Btw, Iodine tablets don't just fill up your thyroid. Iodine itself clings onto radioactive particles and makes it easier for your body to get rid of radioactive particles.
actually, the purpose of iodine tablets is to flush your thyroid from iodine-131, since your thyroid will absorb any iodine in your system, it tends to accumulate iodine-131 when you are exposed to it through nuclear fallout/contamination, so by consuming a lot of non radioactive iodine it pushes out the iodine-131 through your pee by flooding your thyroid. iodine doesn't cling to radioactive particles, all it does is flood your system with iodine in hopes of pushing out the radioactive iodine. it offers no protection against anything that isn't iodine-131. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_iodide
Hi, looks like there is a mistake (typo error) on the "Nuclear Radiation Safety Guide card", that came along inside the box. On the last mR/h it is written ">0.13", which I think is a mistake/typo, and suppose to be ">1.3"
These have a firmware update available for them, I bought a GMC-320+ V4 a week ago from the date of this comment, it had revision 4.70 firmware when I bought it. I emailed support to see if there was any availability firmware updates (if it was even possible to update the firmware) and sure enough there was a newer version of firmware. When asking you have to provide the model and serial number of the unit (as they key the firmware to the serial number). The firmware update allows the unit to count higher than 65k CPM, and adds fast estimate reading. And changed the revision to 4.74 (not sure what else they changed in the firmware, but the above is what I noticed). I believe the firmware makes it equivalent to the 300s and 320s (around 150k CPM, and fast estimate reading).
Cool, nice to see this one reviewed. Yeah, how come the expensive stuff we have to buy ourselves :) Thanks for the link on the check source, that's not bad at all. I want to pick one up for a few other meters as well as my GMC one!
I received mine today. Was a pain to set up WiFi on the unit. But I found out it could be set up on the computer when connected. Your video was very helpful
Have to check into this...we live downstream on the Columbia River from Hanford!! I'll be checking the Columbia River "fresh caught" Salmon that I buy!! ;-)
100cpm really isn't something to be overly bothered about unless its over a period of years. its when it gets into the rads that you have to start thinking about it
Hi there. I just both one and I noticed when I took it out of the box that when I place it on something or shake it slightly I can hear the wire in the tube rattling a bit, kinda sounds like a regular lightbulb. Is that normal? Thanks
So is this thing worth buying ? I have a big collection of uranium glass, and ive been curious what kind of radiation its putting out.. but the thing is i know the glass mostly puts out alpha, can this thing tell the difference between alpha, beta, gamma and x rays ?
The yellow detector you showed is not a Geiger-Mueller counter; it's a ion chamber based detector. That device would only pick up a strong source, but a good ol' CD-V700 in decent working order is rugged and a fair bit more accurate than that Chinese GMC. The CD-V700 is energy compensated; the GMC is not.
just one thing: most reactor meltdowns are isolated incidents, and they pose no threat to you also, governments do lie, but they generally let you know if a power plant fucking explodes.
Do you know how to change the CPM Alarm if you accidentally set it very high? The up button increases it by 10 (I believe) but the down button only decrements it by 1. I accidentally increased it to about 1500 and don't want to hit the down button 1400 times! Thanks.
Cool geiger counter! Careful though the yellow one you showed is a cdv715 ion chamber used only for very high radiation areas. The cdv 700 is the old Geiger counter which looks kind of similar. The gmc has a great software package much better than many competitors. However the actual geiger tube is not nearly as sensitive to radiation as what is found in most other modules. I'm glad you got a Geiger counter though! You can also find many radioactive antiques which are very fun to hunt for with a Geiger counter. Btw it's silly they give a cpm for the rock as each Geiger counter has different efficiencies and will end up with different cpm readings unless they are all the same model. Happy radiation detecting!!
You can at least replace the tube in these for something a bit better, and even put in a mica window detector to allow it to detect alpha. The SBM-20 tube is a go to replacement for these if you want something that's not the m4011.
@@madmax2069 what voltage can those reach? I know most mica window tubes and pancake tubes require around 800-900 volts. I was under the impression these usually put out around 400v
@@mr.microcuries2078 on the GQ forum I've seen a few posts has replaced the stock m4011 tube with a SBT-9, the SBT-9s recommended voltage is 380v and seems to work well.
Im planning on taking a trip to Ukraine and having a guided tour in to the exclusion zone of Chernobyl. Would this unit be suitable to know readings? I would rather have my own geiger counter / dosimeter.
OK, this beats the 21 lumen USB LED lights. I ordered 4 packs of them by the way. Not here yet, but I'm going to have a blast showing them off when they do get here. Thanks for this awareness video Fred. I've been curious about these for a long time. There are a lot of them on Amazon and all do something different. I do like this one though, and the price is right.
Great Review! Felt so live, fresh and direct. May I ask a few questions ? 1) Is the device limited in general, spatial measurement ? 2) Wondering if you can test/measure/count everyday items and edibles. Metal, Porcelaine, Glass, Vegetables, Meat/Fish, etc...Have you tried it ? Is it effiecient or not designed for such measurements? 3) Any differences of the one you own and the GQ GMC-300E Plus ? and finally, 4) any other afterthoughts/ update, after having and using the device for a couple of months ? Again, thank you for a sweet review and a nice smile that "radiates" large amounts of positivity.
1. I don't understand the question, but it uses a Geiger-Müller tube for detection, so any limitations to how those operate is how this is going to operate. There are two limitations (both are software based limitations) I can say is that it uses 16 bit integers so the max CPM (count per minute) will be around 65k before it loops to the beginning of the count , and the second limitation is it's pretty slow to count up the dose rate and CPMs. The 300s and 320s are basically the same as the 300e and 320 plus but will count higher, and will count up faster. 2. It'll detect anything that emits Beta, Gama, X-ray (due to using a GM Tube), so if the object emit those forms of radiation it'll detect it. 3. The difference between the 300e and the GMC-320 plus is flash storage size (300 has 64KB storage vs 1MB on the 320 plus), the 320 plus has a gyroscope that will flip the screen depending on how you're holding the device, the 320 plus has a temperature sensor.
2 liter A typical geiger counter like that one will not detect alpha rays since they are too large to make it through the plastic shell of the device or most likely any shielding around the tube. More pricey versions can have either a wand type device or a special “screen” on the back of them strictly for measuring alpha radiation, however the sample will have to be placed quite close to the section of the device rated for detecting alpha radiation.
@@jf4196 So your saying this thing on the video is detecting Beta.gamma and x rays ? I have a uranium glass collection and im not concerned of the alpha but i wanna know how many cpm of beta or gamma its putting out.. i wont like having like 50 peices of this glass makes me wonder
@@jeepsblackpowderandlights4305 Correct, and I have one very similar to the one in this video. It measures around 70-100 CPM on a uranium glass dish i have (about 4 inches diameter) Im sure with alpha it could be a little more though.
I have a question about this can you switch between gamma rays, and other types of radiation, or does this geiger counter detect any radiation without detecting specific radiation?
A Geiger Counter will "count" any kind of particles that hit the tube, it doesn't know the difference. However, less expensive counters (like the GMC-320), are not capable of detecting alpha particles, and you must have its tube (on the back of the unit) pointed right at the source in question, or it will hardly read anything. That's why better counters have a separate "probe" to point directly at the object or area in question. Know in advance what you want the unit to do for you before buying it.
I have the same model and in history data first measurements are correct then last minutes it shows 255 cpm everywhere. I believe there is no data yet so it saves a type enum. Too bad because it messes with total cpm count. I don't know what to do I tried resetting the device but the problem still persists. Now if there's a patch or new firmware for the GMC-320 plus v4 that would be great. Anyone with the same problem ?
Was you outside or near a light source when you observed the 255 CPM? Because some of the tubes in these can be sensitive to light a d can throw a false reading. Oh and yes there are firmware updates (email GQs support with the model and serial number of your unit) if you go into the "about" menu it'll show you the serial number and revision (the firmware version installed on your device), when I bought mine it was 4.70, a d a few days ago I emailed support and was able to get a firmware update which is 4.74.
Thank you a lot, because of the detail I really liked that. I've been watching this a long time and had my doubts...so let me tell you, can you change the title to GMC -320 plus...I don't know if anyone has mentioned it...but thanks...
My comment is that the sample was "certified" to be 900+ cpm, but it appears that your test did not reach that number. Without doing so, there is still the question of accuracy. Is the sample bad? Or is the detector bad? Or have you actually tried all sides of the sample for 1 minute? The price is good, but without some sort of verification of accuracy, it may be useless.
Anything up to 50 CPM is considered normal. Readings can fluctuate quite wildly, sometimes you can see mid 30s and next minute in the same spot it can be 15.
The safety guide is a joke, it was copied and based of a long ago civil defense Geiger counter, and then they added the other information later on, it's not really good and accurate card information, in the sense as to what certain radioactive materials are that are radioactive , it doesn't really tell you what the different radioactive materials are, and what the certain amounts of these different radiation material are that give off these different radiation amounts.and it doesn't list the different amounts of material.
Btw, Iodine tablets don't just fill up your thyroid. Iodine itself clings onto radioactive particles and makes it easier for your body to get rid of radioactive particles.
actually, the purpose of iodine tablets is to flush your thyroid from iodine-131, since your thyroid will absorb any iodine in your system, it tends to accumulate iodine-131 when you are exposed to it through nuclear fallout/contamination, so by consuming a lot of non radioactive iodine it pushes out the iodine-131 through your pee by flooding your thyroid. iodine doesn't cling to radioactive particles, all it does is flood your system with iodine in hopes of pushing out the radioactive iodine. it offers no protection against anything that isn't iodine-131. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_iodide
Hi, looks like there is a mistake (typo error) on the "Nuclear Radiation Safety Guide card", that came along inside the box. On the last mR/h it is written ">0.13", which I think is a mistake/typo, and suppose to be ">1.3"
Interesting bumper sticker you have there, Oath Keepers.
He also misspelled the model number lol
Wow your timing couldn't be better I live in Washington and there was just an incident this morning at Hanford I just may need this
I'm so glad I could help. Be safe my friend!
These have a firmware update available for them, I bought a GMC-320+ V4 a week ago from the date of this comment, it had revision 4.70 firmware when I bought it.
I emailed support to see if there was any availability firmware updates (if it was even possible to update the firmware) and sure enough there was a newer version of firmware. When asking you have to provide the model and serial number of the unit (as they key the firmware to the serial number).
The firmware update allows the unit to count higher than 65k CPM, and adds fast estimate reading. And changed the revision to 4.74 (not sure what else they changed in the firmware, but the above is what I noticed). I believe the firmware makes it equivalent to the 300s and 320s (around 150k CPM, and fast estimate reading).
Cool, nice to see this one reviewed. Yeah, how come the expensive stuff we have to buy ourselves :) Thanks for the link on the check source, that's not bad at all. I want to pick one up for a few other meters as well as my GMC one!
Thank you so much my great friend. I really liked your video too!!!
I received mine today. Was a pain to set up WiFi on the unit. But I found out it could be set up on the computer when connected.
Your video was very helpful
WOW this is a different review
LOVE IT!!!!! Good job!!!!
Thank you so very much!!!
@@GearObsession Have same GMC 320 + tested on my Japanese Tractor. Works GREAT.
would you also recommend the GMC 300 plus
Would you prefer a Geiger-Müller counter or a scintillator?
Have to check into this...we live downstream on the Columbia River from Hanford!! I'll be checking the Columbia River "fresh caught" Salmon that I buy!! ;-)
100cpm really isn't something to be overly bothered about unless its over a period of years. its when it gets into the rads that you have to start thinking about it
Whats the difference though between this and the field GC? They both work the same?
I bought one for 86 dollars on eBay new and same exact one!
Hi there. I just both one and I noticed when I took it out of the box that when I place it on something or shake it slightly I can hear the wire in the tube rattling a bit, kinda sounds like a regular lightbulb. Is that normal? Thanks
So is this thing worth buying ? I have a big collection of uranium glass, and ive been curious what kind of radiation its putting out.. but the thing is i know the glass mostly puts out alpha, can this thing tell the difference between alpha, beta, gamma and x rays ?
Which Geiger counter is better, the GMC model detectors or the Terra-P
Can you detect rocks that have radioactive material?
Yep
The yellow detector you showed is not a Geiger-Mueller counter; it's a ion chamber based detector. That device would only pick up a strong source, but a good ol' CD-V700 in decent working order is rugged and a fair bit more accurate than that Chinese GMC. The CD-V700 is energy compensated; the GMC is not.
just one thing: most reactor meltdowns are isolated incidents, and they pose no threat to you
also, governments do lie, but they generally let you know if a power plant fucking explodes.
Do you know how to change the CPM Alarm if you accidentally set it very high? The up button increases it by 10 (I believe) but the down button only decrements it by 1. I accidentally increased it to about 1500 and don't want to hit the down button 1400 times! Thanks.
golf-n-guns maybe you can factory restart it.
Cool geiger counter! Careful though the yellow one you showed is a cdv715 ion chamber used only for very high radiation areas. The cdv 700 is the old Geiger counter which looks kind of similar. The gmc has a great software package much better than many competitors. However the actual geiger tube is not nearly as sensitive to radiation as what is found in most other modules. I'm glad you got a Geiger counter though! You can also find many radioactive antiques which are very fun to hunt for with a Geiger counter. Btw it's silly they give a cpm for the rock as each Geiger counter has different efficiencies and will end up with different cpm readings unless they are all the same model. Happy radiation detecting!!
hi.
You can at least replace the tube in these for something a bit better, and even put in a mica window detector to allow it to detect alpha. The SBM-20 tube is a go to replacement for these if you want something that's not the m4011.
@@madmax2069 what voltage can those reach? I know most mica window tubes and pancake tubes require around 800-900 volts. I was under the impression these usually put out around 400v
@@mr.microcuries2078 on the GQ forum I've seen a few posts has replaced the stock m4011 tube with a SBT-9, the SBT-9s recommended voltage is 380v and seems to work well.
@@mr.microcuries2078 also seen a post of someone putting an SBT-11A on theirs and seems to work well, recommends 400v
Im planning on taking a trip to Ukraine and having a guided tour in to the exclusion zone of Chernobyl. Would this unit be suitable to know readings? I would rather have my own geiger counter / dosimeter.
Is it true that Granite and Kitty Litter also sets these off? I wonder if Radon would also trip it?
yes !
@@toyohari78 Thanks!
Nice video :) this is GMC-320 (No 230) :)
Typing mistake. Have same GMC 320 + tested on my Japanese Tractor. Works GREAT.
tritium night sights are radioactive too. it s banned in france :(
I'll have to test it. I have a flashlight coming for a review soon with some Tritium in the tail cap. Thank you so much for watching!!!
OK, this beats the 21 lumen USB LED lights. I ordered 4 packs of them by the way. Not here yet, but I'm going to have a blast showing them off when they do get here.
Thanks for this awareness video Fred. I've been curious about these for a long time. There are a lot of them on Amazon and all do something different. I do like this one though, and the price is right.
Thank you so much my great friend.
You are very welcome Fred.
Great Review! Felt so live, fresh and direct.
May I ask a few questions ?
1) Is the device limited in general, spatial measurement ?
2) Wondering if you can test/measure/count everyday items and edibles. Metal, Porcelaine, Glass, Vegetables, Meat/Fish, etc...Have you tried it ? Is it effiecient or not designed for such measurements?
3) Any differences of the one you own and the GQ GMC-300E Plus ?
and finally,
4) any other afterthoughts/ update, after having and using the device for a couple of months ?
Again, thank you for a sweet review and a nice smile that "radiates" large amounts of positivity.
1. I don't understand the question, but it uses a Geiger-Müller tube for detection, so any limitations to how those operate is how this is going to operate. There are two limitations (both are software based limitations) I can say is that it uses 16 bit integers so the max CPM (count per minute) will be around 65k before it loops to the beginning of the count , and the second limitation is it's pretty slow to count up the dose rate and CPMs. The 300s and 320s are basically the same as the 300e and 320 plus but will count higher, and will count up faster.
2. It'll detect anything that emits Beta, Gama, X-ray (due to using a GM Tube), so if the object emit those forms of radiation it'll detect it.
3. The difference between the 300e and the GMC-320 plus is flash storage size (300 has 64KB storage vs 1MB on the 320 plus), the 320 plus has a gyroscope that will flip the screen depending on how you're holding the device, the 320 plus has a temperature sensor.
We got 138 cpm on a fossil shark tooth. I guess we should shield it.
you must live near Hanford! good review, thanx!
Luckily, I do not. This video was taped yesterday and today's event was a strange coincidence. Very weird.
+Gear Obsession thank goodness your not there but at least your ready for NK
In the world of geiger counters what role is there for alpha rays?
2 liter A typical geiger counter like that one will not detect alpha rays since they are too large to make it through the plastic shell of the device or most likely any shielding around the tube. More pricey versions can have either a wand type device or a special “screen” on the back of them strictly for measuring alpha radiation, however the sample will have to be placed quite close to the section of the device rated for detecting alpha radiation.
@@jf4196 So your saying this thing on the video is detecting Beta.gamma and x rays ? I have a uranium glass collection and im not concerned of the alpha but i wanna know how many cpm of beta or gamma its putting out.. i wont like having like 50 peices of this glass makes me wonder
@@jeepsblackpowderandlights4305 Correct, and I have one very similar to the one in this video. It measures around 70-100 CPM on a uranium glass dish i have (about 4 inches diameter) Im sure with alpha it could be a little more though.
What is conidered dangerous in this detector?
Frisher 001 Anything over 0.40uSv/hr means there is a high probability that something has happened somewhere.
Would have been neat if they made it Bluetooth and an app on your phone to do all that without a cable/CD-ROM. That seems very 90's to do it that way.
I have a question about this can you switch between gamma rays, and other types of radiation, or does this geiger counter detect any radiation without detecting specific radiation?
A Geiger Counter will "count" any kind of particles that hit the tube, it doesn't know the difference. However, less expensive counters (like the GMC-320), are not capable of detecting alpha particles, and you must have its tube (on the back of the unit) pointed right at the source in question, or it will hardly read anything. That's why better counters have a separate "probe" to point directly at the object or area in question. Know in advance what you want the unit to do for you before buying it.
Great job on your video.
I have the same model and in history data first measurements are correct then last minutes it shows 255 cpm everywhere. I believe there is no data yet so it saves a type enum. Too bad because it messes with total cpm count. I don't know what to do I tried resetting the device but the problem still persists. Now if there's a patch or new firmware for the GMC-320 plus v4 that would be great. Anyone with the same problem ?
Was you outside or near a light source when you observed the 255 CPM? Because some of the tubes in these can be sensitive to light a d can throw a false reading. Oh and yes there are firmware updates (email GQs support with the model and serial number of your unit) if you go into the "about" menu it'll show you the serial number and revision (the firmware version installed on your device), when I bought mine it was 4.70, a d a few days ago I emailed support and was able to get a firmware update which is 4.74.
Thank you a lot, because of the detail I really liked that. I've been watching this a long time and had my doubts...so let me tell you, can you change the title to GMC -320 plus...I don't know if anyone has mentioned it...but thanks...
you should correct the title, you have the wrong model listed
What's that supposed to be? it looks like the right title?
It should read 320 not 230.
this item does not ship to denmark :'(
really interesting i had no idea you could buy these nice product review thank you for sharing this
You are very welcome!!!
My comment is that the sample was "certified" to be 900+ cpm, but it appears that your test did not reach that number. Without doing so, there is still the question of accuracy. Is the sample bad? Or is the detector bad? Or have you actually tried all sides of the sample for 1 minute? The price is good, but without some sort of verification of accuracy, it may be useless.
The 900 reading is much higher because it includes the alpha count which this geiger counter cannot detect
I found up to 35 cpm in a wooden cabinet drawer is it normal? While I have between 17 and 22 outside
Anything up to 50 CPM is considered normal. Readings can fluctuate quite wildly, sometimes you can see mid 30s and next minute in the same spot it can be 15.
ألسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
أين يباع هذا الجهاز وكم سعره رحم الله والديكم
دمي حسيني you can buy it froma britian or american ebay or amazon
Great video....l just bought one.
Good video.
I wish the uranium could ship to Canada
Your title has a typo. :P
I'm Sorry Fred but I keep wanting to hear the song.....Radioactive ..by...The Firm
Great video!
a giger counter I that nuclear war!
The safety guide is a joke, it was copied and based of a long ago civil defense Geiger counter, and then they added the other information later on, it's not really good and accurate card information, in the sense as to what certain radioactive materials are that are radioactive , it doesn't really tell you what the different radioactive materials are, and what the certain amounts of these different radiation material are that give off these different radiation amounts.and it doesn't list the different amounts of material.
Go go Godzilla!!!
lol
Cosmic rad aint sun rad bud
It's my birthday tomorrow... and payday. Guess what I'm buying?!
my birthday today
"230 plus" fix the title.
Novanoid lol you fix your comment he is right
For all of us who live in Chernobyl
Yep, it would be good to have had one there. The Government did not tell anyone for a while and did not evacuate the people for two days.