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svann
USA
2 Posts |
 Posted - 04/09/2021 : 08:52:18
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Ive had my GMC-320 for a couple years running 24/7, and just this morning the beeper started going off for the first time. I checked it and the level was up to 0.75uSV/hr. Alarm was set to 0.5uSV/hr. Not sure if I should be concerned.
It seems to me the alarm was set too low but I may be wrong on the federal allowed limit or my conversion.
I looked up the radiation limit and found
https://news.mit.edu/1994/safe-0105
which says occupational safety limit is 5000mRem/yr above the 300mRem natural radiation. I convert 5300mRem/yr to 6.05uSV/hr, which is about 12x what the alarm was set to, and if correct then I still have plenty of headroom.
Should I change the alarm setting or should I go searching for where the radiation might be sourcing from?
edit: a few hours later the measure has dropped back down to 0.19uSV/hr, which I think is what Im used to seeing. No idea what had made it higher - sunspots? My original question still stands though. Is 0.5uSV/hr the correct alarm limit or should it be raised to 6uSV/hr? This is at home. |
Edited by - svann on 04/09/2021 10:33:32
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| Reply #1
EmfDev
2143 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2021 : 11:45:31
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The svann, the low alarm threshold is to let you know there might be a radiation slightly higher than background. If you are not worried about low radiation you can set it to higher. Low alarm can let you know if you are bringing something new with radiation.
The trigger may have been just a noise and not a real radiation. |
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| Reply #2
svann
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2021 : 20:44:47
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Thanks for the answer about the default trigger setting.
I still think this was not just noise fluctuation though. Its now pretty much always down about 0.20 or just under that and I think in the past its been about that, but for a few hours it was up around 0.75. Thats quite a difference. I think something was going on in the area that caused a temporary rise in radiation. Not high enough to be bad, but higher than normal for the area. |
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| Reply #3
Damien68
France
780 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2021 : 23:06:46
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Hi svann
going from 0.2uSV/h in average to 0.5-0.7 for many hours, it is suspicious, in the counter there is a history of the measurements made, you can trace them using either the dataviewer software from GQ or the geigerlog software from ullix, it will allow you to better see what happened. |
Mastery is acquired by studying, with it everything becomes simple |
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| Reply #4
Breizh
France
72 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2021 : 07:48:30
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The measurement may not exceed 0.12µSv / h otherwise we exceed the calculated dose of 1 mSV / year / inhabitant, which is the French but not legal standard!
Breizh |
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What limit is proper?
