Heater straps for dew control

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Mariner
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Heater straps for dew control

Post by Mariner »

I think these are probably not needed if the session is short but I suppose it is something that requires attention when observing through the night, especially in wet areas.

A quick question, given that a 10" strap (Length: 96.5cm, Watts: 17.8, Voltage: 12v, Amperage: 1.49) cost less than a 9" strap (Length: 838mm, Watts: 14.0, Voltage: 15.5v, Amperage: 1.30) by just under US$2, does it make sense to get the 10" one for a C9.25?
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Re: Heater straps for dew control

Post by Airconvent »

You don't need that warm in Singapore and Malaysia, so its best to have a lower powered one to conserve battery life. But odd that the 9" strap uses 15.5V which is not standard. If you use a standard 12V battery, the power would be lower than 14W which I presume would till be usable. I previously built a home made one which dissipated less than 3W which IMHO was a little too low for my Nexstar 8. 4W-5W would have been better but my battery would not have lasted till morning! :)
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Re: Heater straps for dew control

Post by cloud_cover »

I personally use a few hot packs from Daiso around my 4" refractor. Just one below the tube is enough for a whole night. Might be a viable alternative option? :)
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Re: Heater straps for dew control

Post by Airconvent »

I used to use adhesive heat packs too. But as I do not use it often, most of them ended up expired in the storeroom. For goto scopes where you are using a gel battery pack, the heater strap makes more sense. :)
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Re: Heater straps for dew control

Post by Mariner »

Well, considering the 2 options available, I guess it makes more sense to get the 9" ver since it draws less power?

Have encountered dewing in cold / wet conditions before many years ago even with a small refractor so since they having a small sale on the system, I thought I'd just go ahead and get a set as standby.
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