Re: The Search for a Real MicroR meter

[Ccja@aol.com]

I highly recommend the Victoreen 450P, which also comes in an SI-unit,
dose-equivalent model (450P-DE-SI). They were good to begin with and have
been much improved, over the years. Because it is pressurized(6 atmospheres,
80/20 N/Ne mix, I think), it is extremely fast. It also has a very long, and
flat, response vs. energy curve. The 450 series, as a whole, much more rugged
than any other ion-chambered survey meter of which I have knowledge
(manufacturer says it'll take a one meter drop to a concrete floor), as
rugged as most geiger counters or scintillometers. The problem I have with
scintillometer-type microrem instruments is that that is all they are:
ratemeters. The 450P also gives you freeze-peak reading (which can greatly
speed up surveys), and integrated exposure/DE modes. Integration can be done
simultaneously with ratemetering. I would not buy an ion-chambered survey
meter without integrative capabilities. The price is the same as Bicron's
MICRO REM, ~US$1600, and you get a lot more bang for your buck.
Note that all ion chambers need to be allowed a few minutes to settle down,
before being used. That should be SOP.