Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian

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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
I am very pleased with my 8" f-7 coulter purchaced july 1999. Service was great as I talked with Mr. Murnighan personally a few times while waiting for the scope. Optics are excellent. Completely togeather when it was shipped. Ordered with a telrad, and cooling fan for primary. Mount(altitude) very smooth,azimuth was slightly stiff(I added teflon and fixed the problem). Compared optics to a few other scopes(including meade and starsplitter), and I feel it met or outperformed them. Love the focuser!
91/2

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
Have had my 10 inch dobsonion from Coulter for 5 years. It has performed flawlessly as far as the optics are concerned and have seen faint objects with beautiful detail. Would rate it as 10 but had to replace mount guides with teflon (easy and cheap) to avoid sticking while moving the scope to track an object. Easy to set up and east to move.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
Is a passable scope which has been improved over the pre-Murnaghan versions
which varied a lot in quality. Optics show a little spherical aberration, but
otherwise perform OK. Lack of a finder means that one has to be purchased, and
this adds to the cost. The focuser could be a little better, as it still can
be hard to use. Bearing surfaces are a little stiff at times. The secondary
spider is a single thick piece of metal, and is way too thick (as well as being
a little off the center line of the optic axis, causing a very noticable and
fairly bright diffraction spike.

Overall Rating: 6
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
1/2 wave optics,undercorrected, rough...

Overall Rating: 1
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
Optics are near-perfect, cost is very low. Builts like a tank. This is not a glitzy "look at my scope" scope, it is a workhorse "look THROUGH my scope" scope.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
low cost, not for beginners, though, with a couple weeks of study, might turn them into observation enthusiasts.

Overall Rating: No Vote
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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
I've owned this scope since 1982. It is indestructible. It performs well despite years of abuse and neglect.
Optics experts have put a Ronchi grating on the mirror and were shocked at the very good (though not excellent) parabaloid. Better than most Coulters.
This scope has been all over the US on camping trips. Hundreds have looked through it at star parties.
I converted a friend's dusty old beginner 60mm refractor into the finder scope.

A reliable old friend.

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
Optics are not that great, but acceptable as a light bucket. The scope is very heavy. I had one of the original Blue Tube versions. Sold it since I ruined my back with it.

Overall Rating: 7
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
Best scope ever. Far better then any refractor

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
A great value, large optics for the price I paid - and yet it calls out to you that it is okay to modify it.

Overall Rating: 8
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
All I have to say is-- HOW ABOUT THAT FOCUSER.

what a piece of crap

The rest of the scope is good. Though and 279 dollars I paid back in 1994 I can't complain. This scope showed me alot of objects while I was a teenager and and now, many moons later I am still inastronomy but I still take that scope out every so offten to retrace my roots

I can't help myself this scope gets a ten b/c it kept in the hobby :O)

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
This scope is a great value for the money! You can see alot of stuff with it. This is the beginning of large aperture scopes. If you can buy one and put it in you car or van do it.!!!

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:7 Mount:4 Ease of Use:9 Value:10
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
Extremey durable. I was lucky to own a 1982 model with very good optics.

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:7 Mount:7 Ease of Use:9 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
I am fortunate to have recently purchased a used 13.1" and the optics are awesome! I recently had the opportunity to use both this scope and a Meade 12" LX200 side by side, and the coulter brought in slightly better views on the DSOs such as M13, M92, M57, etc...... One thing that I will upgrade very soon is the plumbing focuser. I'm planning to use the JMI RCF Low profile 2" focuser. I would highly recommend this scope if you find one in good shape and reasonably priced! It is easily a one person scope to transport and set-up. I have 12mm and 7mm Nagler..also, 21mm Pentax eyepieces that perform exceptionally in this scope!

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Mount:5 Ease of Use:6 Value:9
Weight: 10 (Trustworthy Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=129166 

>I am fortunate to have recently purchased a used 13.1" and the optics are awesome!   I recently had the opportunity to use both this scope and a Meade 12" LX200 side by side, and the coulter brought in slightly better views on the DSOs such as M13, M92, M57, etc......   One thing that I will upgrade very soon is the plumbing focuser.  I'm planning to use the JMI RCF Low profile 2" focuser.  I would highly recommend this scope if you find one in good shape and reasonably priced!  It is easily a one person scope to transport and set-up.   I have 12mm and 7mm Nagler..also, 21mm Pentax eyepieces that perform exceptionally in this scope!

Got to compare the Coulter next to a Discovery 12.5" truss  Scope at a recent star party and I was exceptionally pleased at the Coulter's performance!
Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
I Recently bought this scope, used, from an elderly gentelman. I have used it several times recently, though it is a bit heavy to carry up and down stairs every night. Awesome veiws of Saturn, Jupiter, Moon, Venus, and all deep space objects. Not a scope for any but the most dedicated astronomer, and not for a beginner, unless a very knowledgable one. Built like a tank, so that one person can not carry it alone. It weighs about 100 pounds, so I was only able to carry one part at a time. Good optics, overall a very good scope.

- 'from a dedicated 13-year-old astronomer'
- 'God Bless'

Overall Rating: 8
Optics:8 Mount:5 Ease of Use:5 Value:9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=351962

Coulter 13.1" Dobsonian
Rugged, easy to use, geat light gathering.

Overall Rating: 9
Optics:9 Mount:8 Ease of Use:10 Value:10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=606973

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