Where can I buy a cheap Geiger counter?

[MisterE]

Lets say the counter kicks off. What is the plan of attack then, how do you protect yourself in such a situation?

[adam2]

Lets say the counter kicks off. What is the plan of attack then, how do you protect yourself in such a situation?

If the problem is loccalised, then run away! Sensible use of the geiger counter will tell you how far to run, it might only be a few miles in the event of a terrorist attack.

If the problem is more widespread, then avoid going outdoors, the radiation level in an ordinary house will be typically one tenth of the level outside.
A deep concrete basement will typically reduce the dose to one hundredth of that received outside.
Wearing a respirator or gas mask will greatly reduce the number of particles reaching the lungs.
Contaminated clothing should be removed and laundered or discarded, and if possible a thourough shower should be taken in order to remove fallout particles from the skin Again use of a geiger counter will tell you to what extent the skin or clothing is contaminated.
Food and water should be tested before consumption, tinned food (presuming it was manufactured before the event) should be safe, but the can should be cleaned carefully before opening in order to avoid any fallout on the outside contaminating the contents.

Fresh food is more of a risk and should be tested before consumption, especialy if it was grown/harvested after the release of radiation.

After the Chernobyl accident there was a general distrust of lamb/mutton as it was feared to be radioactive, some was, most was not. I tested it before buying, and yes i did get some funny looks in the shops! I lived on lamb as it was very cheap due to the scare.

I also tested some used air conditioning filters, removed from a building a few months after the accident. They were sufficiently radioactive, that they should have gone to a low level radio active waste facility.
I would have considred it potentialy dangerous to handle those used filters without a respirator and disposable overalls.

[MisterE]

Thanks for that Adam2. Cheers

[adam2]

Geiger counters may be purchased from
http://perspectiveinstruments.co.uk/
I have no connection with this firm but would recomend them.
I dont think that they take cards, cheques only I believe.

[adam2]

In view of recent events I thought it worth reviving this old thread.
Japan is a long away and I doubt that we will see any direct effects here.
It does however concentrate the mind somwhat, and some may wish to equip themselves.

[featherstick]

We're already taking kelp tablets absent iodine supplements. Might get some iodised salt.

[madibe]

nah...read the counter and weep. Seriously y'all...if you have got a bad G - counter reading what you going to do?

Wash?

Die Slowly?

Prep your Will?

Wave goodbye?

Go Skydiving without a chute.

[vtsnowedin]

nah...read the counter and weep. Seriously y'all...if you have got a bad G - counter reading what you going to do?

Wash?

Die Slowly?

Prep your Will?

Wave goodbye?

Go Skydiving without a chute.

Take out some bad a** that really deserves it?

Do Monte Carlo like a jet setter with borrowed money?

[jonny2mad]

Well say I get a high reading on a Geiger counter I know that you get radioactive decay which lowers some fallout quite quickly, I'd either move out of the area or shelter in place, if traveling about I'd wear full nbc equipment .
I wonder if you can legally drive while wearing a s10 gas-mask think you can

[adam2]

We're already taking kelp tablets absent iodine supplements. Might get some iodised salt.

Iodised salt wont help much, if at all.

In order to avoid cancer of the thyroid caused by radioactive iodine, the thyroid must be staurated with non-radioactive iodine.
The iodine content of iodised salt is too small to achieve this unless taken in such volumes that salt poisoning is likely.

Iodised salt is useful in places were the natural diet is defficient in iodine, it is no good against radiation.

And yes I know that this is an old thread, but the points raised are as relevant today.

[Vortex2]

See title.

[adam2]

Not certain that you can under present circumstances.
They appear regularly on fleabay but not cheap and possibly of dubious qaulity.

I have several purchased from Perspective scientific instruments, but the versions that I have are no longer available.

[clv101]

Do 'regular' Geiger counters differentiate between alpha, beta and gamma radiation?

Are there publicly accessible Geiger counters online, like weather stations, simply recording and publishing continuous time series?

First Google search turned up these:
https://www.cafago.com/en/p-e19368-1.html
https://uk.banggood.com/Upgraded-Geiger ... 73809.html

Might (likely to) be junk.

[clv101]

(only two URLs per post)

Lots from China https://www.aliexpress.com/premium/geiger-counter.html

I've bought stuff from AliExpress before and it's generally been fine.
If you did buy one (or more) from here, I'd want to take it to a uni physics department and test/calibrate it against some known radiation sources.

[adam2]

Not certain that you can under present circumstances.
They appear regularly on fleabay but not cheap and possibly of dubious qaulity.

I have several purchased from Perspective scientific instruments, but the versions that I have are no longer available.

A look on fleabay shows dozens of listings, but qaulity, reliability, and accuracy are unknown.

Geiger counters are hard to test with any reasonable accuracy, a thermometer or an electrical test meter is easy by comparison with a known instrument, or even by reference to basic physical constants.

A geiger counter cant be readily tested. A simple go/no go test is possible with a radioactive source such as an old gas mantle or a piece of uranium glassware, but the reading could be badly inaccurate.