Just finished repairing and calibrating my Ludlum 16's, three done one to go. Very nice units, and I have the bonus of the window switch for when I use the scint probes. But congrats on the Lud purchase, they are really the cream of the portables. Cheers.
Ludlum units are the best of all the detection equipment out there. I was able to get a late model Ludlum Model 19, a 192 and a 3 with a ludlum GM pancake probe for pennies on the dollar. This was before the prices went up on ebay. I never understood why would someone sell almost new high serial number ludlums on ebay so cheap.
Nice! You were quite fortunate to get those! Those are expensive! But, Yeah! They are Grade A instruments! After Fukushima, so many prices of radiation detection equipment skyrocketed! People were even buying old CD V-715s, and other ion-chamber survey meters, which usually don't work, even if they've never been used or are working, but untested. Those are useless for detecting radioactive sources, unless the radiation from a source is insanely high! Even EMF meters. Why? I remember someone who had taken a radioactive tracer, and he was actually saying "hopefully this radiation doesn't come through your monitor while I'm making this video." No. I don't believe he was joking.
A Model 3 works perfectly well with a 44-2 or 44-3. The higher ranges of the 17 are a "nice to have" but for amateur use, I cant imagine ever having to seriously rely upon or need them. Nice unit though. Thanks for sharing.
+clagwell I had thought of using my love them with potentially multi-crystal active shielding detectors in all kinds of other crazy ideas which might require it's more specialized functions. I haven't made anything like that, but it want the ability to do it if I change my mind lol
For me, I need the NaI because I use it for field spectroscopy. My Polimaster is not so good for low count rates and the larger crystal works out better. I totally agree about the bicron plastic. I bought two of those plastic cubes from Geo (I suspect you know him) to make my own probe at some later point. If you mod a 3, you can make it do crazy stuff :)
I got one of those probes and a model 3 for next to nothing, crazy sensitive compared to a gm tube. I hope to try using it for spectrometer work when I can afford a Gamma spectacular or build one myself.
Thank you for sharing this! I don't think I've seen this video before! I'm late to it, but that is awesome! The closest thing I have to this is an Eberline RM-20, which has the same scale and HV numbers on the meter. It is very nice, but it's not meant to be portable. It runs off of an AC outlet. It can use a lead-acid battery, but I don't know what model battery to use and where it goes. Ludlums are expensive, but they are excellent instruments! And my new and trusty Inspector USB is an excellent pocket/digital G-M counter! Even your kitty was excited and climbed in the box! Ludlum is definitely on my list of future equipment.
That's a toughy. If they are in good working condition and the calibration is good... then I'd say yes. I am assuming it has a 44-9 probe. Ensure it works before buying. It should get between 20 and 60 CPM background, depending on location.
The scintillator is blind to pure beta or low gamma emitting alpha emitters. You can get alpha and beta scintillators, but gamma is the most common. I always keep my pancake GM around for alpha and low energy beta! This unit measures a change of 200 to 300 CPM (a rounding error for it's 1600 CPM background) when next to a tube of KCl, but my Inspector GM jumps from 38 CPM to 500 CPM. The right tools, for the right job!
You cannot simply change probes & expect an accurate reading. You need to "plateau" the counts on a HV vs CPM for each probe & center the HV on that plateau on the instrument for that probe. See the Ludlum website. In the video it sounds like the scintillation probe is being overdriven. This unit is similar, but not the same, to the Model 14C. I own 9 survey meters, a Model 2200 Scaler Ratemeter, & a Model 500 Pulser for calibrations.
Correct!!! Just like Ryo-Ohki, the unit is small and very useful. It also makes several cabbit-sounding noises lol I'm an anime fan and watch way too much old anime. Tenchi is a favorite (most of the tenchi's). It's funny and well made.
With your Ludlum Model 3. You said you can change probes. Do you have to have each probe calibrated to the model 3 or can you only have one dedicated probe which was calibrated and matched to the detector model 3. Thanks.
As an airline pilot I've recently taken an interest in radiation exposure and dosages at altitude. I've recently purchased a GMC-320 Plus to get an idea of what the exposures are. The unit in this video looks to be far more sensitive and I was wondering if you've tested the exit signs on aircraft. An aircraft I used to fly before I got into jets, called a Metroliner III (SA227), had radioactive symbols on them with a Tritium label. Its what made them glow all the time. I wonder if there's any radiation that escapes from their housings. I'm not sure if they still use tritium on modern aircraft and to be honest I keep forgetting to look if its even on the ones I fly. Now I'm more concerned about cosmic radiation.
+Brad Delisle Tritium does result in some x-rays when the betas from its decay strike the plastic/glass housing. It's normally not a major cause for concern, unless it breaks open. Cosmic radiation at altitude is interesting. At 36k feet it's not too bad. I've been upwards of 40k on a 777 before, as a passenger lol, but these are low altitudes, as far as the atmosphere is concerned. Imagine the does they get on ISS or if you flew a MIG25 at 80,000+ feet!
Not a mistake. I prefer the 20 keV to 1 MeV range the most. I have a low energy RAP47 which is comparable to the 44-3 in many respects (8 keV to about 500-ish keV). That 44-3 never really interested me much. When I use my RAP47 I get about the same result :| Also, this unit is for gamma spectroscopy. It will not match my lab grade 1.5" NaI(Tl), but it is similar.
hey i got a kinda urgent question if you don't mind. Is a used Ludlum model 2 with A/B/Y ludlum probe worth $295? I have no clue about Ludlum. Thanks very much
Definitely not. I have seen them for as low as $200. And the Ludlum model 2 only has 3 range multipliers so that is more the sort of price for a used Ludlum model 3.
NOTES: Please watch in full HD (small gear symbol on the bottom right). This is NOT my official Ludlum video, but merely a fun little video. The entire second half is an unboxing video (some people like those... if you do not, there is nothing at the end, so just ignore it :)
In what way?!? The 44-4 can only measure 10-60kev! Whereas a 44-2 measures 20kev-1.5Mev. And besides he has the RAP-47 for low energy. I recommend watching his gratuitous radiation survey. It demonstrates the difference.
Just finished repairing and calibrating my Ludlum 16's, three done one to go. Very nice units, and I have the bonus of the window switch for when I use the scint probes. But congrats on the Lud purchase, they are really the cream of the portables. Cheers.
Ludlum units are the best of all the detection equipment out there. I was able to get a late model Ludlum Model 19, a 192 and a 3 with a ludlum GM pancake probe for pennies on the dollar. This was before the prices went up on ebay. I never understood why would someone sell almost new high serial number ludlums on ebay so cheap.
Nice! You were quite fortunate to get those! Those are expensive! But, Yeah! They are Grade A instruments! After Fukushima, so many prices of radiation detection equipment skyrocketed! People were even buying old CD V-715s, and other ion-chamber survey meters, which usually don't work, even if they've never been used or are working, but untested. Those are useless for detecting radioactive sources, unless the radiation from a source is insanely high! Even EMF meters. Why? I remember someone who had taken a radioactive tracer, and he was actually saying "hopefully this radiation doesn't come through your monitor while I'm making this video." No. I don't believe he was joking.
A Model 3 works perfectly well with a 44-2 or 44-3. The higher ranges of the 17 are a "nice to have" but for amateur use, I cant imagine ever having to seriously rely upon or need them.
Nice unit though. Thanks for sharing.
+clagwell I had thought of using my love them with potentially multi-crystal active shielding detectors in all kinds of other crazy ideas which might require it's more specialized functions. I haven't made anything like that, but it want the ability to do it if I change my mind lol
For me, I need the NaI because I use it for field spectroscopy. My Polimaster is not so good for low count rates and the larger crystal works out better.
I totally agree about the bicron plastic. I bought two of those plastic cubes from Geo (I suspect you know him) to make my own probe at some later point.
If you mod a 3, you can make it do crazy stuff :)
I got one of those probes and a model 3 for next to nothing, crazy sensitive compared to a gm tube. I hope to try using it for spectrometer work when I can afford a Gamma spectacular or build one myself.
Thank you for sharing this! I don't think I've seen this video before! I'm late to it, but that is awesome! The closest thing I have to this is an Eberline RM-20, which has the same scale and HV numbers on the meter. It is very nice, but it's not meant to be portable. It runs off of an AC outlet. It can use a lead-acid battery, but I don't know what model battery to use and where it goes. Ludlums are expensive, but they are excellent instruments! And my new and trusty Inspector USB is an excellent pocket/digital G-M counter! Even your kitty was excited and climbed in the box! Ludlum is definitely on my list of future equipment.
Wow! I love my unit and take it everywhere.
But... no more Geiger counters for a while (wife's getting grumpy lol).
That's a toughy. If they are in good working condition and the calibration is good... then I'd say yes. I am assuming it has a 44-9 probe. Ensure it works before buying. It should get between 20 and 60 CPM background, depending on location.
The scintillator is blind to pure beta or low gamma emitting alpha emitters. You can get alpha and beta scintillators, but gamma is the most common.
I always keep my pancake GM around for alpha and low energy beta! This unit measures a change of 200 to 300 CPM (a rounding error for it's 1600 CPM background) when next to a tube of KCl, but my Inspector GM jumps from 38 CPM to 500 CPM.
The right tools, for the right job!
I have two of the large rat-like critters. They love to play in boxes.
You cannot simply change probes & expect an accurate reading. You need to "plateau" the counts on a HV vs CPM for each probe & center the HV on that plateau on the instrument for that probe. See the Ludlum website. In the video it sounds like the scintillation probe is being overdriven. This unit is similar, but not the same, to the Model 14C. I own 9 survey meters, a Model 2200 Scaler Ratemeter, & a Model 500 Pulser for calibrations.
I'm Drooling...
Correct!!!
Just like Ryo-Ohki, the unit is small and very useful. It also makes several cabbit-sounding noises lol
I'm an anime fan and watch way too much old anime. Tenchi is a favorite (most of the tenchi's). It's funny and well made.
With your Ludlum Model 3. You said you can change probes. Do you have to have each probe calibrated to the model 3 or can you only have one dedicated probe which was calibrated and matched to the detector model 3. Thanks.
Congrats on your 250 video!
I thought you couldn't use CPM for the 44-2 since it detects Gamma, which has no mass no CPM wouldn't work.
As an airline pilot I've recently taken an interest in radiation exposure and dosages at altitude. I've recently purchased a GMC-320 Plus to get an idea of what the exposures are. The unit in this video looks to be far more sensitive and I was wondering if you've tested the exit signs on aircraft. An aircraft I used to fly before I got into jets, called a Metroliner III (SA227), had radioactive symbols on them with a Tritium label. Its what made them glow all the time. I wonder if there's any radiation that escapes from their housings. I'm not sure if they still use tritium on modern aircraft and to be honest I keep forgetting to look if its even on the ones I fly. Now I'm more concerned about cosmic radiation.
+Brad Delisle Tritium does result in some x-rays when the betas from its decay strike the plastic/glass housing. It's normally not a major cause for concern, unless it breaks open.
Cosmic radiation at altitude is interesting. At 36k feet it's not too bad. I've been upwards of 40k on a 777 before, as a passenger lol, but these are low altitudes, as far as the atmosphere is concerned.
Imagine the does they get on ISS or if you flew a MIG25 at 80,000+ feet!
Actually, a single Eu152 source of 37kBq is enough to do it at contact. No need to combine sources (which is an NRC no no lol).
THanks!
so cool! i love that beep!
You have to love cats exploring :) 14:20
sure!
I'm not a ludlum expert. I have had mine only a few days, but I would be glad to take a peak. Just remember, the final decision rests on you. :|
Not a mistake. I prefer the 20 keV to 1 MeV range the most. I have a low energy RAP47 which is comparable to the 44-3 in many respects (8 keV to about 500-ish keV).
That 44-3 never really interested me much. When I use my RAP47 I get about the same result :|
Also, this unit is for gamma spectroscopy. It will not match my lab grade 1.5" NaI(Tl), but it is similar.
Ah dude you're amazing, thanks. Mind if i inbox you the link to look at? Thanks again
hey i got a kinda urgent question if you don't mind. Is a used Ludlum model 2 with A/B/Y ludlum probe worth $295? I have no clue about Ludlum. Thanks very much
Definitely not. I have seen them for as low as $200. And the Ludlum model 2 only has 3 range multipliers so that is more the sort of price for a used Ludlum model 3.
NOTES: Please watch in full HD (small gear symbol on the bottom right).
This is NOT my official Ludlum video, but merely a fun little video. The entire second half is an unboxing video (some people like those... if you do not, there is nothing at the end, so just ignore it :)
I think i know how you got it up so high... :)
Terrible mistake to buy a device with a sensor 44-2 instead of 44-3
In what way?!? The 44-4 can only measure 10-60kev! Whereas a 44-2 measures 20kev-1.5Mev. And besides he has the RAP-47 for low energy. I recommend watching his gratuitous radiation survey. It demonstrates the difference.
@@keelanenns4548
Why then does the 44-3 sell so much better? Are all fools? My advice to you, try these sensors in action and then speak
And why does Ludlum include the 44-2 scintillator in its model 3-IS kit?