate go-
to performance, though more stars can be cho-
sen if an even higher level of pointing accuracy
is desired.
After setting everything up the first time,
I realized that the mount I received for review
was only equipped with a 120-volt AC wall
plug. However, a quick trip to Radio Shack
solved that problem. The DC connection is 12
volt and, though the input plug that fits directly
into the mount wasn’t available at the electron-
ics store, the Vixen AC power supply (which
has a short, detachable section) has a more
common jack. That input plug was available, so
I used that portion from the Vixen AC power
supply. I connected the new plug to that jack,
so I could use a DC cigarette lighter plug and
my DC power tank. This worked just fine.
Under the stars, I quickly got accustomed
to using the Star Book and rarely needed the
manual for assistance. Basically, there’s a “Chart
Mode,” which is used during setup and to
search for objects to “go-to,” and a “Scope
Mode,” where the star chart is synched with the
telescope. In Scope Mode, as you slew the tel-
escope, the star chart moves to accu-
rately reflect where the scope is
being pointed in the sky, or vice
versa. Unlike many other systems
I’ve used, I never experienced any
errors, frozen screens, or other “bugs.”
The Star Book and mount simply
worked smoothly and flawlessly –
every time.
And go-to performance
with the SXD was impressive.
With a simple polar and 3-star
alignment, the mount placed the de-
sired object in the field of view of a
24-mm Panoptic every time.
And unlike many other mounts
of similar capacity, the SXD
mount doesn’t sound like a
broken coffee grinder
when slewing. It’s fairly
quiet, even at maxi-
mum speed, with an
efficient sounding
low whine as it moves across the sky. When
tracking, there’s a detectible clicking sound, but
again, it’s not at all noisy or distracting. I doubt
there would be much of a problem using
this mount in an urban area with
neighbors sleeping nearby.
There are lots of other interesting
features and discussing all of them
would take much more room than is
available here. But some of the more
important include the periodic error correc-
tion (PEC) feature, which allows the mount to
“learn” the specific worm gears. The PEC
function is used to compensate for any
varying machining tolerances, or those
that may develop over time, etc.
With a few simple key in-
puts by the user, the mount can be
recoded directly from the Star
Book. With the mount I tested,
this wasn’t necessary for visual
use, as objects remained per-
fectly “still” in the field of
view, even at high power.
Other simple user ad-
justments, such as back-
light brightness and duration, brightness of the
polar-alignment scope, volume adjustment
from the built-in Star Book speaker, and
slewing speed, are all easily accessible. The Star
Book is also adjustable for latitude. From
the factory, it’s set at a 35-degree “middle
latitude,” which gives acceptable results from
20 to 50 degrees, but can be adjusted to use
anywhere from 70 degrees North to 70 degrees
South.
Overall, I was very impressed with the
Vixen SXD mount. It’s an exceptionally solid,
well-designed and well-made platform. It’s
lighter in weight than many competitive
mounts without any sacrifice in stability. This
is largely due to the hefty aluminum tripod legs
and unique center of gravity design of the equa-
torial head. And the Star Book is an amazingly
useful hand controller and star chart. The go-to
performance is as good as that of any mount
I’ve used (and better than most), and the
menus are all easy to access. I wouldn’t hesitate
to recommend the Vixen SXD mount to any-
one considering a mid-priced observing and/or
astrophotography platform.
34 Astronomy TECHNOLOGY TODAY
VIXEN VMC200L AND SXD SPHINX DELUXE MOUNT