Dew Control

[poppasmurf 267]

I have ordered some dew control at last. When the gear gets here and I have had a chance to use it I'll do a quick review. The gear ordered is Thousand Oaks 4 channel dew controller (http://www.myastroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-078B, a power supply (http://www.myastroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-096F) and a dew strap from a new range out from Prostar (http://www.myastroshop.com.au/products/details.asp?id=MAS-078A3). The dew straps have a nice little feature, they can be used straight from a 12V power supply and have their own independant power adjustment, or from a controller like the Thousand Oaks one or similar. I will still need to get a secondary heater for the RC at some point.

 

Shane

[Radar 400]

19 hours ago, poppasmurf said:

The dew straps have a nice little feature, they can be used straight from a 12V power supply and have their own independant power adjustment,

That's handy. 

Ray

[poppasmurf 267]

The new gear arrived today, along with the bloody rain. I had hoped that I would be able to get it all hooked up during this full moon phase to test it out but not to be, maybe before the moon buggers off for some DSO imaging I hope.

First impressions, all appear well made, the dew strap has a stretchable velcro strap for attachment with about 40mm stretch which is more than I need for the guide scope but should fit and hold well.

The controller is supplied with plugs for unused ports that fit very solid and take some effort to remove which I like as that should keep any moisture out, also has a quite long cord for power is another thing I like.

As for the power supply, reasonable length on the input and output leads and also has a fan for cooling that I wasn't expecting to see on a budget unit.

With luck the rain and cloud won't hang around too long so I can try it all out, I should be able to at least get things attached and leads routed in the next day or so.

 

Shane

[poppasmurf 267]

First night out and trying the strap out using only the power supply lead with adjuster. Luckily I have the original mount power lead with the 3.5mm jack and cigarette plug to go into the power supply I purchased as I will need to get a longer RCA lead made to reach the controller. It is a rather heavy dew here at the moment and the dew strap is keeping the guide scope wonderfully clear or I would already be done after about 90 minutes imaging. I am rather impressed and quite happy with the budget Prostar strap, without the included lead with independant power control I would definately be buggered. I reccommend them as an alternative to more expensive brands without hesitation. I would say the only down side is the lack of length of the RCA lead, as it is too short to reach the controller which is to be mounted on the pier. I emailed Steve about this as a bit of feedback.

 

Shane