NETC.com :: View topic - Returned my defective GC-300E..other detectors?

Deputy wrote:

Hi all. New member here.

I had a lot of problems with my GC-300E and finally shipped it back for a refund. Last problem was the CPM counter just sat at zero when I turned it on. I was wondering if there are any other geigers that can be used besides what's on the (very short and expensive) list. I was thinking about the CRM 100. It has a 3.5 mini-jack to USB port connection to transfer data. I would have to buy the cable (Amazon has them).

Deputy wrote:

KC: I HAD the GC-300E. It is on it's way back to the manufacturer for a refund. I wouldn't buy anything they made again. I handled it very carefully, never dropped or banged it around, and it quit working after 2 weeks. The three counters you listed are quite expensive and out of my budget. The CRM 100 sells for $275 on E-Bay (direct from manufacturer) and it picks up alpha and beta particles, and gamma rays and x-rays. I just wondered if it was compatible with the online monitoring system.

Deputy wrote:

One quick question...what is your opinion of the K8 Nuke Safeguard? I have one of these and the sensitivity on it seems pretty weak. Almost seems like I have to bury it in a ton of thorite to get it to read anything. :shock:

Maybe they are just made for nuclear attacks...I dunno.

http://k8community.com/spec.html

Deputy wrote:

The GMC-200 has possibilities because it is cheap enough that it is almost disposable. Depends on how much I can "deal them down" on E-Bay. They will take "best offer".

Hmmm...I checked the GM45 and the price is doable, but accordng to their website it is a mueller tube. That doesn't matter to me. Less fragile. But it has no power source so it's a stationary tester. That's a deal breaker for me:
"The GM-45 contains a geiger mueller tube, capable of detecting alpha, beta, and gamma / x-ray radiation. Each time a radiation particle enters the sensing window, it is detected, and the software on the attached computer is informed of this event."
"Since the GM-45 is self-powered by the computer's serial port, no batteries or external power adapters are needed! You can operate them anywhere you can take your computer or laptop!"

I don't have a laptop. I could probably plug it into a USB adapter, but it's still dependant on AC power. Not mobile enough for me.

http://www.blackcatsystems.com/GM/produ ... unter.html

I also ruled out the CRM100 because it is mainly used for testing objects and not general monitoring.

Another geiger that has caught my eye is actually custom-built by a guy on YouTube called Atomic.Dave. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9M5MNe-9hA

It's called a Borg+Plus. I know, kind of a goofy name :mrgreen:

. But the features on it are pretty cool.

Deputy wrote:

I bought my GMC 300E off E-Bay and returning it was very easy. Actually, the seller on E-Bay is GQ Electronics. Warranty is the same as buying from their website. The GMC-200 is on E-Bay for $80 or best offer. I haven't made an offer yet. Not sure where to start.

Another possibility is to buy a replacement pancake probe for one of my CDV-700 units. That would cover the full spectrum of Alpha/Beta/Gamma/X-Ray. It's not cheap($280), but it would be pretty cool. Only downside is using it for monitoring would mean I would have to go to rechargeable D-cells to power it. And I would need an adapter cable to hook into the speaker jack. That's no big deal, though.

Author:	Deputy [ Mon Aug 26, 2013 11:18 am ]
Post subject:	Returned my defective GC-300E..other detectors?
Hi all. New member here. I had a lot of problems with my GC-300E and finally shipped it back for a refund. Last problem was the CPM counter just sat at zero when I turned it on. I was wondering if there are any other geigers that can be used besides what's on the (very short and expensive) list. I was thinking about the CRM 100. It has a 3.5 mini-jack to USB port connection to transfer data. I would have to buy the cable (Amazon has them).

Author:	KingCobra [ Mon Aug 26, 2013 5:17 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Returned my defective GC-300E..other detectors?
Deputy wrote: Hi all. New member here. I had a lot of problems with my GC-300E and finally shipped it back for a refund. Last problem was the CPM counter just sat at zero when I turned it on. I was wondering if there are any other geigers that can be used besides what's on the (very short and expensive) list. I was thinking about the CRM 100. It has a 3.5 mini-jack to USB port connection to transfer data. I would have to buy the cable (Amazon has them). You have the GMC-300E model? http://www.gqelectronicsllc.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=4542 I own many of the GMC-200 units which are less than $100 each: http://www.gqelectronicsllc.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=4527 I also own a regular GMC-300 unit for less than $150. I have owned it for about a year now and have dropped it at least 4x hard now, it still works fine. http://www.gqelectronicsllc.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=4542 Both of those units listed above can be bought direct from the manufacture or from http://www.NETC.com as a package with the Raspberry Pi unit for sharing your real-time readings on the network for all to see. I do also own an InspectorEXP, Mazur 9000 and a Polimaster 1703MO-1A

Author:	Deputy [ Tue Aug 27, 2013 9:52 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Returned my defective GC-300E..other detectors?
KC: I HAD the GC-300E. It is on it's way back to the manufacturer for a refund. I wouldn't buy anything they made again. I handled it very carefully, never dropped or banged it around, and it quit working after 2 weeks. The three counters you listed are quite expensive and out of my budget. The CRM 100 sells for $275 on E-Bay (direct from manufacturer) and it picks up alpha and beta particles, and gamma rays and x-rays. I just wondered if it was compatible with the online monitoring system.

Author:	KingCobra [ Tue Aug 27, 2013 2:40 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Returned my defective GC-300E..other detectors?
Deputy wrote: KC: I HAD the GC-300E. It is on it's way back to the manufacturer for a refund. I wouldn't buy anything they made again. I handled it very carefully, never dropped or banged it around, and it quit working after 2 weeks. The three counters you listed are quite expensive and out of my budget. The CRM 100 sells for $275 on E-Bay (direct from manufacturer) and it picks up alpha and beta particles, and gamma rays and x-rays. I just wondered if it was compatible with the online monitoring system. I am sorry to hear your 300E was defective and you refuse to give them a 2nd chance. For the price, I believe it would be worth giving them/it a 2nd chance only because I own the GMC-300 and have had no problems. I have not had a problem with the several GMC-200 that I own, running 24/7. One of the GMC-200 has been running 24/7 outside in a ziplock bag since early Winter. I would like to point out that even if the InspectorEXP or Mazur 9000 were in your price range, the pancake tube in it only has a warranty of 90 day. Sure the rest of the unit has a longer warranty but they know what is more likely to fail and that is the pancake geiger tube. I am crossing my fingers that none of my pancake tubes fail. In fact I have 3 of them, the InspectorEXP, Mazur 9000 and the Black Cat Systems GM-45 unit. All 3 of those do detect alpha and x-ray. I like my InspectorEXP best of all my geiger counters but they all serve a different purpose for me. For paper towel swipe tests, dentist appointments and in the field testing on the go I use my InspectorEXP. For monitoring changes in background to work, at work and driving home from work I use my GMC-300. My many GMC-200 units work great when connected to the Raspberry Pi with software from www.NETC.com to do real-time monitoring of changes in background radiation. My Mazur 9000 has a nice high & low feature built in to it for field monitoring and also works as a backup for me when trying to verify readings from my InspectorEXP. My Black Cat Systems GM-45 unit hooked to my computer and running through the www.NETC.com Windows software works great to monitor changes in background inside my house. At a price of $400 last time I checked, the GM-45 is the least expensive pancake geiger counter I believe available out there. In fact, in my own testing I have found it to be equal to my InspectorEXP with sensitivity and readings. I am not worried about the GMC-300 or GMC-200 not registering alpha or x-ray because it is unlikely that I will run across an alpha only source and if I did, if the sample was too far away or slightly covered it wouldn't register anyway. Other than an x-ray machine it is unlikely that I will run it to a gamma only reading. Before you buy a CRM 100 you might want to look at this review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P-H9keqijo

Author:	Deputy [ Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:23 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Returned my defective GC-300E..other detectors?
The GMC-200 has possibilities because it is cheap enough that it is almost disposable. Depends on how much I can "deal them down" on E-Bay. They will take "best offer". Hmmm...I checked the GM45 and the price is doable, but accordng to their website it is a mueller tube. That doesn't matter to me. Less fragile. But it has no power source so it's a stationary tester. That's a deal breaker for me: "The GM-45 contains a geiger mueller tube, capable of detecting alpha, beta, and gamma / x-ray radiation. Each time a radiation particle enters the sensing window, it is detected, and the software on the attached computer is informed of this event." "Since the GM-45 is self-powered by the computer's serial port, no batteries or external power adapters are needed! You can operate them anywhere you can take your computer or laptop!" I don't have a laptop. I could probably plug it into a USB adapter, but it's still dependant on AC power. Not mobile enough for me. http://www.blackcatsystems.com/GM/produ ... unter.html I also ruled out the CRM100 because it is mainly used for testing objects and not general monitoring. Another geiger that has caught my eye is actually custom-built by a guy on YouTube called Atomic.Dave. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9M5MNe-9hA It's called a Borg+Plus. I know, kind of a goofy name . But the features on it are pretty cool.

NETC.com https://www.netc.com:443/bb/

Returned my defective GC-300E..other detectors? https://www.netc.com:443/bb/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=341	Page 1 of 6

Author:	Deputy [ Tue Aug 27, 2013 6:29 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Returned my defective GC-300E..other detectors?
One quick question...what is your opinion of the K8 Nuke Safeguard? I have one of these and the sensitivity on it seems pretty weak. Almost seems like I have to bury it in a ton of thorite to get it to read anything. Maybe they are just made for nuclear attacks...I dunno. http://k8community.com/spec.html

Author:	KingCobra [ Tue Aug 27, 2013 10:28 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Returned my defective GC-300E..other detectors?
Deputy wrote: One quick question...what is your opinion of the K8 Nuke Safeguard? I have one of these and the sensitivity on it seems pretty weak. Almost seems like I have to bury it in a ton of thorite to get it to read anything. Maybe they are just made for nuclear attacks...I dunno. http://k8community.com/spec.html Well I see on the website it detects Xray and Gamma. It says it uses solid state rather than any GM tube. I guess your test results say everything, it is better than nothing but that's about it.

Author:	KingCobra [ Tue Aug 27, 2013 10:38 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Returned my defective GC-300E..other detectors?
Deputy wrote: The GMC-200 has possibilities because it is cheap enough that it is almost disposable. Depends on how much I can "deal them down" on E-Bay. They will take "best offer". Hmmm...I checked the GM45 and the price is doable, but accordng to their website it is a mueller tube. That doesn't matter to me. Less fragile. But it has no power source so it's a stationary tester. That's a deal breaker for me: "The GM-45 contains a geiger mueller tube, capable of detecting alpha, beta, and gamma / x-ray radiation. Each time a radiation particle enters the sensing window, it is detected, and the software on the attached computer is informed of this event." "Since the GM-45 is self-powered by the computer's serial port, no batteries or external power adapters are needed! You can operate them anywhere you can take your computer or laptop!" I don't have a laptop. I could probably plug it into a USB adapter, but it's still dependant on AC power. Not mobile enough for me. http://www.blackcatsystems.com/GM/produ ... unter.html I also ruled out the CRM100 because it is mainly used for testing objects and not general monitoring. Another geiger that has caught my eye is actually custom-built by a guy on YouTube called Atomic.Dave. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9M5MNe-9hA It's called a Borg+Plus. I know, kind of a goofy name . But the features on it are pretty cool. I am not sure whatever price you can "deal them down" on Ebay would be worth my time and trouble but you might have more time than me. I would also worry about warranty if bought off Ebay. I bought some of mine direct from GQ Electronics and the rest from Harlan at http://www.NETC.com As for the Black Cat Systems GM-45 unit, there are many types of "Geiger-Muller Tubes" one of which is the pancake style used in the GM-45: Code: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geiger–Müller_tube Yes, with the GM-45 you would need to run it off a computer like I do. I was not sure what your needs were. I am glad you ruled out the CRM100 because I didn't think you would be happy with it. Did the video showing it compared to an InspectorEXP help you? I have previously bought a geiger counter from Atomic Dave off Ebay. It was the SBM-20 and I paid a little more than what a new GMC-200 would cost me. Although the Atomic Dave SBM-20 model geiger counter seems to work fine for field testing, the audio out jack signal does not work as well. I was unable to get correct readings with it when connected to http://www.geigerbot.com and nothing at all when connected to Radiation Network or http://www.NETC.com My other geiger counters (InspectorEXP, Mazur 9000, GMC-300, GMC-200) work fine when connected to either Radiation Network or http://www.NETC.com. As for http://www.geigerbot.com I am not sure because I do not have a need for it anymore therefore I have not tested the above geiger counters with it.

Author:	Deputy [ Tue Aug 27, 2013 11:01 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Returned my defective GC-300E..other detectors?
I bought my GMC 300E off E-Bay and returning it was very easy. Actually, the seller on E-Bay is GQ Electronics. Warranty is the same as buying from their website. The GMC-200 is on E-Bay for $80 or best offer. I haven't made an offer yet. Not sure where to start. Another possibility is to buy a replacement pancake probe for one of my CDV-700 units. That would cover the full spectrum of Alpha/Beta/Gamma/X-Ray. It's not cheap($280), but it would be pretty cool. Only downside is using it for monitoring would mean I would have to go to rechargeable D-cells to power it. And I would need an adapter cable to hook into the speaker jack. That's no big deal, though.

Author:	KingCobra [ Wed Aug 28, 2013 8:38 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Returned my defective GC-300E..other detectors?
Deputy wrote: I bought my GMC 300E off E-Bay and returning it was very easy. Actually, the seller on E-Bay is GQ Electronics. Warranty is the same as buying from their website. The GMC-200 is on E-Bay for $80 or best offer. I haven't made an offer yet. Not sure where to start. Another possibility is to buy a replacement pancake probe for one of my CDV-700 units. That would cover the full spectrum of Alpha/Beta/Gamma/X-Ray. It's not cheap($280), but it would be pretty cool. Only downside is using it for monitoring would mean I would have to go to rechargeable D-cells to power it. And I would need an adapter cable to hook into the speaker jack. That's no big deal, though. You already have a pancake unit, great. How long have you had it? How did the pancake tube go bad? How long did it last?

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