Supplying
the science hobbyist, industry, government, schools & universities since
1998.
"We
specialize in small orders"
Radiation Detection
A wide variety of
radiation detection instruments can be obtained from surplus shops,
on-line auctions, etc. Unfortunately most of what's being sold is useless junk.
The phrase "buyer beware" certainly applies here.
The information contained here will give you a basic background in radiation
detection equipment,
as well as some technical information (schematics, etc.) for the more
experienced.
If you're interested in buying some detection equipment,
the following will let you know what to look for, and what to avoid.
There are
common types of radiation detectors you'll typically run into.
They are: Survey
Meters,
Geiger Counters
and Scintillators.
We'll have a look at each one and compare them all...
A Typical Survey Meter
What
you see
above
is a Survey Meter.
Notice it does not have a detachable probe that is wired to the main unit
These devices are available for anywhere from $15.00 to $30.00, and usually are
just pieces of crap.
What
you see
below is a
real Geiger Counter.
An actual Geiger Counter
Survey
Meters
Survey Meters are frequently called "Geiger Counters" (which they are
not) and sold to unsuspecting
people who are interested in having some fun prospecting for Uranium, or
checking out low level
radioactive sources around the house like smoke detectors, etc.
Unfortunately, as you can see above, they both LOOK similar to the untrained
eye.
Quite simply, Survey
Meters cannot detect common sources of radiation... and they're not meant to.
Survey Meters can only detect very HIGH and dangerous levels of radiation. There
is nothing that you can
buy or find that would ever make the needle on these things move even the
slightest bit.
They are NOT Geiger Counters. Geiger Counters are over 1,000 times more
sensitive than Survey Meters.
If you're ever able to get a needle to move on a Survey Meter, leave the
area.... your life is in danger.
They are specifically for radiological disasters like nuclear power plant
melt-downs, or monitoring areas
around nuclear bomb explosions. Events that release tremendous amounts of
radiation.
Now, to be fair, if what you're looking for is something for your fallout
shelter to let you know when it's safe to
go outside after an atomic blast, a Survey Meter is exactly what you're looking
for. The only problem is that
99% of these things are never even close to calibration. This means that the
meter may register next to
nothing in an intense & deadly radiation field, or may indicate high levels
when there are none.
If a Survey Meter is truly what you're looking for, expect to pay about $200 for
a calibrated, functioning
unit. If you're interested in obtaining one, email
us and we'll direct you to units we know are professionally
maintained & calibrated.
If what you're actually looking for is a more sensitive unit that will detect
background radiation, Uranium
ore, and other common sources of low level radiation, what you need is a Geiger
Counter or Scintillator.
We sell a variety of top quality, genuine Geiger Counters that can be found here.
The dead give-away on how sensitive radiation detection equipment is, is the
meter face itself.
Notice the
meter face on a Survey Meter. It is in r/hr
( roentgens per hour ).
r/hr
( roentgens per hour ) is a measure of very high level radiation.
Meters on
Geiger Counters
measure in mr/hr
( milliroetgens per hour ) or in CPM
( Counts Per Minute ).
These measurements are very low levels of radiation.
Simply stated, equipment that measures in r/hr
( roentgens per hour ) will only detect intense levels of
radiation, and equipment that measures in mr/hr
( milliroetgens per hour ) or in CPM
( Counts Per Minute )
will detect very low levels of radiation.
Typical
meter faces on true Geiger Counters.
Geiger Counters
Typical Geiger Counters.
Scintillators
One type of common Scintillator. These are actually a bit dated (from the 1950s) but they are quite popular.
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