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#1
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LXD-55 SN-10 internal misting
Viewing from my riverside site has its share of problems with dew, despite
using a dewcap made from closed cell foam. I'm often stuck with a choice between giving up for the night or taking a hair dryer to the corrector plate with subsequent loss of seeing. However, a far worse problem is occasional misting up on the *inside* of the corrector. Anybody else have this problem and solved it? The hair dryer eventually clears this internal misting if applied for long enough, but you can imagine the effect on the seeing. I'm thinking of maybe a 1.25 inch dia. tube containing silica gel that fits into the eyepiece tube when the telescope is not in use. Is such a device available, or has anybody made one? I have access to some very dry air (SCUBA diving cylinders) would it help to purge out the air from the OTA? Obviously, I would need to drastically reduce pressure/flow from the 3,500 psi air in the cylinder. Wouldn't want to blow dust into the OTA. Also, wouldn't want an exploding OTA... At the end of some nights everything is wet, OTA, finder, Telrad, me, eyepieces. Should I be concerned about longer term degradation/damage? How should I put it away to minimise potential damage? Thanks for any suggestions. BTW, Mars was excellent last night here in Mid Wales near Welshpool. Clouds cleared around midnight and atmospheric boiling slowly subsided as it climbed higher, despite viewing it over the roof of our house. Sporadic good views until 01:30 when the whole sky became murky within minutes. This was not cloud drifting in, the murk covered the whole sky simultaneously. I think it was fog a few hundred feet up because I could see distinct patches of light above the local street lamps. Sally |
#2
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LXD-55 SN-10 internal misting
I make silica gel driers for my 'scopes by drilling some holes in the bottom
of a 35mm film canister, put in the silica gel bag and replace the cap. This is then a perfect fit in a 1.25" eyepiece tube. I leave it in the 'scope while it is stored. hth Mark "Sally" wrote in message ... Viewing from my riverside site has its share of problems with dew, despite using a dewcap made from closed cell foam. I'm often stuck with a choice between giving up for the night or taking a hair dryer to the corrector plate with subsequent loss of seeing. However, a far worse problem is occasional misting up on the *inside* of the corrector. Anybody else have this problem and solved it? The hair dryer eventually clears this internal misting if applied for long enough, but you can imagine the effect on the seeing. I'm thinking of maybe a 1.25 inch dia. tube containing silica gel that fits into the eyepiece tube when the telescope is not in use. Is such a device available, or has anybody made one? I have access to some very dry air (SCUBA diving cylinders) would it help to purge out the air from the OTA? Obviously, I would need to drastically reduce pressure/flow from the 3,500 psi air in the cylinder. Wouldn't want to blow dust into the OTA. Also, wouldn't want an exploding OTA... At the end of some nights everything is wet, OTA, finder, Telrad, me, eyepieces. Should I be concerned about longer term degradation/damage? How should I put it away to minimise potential damage? Thanks for any suggestions. |
#3
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LXD-55 SN-10 internal misting
I make silica gel driers for my 'scopes by drilling some holes in the bottom
of a 35mm film canister, put in the silica gel bag and replace the cap. This is then a perfect fit in a 1.25" eyepiece tube. I leave it in the 'scope while it is stored. hth Mark "Sally" wrote in message ... Viewing from my riverside site has its share of problems with dew, despite using a dewcap made from closed cell foam. I'm often stuck with a choice between giving up for the night or taking a hair dryer to the corrector plate with subsequent loss of seeing. However, a far worse problem is occasional misting up on the *inside* of the corrector. Anybody else have this problem and solved it? The hair dryer eventually clears this internal misting if applied for long enough, but you can imagine the effect on the seeing. I'm thinking of maybe a 1.25 inch dia. tube containing silica gel that fits into the eyepiece tube when the telescope is not in use. Is such a device available, or has anybody made one? I have access to some very dry air (SCUBA diving cylinders) would it help to purge out the air from the OTA? Obviously, I would need to drastically reduce pressure/flow from the 3,500 psi air in the cylinder. Wouldn't want to blow dust into the OTA. Also, wouldn't want an exploding OTA... At the end of some nights everything is wet, OTA, finder, Telrad, me, eyepieces. Should I be concerned about longer term degradation/damage? How should I put it away to minimise potential damage? Thanks for any suggestions. |
#4
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LXD-55 SN-10 internal misting
"Mark Crossley" mark .dot. crossley .at. dsl .dot. pipex .dot. com wrote
in message ... I make silica gel driers for my 'scopes by drilling some holes in the bottom of a 35mm film canister, put in the silica gel bag and replace the cap. This is then a perfect fit in a 1.25" eyepiece tube. I leave it in the 'scope while it is stored. Thanks for the suggestion Mark, I shall do something similar. Also working on a dew heater. Sally |
#5
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LXD-55 SN-10 internal misting
"Mark Crossley" mark .dot. crossley .at. dsl .dot. pipex .dot. com wrote
in message ... I make silica gel driers for my 'scopes by drilling some holes in the bottom of a 35mm film canister, put in the silica gel bag and replace the cap. This is then a perfect fit in a 1.25" eyepiece tube. I leave it in the 'scope while it is stored. Thanks for the suggestion Mark, I shall do something similar. Also working on a dew heater. Sally |
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