The NukAlert-ER Detailed Manual
Contents
1. a few times per minute indicating proper operation and normal harmless background radiation Up to a few clicks per second can be expected from normal background radiation Some high background locations or flying in an airliner at cruising altitude can cause as many as 10 clicks per second without being a cause for alarm The NukAlert ER may be used as a stand alone instrument or it may be connected through its USB port to a computer or companion device allowing its data to be collected displayed on large screens and or sent over the internet The NukAlert ER Gateway communication device is available from www nukalert com In a radiation emergency the instrument should be used sealed in a ziplock plastic bag to avoid getting contamination on or in the unit Because the NukAlert ER covers an enormous range of radiation intensity the billion fold range between harmless and deadly it is imperative to understand the measurement units described in the Dose Rate section of this manual The On Sleep button The NukAlert ER may be powered by two AA batteries alkaline or NiMH and or a USB power source computer or universal cell phone charger The instrument is turned on by pressing and holding the On Sleep button for 5 seconds The back light will blink then come on followed by ramping of the high voltage and entry of the main menu at the Dose Rate display screen While On Awake the unit may be returned to the sleep mode by momentari2. the settings menu for example if the averaging time is set for 120 seconds the log entries will be two minutes apart and the entire log will contain the most recent 16 hours of readings Pressing the Left key moves backward in time through the log while pressing the Right key moves forward in time Pressing the Esc key returns to the main menu Clear History Press OK to erase all previous history entries Battery State The present battery voltage is displayed along with an estimated percentage of battery capacity remaining The percentage is based on NiMH rechargeable batteries If alkaline batteries are used a percentage above 100 will be seen with fresh batteries If a USB connection is delivering power a USB pwr message will be displayed beside the measured battery voltage and the batteries will not be drained Periodic Wake This main menu function is enabled by selecting the desired wake interval with the arrow keys When enabled the sleep state will be interrupted by a periodic wake up a measurement period and return to sleep at the selected time interval The awake time will be the duration of the averaging window selected in the Settings Menu Set Avg window During the awake time the unit will measure the ambient radiation level and store the result in the history memory While the unit is asleep with this function enabled the LED will blink at a regular 1 second rate The unit may be awakened manually at any
3. time and will remain awake until the ON Sleep button is pressed again When the unit awakens autonomously it will remain awake indefinitely if any key is pressed and may be returned to the sleep mode manually The Periodic Wake mode can be used to greatly extend battery life for example a Wake Period setting of 30 minutes coupled with an Avg Window of 30 sec will extend the battery life 60 fold for over 5 months of periodic monitoring If an invalid combination is selected Avg Window greater than Wake Period the unit will refuse to sleep Settings This main menu selection enters the following sub menu when the OK button is pressed The Left or Right arrow buttons are then used to select the desired function which is entered by again pressing the OK button Pressing the ESC button returns to the main menu The present setting is shown in parenthesis Press the OK button to allow adjustment of the parameter with the Left or Right arrow buttons Then press the OK button to accept the new setting or the ESC button to leave the setting unchanged The Settings menu selections Set Units Set Avg Window Set Backlight Set Dose Alarm Set Dose Limit Set Rate Alarm Set Rate Limit Reset Dose Set Time Date Pwr restore wake Restore Defaults Software Version System Test Set Units This settings menu selection toggles between Sievert and Roentgen units of measure with the Left or Right arrow buttons Set Avg Window T
4. The NukAlert ER Detailed Manual The NukAlert ER is a unique radiation detection and measurement instrument It is a Geiger Counter in the truest sense but it is able to measure radiation levels far higher than traditional Geiger based devices Traditional Geiger counters sized for sensitivity adequate to measure background radiation levels are inherently incapable of measuring the life threatening levels possible from a power plant catastrophe or nuclear attack Unlike the NukAlert ER the dead time of traditional Geiger counter circuits causes a sensitive counter to become inoperative above about 100mR hr a level which may be a long term health risk but is far below immediately life threatening The NukAlert ER uses sophisticated high voltage control circuitry and statistical analysis of the pulses from the Geiger tube to enable radiation measurement over an intensity range from 1 uR hr to 600R hr This technique is referred to as Time to First Count in radiation detection textbooks The NukAlert ER is the first inexpensive portable instrument to employ the TTFC method The result is a single device that can be used as a sensitive Geiger counter survey meter and dosimeter Its wide dynamic range facilitates the location of shelter aids decontamination of people allows preliminary evaluation of food and measures wind blown fallout from distant sources When the unit is on the yellow light blinks and corresponding clicks are produced at least
5. actors for Nuclear Terrorism may be useful http www fas org irp agency dhs fema ncr pdf Immediately find the nearest and strongest building and go inside to avoid radioactive dust outside Go deep inside If better shelter such as a multi story building or basement can be reached within a few minutes go there immediately If you are in a car find a building for shelter immediately Cars do not provide adequate protection from radioactive material Go to the basement or the center of the middle floor of a multi story building for example the center floors e g 3 8 of a 10 story building Resist your natural instinct to evacuate from a dangerous area as you are likely to be much safer sheltering in place while the radiation outside weakens Put building walls brick concrete or soil between you and the radioactive material outside and increase the distance between you and the exterior walls roofs and ground where radioactive material is settling Stay inside Do not come out until you are instructed to do so by authorities Air does not become radioactive only the dust emits radiation Avoid breathing dust by breathing through a cloth If visible dust is not in the air this is unnecessary Use the NukAlert ER to find the lowest Dose Rate location in your shelter Radiation levels can vary enormously over short distances and may increase or decrease with time as the dust settles Keep evaluating your shelter and pr
6. aining to Preset Dose functions Pressing the OK button clears the accumulator and returns to the settings menu Set Time Date This settings menu selection is used to adjust the internal clock for the History time stamp The setting may be maintained while changing batteries by first entering sleep mode or plugging into a USB power source The Time amp Date may also be synchronized with a PC clock using the PC App and a USB connection Pwr restore wake This settings menu selection toggles the power up behavior of the instrument between automatic turn on default and manual turn on required Restore Defaults This settings menu selection restores the factory default settings if OK is pressed Software Version This settings menu selection displays the version number of the installed software firmware and the check sum for verifying the software integrity Self Test This settings menu selection enters a sub menu for testing various functions of the instrument Tube Threshold This System Test menu selection measures the threshold voltage of the Geiger tube A check source of radiation that delivers more than 100 counts per minute is required for accurate results Background radiation may be used for the test but the result may be variable and as much as 30V high Significant increase of the threshold over time more than 50V may indicate a defective Geiger tube USB Connection and PC Apps The main functions of the NukAl
7. days is likely to cause a person to develop symptoms of acute radiation sickness while lower doses rarely cause acute illness The average American has a 24 chance of lifetime fatal cancer A 100R dose increases that cancer risk to about 32 while a 10R dose increases lifetime fatal cancer risk less than 1 Accumulated Dose This main menu selection displays the total dose of radiation accumulated since the the accumulator was reset and the amount of time that has elapsed If the instrument is put in the Sleep mode or power is removed the last reading will be stored in nonvolatile memory and it will be used as the starting point for accumulation when operation is restored Radiation encountered while the unit is unpowered or in sleep will not be recorded thus the Accumulated Dose may be in error The dose reading can be reset to zero in the Settings menu The choice of display units in either Sieverts or Roentgens is made in the Settings menu Time Remaining to Preset Dose This main menu selection displays the time remaining at the currently measured average dose rate until a preset total dose will have been accumulated If the Dose Alarm is enabled the alarm will sound when the preset dose has been accumulated This function will not appear in the main display screens unless it has been initialized in the Settings menu If the instrument is put in the Sleep mode or power is removed the last reading will be stored in nonvolati
8. ert ER and much more may be accessed through the USB connection to a computer or the Companion Docking Station An App must first be loaded on the host device PC A link to download a free open source PC App for USB communication with the instrument may be found on the NukAlert web page www nukalert com This App has a wide variety of capabilities that are documented in the App user s manual on the site When the NukAlert ER is connected to a computer by the USB cable it receives all of its needed power from the computer and the batteries are not depleted If batteries are in place during USB operation the unit will continue operation during USB power interruptions In order to safely accommodate many battery types no battery charging is done by the NukAlert ER itself However rechargeable batteries may be used and charged externally In a radiation emergency If the Dose Rate shows any amount of uR hr micro R per hour you are not in life threatening radiation Remain calm download the resources listed at the end of this document if possible If the Dose Rate shows less than 10 mR hr milli R per hour you are not in the Hot Zone Unless the radiation level increases you may spend days in that radiation level without harm In a radiation emergency the instrument should be used sealed in a ziplock plastic bag to avoid getting contamination on or in the unit In the event of a terrorist nuclear attack The following from the NCR Planning F
9. his settings menu selection adjusts the dose rate averaging window A short time setting will allow rapid indication of radiation intensity changes but the displayed indication will appear less stable A longer time will allow more precise measurement at low intensities This selection also controls the interval between log entries Set Back light This settings menu selection adjusts the duration of back lighting of the display while using batteries The back light is on continuously when the instrument is powered from a USB source Set Dose Alarm This settings menu selection toggles between enabled and disabled Dose alarm function with the Left or Right arrow buttons When enabled the alarm will sound when the accumulated dose exceeds the Dose Limit selected in the Settings menu Set Dose Limit This settings menu selection adjusts the Dose Limit amount This setting is used by the Dose Alarm and the Time Remaining to Preset Dose functions If the Dose Alarm is on the Time Remaining to Preset Dose will be available in the main menu Set Rate Alarm This settings menu selection toggles between enabled and disabled Dose Rate alarm function with the Left or Right arrow buttons Set Rate Limit This settings menu selection adjusts the Dose Rate Limit amount This setting is used by the Rate Alarm function Reset Dose This settings menu selection resets the dose accumulator used by the Dose Alarm and the Time Rem
10. le memory and it will be used as the starting point for accumulation when operation is restored Radiation encountered while the unit is unpowered or in sleep will not be recorded thus the Accumulated Dose may be in error The preset dose is chosen in the Settings menu This reading may be cleared to zero in the Settings menu with the Reset Dose function Count Rate This main menu selection displays the average number of Geiger pulses observed in a given time either one second or one minute depending on the radiation intensity The averaging time period is adjustable in the Settings menu Raw Counts This main menu selection displays the total number of Geiger pulses observed in an elapsed period of time Pressing the Left key followed by OK will reset the count and time pressing the Right key shows the total number of pulses received in the last full hour This function is useful for making high resolution background measurements History This main menu selection enters a sub menu that allows the user to review or clear the history memory The results of the last 500 averaging periods of radiation measurements are kept in the unit s memory with the most recent measurements overwriting the oldest The History may also be read through USB by a PC App Browse History The time stamped log entries are displayed on the LCD display The logging interval time between log entries is equal to the averaging time selected in
11. ly pressing the On Sleep button followed by pressing the OK button The instrument will come on automatically when it first receives a source of power default setting This setting is necessary to enable power outage recovery during automatic reporting The Mute button The Mute button toggles the Geiger clicking sound on or off It will not mute any other sounds The OK button The OK button is used to accept menu options or to temporarily silence snooze alarms that are sounding When The Dose Rate is being displayed pressing the OK button causes an asterisk to appear beside the reading and remain for the duration of the selected averaging period as a guide to determine when the indication has fully stabilized While in the settings menu parameters that are shown in parenthesis may be adjusted by pressing OK and then using the arrow keys When the desired value is shown press OK again to accept the adjustment or ESC to restore the original value The ESC button The ESC button is used to back out escape from a menu or sub menu selection Repeated pressing of the ESC button always pages back to Dose Rate screen The Left amp Right arrow buttons The arrow buttons are used to page through the menu and sub menu selections and to adjust settings The NukAlert ER presents the user with 8 main menu screens that are chosen with the Left or Right arrow buttons The main menu selections are Dose Rate Acc
12. obing for better locations Specifications Size amp Weight Power source 135mm x 70mm x 25mm 165g 2ea AA alkaline or NiMH cells or USB Battery Life 2600mAhr Alkaline Data access by Display Up to 65hr at background count rate 32hrs between 1mR hr and 10mR hr 24hrs Geiger above 100mR hr Up to 1 year in periodic monitor mode Up to 3 years sleep mode Display USB or optional Blue tooth 2 line x 16 character back lit LCD Operating environment 15 C to 65 C Altitude to 5Km Geiger system 0 to 95 humidity non condensing Active electronic quenching High rate measurement method Time To First Count Tube Voltage Geiger tube Gamma Sensitivity Accuracy Cs137 Saturation Background Beta sensitivity Adjustable by software up to 1000V Supplied with KR 121 Geiger tube Other tubes available as options Compensation Optional Sn Cu 18 counts sec 1mR hr 10uSv hr 20 background through 600R hr No saturation below 1000R hr lt 10 counts minute Shielded Through front window above 200KeV Useful Resources What To Do If A Nuclear Disaster Is Imminent www ki4u com guide htm Civil Defense resources www ki4u com goodnews htm Radiation Dose Chart http xkcd com radiation Physicians for Civil Defense www physiciansforcivildefense org NCR Planning for Nuclear Terrorism www fas org irp agency dhs fema ncr pdf NOTES
13. umulated Dose Time Remaining to Preset Dose Count Rate Raw Counts History Battery State Periodic Wake Settings Dose Rate This main menu selection displays the rate of radiation dose accumulation The quantity of radiation a person absorbs is called a dose Radiation dose is expressed on the NukAlert ER display in units of either R Roentgens or Sv Sieverts 1 Sievert 100 Roentgens The default unit is Roentgens Units may also be shown on the NukAlert ER display with a n nano prefix for billionths a u micro prefix for millionths a m milli prefix for thousandths and a K Kilo prefix for thousands The Dose Rate is a measure of how rapidly a dose is being absorbed For example a dose rate of 2R hr 2 Roentgens per hour will result in a dose of 6R being absorbed in three hours At 2mR hr 2 milli Roentgens per hour it would take over 4 months to receive the same 6R dose A typical normal background rate is between 10uR hr and 100uR hr In an airliner at cruising altitude one would typically see 400uR hr due to cosmic rays from outer space Airline crews work in such radiation fields for hundreds of hours per year without panic Our bodies continuously repair most radiation damage This process takes place over a period of weeks or months At high radiation dose rates the healing process is overwhelmed by the accumulation of radiation damage to cells A dose of more than 100R absorbed over a short time period
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