[AZ-Observing] classic Coulter Dob

From: Dan Heim <dan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: AZ Observing <az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:00:43 -0700
Fellow Stargazers,

I need some advice. I have a classic ca. 1985 Coulter Odyssey II Dob, 
17.5" aperture, 2000 mm FL, f.4.5 primary, 2" secondary and 2"/1.25" 
helical focuser, Meade 9x60 RA finder, home-made off-axis aperture stop 
for 4" and 6" (which also serves as a lid), and a home-made caster-based 
platform for ease in moving it around on hard surfaces. Of course it has 
the original alt-az base, and still moves easily on both axes. It has 
the classic orange sonotube housing. Collimation is pretty good right 
now, but I don't own a laser collimator, and it could probably be 
tweaked a bit. Brand new it sold for $1195.

I gotta sell this scope, since it's getting increasingly difficult for 
me to deploy (takes 2 people), I no longer have the means to transport 
it offsite (sold my van). It would come with only a single eyepiece, as 
I'm keeping the rest for use with my Takahashi FS-128. That eyepiece is 
a 2" 50 mm Kelner (manufacturer unknown) that provides a 45-50 degree 
AFV at 28x, great for extended objects like M31, the Double Cluster, and 
M81-82.

Now the downside ... the orange vinyl coating is scratched in several 
places from years of transport, not terribly, but it looks worn in a few 
spots. No dents. Also, it's still the original 8th-wave mirror, which 
was awesome in its prime, but needs a re-silvering. The secondary 
appears in fine shape. Deep sky objects are still great, albeit with 
slight loss of contrast. Planetary and lunar show some loss of 
resolution due to the mirror's condition. But still, not bad when using 
the aperture stops. The mirror is NOT scratched, but suffered from years 
of storage in Phoenix where condensation of "acid smog" caused etching 
of the silvering. The mirror was removed and cleaned twice, following 
recommended procedures.

My question is what I should be charging for this on the used market. 
Truth be told, I want to move it fast and am willing to sell 
below-market, but have no idea what a fair price would be. I understand 
that re-silvering can run a couple hundred for a 17.5" (plus shipping). 
Obviously looking to put this on Craig's List and sell locally, but 
thought I'd check here first, either for advice or an interested buyer. 
I live in New River, as many of you know. Thinking of asking around 
$500. Any input would be most appreciated. Thanks.

Dan Heim
President
Desert Foothills Astronomy Club
http://www.dfacaz.org
623-465-7307

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[AZ-Observing] classic Coulter Dob

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