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Russian Geiger-Mueller Detector

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Steve Conner

Fri Nov 10 2006, 05:02PM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

I totally agree. The world needs more people like Sulaiman and less links to political cartoons in the main forums. (I think the cartoon is great, but that's beside the point.) Let's keep it on topic please!

Banana Man

Sun Apr 15 2007, 09:17AM

Registered Member #625 Joined: Tue Apr 03 2007, 08:05AM
Location: Hollyweird, FL 33020
Posts: 18

It's sad that in the Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia area gieger counters are common kitchen utensils. Sulaiman, I want you to try something the next time you go to medical or dental. Take that device with you for your next dental x-ray and see what you get or if you're feeling evil/helpful you can give it to the dentist so he can see how much he's exposed to on a daily basis.

Sulaiman

Sun Apr 15 2007, 03:30PM

Registered Member #162 Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3140

In the 70's I used to work in the design department for medical and research X-ray machines,
there isn't much 'stray' radiation unless you've got one of the old cobalt type sources.
(if they still exist?)
The newer dental x-ray machines use an active sensor with very low radiation levels.

The risk from mercury amalgam is probably worse for a dentist.

Have you any information to the contrary?

YES, I shall take my GM detector next time just out of interrest.

Banana Man

Fri Apr 20 2007, 11:20AM

Registered Member #625 Joined: Tue Apr 03 2007, 08:05AM
Location: Hollyweird, FL 33020
Posts: 18

I was curious how much they actually leak since I have no knowledge of them at all. If I had one of these devices I would probably carry it around for fun just to see what we're exposed to on a daily basis such as smoke detectors. Might also come in handy to show dumdums that their TV and microwave oven don't emit nuclear radiation. Or maybe I can prove that it does by placing uranium marbles in my pocket or near the device in question.

"Oh no, it seems the flux capacitor in your big screen has started leaking deadly radiation. You had better bring it over to my house quick!"

Proud Mary

Sat May 05 2007, 09:08AM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

Sulaiman's GM counter is responding to weak low-energy gamma emissions from the smoke detector.

Am-241 emits alpha and gamma radiation of the following energies:

Alpha 5.485 MeV
Alpha 5.443 MeV
Gamma 59.5 keV
Gamma 26.3 keV
Gamma 13.9 keV

SBM-20 is a standard Russian Cold War era metal military GM tube.

atomicthumbs

Mon May 07 2007, 07:01PM

Registered Member #498 Joined: Sun Nov 19 2006, 06:00PM
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 19

BjÃ¸rn, I hope you don't get mercury poisoning.

GreySoul

Fri May 25 2007, 10:08PM

Registered Member #546 Joined: Fri Feb 23 2007, 11:43PM
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 239

Will Am241 do anything with Europium doped alumina silicate glow in the dark powders, or do I need the ZnS powder as sold at united nuclear?

atomic: good point... there is mercury in a fluorescent tube. Very little, not enough in a single bulb to be too harmful in a large open space like a workshop. unless you're already sensitive to Hg to begin with.

I remember the transition in HS chem classes when then removed the mercury. One year we could play with it in our hands, the next year they were removing thermometers and anything with an Hg tilt switch.

Since then I've not been able to get a straight answer about the real hazards of Hg. The obvious safe path is to avoid exposure, treating it like any other known hazardous material. Personal experience tells me that's probably a bit conservative, but common sense says why risk it? Rational thought says don't be paranoid, just be safe.

But "safe" is a relative and subjective term (is that redundant?).

personally, my safety motto goes... When in doubt: it's probably highly explosive, toxic, and charged to 100KV. All at once. (So wear gloves, glasses, and hold your breath.)

-Doug

sparky

Wed May 30 2007, 07:16AM

Registered Member #530 Joined: Sat Feb 17 2007, 07:56AM
Location: Victoria BC, Canada
Posts: 178

I often go scrounging for old fire alarms for their radioactive sources :) Damn, and some of the large sources I dig up are pretty insane. I have an industrial ionizing source from a "wide field" smoke detector which comes in a 15 uCi (Am241) --- I have yet to measure the activity... Guessing 450,000 CPM Alpha (50 mR/Hr Gamma) --- maybe a tad off the mark???

Its a fairly hazardous sample, and yes it is VERY well secured - in a vaulted safe.

EEYORE

Sun Jun 24 2007, 02:34AM

Registered Member #99 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 06:10PM
Location: florida, usa
Posts: 637

Wow, 15uCi is nice!You ought to be able to do some neato spinthariscope experiments with it...Boy Id love to find something like that. Where DID you find that industrial smoke alarm?

I have some rocks that max out my gieger counter (CDV700). I plan to try some xray photography with them (shield closed readings are over 20mR/Hr), which I will be posting in the projects thread soon.

Matt

Sulaiman

Sun Jun 24 2007, 09:56AM

Registered Member #162 Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3140

The 1 uC Americium is fine for a spinthariscope,
The 'range' of the alpha particles depends on energy, not quantity,
15 uC would probably be too much to see the lovely effects.

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