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Old 24-03-2018, 07:18 PM   #1
mattjstar1
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Default Solarmeter radiometer

Ok guys does anybody have this solarmeter in thinking on buying one is it worth the money whats your thoughts ? it would be good to know when uv out put gets less from our lights right...
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Old 25-03-2018, 02:20 AM   #2
Ozric Jonathan
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Yep I've got one! There is more than one type and it's worth getting to grips with what the different ones do but I've got that one in your photo Matt and I think that's the one to get.

It's a heap of cash and no mistake. But, apart from using it to see exactly what uvb your gadgets are producing you can use it to see what's happening outside. At some times of year after 4pm there is hardly any uvb even when it's very sunny which seems surprising. And up here in the north west of scotland we get really high uvb in May around noon if the sky is clear. More uv than in the Med countries and with a lot less heat. That explains the pink lobsters in my local park after a day of decent weather.

Another use of a solarmeter is to see what uvb is getting through any material. So you can quickly see that ZERO uvb is getting through that greenhouse glass no matter how sunny it is. Unless it's specialised material e.g. Lumisol or Alltop there isn't uvb in a coldframe either.

So my opinion is yes it's worth it, if you're interested in these things and want to know for sure what your gadgets are producing. Instead of guessing. The reason it's so expensive is that it's a proper scientific instrument. But it's very easy to use.
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Old 25-03-2018, 07:33 AM   #3
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That's a lot of money for something that you pretty much know the answer to already. I use tubes for any torts inside as they obviously won't get any access to uv and for this reason I change them once a year so I recon I could get nine tubes for the price of that thing.
As for torts that are out I really don't worry as they regulate their own uv even though they are in a greenhouse they go outside.
In the wild they will spend a lot of time hiding down holes or under bushes so won't get that much throughout the day.
Also what uv are they getting when hibernating????
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Old 25-03-2018, 09:06 AM   #4
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That's a lot of money for something that you pretty much know the answer to already. I use tubes for any torts inside as they obviously won't get any access to uv and for this reason I change them once a year so I recon I could get nine tubes for the price of that thing.
As for torts that are out I really don't worry as they regulate their own uv even though they are in a greenhouse they go outside.
In the wild they will spend a lot of time hiding down holes or under bushes so won't get that much throughout the day.
Also what uv are they getting when hibernating????
I agree totally Gordon:0)
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Old 25-03-2018, 09:20 AM   #5
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Thats a very good answer gordon makes a lot of sense in what you say you've made my mind up on that cheers
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Old 25-03-2018, 11:15 AM   #6
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Granted good quality tubes are reliable nowadays. Many mvb lamps are not and a lot of them are still getting used when they are not producing any uv at all.

I didn't say it was essential. It's worth it if you're interested in this type of thing.
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Old 25-03-2018, 01:03 PM   #7
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Granted good quality tubes are reliable nowadays. Many mvb lamps are not and a lot of them are still getting used when they are not producing any uv at all.

I didn't say it was essential. It's worth it if you're interested in this type of thing.
Totally agree Jonathan and if I had the money to spend on one I possibly might be tempted but I can just see it being put in a draw after the initial test everything phase and it would never see the uv of day again
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Old 25-03-2018, 11:20 PM   #8
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I was lucky and brought one second hand from Chris.

Out of interest Jon, what readings are you getting from the 24watt compacts? I'm getting low readings from brand new bulbs. Does it take a few days for it to build? Or is it as I'd imagined, strongest on day one?
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Old 26-03-2018, 12:40 AM   #9
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Hi Lynn.. The 24 watt Arcadia flood? I use this over babies and not very high up. Can't remember how high, but a lot lower than I do for its big brother the 54 watt. I'd say it should work well right out of the box. I haven't found it lacking but I do set it quite low down.
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