RE: Oxford/Canberra LB5100 Y2K problem

[Rosen_Jerry <rosen@radsafe.pitt.edu>]

We have the same problem. If Canberra is not going to support the product,
they should at least make the code available to the existing user base.
Hopefully the Y2k glitch could then be corrected. Unfortunately some vendors
would prefer that you replace a $30K+ system to providing a $100 fix.

-----Original Message-----
From: Debby Steva [mailto:dps3c@virginia.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, March 21, 2000 10:37 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Re: Oxford/Canberra LB5100 Y2K problem


We had the same problem only we have Excel 97 which does not like pre- 1980
dates so we have set back the computer's clock to 1992 and changed the
initial source calibration dates by subtracting 8 years (this only works for
sources that were made after 1988) which makes the source calibration date
1981 instead of 1989 for example.  If you have older sources, you will need
to decay correct the original source activity to a post 1980 date and then
re-enter it into the source file.  Is not perfect but it works for what we
need to do.
We also were not pleased to learn that the Y2K fix was going to cost almost
as much as a new
counter! - and company not too willing to work something out.

D. Steva
University of Virginia

Vincent Chase wrote:

> We had several older systems that were not Y2K compliant and that could
not be upgraded without significant cost.  In some cases, the cost of the
upgrade was almost as much as purchasing a new model.
>
> Because some of these instruments had minimal, but critical, use, we
decided to reset the date.  After doing a little research, I found that 1972
is an exact copy of 2000, including the leap day in February.  This makes
decay correction easier since you don't have to worry about whether to
include a leap day in your calculation.  The researchers find it easy to
substitute 1972 for 2000, 1971 for 1999 and 1970 for 1998 and not have to
worry recalculating the month and day.
>
> The only glitch to this system is if you use MS Excel to calculate the
date and have upgraded to Excel 97.  Excel 97 only goes back to 1980.  We
contacted our IS department and made sure that the units using Excel did not
get upgraded to Excel 97.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Regards,
> Vince
>
> Vince Chase
> Radiation Safety Officer
> Wyeth-Ayerst Research
> CN 8000
> Princeton, NJ 08543
>
> phone 732-274-4478
>     fax  732-274-4592
>
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