Telescope Reviews: Coulter Odyssey 2

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actionhac
Post Laureate

Reged: 08/09/08

Loc: WA

Coulter Odyssey 2
#5352072 - 08/04/12 06:25 PM Attachment (64 downloads)

I recently saw this on CL and called the seller 1hr. after he posted the ad on Monday. I decided not to go and look because of the drive.
Well Friday I called him and he still had it so since I had the time why not!
I'm no stranger to Coulter dobs I have a 8 which I love (Stumpy) and I have looked through many 13"s and 17.5" but these optics have always been transplanted into truss structures, I've never seen a factory behemoth unit until now.
I was not prepared. I knew I was going to bring it home but didn't take nearly enough stuff out of my van! and even though we disassembled to small pieces the pieces are Jurassic dinosaur size!

Post Extras:

actionhac
Post Laureate

Reged: 08/09/08

Loc: WA

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 new

[Re: actionhac]
#5352075 - 08/04/12 06:26 PM Attachment (55 downloads)

I really did it this time!

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actionhac
Post Laureate

Reged: 08/09/08

Loc: WA

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: actionhac]
#5352077 - 08/04/12 06:28 PM Attachment (45 downloads)

Oh no! I'm sorry honey!

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actionhac
Post Laureate

Reged: 08/09/08

Loc: WA

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: actionhac]
#5352078 - 08/04/12 06:29 PM Attachment (45 downloads)

How do I get it out?!!!

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actionhac
Post Laureate

Reged: 08/09/08

Loc: WA

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: actionhac]
#5352082 - 08/04/12 06:33 PM Attachment (40 downloads)

The seller bought it brand new from Coulter and waited 8 months for it.
He used it twice and said "thats it" and bought a Questar! he promptly removed the primary and wrapped it up and it's been that way in his bedroom for 30yrs! will that happen to me?

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CHASLX200
Post Laureate

Reged: 09/29/07

Loc: Tampa area Florida

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: actionhac]
#5352107 - 08/04/12 06:48 PM

Quote:

The seller bought it brand new from Coulter and waited 8 months for it.
He used it twice and said "thats it" and bought a Questar! he promptly removed the primary and wrapped it up and it's been that way in his bedroom for 30yrs! will that happen to me?

It will happen to you. It's a rude and crude scope at best.
Hope you have the back to wrestle that monster around.

Chas

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starman876
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 04/28/08

Loc: VA

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: CHASLX200]
#5352133 - 08/04/12 07:00 PM

I had one that almost did me in. The meade 16" Newt had the same effect when I used it. The Meade almost fell on me. The Coulter was just so freaking heavy that I knew it would be me or it someday. That was is it for big heavy scopes.

Post Extras:

actionhac
Post Laureate

Reged: 08/09/08

Loc: WA

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: starman876]
#5352156 - 08/04/12 07:17 PM Attachment (45 downloads)

This thing is absolutely unbelievable. The scale of all the pieces, and yes the weight!
I'm going to clean it up and try it out, I've got too!
Look at the size of this diagonal!

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starman876
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 04/28/08

Loc: VA

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: actionhac]
#5352160 - 08/04/12 07:22 PM

Let's hope the optics are worth the effort. I have looked through a lot of coulters. Only one was awesome. The rest were only good a low powers. The 17.5" is great for sweeping the milky way. It is just breathtaking to see so many stars as you sweep the sky. The 12.5" portaball I have blows away most scopes I have owned. Still a good size that I can lift and optics that are second to none and puts up so many pin point stars it is breathtaking. On the planets it is also an awesome scope and gives my AP a run for its money.

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Don W
demi-god

Reged: 05/19/03

Loc: Wisconsin, USA

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: starman876]
#5352180 - 08/04/12 07:35 PM

Good luck. The one I bought had horrible optics.

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actionhac
Post Laureate

Reged: 08/09/08

Loc: WA

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: starman876]
#5352201 - 08/04/12 07:46 PM

I'm sure I did the wrong thing buying this, that's why initially I wasn't interested and waited a week. But eventually I just couldn't help myself.
I hope the optics are good. I'm not fond of excessive coma and I want to see some detail.
I may just move the optics to a lightweight truss, if they are good enough.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do this is uncharted territory for me, 17.5 inches, or if you look at it in millimeters a whopping 444.5mm X 2000.25mm focal length!

Robert

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starman876
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 04/28/08

Loc: VA

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: actionhac]
#5352206 - 08/04/12 07:50 PM

send the mirror to OWL and have them evaluate it. Maybe it would not cost much to turn it into a great mirror.

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Jan Owen
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 02/12/06

Loc: Sun City West, Arizona

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: actionhac]
#5352219 - 08/04/12 08:00 PM Attachment (41 downloads)

I liked my 13", and it had decent optics (but you never know for sure about them; some are good and some aren't). With a Paracorr, it put up some stunning views. I used it for years, but a back injury finally ended that. It was just too heavy to be manhandling anymore.

It's still in the family, though. I gave it to a nephew. And then I bought a new 12" LightBridge, which I can still handle just fine.

Here's a photo of mine next to Mike Spooner's 12"...

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starman876
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 04/28/08

Loc: VA

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: Jan Owen]
#5352230 - 08/04/12 08:14 PM

and just in case :-)

http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=787791

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CHASLX200
Post Laureate

Reged: 09/29/07

Loc: Tampa area Florida

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: starman876]
#5352248 - 08/04/12 08:37 PM

I remember every fast Newt i owned back in the 70's and 80's gave mushy views at best, anything over low power was a coma filled mushy view.

With today's great mirror makers, Paracorr, coliimation tools and smaller secondarys it's a whole new ball game.

My first Starmaster back in 2000 sure changed my mind about fast Newts.

Chas

Edited by CHASLX200 (08/04/12 08:41 PM)

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actionhac
Post Laureate

Reged: 08/09/08

Loc: WA

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: starman876]
#5352282 - 08/04/12 09:04 PM

Quote:

and just in case :-)

http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=787791

That's what I paid $725.00 only I got 300lbs of particle board and cardboard with mine!

If mine is a "coma filled mush" I'll contact Steve Swayze http://www.swayzeoptical.com/ and see if he can correct the figure.
I did notice my primary is cut from the edge of the Pyrex sheet, it has a big heavy area on one side of the back. I hope that doesn't mean something undesirable.

Robert

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bob midiri
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 06/17/04

Loc: pa 19320

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: actionhac]
#5352289 - 08/04/12 09:09 PM

Congrats, any pictures of the big MIRROR!! Be curious of your impressions on first light. Bob

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Mr Magoo
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 11/05/05

Loc: Franklin, Indiana

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: actionhac]
#5352504 - 08/05/12 12:28 AM

Steve Swayze refigured my friends 17.5" and it is one of the best mirrors I've ever looked through. No way would I send anything to OWL ever again.

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amicus sidera
Carpal Tunnel

Reged: 10/14/11

Loc: East of the Sun, West of the M...

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: Mr Magoo]
#5352886 - 08/05/12 10:50 AM

I think a few casters on the base of that monster are in order, Robert! Better to roll than to lift...

Also, when you get it set up, if the images are poor, try rotating the mirror in the sling to various positions... I've seen a few of these types that responded to that.

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Jan Owen
Pooh-Bah

Reged: 02/12/06

Loc: Sun City West, Arizona

Re: Coulter Odyssey 2 [Re: amicus sidera]
#5352904 - 08/05/12 11:02 AM Attachment (38 downloads)

An easy solution to moving the Odyssey scopes...

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