CamoSutra
New Member
Much as I love and trust the Caliber IV digital hygrometers (I now own six, plus an older Caliber III), I'm thinking about switching to a remote-reading system that will let me monitor my humidors without actually raising the lid and looking inside.
What I want is a single master unit that works with a minimum of four really small remotes. The remotes need to be small because at least three will be going into desktop humidors where space is at a premium. In the past I used digital hygros from Radio Shack and Oregon Scientific that worked well in coolerdors, but the sensors were so large that they displaced at least three or four cigars -- not a problem in a space large enough to hold several boxes and bundles, but a real concern in 50- and 100-stick desktops.
I've seen the Xikar, and I know some of you use it. While the remote sensor would take too much space in the bottom of a humidor where the humidity is generally lowest, it might work mounted to the lid. But I understand the master unit can accommodate only three remotes, and I don't know if it also includes its own sensor for ambient relative humidity.
Acu-Rite makes various models that use fairly small remote sensors, about the size of two cigars placed side-by-side. (I have one that I use now to monitor temp and RH on my patio from the living room; it doesn't have to be overly accurate, just enough to give me a general idea of conditions outside.) This size is marginally acceptable, but I don't know how precise the remotes are -- and they don't have their own built-in readouts, so I'd always have to check the master unit even when I'm actually inside the humidors ... which may be in another room. Nor do I know if Acu-Rite has a model that can work with four or more remotes. (The Radio Shack and Oregon Scientific units were limited to three remote channels, plus the master's own sensor.)
Range isn't a major consideration. The humidors will always be within 20 to 30 feet of my desk, where the master unit will reside, and there are no large metal obstructions to block the signals.
Ideally the individual remotes can be separately calibrated and their readings adjusted, so I don't have to keep track of how many points to add or subtract from each one; I would really like the readout to be WYSIWYG as i scan through the individual remote channels.
Do any of you have or know of anything that might meet my requirements or at least come close?
As for the Caliber IVs, they won't go to waste. I already have three traveldors (one five-stick, two fifteen-stick capacity) that I use both when traveling and as temporary "overflow" storage, and I can press tupperdors and ziplock baggies into service as necessary, so the Caliber IVs will continue to get use no matter how many other 'dors I am using. They might also be used to monitor RH at the top of my humidors, to show the difference between top and bottom (where the remotes will be). I might even offer them, free, to fellow BOTLs here, if I find I no longer need them -- fresh batteries included, of course.
What I want is a single master unit that works with a minimum of four really small remotes. The remotes need to be small because at least three will be going into desktop humidors where space is at a premium. In the past I used digital hygros from Radio Shack and Oregon Scientific that worked well in coolerdors, but the sensors were so large that they displaced at least three or four cigars -- not a problem in a space large enough to hold several boxes and bundles, but a real concern in 50- and 100-stick desktops.
I've seen the Xikar, and I know some of you use it. While the remote sensor would take too much space in the bottom of a humidor where the humidity is generally lowest, it might work mounted to the lid. But I understand the master unit can accommodate only three remotes, and I don't know if it also includes its own sensor for ambient relative humidity.
Acu-Rite makes various models that use fairly small remote sensors, about the size of two cigars placed side-by-side. (I have one that I use now to monitor temp and RH on my patio from the living room; it doesn't have to be overly accurate, just enough to give me a general idea of conditions outside.) This size is marginally acceptable, but I don't know how precise the remotes are -- and they don't have their own built-in readouts, so I'd always have to check the master unit even when I'm actually inside the humidors ... which may be in another room. Nor do I know if Acu-Rite has a model that can work with four or more remotes. (The Radio Shack and Oregon Scientific units were limited to three remote channels, plus the master's own sensor.)
Range isn't a major consideration. The humidors will always be within 20 to 30 feet of my desk, where the master unit will reside, and there are no large metal obstructions to block the signals.
Ideally the individual remotes can be separately calibrated and their readings adjusted, so I don't have to keep track of how many points to add or subtract from each one; I would really like the readout to be WYSIWYG as i scan through the individual remote channels.
Do any of you have or know of anything that might meet my requirements or at least come close?
As for the Caliber IVs, they won't go to waste. I already have three traveldors (one five-stick, two fifteen-stick capacity) that I use both when traveling and as temporary "overflow" storage, and I can press tupperdors and ziplock baggies into service as necessary, so the Caliber IVs will continue to get use no matter how many other 'dors I am using. They might also be used to monitor RH at the top of my humidors, to show the difference between top and bottom (where the remotes will be). I might even offer them, free, to fellow BOTLs here, if I find I no longer need them -- fresh batteries included, of course.
These things are pretty neat. Its really nice to not have to open the lid every time you want to check the RH, however, as you've already mentioned, the remote sensor is rather large. I will probably remove it once I fill out my humidor a bit more. Who knows, I may even try the xikar model if its actually smaller.