[R-390] re: Dangling PTO

[Bill Hawkins]

Desiccants remove moisture down to 30-40% relative humidity.
If your house maintains that, or less than 50% or so, then
you don't need a desiccant.

If your radio stays on all the time, then the PTO can doesn't
"breath" much with changing temperature, and doesn't need a
desiccant.

The common desiccant today is silica gel - beach sand treated 
to have lots of tiny water absorbing pores. Cobalt chloride
(poisonous) is added to show blue for dry and pink for wet.

Calcium chloride was used in the 50's as a desiccant. Father
spread out a five pound bag of it on a few square feet of cloth
over a wash tub to keep the basement dry near Boston, Mass.

Calcium chloride can be regenerated, but it breaks down into
different chemicals if it stays wet. Silica gel can be
regenerated, but after a while the cobalt chloride breaks down
and becomes colorless.

Regards,
Bill Hawkins