*Nuclear Equipment test*
MANY survivalists have "Radiological equipment"; Dosimeters, Survey meters, etc, but how many folks have actually TESTED them? My motto is, "if it hasn't been tested, it doesn't work."
Recently, due to some health problems, I had to undergo a bone scan. During this test they gave me an injection of Cesium/Iodine 131 in the morning and told me to be back about lunch time. The radioactive element circulates through your body and then later a special x-ray machine can see details about bones and such...
The Cesium 131 cocktail I was given has a very short half life, about 6 hours (From what they told me)...
After I had the test, we came straight home and I decided to test some of my equipment... I drug out the Dosimeters (V-740 models that read from 0 to 200 MilliRoentgens) and a modified Victoreen 717 survey meter, and V-700 Geiger counter.
I zeroed our Dosimeters and then placed the Dosimeter in the crook of my arm where the injection was given. In just a few minutes the scale had climbed to about 22 Milliroentgens!
Next I placed one of our modified Victoreen Survey meters over the injection site turned to the millirad scale and watched the needle slightly climb... Normally a V-717 wouldn't even wiggle over this small amount of radiation, but I've modified one of my V-717s so that it has a X0.01 scale in place of the X0.1 scale (That's a separate article).
The V-700 ("Geiger Counter") had NO trouble picking it up... but that's what a Geiger counter does.. it picks up MUCH smaller amounts of radiation than it's "War Meter" (V715 & V717) brothers and sisters.
By about 1:30PM the Dosimeter reading peaked out at about 50 Milliroentgens, and by nightfall a second reading after zeroing was back down to under 20MR (This normally NOT the way you'd use a Dosimeter, but dosimeter use is [again] a separate article)... but it told me what I wanted to know.. "my Radiation Equipment works".
BTW.. If you need Samples of Radiation sources to test your "More Sensitive Gear"... these Science Supply Houses sell them... PLEASE don't abuse them!!!
Sargent-Welch Scientific has Cesium-137 (Gamma emitter, 30 year half life) Calibrated Radioactive Sources for about 60 bux for the smaller (about 1 Micro-Currie) ones, with online ordering.
(http://sargentwelch.com/product.asp?pn=CP71200-04_EA)
These can be used to calibrate/test your Victoreen Geiger Counters (V700) and Dosimeters (V-740 Millirad Range Types)... It is no longer legal to have enough check-Sources to test a V717 or 715 without special Licenses and permits.. besides, I DO NOT advise you to accumulate this much material!!!!!... The smaller Check-Sources are good for testing the Real Geiger Counters (Which usually have a check Source taped to the side of them).
NOTE: Regulations about private ownership of check sources above One MicroCurrie are in question since 9/11, so be SURE to check state and federal regulations!
Never miss an opportunity to test out a piece of equipment. Where there's a will, there IS a way.
Warlord
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