Geiger counter

[John Connor]

Anyone can tell me if this is any good besides the ratings on ebay?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MEDCOM-RADA...419108?hash=item3d1b068ca4:g:xX0AAOSwHQ9WVLsx

I like it because it detects Alpha as well has Gamma and X-ray. But wouldn't there be a way to select that mode?

Here's the manual. https://medcom.com/downloads/Radalert_50_manual.pdf

 

[IronWing]

I like it because it detects Alpha as well has Gamma and X-ray. But wouldn't there be a way to select that mode?

From the manual:

To check an object, put the Radalert 50
next to it. The end window should be facing
and close to the object; otherwise you
may miss alpha and low-level beta radiation.
If you want to find out if an object is
slightly radioactive, place the Radalert 50 next to
it and take an accumulated count over an
appropriate period of time.

When you are not using the end
window, hold the Radalert 50 so
that the side wall of the tube is as
close as possible to the object. The
best position is with the top right
of the back of the Radalert 50 closest
to the object. The illustration at
the right shows the position of the
Geiger tube in the Radalert 50.

So if you want to measure alpha, point the screened window toward the object being measured. If you want just beta/gamma, then hold the side of the instrument toward the object. You will lose some sensitivity when not measuring through the window.

 

[PianoMan]

What Iron said. Alpha (and low level beta) won't make it thru the instrument casing into the detector inside. So the "mode" switch is simply pointing the screened window at the source.

If you want to get "super-accurate" (hah! tongue-in-cheek) - take an alpha reading with the window pointed to your radioactive object, and then subtract the reading from when it isn't pointed towards. You'll factor out the cosmic radiation in the background.

 

[John Connor]

Thanks all! I kinda figured that after I dug the manual up.

 

[BrainEater]

I am the Radiation Safety Officer for my company .
My advice to you is don't buy cheap garbage offa ebay , if you need it to do it's job.
This is one case where you should not mess around.I'm not allowed to use any old counter , I need certified , regulated units.
You should too.

 

[John Connor]

They may be true...but I'm not made of money. I reckon this counter works pretty good based on the reviews and its price before it went off the market. I will buy a test sample off Amazon as well to make sure it's within that range.

 

[Ronshere]

Yes, it is very good. Actually it has the identical Geiger-Mueller detector (LND712) as the newer Radalert 100X. It just has lower range scale readings. You might be interested to know that the New York city Fire Department purchased 500 of them in 2011 to use for monitoring. For the price on Ebay, it's an incredible bargain.
Check out a guy called antiprotons on Youtube to learn more about Geiger counters and radiation.
You can get the manual with specs at https://medcom.com/support/manuals/

 

[Raizinman]

I own one of the older older ones (1965 version) that does the beep, beep, beep. It's in my man cave just for fun and nostalgia. It takes four 'D' batteries. A great conversation piece. I don't really care if it works or not, just as long as it continues to do the beep, beep, beep.