Setting up AP rig near the coast/saltwater

[pbmazda32]

Hello All,

 

1st post here on Stargazers lounge. Question for any off you all imaging near a coast line. Next month I will have the RV parked on the east coast of Florida near Sebastian Inlet. The salt in the air there seems excessively high to me. Seems like all the metal outside gets a film of surface rust on it pretty quick. I'm hesitant to set my AP rig outside and I don't know if I should be concerned or not. During the night it will be imaging and during the day it will be under one of those 365 telescope covers. 

 

I would just leave the equipment packed up for the month but, I haven't got but a handful of hours imaging the last several months due to never ending cloud cover. So if I can get some imaging time, I would like too, but not at the cost of damaging equipment. What do you all think? I know most of the equipment is either aluminum or plastic or glass, but then there's the circuit boards inside the electronics, cable connections, etc.

[JOC]

How about putting as much as you can into IP66 waterproof boxes like you can get for outdoor lighting displays - not hugely costly.  Plastic bags taped over and around kit might help.  Also, you could consider layers of cling film over surfaces and, provided you don't drop bits through making them slick, a light smearing of vaseline or spray of PTFE on some surfaces probably won't hurt - try somewhere inconspicuous first.  You could also stick a pop up 'toilet tent' over it all when not in use with a dehumidifying box inside it too - that would just quickly lift off when you wanted to use it

[pbmazda32]

Some good ideas JOC, thank you. sounds like some saran wrap to the rescue.