Smart Geiger Counter Radiacode-103 with Free Mobile App. Nuclear Radiation Detector

This is an interesting device. I've had a bit of time to tinker with it and have taken it out in the field. It's not a geiger counter. A geiger counter uses a geiger-mueller tube. A typical thin-walled geiger tube can only really register beta and pick up that there is radiation present, not its energy. It's basically numbers of clicks of ionizing radiation without being able to tell you anything about it. This is a scintillator that mostly picks up gamma and tracks voltage of counts in kev. It tracks these counts in spectra, spectrograms over time, and location. It's not quite a lab-grade device, but it puts this sort of monitoring and tracking into an affordable device. It's the kind of device you can carry with you and track radiation levels and doses around your location. You can put it next to an emitter, take a spectrum and identify the type of emitter. If you have an alpha or beta source, like uranium or thorium, it doesn't necessarily read it directly, but records the gamma emissions of decay chain products to identify the source. It's very sensitive to these types of sources in a way that a cheaper geiger tube device usually isn't. I think that the intended "killer ap" would be using it to monitor food sources down wind of Chernobyl. It's a European product in that way. That's not as much of a concern for me. For me, it can be a bit of a toy where I can take spectra of common emitters, like uranium glass, vintage dishes, lantern mantles. I've figured out that my downtown areas is slightly more radioactive than where I live. However, it's not a toy. It's a pretty serious device. There's a feature in the app that lets you identify emitter types through the differing peaks on a spectrum. You can take a baseline background reading and subtract it from your spectra to really make the source type more clear. It really does do a lot for the money. I use it as a safety device when I replace smoke detectors for people. I can check them for radiation emitters before disposing of them so i don't expose myself and others. As well, I run a desert education group and it helps in identifying minerals in the field. I found out one of my camera lenses is a beta emitter (thorium glass) which doesn't change much, but I'm happy that I know not to carry it in my vest pocket for 12 hours a day. My heads up is that the Android app is much more mature than the iOS app. The iPhone app is missing a lot of features, but it seems like they are updating about once a month. As of February 2024, the tracks feature works and the radiation level and dose rate features are working. You can take spectra but can't save them yet. I hope this gets fixed quickly, since this is maybe the best feature for me. The android app has pretty modest requirements, so I borrowed an old Android phone to save spectra and do background subtraction until these features are added. I don't think this is a deal killer. Also, the Android app has some odd English locutions so it might take some time to figure out what these features are, and you might need to refer to the documentation a few times before getting comfortable. So far, the iOS app is much more intuitive, though it is a work in progress.

This little gadget isn't very big (about the size of a snickers bar), but it's about 20x more sensitive to gamma radiation than a typical geiger counter. This is because it uses a scintillation crystal detector instead of a tube of low pressure gas. The crystal is far denser than the gas, so gamma photons are much more likely to interact with the crystal than the gas as they pass through. But the greatest benefit of using a scintillation crystal isn't the extra sensitivity, it's the ability to measure the energy of detected gamma photons. That enables you to identify the isotope(s) emitting the radiation. By looking at the distribution of the peaks in the spectrum data, you can distinguish between naturally occurring uranium and thorium and K-40, and manmade fission products like Cs-137 and I-131. You can use it to definitively comfirm whether or not an area has been contaminated with fallout from a bomb or a nuclear accident, a lost or misplaced industrial radiation source, or natural radioactive sources, and accurately assess radiation hazards. By itself, it makes a great portable detector, but the small screen makes the spectrometer function a little difficult to use. But it has Bluetooth that can connect to a phone app, and the app makes displaying and interpreting spectra fairly easy. The app has a built-in library of gamma sources, so you can click on a spectrum peak and see isotopes that have emission lines in that area. When you have multiple emission lines that match multiple spectrum peaks, you have a positive ID of the radiation source. The app logs the detected radiation level over time, and can combine that log with GPS mapping to locate areas with high radiation levels. The app can also calculate how contaminated food or other materials are if you buy a marinelli container for testing. That feature can be used to verify whether food is safe to eat if there is a concern about contamination. Battery life is a little over a week, depending on screen backlight use, click volume, etc. It has a standard USB C port for charging or connecting to your computer, so that's hassle-free. Overall I really like mine, and think it's a great thing to have for emergency preparedness and learning about radioactivity. It's not just educational, it could save your life!

This is my second Radicode 103. What really makes these units stand apart is the fact that they use a scintillation crystal and a photo multiplier rather than the run of the mill Geiger Muller tubes that you see in all of the <$100 units. Don't get me wrong, the tube-based units are good for telling you that there is radiation. But, they cannot tell you what the source of the radiation is. This is where a meter like the Radiacode comes into play as it is not a simple Geiger counter, it is a gamma spectrometer (it measures the energy levels of the particles to tie them to their source isotopes). Add in the Bluetooth connectivity and an application to download and interpret the data and it just makes this meter all that more useful (apps for iPhone, Droid and PC). The meter itself is compact and easy to carry with a long life on the battery that charges quickly when plugged in. I do highly recommend the silicone case to protect your investment, the meter well built, but a little extra protection never hurts.

Part of my EDC now. I make sure it always has a charge, the battery life is great, even with frequent checking and backlight illumination I am constantly 7+ days on a charge. I wear it at work everyday around cabinet xray machines, yes I know it does so much more, and I do use it for other things but this is my daily use. It is interesting to me to see my exposure and watch the peaks as the lead curtains sway. Durability is amazing, I did get the silicone case to put it on, which makes it easier to hand of my badge or off my belt. I can be rough with things in the work place (broken phone screens, watch screens, broken pens) and I have not had any damage to this at all, not even a scratch on the screen and this is several months of ownership. Functionally this is amazing and keeps getting better. The recent update even allowed testing food for radiation on Iphone which was previously only for the higher end monitors. This does seem to scare some people that know little of radiation safety princables, some that I know after showing the geiger clicks around smoke detectors talked about throwing them all out and taking the risk. Be prepared if purchasing to have to explain more about readiation than you ever thought you would need to do. As a side note no need to send this through TSA baggage screening to be nosey, it maxes out the sensor. You may also find yourself looking to buy things just to play with it (Amaon does sell uranium ore, and thorium welding rods)

I knew going into my purchase that I would be quite satisfied with my Radiacode 103 Gamma Spectrometer. However, what I did not anticipate was how often I would get a chance to use it! I knew radiation was all around us 24/7, but I didn't quite understand just how common it was. When I first booted up the device, I was greeted by a lovely little startup chime and the classic Geiger counter clicks. I really love that they added a speaker specifically for the clicks. They sound pretty convincing too. Anyway, after I let it stabilize I was reading around 3.5 CPS in my house. I then grabbed my sherbet dish made of uranium glass, and instantly my 103 started clicking indicating that this object was more radioactive than background isotopes such as potassium and carbon. Only around 10CPS, but still detectable. After I analyzed my item for around 24 hours, I could indeed say with 100% certainty that it contained uranium. That's really what makes this device better than all Geiger counters of a similar price range, you just can't do spectrometry with a $100 GMC-300! Afterwards I brought my 103 down to a relatives house that's made of brick. I turned the device on I was instantly a little bit surprised that the background was around 6 to 7 CPS, around 2x that of my house. Not entirely surprising, but note worthy and cool nonetheless. Then came the Am-241 source from a dead smoke detector. For those who don't know, modern smoke detectors of the ionization type contain a tiny amount of a radioactive metal called americium-241. This radioisotope is highly radioactive with the primary radiation type being alpha particles which are contained in the detector. However Am-241 also emits low energy gamma radiation which is detectable by the Radiacode 10X series of devices, Even with the smoke detector fully assembled. I did something that you probably shouldn't do as a novice, and I removed the source from the ionization chamber. I placed it in a plastic baggie to prevent any contamination. The highest I think I've seen is around 2kCPS, quite spicy! The radiation drops off fairly quickly though, so as long as you store any source properly it's not an issue. I keep mine inside of a steel tin, inside one of those fireproof lock boxes. The addition leather case and arm/leg band are great quality as well. They are not included with the device, though I would highly recommend adding them to your purchase. Being able to wear my 103 during a bike ride and use the radiation map feature has been a joy. The Android app truly has many features, too many to cover and a simple text review. You can actually download the app and set it to demo mode if you'd like to test some of them without purchasing a device for yourself. In short, these are amazing little devices and I feel that everyone should have one. Not necessarily for the gloom and doom aspect of nuclear fallout from weaponry or dubiously maintained nuclear power plants (cough Chernobyl cough), but for the incredible physics and science behind radiation. It's not a boogeyman, it should be treated with respect and if more people understood it the world would be a better place! Thanks for making an incredible device Radiacode! I'll probably be purchasing a 103G at some point in the future.

I purchased this after having one on order with the manufacturer for over a month on backorder. This delivered in three days and of course, the one from Cyprus landed a couple days later. While there has to be a lot under the hood, the main thing that impresses me hardware-wise is that it is not a run of the mill Geiger counter. It uses a GAGG(Ce) scintillator coupled with a photomultiplier tube. This is pretty next-generation technology! While impressive in its own right, the power of the device is brought forth with the software that is available for smartphones and desktop computers. That's where the big time analysis and pretty pictures can be found! You do get rudimentary activity/dose rate/dose information and (I believe) some background spectra analysis (haven't figured this out yet). Inside the box you have the detector and a USB-A to USB-C cable. There are a couple cards with basic safety information and a QR code to scan to get the software. The QR code doesn't work (as of 2/15/25) so it's just as easy searching for it through wherever you get your phone software. I highly recommend getting a case for it as well. Not only does it make it easier to travel with it, but it adds a layer of protection to your somewhat less cheap new toy. I picked up the EVA hard case with the one I got off Amazon and a silicone skin for the one I got from the manufacturer. Obviously the hard case will be more protective but the skin allows for quick use. I actually have it clipped to the carabiner on the backpack I take to work. This is ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE MORE sensitive and accurate than the "yellow box" Geiger counter made in China that you can pick up here and just about everywhere else. If you want something to look at everyday things, the Radiacode would be my recommendation. If you're serious about radiation detection, you need to put on your Big Boy Pants and get a Ludlum Model 3 or similar. But now we're talking (at least) an order of magnitude higher cost.

As this is now my second detector, I can say that this device has met all my expectations. This product's sensitivity is exceptional to most sources that emit gamma, and it does a wonderful job making heat maps. The graphical user interface on the mobile app leaves some things to be desired, but these are mainly cosmetic changes; otherwise, the layout is excellent. I have noticed over the past few days of use that Bluetooth dropout can occur and that the application has to be completely quit and re-entered to reconnect the device wirelessly. Minor quirk, but the device continues to operate normally. Battery life is as expected with this device. I see about 4 days of use from 100% to around 20% before I recharge it. Note to those looking to buy this device, I do recommend a means to protect it from drops & scratches. The few extra dollars on a case or sleeve could potentially save the device from an otherwise unfortunate end!

Radiacode makes an incredible product that I would happily buy many times over. 1. The customer service is sharp and responsive. I ordered a 103 and despite coming from Cyprus, took my only about a week to receive. It took a couple days to prepare for shipping so I reached out to inquire. Radiacode responded quickly and even offered the arm band to me as an apology. 2. The device itself is packaged very nicely with the two part cardboard box similar to Apple. A molded foam insert kept everything neatly in place. It was aesthetic and well secured. 3. The device itself is wonderfully engineered. It is compact, ergonomic, and intuitive. It is feature rich and very impressive. The battery life is something to boast about too. I wore it as a dosimeter for 4+ days in a row before getting it below 20%. There is a built in gyro that will reorient the screen depending on how it is held. The case of the device is nicely molded and feels robust. 4. The app is feature rich (with more under development). I understand the Android app may have some more features than iOS, however the iOS app is well put together, intuitive, and does everything I want it to. Overall, Radiacode blew my socks off with this device and it is an incredible piece of equipment. No wonder Radioactive Drew was a fan. Well done