Radiation detection gear

[Rick]

For those who are looking just thought I'd let you know:

This is a UDR 13
https://www.ebay.com/itm/AN-UDR-13-...ondition-Original-Carrying-Case-/263242205859

PROs:
Actual device used by various high end CBRN/WMD military response teams.
Easy to use ("soldier proof")
as rugged as detectors get.
fully hardenend against EMP
Effective for Gamma and Neutrons (Gamma is the most important for your application)
Sensitive but scale can be changed in various ways.
Takes AAA

CON: Is actually designed as a personal dosimeter not a detector. However it can be used as a detector and display "dose-rate" not just "Dose"


I have used these many times in real world responses with real radiation.

Been pretty happy with them. Clarification I always had other more purpose designed detectors on me as well.. but believe between the price ruggedness and usability its a good choice for the prepper who is concerned w/ rad detection.

UDR13s now on market because the Army as the primary proponent on CBRN/WMD response has gone to UDR14.
Only difference really is UDR14 is more sensitive.
I never understood the move and dindt agree with it, but here we are.

So now these are available from surplus.

I think the Army and Airforce originally paid $850 dollars for them ( which was actually kinda reasonable for the quality IMO)
Now can be brought for $125...

Just thought some folks would like to know.

 

[angie_nrs]

Looks like they are sold out.

 

[Supervisor42]

Since I have several, I haven't 'shopped' in years.
This one gets my vote if you have nothing/no detector:

$98.98
https://www.amazon.com/GQ-GMC-320S-Radiation-Detector-Dosimeter/dp/B0B53Z675M
It even can even display in millirems! (Which for us old-folks, is priceless! )

 

[Bacpacker]

Looks like they are sold out.

And doubled the price to boot

 

[Magus]

I'm at a ground zero. I might have warning however, we're 2nd strike.

 

[Wingnut]

Joel Skousen mentions some sort of "radiation badges" (?) in his books, I think they let you know as they become contaminated? Not sure here, I remember reading about 'em in his book STRATEGIC RELOCATION.

 

[Magus]

https://www.amazon.com/Triage-Perso...wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ==&s=industrial&sr=1-1

 

[Supervisor42]

Joel Skousen mentions some sort of "radiation badges" (?) in his books, I think they let you know as they become contaminated? Not sure here, I remember reading about 'em in his book STRATEGIC RELOCATION.

Badges are 'dosimeters' which only tell you how much radiation you have 'soaked up' so far. Not 'how hot' it is where you are.

 

[Supervisor42]

https://www.amazon.com/Triage-Perso...wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ==&s=industrial&sr=1-1

That is an 'acute dose monitor' that is in millisieverts (mSv) .
2 sieverts (2,000 millisieverts) means the guy may live about 1 or 2 days.
Read closely. It is to sort out 'who not' to let in the shelter.
Read carefully below:

The average person receives about 2 to 3 one-thousandths of a sievert (mSv) per year from naturally occurring radiation in the environment.

 

[Magus]

I have this, but no clue how to use it. It was a gift from a friend, NIB too.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3344382118...1291&msclkid=fae5ccab53f8163e5f58afea792b9fbf

 

[Supervisor42]

I have this, but no clue how to use it. It was a gift from a friend, NIB too.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3344382118...1291&msclkid=fae5ccab53f8163e5f58afea792b9fbf

Here's the PDF of the manual that should have been with the charger:
https://softsolder.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/cd-v-750-model-5b-radiological-dosimeter-charger.pdf

 

[Magus]

Thanks bro! you might have saved me from terminal dead!

 

[Bacpacker]

Dosimetry is always about how much dose you've taken.
Detection is looking for how much is in or on something

 

[Magus]

I have a Geiger counter, but it starts at 800 rads.

 

[Supervisor42]

Thanks bro! you might have saved me from terminal dead!

If you get bored, you may want to break it out and play with it (test them).
Test all the pens. You should be able to move the needle smoothly across the full scale turning the knob on the charger.
Any with 'sticky' needles should be tossed.

In response to @Bacpacker , one guy said he could survive with just pens, a charger, and a fishing-pole, by casting a pen in the back yard and reeling it in an hour later.
The reading on the pen will be the radiation level in rems/hour. (or rads or roentgens)
Crude but effective, and way better than guessing.

 

[Neb]

Roll your own radiation detector.

https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc740715/
Ben

 

[Bacpacker]

If you get bored, you may want to break it out and play with it (test them).
Test all the pens. You should be able to move the needle smoothly across the full scale turning the knob on the charger.
Any with 'sticky' needles should be tossed.

In response to @Bacpacker , one guy said he could survive with just pens, a charger, and a fishing-pole, by casting a pen in the back yard and reeling it in an hour later.
The reading on the pen will be the radiation level in rems/hour. (or rads or roentgens)
Crude but effective, and way better than guessing.

That would work to a degree. But that'd take a long time.
Rad detection and even more critically, decontamination is an area I need to bump up my preps

 

[Supervisor42]

That would work to a degree. But that'd take a long time.
Rad detection and even more critically, decontamination is an area I need to bump up my preps

That's why I love my CDV-700 with the "magic-wand" .
It is for scanning food and people for 'contamination'.
The 'test source' on the side of it is priceless!
File pic:

(Of course, the test source will dim to 50% power........in 3,000 years. )

 

[Bacpacker]

We used Bicron's at work, with various probes depending on what we were looking for.
We always use Lantern Mantles as a check source.

 

[Supervisor42]

We used Bicron's at work, with various probes depending on what we were looking for.
We always use Lantern Mantles as a check source.

+1 on lantern mantles.
I was amazed that everyday people could buy radioactive material.
At a gas-station near a camping park, they had packs of them in sun-faded plastic Coleman bags with the 'price sticker' still on them from years ago that said: 98¢. I started to grab them all because they were the old 'hot ones'.
Wished I had .
Then discovered much hotter "rocks" are not very expensive.
I got some Samarskite, and Boltwoodite.
(shipping can be a little bit of a pain, but 'the postman always delivers' )
Edit: The 18mr Source video I posted in another thread was a small piece of Boltwoodite.

 

[Supervisor42]

I have this, but no clue how to use it. It was a gift from a friend, NIB too.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3344382118...1291&msclkid=fae5ccab53f8163e5f58afea792b9fbf

Additional info on the different (dosimeter) pens:

"The dosimeter provided for general operational use is the CDV-742 which has a measurement Range of 0 to 200 roentgens. Until these were available in sufficient quantity, the CDV-730 with a range of 0 to 20 roentgens and the CDV-740 with a range of 0 to 100 roentgens had been furnished. They are still usable. Dosimeters resemble a fountain pen in size and shape. The CDV-742 can be identified by its bronze or gold colored pocket clip. CDV138 is the lowest level, 0-200 milliroentgens.

The size and color of the clip on the pen, is the quick identifier.
Don't buy any of the silver Soviet pens. They are 0-600 roentgens. Basically their scale means: Might live-<150--will die slow-<300--will die quicker-<450--and 600=TOAST!

 

[Magus]

Yeah, they seem a bit less touchy-feely about life than we are, the Chinese care even less,they give you a shooter full of meth and something to keep you from being in agony and let you fight until you drop dead.
Sweet people.

 

[montanabill]

Where i live they have "radon " mines for healing and profit. I might try my old CD meter in one of them just for fun.

 

[angie_nrs]

Additional info on the different (dosimeter) pens:

The size and color of the clip on the pen, is the quick identifier.
Don't buy any of the silver Soviet pens. They are 0-600 roentgens. Basically their scale means: Might live-<150--will die slow-<300--will die quicker-<450--and 600=TOAST!

Hey Supervisor, could you explain how those pens work? I really don't know anything about them.

 

[Supervisor42]

Hey Supervisor, could you explain how those pens work? I really don't know anything about them.

Yes, but I didn't see your post until late. I will tomorrow.
And I can tell you that yes, they do work. I tested them. (well, all except the Soviet pen )

 

[Supervisor42]

Hey Supervisor, could you explain how those pens work? I really don't know anything about them.

First I want to touch on the difference between a detector and a dosimeter:
A detector is like the 'speedometer' in your car. It tells you how fast you are soaking up radiation right now.
The dosimeter is like the 'trip-odometer' and tells you how much radiation it/you have soaked up since it was last reset to zero.
All of the information you need about dosimeter pens is on one wonderful, non-commercial webpage:
http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/cdmuseum2/radkits/dose.html

Quote from their page:

The CD V-750 Dosimeter Charger​

First, a brief description of what a dosimeter does...
"The electrostatic dosimeter is a pen-size scientific instrument with an eyepiece you look into at the top of the dosimeter and a charging contact at the bottom. Inside the device is a microscopic scale with a hairline indicator. This shows the amount of radiation absorbed by the device since the last time it was reset to zero. The dosimeter is reset by charging it with electricity using with a dosimeter charger (pictured at right with dosimeter on charging contact). This device fills the inner chamber of the dosimeter tube with a high voltage charge. By looking through the eyepiece while this is being done, the user can manipulate the charger knob to reset the hairline indicator on the radiation scale inside the dosimeter to the "0" point. This sets the dosimeter to zero and readies it for use.

The user then carries the dosimeter on their person (hence the clip on each dosimeter, to hold it in a pocket or on clothing) while he works near radiation. As radiation passes through the dosimeter (and the wearer!) it discharges the dosimeter and the hairline indicator on the scale will move up from 0, which thus records the total dose of radiation that passed through the dosimeter (and again, through the wearer!) since it was reset (charged).

Any time the wearer wants to check how much radiation he has received, he can take the dosimeter out, point it towards a light source, and look through the eyepiece at the microscopic scale inside. If any radiation was received, the hairline indicator will have moved upscale from 0 and will show the amount of radiation received by the wearer."

 

[Bacpacker]

First I want to touch on the difference between a detector and a dosimeter:
A detector is like the 'speedometer' in your car. It tells you how fast you are soaking up radiation right now.
The dosimeter is like the 'trip-odometer' and tells you how much radiation it/you have soaked up since it was last reset to zero.
All of the information you need about dosimeter pens is on one wonderful, non-commercial webpage:
http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/cdmuseum2/radkits/dose.html

Quote from their page:
"The electrostatic dosimeter is a pen-size scientific instrument with an eyepiece you look into at the top of the dosimeter and a charging contact at the bottom. Inside the device is a microscopic scale with a hairline indicator. This shows the amount of radiation absorbed by the device since the last time it was reset to zero. The dosimeter is reset by charging it with electricity using with a dosimeter charger (pictured at right with dosimeter on charging contact). This device fills the inner chamber of the dosimeter tube with a high voltage charge. By looking through the eyepiece while this is being done, the user can manipulate the charger knob to reset the hairline indicator on the radiation scale inside the dosimeter to the "0" point. This sets the dosimeter to zero and readies it for use.

The user then carries the dosimeter on their person (hence the clip on each dosimeter, to hold it in a pocket or on clothing) while he works near radiation. As radiation passes through the dosimeter (and the wearer!) it discharges the dosimeter and the hairline indicator on the scale will move up from 0, which thus records the total dose of radiation that passed through the dosimeter (and again, through the wearer!) since it was reset (charged).

Any time the wearer wants to check how much radiation he has received, he can take the dosimeter out, point it towards a light source, and look through the eyepiece at the microscopic scale inside. If any radiation was received, the hairline indicator will have moved upscale from 0 and will show the amount of radiation received by the wearer."

Great description Super

 

[Supervisor42]

Great description Super

I mentioned the different color clips used on different scale pens for quick identification.
Even though the 2 lowest scale pens have a black clip, the lowest (the 138, the 200mr) is noticeably shorter:

The CD V-138, CD V-730, CD V-740 and CD V-742 (from left to right in photo) are the standard dosimeters that were used by Civil Defense. Some are still in use to this day. The CD V-742 is the most commonly found dosimeter due to there being over 3 million of these produced.

 

[angie_nrs]

Thank you so much! That was very helpful. I didn't know what the charger was for either, so that cleared that up.

So, you could throw one outside, with a string attached and leave it for a while to see how much radiation was outside, correct? I believe that ties in to what was mentioned earlier?

It's really cool that they can be reused. It sounds like a pretty easy process to do that yourself. I like that idea, as opposed to what the hospital gives to X-Ray techs. The badges they wear are one and done badges. I have never known anyone in X-ray that was over exposed to radiation....at least according to their badges....and I have no idea what the measurement would have to be in order to turn their badges black. Which seems like a really nice feature with the pens....at least you know how much radiation exposure you have had. That's sweet!

 

[Supervisor42]

Thank you so much! That was very helpful. I didn't know what the charger was for either, so that cleared that up.

So, you could throw one outside, with a string attached and leave it for a while to see how much radiation was outside, correct? I believe that ties in to what was mentioned earlier?

It's really cool that they can be reused. It sounds like a pretty easy process to do that yourself. I like that idea, as opposed to what the hospital gives to X-Ray techs. The badges they wear are one and done badges.

Yes, if it is out there for exactly one hour.
A detector measures the 'hotness' in rads per hour.
A pen left out there for one hour will show the number of rads it soaked up in one hour, which is the same.
Different pens read on different scales...
(Y'all throw the TMI flag when I hit my limit )
CD V-138 Dosimeter
Range 0-200 Milliroentgens
CD V-730 Dosimeter
Range 0-20 Roentgens
CD V-740 Dosimeter (rare)
Range 0-100 Roentgens
CD V-742 Dosimeter (everywhere)
Range 0-200 Roentgens