scooter835
11-19-05, 04:52 AM
Shopping eBay for geiger counters (mostly old 50's-60's-era Civil Defense units) I come across a couple questions:
1) some units say they are "Geiger counters" while others state that they are only "survey meters". What is the difference between the two?
2) also, many don't include probes. Probes listed for auction state that they are either 600V or 900V in their specs. How can you tell which probe any particular counter/meter needs?
3) Another question is that many of the pancake probes state that they are fitted with BNC connectors, but not many of the detectors/meters say the same. What type of connector is typically used (if other than BNC)? Is there an advantage to switching over to a BNC connector? This is intended for use, not as a collectors item--so hacking things up a bit is acceptible, if it ends up functioning better.
4) Are these units reasonably usable? What components go bad after 40 years in storage, and can they be easily replaced or repaired?
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1) some units say they are "Geiger counters" while others state that they are only "survey meters". What is the difference between the two?
2) also, many don't include probes. Probes listed for auction state that they are either 600V or 900V in their specs. How can you tell which probe any particular counter/meter needs?
3) Another question is that many of the pancake probes state that they are fitted with BNC connectors, but not many of the detectors/meters say the same. What type of connector is typically used (if other than BNC)? Is there an advantage to switching over to a BNC connector? This is intended for use, not as a collectors item--so hacking things up a bit is acceptible, if it ends up functioning better.
4) Are these units reasonably usable? What components go bad after 40 years in storage, and can they be easily replaced or repaired?
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