http://www.jaycar.com.au/Test-%26-Measurement/Electrical-Testers/Non-Contact/Smartphone-Geiger-Sensor-Plug-in-Module-with-APP/p/QM1676

Specifications:
• Measurements: Gamma, X-ray
• Measuring range: 0.1-200μSv/h
• Measurement error: < ±15%
• Operating temperature: 10-40°C
• Dimensions: 47(L) x 10(dia.)mm, 6g

0.31 microsieverts

just suddenly jumped up from 0.1 micrsv

counts 19 in 32 mins

resting at 0.24 microsv

jumped down to 0.1

minutes microsieverts

33 0.1

wookiemeister said:

0.31 microsieverts

just suddenly jumped up from 0.1 micrsv

counts 19 in 32 mins

resting at 0.24 microsv

jumped down to 0.1

So did the splosion go off or not?

36 0,24

bob(from black rock) said:

wookiemeister said:

0.31 microsieverts

just suddenly jumped up from 0.1 micrsv

counts 19 in 32 mins

resting at 0.24 microsv

jumped down to 0.1

its definitely not anything electrical causing the results

whatever it is seems to come in bursts

it jumps up then it takes time for the results to go back to 0.1

So did the splosion go off or not?

wookiemeister said:

36 0,24

So is that yes or no?

if you were concerned you’d just leave this thing on all night

counts 22 in 39 minutes

wookiemeister said:

if you were concerned you’d just leave this thing on all night

counts 22 in 39 minutes

Are you eating lots of bananas?

roughbarked said:

wookiemeister said:

if you were concerned you’d just leave this thing on all night

counts 22 in 39 minutes

Are you eating lots of bananas?

no

its just sat near me on the dining table

.19 msv
counts two

a just resest it

whoa 0.47 just then

3 CPM

wookiemeister said:

roughbarked said:

wookiemeister said:

if you were concerned you’d just leave this thing on all night

counts 22 in 39 minutes

Are you eating lots of bananas?

no

its just sat near me on the dining table

.19 msv
counts two

a just resest it

whoa 0.47 just then

3 CPM

Sure it is not reading the table?

roughbarked said:

wookiemeister said:

roughbarked said:

Are you eating lots of bananas?

no

its just sat near me on the dining table

.19 msv
counts two

a just resest it

whoa 0.47 just then

3 CPM

Sure it is not reading the table?

you don’t know really

i’ll move it to another location in a while

It should be safe to live beside a normally functioning nuclear power station. The radiation it sends into the surrounding environment is 100 times less than our daily dose of background radiation from natural and man-made sources.

In fact, you’d receive more radiation exposure—0.3 microsieverts a year—living next to a coal-fired power plant, because coal smoke contains radioactive substances.
https://www.allianz.com/en/about_us/open-knowledge/topics/environment/articles/110407-radiation-how-much-is-harmful.html/

my Geiger counter only seems to have 0.10 microsieverts as an option

the pillow case and anything washed in phosphate laundry liquid must be slightly radioactive

the Geiger counter is showing elevated levels continuously compared to sitting on the table top a few nights ago

phosphate has naturally occurring radioactive isotopes with it when they dig it up this must be making its way into the laundry liquid

I was getting 0.84 microsieverts / hour

wookiemeister said:

I was getting 0.84 microsieverts / hour

The horror

i’ll do an experiment later on, non phosphate laundry detergent washed clothing/ bedding versus phosphate washed stuff

it would be interesting

I wonder if different brands would be more radioactive than others?

wookiemeister said:

0.31 microsieverts

just suddenly jumped up from 0.1 micrsv

counts 19 in 32 mins

resting at 0.24 microsv

jumped down to 0.1

with the laundry liquid washed pillow case I’ve just got 37 counts in 17 minutes!

i’ll buy some non phosphate washing liquid today and also rest the Geiger counter among different piles of clothing

the cotton / material itself might be radioactive – unknown

wookiemeister said:

wookiemeister said:

0.31 microsieverts

just suddenly jumped up from 0.1 micrsv

counts 19 in 32 mins

resting at 0.24 microsv

jumped down to 0.1

with the laundry liquid washed pillow case I’ve just got 37 counts in 17 minutes!

whattever you do, don’t wash your jocks with that laundry liquid!!!

wookiemeister said:

0.31 microsieverts

just suddenly jumped up from 0.1 micrsv

counts 19 in 32 mins

resting at 0.24 microsv

jumped down to 0.1

62 counts in 32 minutes

so something washed in laundry powder seems to give background radiation exposure levels three times than just resting on a clean table top

in the end it was around 150 counts in 1 hour 20 mins

checking other pillow case now

just struck 1.01 micro Sievert the highest reading yet

I’ve just discovered the baby’s pillow is the most radioactive thing in the house at 9 microsieverts

wookiemeister said:

I’ve just discovered the baby’s pillow is the most radioactive thing in the house at 9 microsieverts

in 2 minutes

I’ve been doing more experimentation

the Geiger counter is susceptible to static, if you move the sensor around on the cotton it makes the reading jump up

i’m leaving it stationary now

• the Geiger counter is susceptible to static, if you move the sensor around on the cotton it makes the reading jump up

Well, essentially, isn’t a Geiger counter detecting electrons?

furious said:

• the Geiger counter is susceptible to static, if you move the sensor around on the cotton it makes the reading jump up

Well, essentially, isn’t a Geiger counter detecting electrons?

no in this case its measuring gamma rays and X- rays

electrons can’t create the intensity of ionising radiation and they wouldn’t be able to penetrate the casing of the Geiger counter

Have you detected any ghosts yet?

Divine Angel said:

Have you detected any ghosts yet?

I have already been mocked by significant in this way

no

unless they are radioactive

i’m starting to doubt the validity of this product

• no in this case its measuring gamma rays and X- rays

Yeah, but doesn’t a Geiger counter measure those by creating electrons that it then measures?

furious said:

• no in this case its measuring gamma rays and X- rays

Yeah, but doesn’t a Geiger counter measure those by creating electrons that it then measures?

it should be immune to static as a matter of course

it would mean that someone wearing nylon or similar products could create a massive reading defeating the purpose of the counter

• it should be immune to static as a matter of course

The weak link is the jack that then goes into your phone. The noise is likely coming from the electronics rather than the detector…

furious said:

• it should be immune to static as a matter of course

The weak link is the jack that then goes into your phone. The noise is likely coming from the electronics rather than the detector…

its possible but then again that should have been accounted for

• its possible but then again that should have been accounted for

What do you expect for $35?!

Also, from the description:

“Intended for domestic use and readings, should only be used as a guide.”

furious said:

• its possible but then again that should have been accounted for

What do you expect for $35?!

Also, from the description:

“Intended for domestic use and readings, should only be used as a guide.”

you wouldn’t expect static to corrupt the readings

the sensor would send a message to the smart phone not a simple signal that could also come from static

I had some more suspicions when I place it on the dog and the sensor briefly jumped

Given that this device is cheap, if they have one next time I am near a jaycar – which is not often – I will get one and then compare it against a “real” geiger counter…

furious said:

Given that this device is cheap, if they have one next time I am near a jaycar – which is not often – I will get one and then compare it against a “real” geiger counter…

I might look into a real Geiger counter

Wookie, you do realise that your measurements are utterly meaningless, don’t you?

• I might look into a real Geiger counter

A cheap phone plug in thing is a bit of fun but what do you need a “real” one for?

furious said:

• I might look into a real Geiger counter

A cheap phone plug in thing is a bit of fun but what do you need a “real” one for?

Zombie apocalypse.

wookiemeister said:

wookiemeister said:

I’ve just discovered the baby’s pillow is the most radioactive thing in the house at 9 microsieverts

in 2 minutes

According to the specifications, the readings are microsieverts per hour. It’s a dose-rate measurement.

furious said:

• the Geiger counter is susceptible to static, if you move the sensor around on the cotton it makes the reading jump up

Well, essentially, isn’t a Geiger counter detecting electrons?

The specifications show the tool is detecting high energy photons, in the gamma and X-ray portion of the spectrum.

wookiemeister said:

in the end it was around 150 counts in 1 hour 20 mins

checking other pillow case now

baby’s pillow

72 counts at 1 hour 20 mins

half than the other pillow but this may have been rinsed again

btm said:

Wookie, you do realise that your measurements are utterly meaningless, don’t you?

they are a guide

Sieverts is the biological value – as in damage being done

furious said:

• I might look into a real Geiger counter

A cheap phone plug in thing is a bit of fun but what do you need a “real” one for?

curiosity

Michael V said:

wookiemeister said:

wookiemeister said:

I’ve just discovered the baby’s pillow is the most radioactive thing in the house at 9 microsieverts

in 2 minutes

According to the specifications, the readings are microsieverts per hour. It’s a dose-rate measurement.

yes

Sieverts is a biological measure

Michael V said:

furious said:

• the Geiger counter is susceptible to static, if you move the sensor around on the cotton it makes the reading jump up

Well, essentially, isn’t a Geiger counter detecting electrons?

The specifications show the tool is detecting high energy photons, in the gamma and X-ray portion of the spectrum.

don’t start arguing with him

but yes

the first test was more or less stationary but moved a little

I might do all other tests where its stationary for an hour or so

wookiemeister said:

Michael V said:

wookiemeister said:

in 2 minutes

According to the specifications, the readings are microsieverts per hour. It’s a dose-rate measurement.

yes

Sieverts is a biological measure

Sieverts is a dose measurements. Microsieverts per hour is a dose-rate measurement, not a dose measurement.

Buy a 1024 channel scintillometer. That’ll tell you what’s there.

:)

hang on

its not purely static

if I turn the sensor in the hole it gives some radical readings

its a connection problem on a very clean connection – that’s very stupid

Michael V said:

wookiemeister said:

Michael V said:

According to the specifications, the readings are microsieverts per hour. It’s a dose-rate measurement.

yes

Sieverts is a biological measure

Sieverts is a dose measurements. Microsieverts per hour is a dose-rate measurement, not a dose measurement.

Buy a 1024 channel scintillometer. That’ll tell you what’s there.

:)

well it says microsieverts per hour

and it then also has total counts

also it goes into the red zone – meaning bad

its the connection, its not very good

oh well – it was good for a laugh

just checked out that Geiger – its worrying as I can’t find a price for it

a bad sign

wookiemeister said:

curiosity

That’s what the North Koreans and Iranians say.

Witty Rejoinder said:

wookiemeister said:

curiosity

That’s what the North Koreans and Iranians say.

the smart phone Geiger is probably just junk

turning it gives radical results

bad design

wookiemeister said:

0.31 microsieverts

just suddenly jumped up from 0.1 micrsv

counts 19 in 32 mins

resting at 0.24 microsv

jumped down to 0.1

According to a TV program I was watching recently, possibly “Uranium, twisting the dragon’s tail”, 0.27 microsieverts is absolutely bog standard. It’s also, by the way, the radiation level next to the Fukushima reactor, upwind.

Variations will occur:
a) If there’s a cosmic ray shower.
b) If the sensor is within a couple of cm of an alpha ray source, such a uranium or thorium ore. Alpha rays are blocked by as little as a sheet of paper.

Oh, just got thinking, I have a project for you wookie. See if you can detect the radiation from potassium – Marie Curie failed to detect it and I want to know if that was because she was incompetent. According to the TV program Brainiacs, the radiation from low-sodium table salt (KCl) ought to exceed that from uranium-coloured green glass and from medium-level radioactive waste.