Geiger Counters

I hope this is the right place for this thread?

Any way - I was hoping the community would help me. I am going to purchase a Geiger counter. I was hoping someone here would be able to recommend something to me. I have looked over various web sites, and I am befuddled by all the choice.

I want something which I can check food with. Also - I would like to be able to measure the background radiation, and monitor for any changes. My preference if for a hand held model, not one with an external Geiger tube.

Up to a budget of say $400 US

Any one able to help?

Thanks!

I would vo for the "Inspector" with an external probe, but us over both our budgets at the range of 1000,00 $....

reply to post by nothingwrong


no offence - but if you cannot pick which of the many units availiable is sutible for your intended purpose , by reading the specifications - then - even if told which one you need - you will not be capable of analysing the results correctly

reply to post by nothingwrong


I would recommend learning about the different KINDS of "Radiation" before making any investment.

What's the hazards of Alpha versus Beta, or X-Ray?

What's the most common hazard?

You could very well get a detector that is sensitive to X-Ray and Gamma, but still be left completely in the dark about something that if ingested could kill you in one of the worst most lingering and horrible ways imaginable.

Common guys.....
Everybody needs to start somewhere,
ISNT' T that what forums are for?

Quit this negative ATS plague of hostility.
Get a look at you guys by stepping just a couple of steps back....

Anyhow, some positive contribution on my behalf below...:
www.youtube.com...

and i raise you with:
www.youtube.com...

Be well,
be good,
Happy and safe 2014,
George.

I have experience using geiger counters professionally, and I can offer some non-technical advice about checking food for radiological contamination.

You can get by with the cheapest geiger counters available using nothing but an audible "click" response if you need to. Occasional clicking won't mean anything when the device is operating, as background radiation can change significantly due to what the breeze carries in completely safe environments. Obviously contaminated food that may hurt you will cause the geiger counter to make a buzzing sound when you place the geiger counter's sensor nearly in contact with it. The intensity of this buzzing will indicate how contaminated that food or liquid is.

Anything with a digital readout will give you a more precise comparison. Devices that read out in CPM (counts per minute) simply count those clicks for you and average them out on a per-minute basis.

If you have no idea how geiger counters work and need to use them for survival scenarios, there is no reason to get into radiation theory at all. Excessive clicking sounds or CPM measured are bad, so eat the things that cause your counter to click the least as compared to the average amount of clicks it gets normally when it isn't near anything (called "background count", everything that emits any radiation will be above this base level)

I use radiation detectors on the job at the Puget Shipyard. A battery powered low level radiac equipped with a beta window is going to be your best bet. No matter what you get you will need a check source and access to a calibration facility or else you will be wasting your money. You need to be able to detect gammas and betas. It should have a minimum sensitivity of no more than 1000 pico-curies/minute (37 becquerels/minute). Since the beta probe is delicate, you will need a way to have it replaced periodically.

Ranb

There are radiation detectors that plug into an I-phone.
There are gamma ray detectors that come in an electronics kit.
There are single use dose indicators that come in multiples and may be more affordable or more suitable in some cases.
Look into sites that cater to prospectors and prospecting as they use them for some searches.
The range of devices and uses is pretty big so do some self study and try to narrow down what type of radiation you want to detect.
You might find something very simple and inexpensive suits your needs.
Half the fun of this kind of stuff is the research.

I got mine from here for about thirty five bucks. gsaauctions.gov... There is a radiation meter on there now, but I don't know what it it. It seems big. Maybe it is something from an airport or something.

I have several detectors. After Fukushima I decided that I was going to design consumer grade systems specifically for measuring elevated amounts of radioactive materials in food. Unfortunately I'm still designing because it is not as straight forward as holding a detector against a product at the store or at home. Sure, if somebody sprinkled powdered corium on the veggies before they were shipped you will detect it with a regular hand held device, but that doesn't eliminate the dangers.

To be truly sure that no foreign radioactive material exists in a food product the food has to be properly processed to some degree and specialized, differentially corrected detectors have to be used inside a controlled environment (which among other things includes huge amounts of lead shielding) for a prolonged sampling period. Even then you are only certifying the sample, not the rest of the product.

That being said, I carry one of my detectors to the grocery store more often than not and set it in the basket while I'm shopping. I feel better emotionally, but the scientist in me is only doing it to spread awareness.

Hey, I don't know but I just heard they found out what was killing those Bald Eagle's, on the coast. Now Is found out to have also been, occurring in other part's of the USA.
But any how it is not suppose to be the Radiation that is killing those Eagles.T

They are saying that real reason these Eagle's are keeling over, it is really embarrassment. It seems the Eagle's can't look anyone in the face, anymore without putting it's head down. I guess they are just crashing into things.

I don't know but I heard a lot of them are dyeing there feather on their head, a darker color. Then just flying to Argentina, to try and start over.

Carp, I just remembered the Eagle's don't have feather's on their head, yea their bald, so that part must be a lie.

reply to post by OOOOOO


I wonder if you are going to remember posting that when you sober up tomorrow. Are you still at the new years party or did you make it home safe already?

Thank you so much to the helpful people who have replied.

I don't know why the ignorant ones bothered to waste there time? Have they not heard about learning as you go? I am capable of learning - and this post is a first step!

I have seen all sorts of counters, including kits you can purchase and build yourself. Also, ebay has some sources you can purchase to test and calibrate, but I don't know if they are reliable.

My initial theory was to get one of the hand held models which claims to test for Alpha, Beta, Gamma and X-ray.

I would then take daily measurements of background around my home onto a data logger on my laptop, and keep a record of my results. This way over time I can build up an idea of what is 'normal' for my area. This would then make any anomalies apparent should they occur.

As for food, I was thinking about fish, to be honest. I live on the West coast of Australia at the moment, so I don't expect any local fish to be problematic. But I sort of had an idea that - just as an example - I would be able to test tins of tuna to see if they were emitting more than just background levels. Again, I am trying to avoid Pacific fish any way, but I just thought this would A) be interesting and B) give me some peace of mind. Perhaps that isn't very scientific of me? LOL

Many thanks for the resources. Keep them coming. (The insults I can do with less of, but thanks for playing)

reply to post by nothingwrong


I'm in learning mode on this too. I live on the west coast of California. I want to check the Alaskan salmon.

So far, it looks mostly pointless without test labs. Cs 137 decays slowly so it's near impossible to detect the real threat from fuku. In other words it won't add much to CPM readings unless it's concentrated. I'm still going forward and getting one of the beta/gamma/x detectors.

Really tough to tell if the fish is depositing cs137 in your body or not. Something really shedding betas and giving high CPM's is prolly a more short lived isotope like iodine or something else.

IMO, the biggest amount of time should be establishing good baselines and a consistent measurement method. Get a physical note book.

I'm looking at this : Radex Model RD1503
or this: GQ GMC-320

still reading...

reply to post by InverseLookingGlass


Thanks for the info.

I have been considering the Radalrt 100 from this site www.geigercounters.com...

The models you have posted about are much less expensive though, so I will have a good read about those.

(Although I don't like the idea of an internal rechargeable battery on the GMC - This would put it out of commission for long periods whist it is charging.)

This was intersting too blog.modernmechanix.com...

reply to post by nothingwrong


I have a GQ GMC-320. It has a standard rechargeable 9 volt battery so you can just put a regular alkaline in. You need a screwdriver for that though. It charges through the USB port so charging is slow but it lasts all day.

There is nothing fancy about the unit but it does the job and I certainly am not disappointed in it. Really, my only complaint is that you cannot disable the clicking without disabling the alarm. It would be nice if you didn't have to listen to the clicking all the time but still have it alarm when your preset is reached.

Keep in mind that it is not an Alpha detector. You can replace the tube with a cheapy that also does alpha from Electronic Goldmine though. Doesn't hurt to have a spare tube kicking around anyway.

Let me know if you want anything demoed on it.

www.canberra.com...

You need a well detector And a deep underground location, and an ancient lead castle, and a wax castle. Done, you can then see trace levels of everything giving you gammas

Not so hot for anything else however.


It is an interesting long term experiment to take radiation level measurements.

This isn't negativity, it is simply experience. Objects around you have generally quite low levels of radiation a fish for example if you ran a geiger counter over it, could have 100x normal levels of radiation in the fish and it would not really register as anything unusual. This is because the sample size is very low as has already been hinted on.

A geiger counter also just gives you a counts above threshold measurement, it tells you nothing of the energy or type, but that is fine, for most purposes it is very easy to use a shielding kit to give you an idea of what type of radiation it is.

On a source for calibration or at least a "is this working" test. You can make one from a fire alarm, usually its an Americium source, will give you a few low energy gammas and two high energy alphas. I however do NOT advise playing around dismantling things. IF you choose to do so you do so at your own risk. Im not responsible for getting Americium all over the place if you or anyone else decides to take matters into their own hands

I will rather keep the discussion down to earth and be a bit practical for the OP.

One of the devices i like that falls within your budget is the one on the link below.

I must stress though that i do not have personal experience with it.

It is just an instrument i am quite fond of after "The Inspector" and i am seriously considering myself.

Soeks

by the way i will also add a link for my no1 choice....

Inspector EXP


These are really my top two options at the moment.

If i want to get fancy and messy i might as well buy an analog soviet era military instrument and go ahead refurbishing it/upgrading it as well as sending it out for calibration....

But i rather keep with a modern and factory calibrated instrument.

If you win the lottery i then have a few more choices for you

Please bear in mind that i am by no means an expert.
Just someone educated that thinks in a similar fashion like you and has done some basic research.

reply to post by GEORGETHEGREEK


Thanks for that input. That SOEKS one doesn't say what type of radiation it will measure, but the unit dose look very functional.
The other specs are great though.

reply to post by nothingwrong


Glad to be of service.
I just gave you a couple of links for initial reference.

Please refer to the SOEKS official website for further and official specifications.

Maybe you will find what you look for there.

I have also seen a couple of interesting youtube videos on the device.