[raymo]

I thought that I would add something to this thread that goes against
all the perceived wisdom.I am in my mid 70's, and have had all kinds
of equipment over the last 50+ years. I am long retired, and on a pension, and consequently cannot indulge in $260 inverters, $250
chargers, and $150 batteries, so I make do with what I can afford.
My Corolla's battery was 5yrs old and would not hold it's charge
while I was away for 2 weeks, so I replaced it, and now use the old
one for my scope. It has now powered my HEQ5 PRO GOTO and the
primary and secondary mirror dew heaters for almost 2 yrs. I get two
full night sessions between charges with my $25 2.5amp charger,
and the mount warns me if the voltage drops too low.
I do have a 200w inverter that I bought locally for $59 so that I can
run my laptop as well; but then I only get one night session between charges. My point being that less financially well endowed people
can find a way to run their gear without spending a fortune.
I ran my classic orange tube Celestron C8 off of an inverter for over two yrs.
[I paid $29 for it on ebay; the inverter, not the C8].
Happy viewing
raymo