I have never had relay problems as long as I maintained at least 12v at the
relay coils however I did have potentiometers that didn't like cold weather
when I lived in Chicago. My dad was in the HVAC business and he purchased
very small Ogden silicone heaters with a built in thermostat for me. The
heater only came on when it was below a certain temperature, if I recall -
40° . They had adhesive on one side and I stuck them inside the small
rotator housings. This completely eliminated all frozen pot issues.
Silicone heaters are a available in various sizes and wattages and are great
for enclosures.
John KK9A/4
From: Patrick Barkey N9RV wrote:
I have a lot of relays in this station, and many are outdoors (in
enclosures). Over the last few years it has become apparent that the
occasional super cold nights are making some of them flakey. They stick --
if I go out with a hairdryer I can free them up.
These are enclosed relays.
I am wondering if anyone has ever tried using heat tape for this kind of
application? I could just flip it on when I needed it. Most heat tape I
see is for water pipes and is 6 feet long or so. I could try to use this,
but what I really need is something smaller and possibly flatter.
Any ideas? Thanks.
- Pat
N9RV
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