Geiger Counter Recommendation

[IkemenTommy]

Sorry if this topic has already been discussed before but I am asking for anyone's experiences and expertise with portable hand-held Geiger counters available on the market. As a safety precaution in midst of the recent events, the company HQ is now mandating our office to measure potential radiation contamination on all goods transported to destinations outside of Japan.

Specifically, I am looking for a portable GM tube specification with a reading (I assume most are digital now) sensitive to beta particles and gamma rays. PC link is a great option, but not needed. Likewise, it does not have to comply with FCC-15 for radio interference, but I will consider it as a plus.

The company is also looking for safety-approval seals, most likely ISO approved, for indicating that the goods are within the safe radiation limits which can be pasted on the boxes and containers for shipment. Worst case, if such a thing cannot be found, we will have to improvise the old fashion way by DIY printing them out.

I am very certain that whatever is available in Japan is already sold out so I am open to what is available outside of Japan via international shipment.

Thanks in advance.

[cstaylor]

They're sold out in the U.S. as far as I know too. I have a Blackcat GM-45, but it's not portable (it needs to be connected to a PC), and its more of a hobbyist device than an inventory scanner.

Maybe you can ask the guys at Tokyo Radiation Levels group where they got their scanner? http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tokyo-Radiation-Levels/196845207013685

[Coligny]

We need a sticky on which radiation to keep an eye on and at which level.

And a sticky for model available with their spec as well as reliable sellers.

For example this one looks cool:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150465354420#vi-content
But the wording of the description scream "run away"

[Greji]

portable hand-held Geiger counters

Don't have the foggiest Tommy. I have put the word out to some of our vendors and will let you know what I get back.

PS: If it will help, I can loan you the tachometer I have wired to my Johnson......

[IkemenTommy]

Thanks all for the insight and Greji for lending his personal pitometer. Maybe I you can use it for a beer cup holder at our next drink session:cool:

I liked Digilert100 that was used in CSTaylor's link but unfortunately the stock was unavailable. I did some research on my own and ran into an informative site with a ranking and brief reviews. Based on the rating.. which I thought was impartial because the number 1 rated GM happened to be one of the main sponsors but nonetheless.. I liked the Gamma Scout detector.

Our #1 Pick is the Gamma-Scout® Alert - Radiation Detector

Weighing a trim 6 ounces, it's surprisingly light and compact, roughly 6" x 2.5". But what really impressed us was the rich functionality. While other Geiger counters offer basic radiation detection and maybe some audio enhancements, the Gamma-Scout® Geiger counter comes loaded with numerous standard features.

A large display and 10-button control panel displays measured radiation 3-ways: as dosage rate, as counts per second, and as cumulative counts. The readout is both analog and digital, switchable between µSv/h and mRems/hr and includes a nifty analog scale that shows maximum allowable human exposure per dosage level.

The unit measures all 4 types of radiation, alpha, beta, gamma, and x-rays. And, with sensitivity from very low range (atmospheric) to high (1000 uSv/hr) you're covered for all likely exposure scenarious up to an including a visit to the Chernobyl reactor, which by the way, is fatal.

In addition to all that, it has a built-in clock/calendar plus data memory with logging function. You can punch in time, date, and sample interval, and then download the readings via USB 2.0 for analysis and display on your PC. And, of course there 's an audible ticker function, plus a set-and-forget alert feature to warn when radiation exceeds a user-specified limit.

Eurami Group guarantees their battery will last 10 years. After that they will replace it free of charge. I definitely liked the idea of never having to buy batteries!

Surprisingly the Gamma-Scout® was not the most expensive of the Geiger counters we reviewed. With a price at under $450 it's very affordable, and comes bundled with download software, black leather case, serialized calibration test certificate, and USB cable. Of all the Geiger counters we tested, it clearly offered the BEST overall combination of design, features, and cost.

Gamma Scout is available in Japan at some online shop.. but for 120,000 yen!!! WTF, they go for $450 at Gamma Scout's own site. I can understand some importing fee and some admin/resale costs being accumulated but it does not warrant for that hyper-inflated price given the current exchange rate also being a factor. At least I am not buying so the price is really not the main issue but unfortunately, I think the Left Coasters glued on the 24-hour news channels depleted the entire the stock from Gamma Scout's ordering site. Apparently they are on back-order until mid-April and they are not taking any more orders until then...

On the side note as I was researching, I started questioning this whole shabang and I thought.. what if the cargo container, itself, was contaminated and so do the rest of the contents? All these testing and measurements done here will be completely irrelevant. On a likely sidenote, I know TSA has already started to implement radiation inspection on all incoming cargo to the US and I am sure Europe and others have started to follow similar guideline. At any rate, I kind of wanted one for personal use anyway. /rant

[Taro Toporific]

I liked Digilert100 ...
Gamma Scout is available in Japan at some online shop.. but for 120,000 yen!!! WTF, they go for $450 at Gamma Scout's own site. I can understand some importing fee and some admin/resale costs being accumulated but it does not warrant for that hyper-inflated price given the current exchange rate also being a factor.

Gr-r-r-eat find!
The Gamma Scout has all needed features (portable, downloadable data-logging), but I still prefer my DILBERTalert.


details

And the DOGBERTalert ain't too shabby either.

[Bucky]

I think the Left Coasters glued on the 24-hour news channels depleted the entire the stock from Gamma Scout's ordering site.

Must be the survivalists or Tea Party goons, 'cause I sure don't know anyone in Seattle who has gone out and snapped up any Geiger counters.

The media here is now scaring everyone with reports of low-level radiation found in cow's milk near Spokane. They then tell us it is 5,000 times less than the allowable minimums. We'll probably now see folks not buying milk because even -5000x of radiation is too much for them.

[Taka-Okami]

Thanks all for the insight and Greji for lending his personal pitometer. Maybe I you can use it for a beer cup holder at our next drink session:cool:

I liked Digilert100 that was used in CSTaylor's link but unfortunately the stock was unavailable. I did some research on my own and ran into an informative site with a ranking and brief reviews. Based on the rating.. which I thought was impartial because the number 1 rated GM happened to be one of the main sponsors but nonetheless.. I liked the Gamma Scout detector.


Gamma Scout is available in Japan at some online shop.. but for 120,000 yen!!! WTF, they go for $450 at Gamma Scout's own site. I can understand some importing fee and some admin/resale costs being accumulated but it does not warrant for that hyper-inflated price given the current exchange rate also being a factor. At least I am not buying so the price is really not the main issue but unfortunately, I think the Left Coasters glued on the 24-hour news channels depleted the entire the stock from Gamma Scout's ordering site. Apparently they are on back-order until mid-April and they are not taking any more orders until then...

On the side note as I was researching, I started questioning this whole shabang and I thought.. what if the cargo container, itself, was contaminated and so do the rest of the contents? All these testing and measurements done here will be completely irrelevant. On a likely sidenote, I know TSA has already started to implement radiation inspection on all incoming cargo to the US and I am sure Europe and others have started to follow similar guideline. At any rate, I kind of wanted one for personal use anyway. /rant

That's the one I've got. Bought it a few years ago. I can say its been really good.

People laughed at me when I got it. Now who's laughing!