Need help - Identify this scope!

I am thinking of buying this telescope for $500. The guy selling it does not know the history of it, as he is the 3rd owner. He thought it was home-made, but after looking at it, I think it may have been an old Coulter dob. It has the same thick single bar hoding the secondary mirror as the old Coulters I have seen.

The wood and tube are in bad shape, but the mirror is clean, and looks good (it is stored seperately). First light was not impressive, as it was hazy, and collimation was WAY off, but for $500, I think it may still be a good deal. I would appreaciate any comments.

Thanks,
Tim

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more pics of the scope

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That is indeed a Coulter Odyssey II, 17.5". The mirror in the one I bought was astigmatic. Gave decent views of deep sky stuff but could hardly split any doubles and planest were awful. Tossed away everything but the primary and remounted it in a truss tube dob. Never did perform. Sold the mirror and replaced it with an 18" f/5.5 Galaxy. Excellent mirror.

DonW

Curious where this scope is located. I went to look at a very similar scope, its definitely an Old Coulter DOB, in Poway, CA which is near San Diego.

Lots to be concerned with about those old scopes. The mirror may need recoating (the one I saw seemed to) and by the time one gets a decent focuser etc, you could just get one of the 12 inch F5 Hardin DOBs (this AM there were two left) and have a scope with decent optics for sure.

jon

$500 for the Coulter 17.5 is a bargain. I bought a Coulter 13.1 for $550 two years ago, and most Coulter 13.1s showing up on Astromart classified range from $450 to $600 as originals.

A thin mirror can show astigmatism not only due to optics quality but also due to mounting. A thin mirror will sag and can be deformed by its own weight. I had that trouble with my 13.1.

The cell, if original (and it appears to be all original) is the sling type, which can exaserbate any built-in astigmatism.

Coulter also had a problem with turned down edges, but that problem can be fixed by masking a portion of the edge. This will reduce the overall effective area of the scope but it may not be so bad.

One last thing, the original secondary is larger than needed I believe, and a smaller secondary will help reduce obstruction.

Our astro club owns a 17.5 inch Coulter that we are happy with. But forget about transporting unless you've got a trailer and 4 hands minimum. Ours is stored in a closet which we roll out onto a deck during star parties.

Swayze Optical - Refiguring Service will test and refigure for an advertized price of $570 and send it to Spectrum for recoating for $230 (doesn't include shipping or taxes). He may charge more if it is really poor optically. Not a bad deal at all. I plan on giving Swayze a try this winter. A new Swayze 18 inch is $2,280.

Swayze is in Portland, OR at:

http://www.europa.com/~swayze/

best of luck

DCR

Tim,

Let me know the guy's # if you decide not to buy it. If you don't want this bargain, then I'm on it like a duck on a June bug.

Ed