PRM-8000/9000Nuclear Radiation Monitor
Users Guide
2 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
Mazur Instruments 200 South Wilcox Street #448 Castle Rock, CO 80104 USA
© 2012 Mazur Instruments
All Rights Reserved
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 3
Contents1. SafetyInformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2. Controls,IndicatorsandConnections. . . . . . . . . . 6
3. UsingThePRM-8000/9000ForTheFirstTime. . . . . . 83.1 PoweringOnthePRM-8000/9000 . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.2 MutingTheBeeper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.3 SettingDesiredMeasurementUnits. . . . . . . . . . . 93.4 SettingTimeandDate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4. HomeScreen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104.1 CurrentMeasurement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104.2 AverageMeasurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114.3 MaximumMeasurement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124.4 MinimumMeasurement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124.5 TotalCountMeasured. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124.6 Time/DateofMaximumMeasurement . . . . . . . . . . 124.7 CurrentTimeandDate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124.8 ElapsedTime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
5. NavigatingtheMenuSystem. . . . . . . . . . . . .14
6. PerformingaTimedMeasurement(TimedMeasure). . . .156.1 PerpetualTimedMeasurements. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
7. ChangingtheUnitsofMeasurements(SetUnits) . . . . .16
8. SelectingUserPreferences(Settings) . . . . . . . . .168.1 BeeperOn/Off .................... 168.2 LEDOn/Off. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178.3 AlarmOn/Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178.4 SettingAlarmThresholdinmR/hr(mR/hrAlarm) . . . . . . 178.5 SettingAlarmThresholdinuSv/hr(uSv/hrAlarm). . . . . . 178.6 SettingtheTimeandDate(SetTime/Date). . . . . . . . . 178.7 InternalBatteryPowerManagementSetting(Bt-Pwr:) . . . . 188.8 ExternalPowerManagementSetting(Ex-Pwr:). . . . . . . 188.9 LowAvWin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
9. Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209.1 ResettingCounterValues(ResetCounters) . . . . . . . . 209.2 PerformingaHardwareReset(HardwareReset) . . . . . . 20
4 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
9.3 PoweringDowntheUnit(PowerDown) .......... 209.4 RestoringFactoryCalibration(LoadDefaults) . . . . . . . 209.5 DisplayingBatteryandExternalVoltages(DisplayBat/DC). . 209.6 CalibrationProcedure(Calibrate). . . . . . . . . . . . 21
10.ConfiguringtheAudio/DataConnector(ExtAudio/Data). . 22
11. DataLogging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2311.1 SettingtheIntervalandStartingDataLogging. . . . . . . 2311.2 CheckingLogStatusWhileLogging . . . . . . . . . . . 2311.3 StoppingtheLog. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2411.4 Sending(Uploading)DatatoaPCorMac. . . . . . . . . 24
12.SelectingtheUserInterfaceLanguage(Language). . . . .
13.ReplacingtheInternalBattery . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
14.FundamentalMeasurementProcedures . . . . . . . . 2814.1 DeterminingBackgroundRadiation............ 2814.1.1AboutBackgroundRadiation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2814.1.2MeasuringBackgroundRadiation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
14.2 AreaMeasurementandMonitoring ............ 3014.3 MeasuringObjects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3014.4 ScanningforSurfaceContamination. . . . . . . . . . . 3114.5 MeasuringFood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3114.6 MeasuringLiquids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3214.7 MeasuringAir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
15. InterpretingMeasurements. . . . . . . . . . . . . .3415.1 Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3415.2 WhatisaSafeLevelofRadiation? ............ 35
16.AdditionalResources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3616.1 WebResources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3616.2 AdditionalReading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
17.PRM-8000Specifications¹ . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
18.PRM-9000Specifications¹ . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
19.Warranty .....................41
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 5
1. SafetyInformation
Thissymbolindicatesimportantinformationthatrequiresadditionalattentionbytheuser.
HighVoltageispresentinthePRM-8000/9000.Thissymbolindicatesthatadditionalcautionshouldbeexercisedbytheuser.
Notifyyourlocalenvironmentaland/orhazardousmaterialauthoritiesifyouhaveconcernsthatyourenvironmentconsistsofnuclearradiationlevelsthatexceedtheacceptedlimitsestablishedbytheenvi-ronmentalorhazardousmaterialsagenciesinyourlocale.
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PRM-8000RadiationMonitor
A 2Lineby14CharacterBacklitLCD
B RadioactiveEventLEDIndicator
C BackKey
D ExternalAudioandDataJack
E ExternalDCPowerInputJack
F UpKey
G DownKey
H SoundPort
I Select/PowerOnKey
J Geiger-MüllerTubeWindow
2. Controls,IndicatorsandConnections
PRM-8000
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 7
PRM-9000RadiationMonitor
A 2Lineby14CharacterBacklitLCD
B RadioactiveEventLEDIndicator
C BackKey
D ExternalAudioandDataJack
E ExternalDCPowerInputJack
F UpKey
G DownKey
H SoundPort
I Select/PowerOnKey
J Geiger-MüllerTubeWindow
PRM-9000
8 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
3. UsingThePRM-8000/9000ForTheFirstTimeThissectionprovidessomebasicoperationsmostnewuserswillwanttoperformbeforeusingthePRM-8000/9000.
3.1 PoweringOnthePRM-8000/9000Pressandholddown untilthestartupmessageandserialnumberisdisplayedontheLCD.AfterapproximatelythreesecondstheunitwilldefaulttotheHomeScreenandbegindisplayingtheCurrentMeasurement.Theunitwillbeepeverytimeitdetectsanionizedradiationparticle.
Thisdetectionisnormaleverywhereasbackgroundradiationexistseverywhere.Yourparticularbackgroundradiationlevelisdependentonmanyfactorsincludingaltitude.ForexampleinCastleRock,Coloradoanormalbackgroundradiationmeasurementis0.022mR/hrwhileinMiami,Floridaanormalbackgroundradiationmeasurementwouldbeinthe0.012mR/hrrange.Forcomparison,onanairplane,atcruisingaltitudeof40,000feet,atypicalreadingwouldbeinthevicinityof0.400mR/hr,orapproximately400beepsperminute.AdditionalinformationonbackgroundradiationanditsmeasurementusingthePRM-8000/9000canbefoundin“14.1DeterminingBackgroundRadiation”
Formoreinformationonradiationunits(See“15.1Units”)
3.2 MutingTheBeeperThebeeperisavitalindicatoronthePRM-8000/9000Geigercounter.Changesintherateofbeepswillbethefirstindicationofaradioactiveobjectorarea.However,itisoftentimesdesirabletomutethebeeper.Tomutethebeeper:
1. IftheDisplayisoff(powersavingmode),pressanykeytowakeupthePRM-8000/9000
2. Press todisplaythe“MainMenu”
3. Press twotimestodisplaythe“Settings”menu
4. Press toselectthe“Settings”menu
5. Thefirstsettingdisplayedisthebeeperandthefactorydefaultis“Beeper:Medium”
6. Press torotatethroughthebeepersettingsuntilyoureach“OFF”
7. Press tomovebacktothe“MainMenu”andpressagaintoreturntotheHomeScreen
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3.3 SettingDesiredMeasurementUnitsThePRM-8000/9000candisplaymeasurementsinmicroremsperhour(µR/hr),milliremsperhour(mR/hr),microSievertsperhour(µSv/hr),CountsperSecond(CPS)orCountsperMinute(CPM).
1. IftheDisplayisoff(powersavingmode),pressanykeytowakeupthePRM-8000/9000
2. FromtheHomeScreen,press toactivatetheMainMenu
3. Press oncetomoveto“SetUnits”
4. Press keytoselecttheSetUnitsmenu
5. Thecurrentunitswillbedisplayedandpressingthe keywillchangethesetting
6. Press whencompletetoreturntotheMainMenu
3.4 SettingTimeandDate1. IftheDisplayisoff(powersavingmode),pressanykeytowakeupthe
PRM-8000/9000
2. Press todisplaythe“MainMenu”
3. Press twotimestodisplaythe“Settings”menu
4. Press toselectthe“Settings”menu
5. Press or toscrollthroughthesettings.Stopat“SetTime/Date”
6. Press toselectandtheTime/Datesettingscreenwillbedisplayed
7. Press tomovethecursortothedesireddigitand toadvancethedigit
8. Oncethedesiredtimeanddateareentered,press tosavethesetting
Note:TheClockdefaultTimeis00:00:00andthedefaultdateis01/01/11.TheclockwillberesettothedefaulttimewhentheuserinitiatesaHardwareResetorwhenthebatteryhasbeenreplaced.Theclockwillcontinuetofunctionwhentheuserpowersdownthedevice.
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4. HomeScreenTheHomeScreenprovidestheuserwiththeabilitytoquicklyaccessmeasurementinformationwithasinglekeypress.The and keysallowtheusertoscrollthroughvariousdisplaysasindicatedinthetablebelow.Pressingthe keyturnstheLCDbacklightonandoff.
HomeScreenOperation
ToggleBacklightOnandOff
or Moveupanddownthroughthesevenscreens:1. CurrentMeasurement(Section4.1)2. AverageMeasurement(Section4.2)3. MaximumMeasurement(Section4.3)4. MinimumMeasurement(Section4.4)5. TotalCountMeasured(Section4.5)6. Time/DateofMaximumMeasurement(Section4.6)7. CurrentTimeandDate(Section4.7)8. ElapsedTimeSincePowerUp,orReset(Section4.8)
SelectMainMenu
ThisHomeScreenandtherecordingofthemeasurementsindicatedabovehasbeenimplementedinthePRM-8000/9000specificallytoprovidetheuserwithacompleteas-sessmentoftheradiationleveloftheenvironmentwherethemonitorislocated.
Whilepoweredonandeveninsleepmode,thePRM-8000/9000isconstantlyrecord-ingthisinformationanddoingsowhilepreservingbatterypower.Thefollowingsectionsprovideadditionaldetailonthescreens.
4.1 CurrentMeasurementThisdisplayindicatesthecurrentradiationmeasurementinthechosenmeasurementunits.Theusercanselectmicroremsperhour(µR/hr),milliremsperhour(mR/hr),microSievertsperhour(µSv/hr),CountsperSecond(CPS)orCountsperMinute(CPM).ThedefaultunitofmeasurementismR/hr.
Whilepoweredon,thePRM-8000/9000takesmeasurementseverysecond.Atlowlevelsofradiation(lessthan6.00mR/hr)thesemeasurementsareaveragedacrossthenumberofsecondsasdeterminedbytheLowAvWinsetting.
Thedefaultsettingis20seconds.Inthissettingthedisplaywillupdatewiththeaverageofthelast20secondsofmeasurements.Thesettingcanbechangedtoenableaquicker(shorteraveragingperiod)responsetimeatlowlevels.
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Quickerresponsetimesareusefulforlocatingobjectsand/orareaswhicharethesourceofradiationlevelsthatareabovethenormalbackgroundlevelsSeeSection“8.9LowAvWin”onpage19formoreinformationontheLowAvWinsetting.
Note:Becauseoftherandomnatureofbackgroundandlow-levelradiation,itisnor-malfortheCurrentmeasurementtovarywhileobservingthedisplay.AlsonotethatthemaximumvalueviewedontheCurrentdisplayisaveragedovertheLowAvWinsettingof5,10or20seconds.Atlowlevelsoflessthan6.00mR/hr,TheMaximumscreen(discussedbelow)istheMaximumvaluemeasuredandaveragedacrossoneminute.ItisnormalthatmaximumvaluesobservedintheCurrentMeasurementdisplaywilllikelydifferfromthoserecordedintheMaximumMeasurementdisplay.
4.2 AverageMeasurementThisdisplayindicatestheAveragedoseratelevelthathasbeenmeasuredsincethede-vicewasturnedon,orsincetheAverage,Maximum,Minimum,TotalandElapsedTimecounterswerereset.
ThiscapabilityisveryusefulfordeterminingthenormalbackgroundradiationandtogetherwithMaximumandMinimumMeasurementdisplays(discussedbelow),forlongtermmonitoringofanareaoranobject.
ThePRM-8000/9000isconstantlycountingallpulsesfromtheGeigertubeandcalculat-ingtheaveragebydividingthetotalcountbytheelapsedtimeandthencompensatingthroughthecalibrationsolvertoaccuratelyrepresenttheaverageintheselecteddoserateunits.
Note:TheAverage,Maximum,MinimumandTotalcounters,aswellastheTime/DateofMaximumandElapsedTimeregisters,areresetbyanyofthefollowing: 1. Theunitispoweredon 2. AHardwareResetisperformed 3. TheuserresetsthecountersfromtheUtilitymenu 4. AftertheuserperformsaTimedMeasurement
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4.3 MaximumMeasurementThisdisplayindicatestheMaximumdoseratelevelthathasbeenmeasuredsincethedevicewasturnedon,orsincetheAverage,Maximum,Minimum,TotalandElapsedTimecountershavebeenreset.Thiscapabilityprovidesvaluableinsightintoone-timeeventsorconditionsthatoccurwhiletheuserisawayfromthedevice.
Whenanewmaximumisrecorded,thePRM-8000/9000notesthetimeanddateandstoresthisinformationforlaterviewingbytheuser.
4.4 MinimumMeasurementThisdisplayindicatestheMinimumdoseratelevelthathasbeenmeasuredsincethede-vicewasturnedon,orsincetheAverage,Maximum,Minimum,TotalandElapsedTimecountershavebeenreset.Thisprovidesusefulinformationastotheminimumvaluethedevicehasmeasured.
Note:Atlowlevelsoflessthan6.00mR/hr,TheMaximumandMinimumareaver-agedoveroneminute.Athigherlevels,theMaximumandMinimumaredeterminedbymeasurementsrecordedeverysecond.
4.5 TotalCountMeasuredThisdisplayindicatesthetotalnumberofpulsesfromtheGeigertuberecordedbythePRM-8000/9000sincethedevicewasturnedon,orsincetheAverage,Maximum,Mini-mum,TotalandElapsedTimecountershavebeenreset.Thevalueisuncompensatedandindicatesonlythenumberofpulsesdetectedbythedevicewhichcorrespondstothenumberoftimestheaudibleclicksounds,ortheLEDblinks.
4.6 Time/DateofMaximumMeasurementWhenanewMaximumdoseratelevelisrecorded,thePRM-8000/9000capturesthetimeanddatethattheMaximumoccurred.Thisallowstheinstrumenttocaptureandreporttransientmaximumsinradiationlevelthatmayoccurwithinanotherwisenormalbackgroundradiationenvironment.Timeformatonthisscreenis24hourhh:mm:ssandthedateformatis:MM:DD:YY.
4.7 CurrentTimeandDateThisscreendisplaysthetimeanddateoftherealtimeclock/calendarwithinthePRM-8000/9000.Timeformatis24-hourhh:mm:ssandthedateformatis:MM/DD/YY.
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4.8 ElapsedTimeThisscreendisplaystheelapsedtimeindays,hours,minutesandsecondssincethelastresetoftheElapsedTimeregisters.TheElapsedTimeshowsthetimeframeduring
whichtheAverage,MinimumandMaximumvalueshavebeenestablished.
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5. NavigatingtheMenuSystemPressingthe keyfromtheHomeScreenactivatestheMainMenu.FromtheMainMenu,userscannavigatethroughthemenusasindicatedinthetablebelow.Eachsub-menuwillbediscussedinthesectionsthatfollow.
SelectMainMenu
or Moveupordownthroughthesub-menus:1. TimedMeasure
This function allowsusers to takemeasurements over a de-finedamountoftime.Thisisusefulfordetectingsmallamountsofcontamination.
2. SetUnits
UserscanselecteitherµR/hr,mR/hr,µSv/hr,CPSorCPMmeasurementunits.
3. Settings
This sub-menu allows the user to customize the behavior ofthePRM-8000/9000. Settings include thoseassociatedwiththebeeper,LED,dose-ratealarm,time/date,powersettingsaswellasthecontrolovertheaveragingperformedat lowdoserates.
4. UtilitiesThissub-menuincludesfunctionstoresetthemeasurementcounters(Average,Minimum,Maximum,TotalandElapsedTime),performahardwarereset,powerdownthedevice,loadthefactorycalibrationvalues,displaythevoltageofthebatteryandperformthecalibrationprocedure.
5. ExtAudio/DataThissub-menuisusedtocontrolthebehavioroftheaudio/datajack.Thejackcanoutputaudioatthreeselectablevolumelevels,provideapulseoutputcompatiblewiththirdpartysoftwareoroutputaserialdatastream(optionalcablerequired)ontheminutefordatacollectionusingaPC.
6. DataLoggingThissub-menuprovidesfunctionstocontroldataloggingtotheinternalloggingmemoryinthePRM-8000/9000.
7. LanguageThisallowstheusertosetthelanguagetoEnglishorJapa-nese
Selectthedesiredsub-menu.Repeattheprocessfornavigatingthroughthesub-menus
Returntopreviousmenu
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 15
6. PerformingaTimedMeasurement(TimedMeasure)Timedmeasurementsprovideameasurementoverafixedperiodoftime.Timedmea-surementsextendthesensitivityofthedetectorbyextendingthemeasurementoverlongerperiodsoftime.
Thiscapabilityisusefulfordetectinglow-levelradiationabovetheestablishedback-groundcount.Considertheopeningofaflowerblossom.Fromhourtohourthediffer-encesarehardlynoticeable,butwhenstillimagesarerecordedoveralongperiodoftimeandplayedback,thechangesareclearlynoticeable.
Similarly,timedmeasurementsthatdetectoneortwoadditionalparticleseveryminutewillresultinanoticeabledifferencewhena90-minutetimedmeasurementistaken.Theresultantaveragewouldindicateavaluenoticeablyabovethenormalbackgroundcount.
ThePRM-8000/9000cantaketimedmeasurementsin1,5,10,20,30,60or90minutes.Totakeatimedmeasurement,setthedesiredlengthandstartthemeasurementasfollows:
1. FromtheHomeScreen,press toactivatetheMainMenu
2. Press againtoselectthe“TimedMeasure”menu
3. Press oncetodisplaythe“Length:##”setting
4. Thecurrentlengthwillbedisplayedandpressingthe keywillrotatethroughthesettings.Selectthedesiredlength
5. Press oncetodisplaythe“Start”commandandpress tostartthetimedmeasurement
6. Asthemeasurementprogresses,thetimeremaininginminuteswillbedisplayedalongwiththecurrentaveragevalue
7. Ifaudioisenabled,aseriesoftoneswillsoundindicatingthatthetimedmeasurementiscomplete
8. Duringthemeasurement,pressing willtoggletheLCDbacklight
9. Aftercompletion,ortoendthetimedmeasurementearly,pressanyotherkey.Theprompt“CancelTimedMeasure?”willbedisplayed
10. Press (toanswerYES)toendthetimedmeasurementandreturntotheHomeScreen
Note:OncethelengthischoseninStep4above,itwillbesaved.Tostartfuturetimedmeasurementsofthesamelength,simplypressthe keythreetimes.
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6.1 PerpetualTimedMeasurementsByresettingthein-linestatisticalcounters-see“9.1ResettingCounterValues(ResetCounters)”-thecombinationoftheElapsedTimeDisplayandtheAverageScreensformsthebasisforaperpetual,any-length,timedmeasurement.
Thetrueaverageofactualcountsovertheelapsedtimeenablestimedmeasurementsofhours,daysorevenmonths.Thisisveryusefulforlongtermmonitoring.
Note:AftercompletionorcancellationofaTimedMeasurement,thePRM-8000/9000willresettheAverage,Minimum,MaximumandTotalCountRegisters,aswellasElapsedTimeRegister.
7. ChangingtheUnitsofMeasurements(SetUnits)ThePRM-8000/9000candisplaymeasurementsinmicroremsperhour(µR/hr),milliremsperhour(mR/hr)andmicroSievertsperhour(µSv/hr),CountsperSecond(CPS)andCountsperMinute(CPM).
1. FromtheHomeScreen,press toactivatetheMainMenu
2. Press oncetomoveto“SetUnits”
3. Press keytoselecttheSetUnitsmenu
4. Thecurrentunitswillbedisplayedandpressingthe keywillchangethesetting
5. Press whencompletetoreturntotheMainMenu
8. SelectingUserPreferences(Settings)VarioussettingscanbeselectedtoenabletheusertocustomizethebehaviorofthePRM-8000/9000asdesired.Settingsremaininplaceuntilthebatteryisexhausted.If,atanytime,theuserdesirestoreplacethecurrentsettingswiththefactorydefaultset-tings,performaHardwareResetofthedevicefromtheUtilitiesmenu.
ToentertheSettingsMenu,pressthe toentertheMainMenuandusethearrowkeystoadvanceuntil“Settings”isdisplayedinthelowerline.Press toentertheSettingsMenu.Thespecificsettingswillbediscussedinthesectionsthatfollow.
8.1 BeeperOn/OffThecurrentstateoftheBeeperwillbedisplayed.Press tochange.TheBeepertonesoundswhenanuclearparticleisdetectedandprovidesaudiblefeedbackastothecurrentmeasurementlevel.
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 17
8.2 LEDOn/OffThecurrentstateofLEDwillbedisplayed.Press tochange.TheLEDblinkswhenanuclearparticleisdetectedandprovidesvisualfeedbackastothecurrentmeasure-mentlevel.
Note:WhentheunitentersthesleepstateandtheLCDdisplayisoff,thesettingsoftheBeeperandLEDwillremainineffect.Whiletheseindicatorshavebeende-signedtoenableprolongedbatterylife,boththeBeeperandLEDshouldbedisabledtoprovidethelongestbatterylife.
8.3 AlarmOn/OffThissettingisusedtoenableordisablethedoseratealarm.ThecurrentOn/OffstateofAlarmwillbedisplayed.Press tochange.AnAlarmconditionwilloccurwhentheAlarmisOnandwhentheAlarmdose-ratelevelisexceeded.
Note:Onceanalarmconditionispresent,thealarmwillcontinuetosounduntilthemeasurementisnolongergreaterthanthethresholdlevel.
8.4 SettingAlarmThresholdinmR/hr(mR/hrAlarm)ThissettingallowstheusertoselectthedesiredalarmlevelthresholdinmR/hrunits.Onceselectedthedisplaywillindicatethecurrentsetting.Thetablebelowoutlineshowtousethekeystoenterthedesiredvalue.
8.5 SettingAlarmThresholdinuSv/hr(uSv/hrAlarm)ThissettingallowstheusertoselectthedesiredalarmlevelthresholdinuSv/hrunits.Onceselectedthedisplaywillindicatethecurrentsetting.Thetablebelowoutlineshowtousethekeystoenterthedesiredvalue.
8.6 SettingtheTimeandDate(SetTime/Date)Usethekeysasindicatedbelowtosetthetimeanddate.Theclockisrepresentedin24-hourformat.See“3.4SettingTimeandDate”forstep-by-stepinstructions.
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SettingtheAlarm,TimeandDate
SetmRhAlarm
SetuSvAlarm
SetTime/Date
Setsthedoseratemeasure-mentinmR/hrthatwillresultinaudiblealarm
Setsthedoseratemeasure-mentinuSv/hrthatwillresultinaudiblealarm
Settimeanddatein24-hourformathh:mm:ss,MM/DD/YY
toselectdigit
tosetdigitvalue
savesettingandexit
exitwithoutchange
8.7 InternalBatteryPowerManagementSetting(Bt-Pwr:)Thissettingallowstheusertospecifywhatbatterypowermanagementprofiletousewhenoperatingsolelyfromthe9-VoltbatteryinsidethePRM-8000/9000.ThecurrentPowerSettingwillbedisplayed.Press tochange.
Thepowersettingsareoutlinedinthetablebelow.Thefactorydefaultforbatteryopera-tionisLowest.InthissettingtheLCDwillbeturnedoffafter60secondsofinactivity.Whilecontinuingtomeasurenuclearradiation,theunitwillenterasleepmodeinordertoconservebatterypower.OnceanykeyispressedtheLCDwillresumenormalopera-tion.IntheLowestsettingthebacklightwillbeturnedoffafter15seconds.
8.8 ExternalPowerManagementSetting(Ex-Pwr:)ThissettingallowstheusertospecifywhatbatterypowermanagementprofiletousewhenoperatingfromanexternalpowersourceconnectedtothepowerconnectorofthePRM-8000/9000.ThecurrentPowerSettingwillbedisplayed.Press tochange.
Thepowersettingsareoutlinedinthetablebelow.ThefactorydefaultforexternalpoweroperationisHigh.InthissettingtheLCDandbacklightwillremainon.Theunitdetectswhenexternalpoweratthepropervoltageispresentandwillactivatetheexternalpowermanagementsetting.Similarly,theunitsensestheremovaloftheexternalsourceandwillresumethebatterypowersetting.
Externalpowermanagementisveryusefulforremote,long-termapplicationofthePRM-8000/9000wherethedeviceispoweredbylargeexternalbatteriesoralternativesourcessuchassolarcells.
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 19
PowerManagementSettings
PowerSetting TimeofInactivityUntil:(SetinSettings) LCDOff BacklightOff
Lowest 60Seconds 15Seconds
Medium 10Minutes 45Seconds
High AlwaysOn AlwaysOn
LowBatteryCondition
30Seconds 2Seconds
NOTE:IfLCDisturnedoff,thePRM-8000/9000willcontinuetomonitorandmeasureradiationincludingcurrent,average,maxi-mum,minimumandtotal-countvaluesPressinganykeywill“wake-up”thedisplayandoperationscontinuenormallyuntiltheinactivitythresholdoftheselectedPowerSettingisexceeded.
8.9 LowAvWinThissettingallowstheusertospecifythetimeinseconds(orwindow)overwhichlow-levelmeasurementsareaveragedintheCurrentMeasurementdisplayedoftheHomeScreen.Thiscapabilityallowstheusertoshortenthewindowsothatmeasurementresponsetimecanbeincreased.Increasedresponsetimeisusefulforefficientlylocatingspecificsourcesofradioactiveactivity.
Onceatthissetting,thecurrentaveragingwindowwillbedisplayedinseconds.Presstochange.Choicesare5,10and20seconds.Thefactorydefaultis20seconds.
20 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
9. UtilitiesThePRM-8000/9000providesanumberofcommandsintheUtilitiesmenuthatwillbeoutlinedinthesectionsbelow.
9.1 ResettingCounterValues(ResetCounters)Pressingthe keywhileatthiscommandwillresetonlytheAverage,Maximum,MinimumandTotalcounterstozeroandwillresumemeasurement.Thisisveryusefulincaseswheretheinstrumentisexposedtoanewlevelofradiationanditisdesiredtoknowtheaverage,maximumandminimumvaluesofthatparticularsourceorlocation.
9.2 PerformingaHardwareReset(HardwareReset)Pressingthe keywhileatthiscommandwillresetthecounterinthesamewayasremovingallpowersourcesfromthedevicewould.TimeandDatewillbereset.Allsettingswillreturntothefactorydefault.However,ifacalibrationrecordexistsinthedevice,thatcalibrationwillbeusedwhenthePRM-8000/9000isreset.TorestorethefactorydefaultcalibrationseetheLoadDefaultscommandbelow.
9.3 PoweringDowntheUnit(PowerDown)ThePRM-8000/9000isdesignedtobe“Always-On”andtheinternalbatterylifeinsleepmodecanbeupto60,000hours(undernormalbackgroundconditionsandusingalith-ium9-Voltbattery).However,forlongtermstorage,theusermaydesiretopowerdowntheunit.Pressingthe keywhileatthiscommandwillpowerdown.Whilepowereddowntheunitwillnottakeanymeasurements,however,theinternalclockcalendarwillcontinuetofunction.
9.4 RestoringFactoryCalibration(LoadDefaults)Pressingthe keywhileatthiscommandwillrestorethefactorydefaultcalibrationanderaseanycalibrationdatapresentinthedevice.Usethiscommandwithcare.
9.5 DisplayingBatteryandExternalVoltages(DisplayBat/DC)Pressingthe keywhileatthiscommandwilldisplayascreenthatshowsthevoltageoftheinternalbatteryandanyexternalpowersourceconnectedtothepowerconnector.Adecimalpointtotheleft-mostsideofthedisplaylineindicatesthattherespectivevolt-ageisatanacceptablelevel.
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 21
9.6 CalibrationProcedure(Calibrate)Pressingthe keywhileatthiscommandwillinitiatethecalibrationprocedure.TheCalibrationProcedureShouldOnlyBeUsedByACertifiedCalibrationLab.Thecalibra-tionprocessisasfollows:
1. SetupCs137sourcefor20mR/hr
2. Pressthe keytostart
3. Theunitcountsdown10seconds,beepingateachsecond,thentakesa60-secondmeasurement
4. After60seconds,theunitbeepsanddisplaystherawCPM
5. MakearecordoftheCPMreadingdisplayedfor20mR/hr
6. Pressanykeytogotothe200mR/hr(125mR/hrforPRM-9000)measurementscreen
7. Repeatsteps2through5forCs137at200mR/hr(125mR/hrforPRM-9000)
8. MakearecordoftheCPMreadingdisplayedfor200mR/hr(125mR/hrforPRM-9000)
9. Pressanykeytocontinueandtheunitwillcompletecalibrationandrestart
10. Adecimalpointtotherightoftheserialnumberwillbedisplayedatrestart.Thisindicatestheunitisoperatingfromcalibratedvaluesandnotthefactorysettings.
Note:CalibrationShouldOnlyBePerformedByCertifiedCalibrationLabs.Visitwww.MazurInstruments.comforalistofrecommendedcalibrationlabs.
22 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
10. ConfiguringtheAudio/DataConnector (ExtAudio/Data)Thestandard3.5mmaudiojackontheleftsideofthePRM-8000/9000canservemul-tiplepurposes,includingbeingconnectedtoexternal,amplifiedspeakersandusedwithportablemediaplayerheadphonesfordiscreetmonitoringofradioactiveactivity.ThejackalsoenablesconnectiontoaPCorMacwithUSB(withanoptionalcable)fordatalogging.
FromtheHomeScreenpressthe keytoactivatetheMainMenu.Usethearrowkeystomovetotheentry:ExtAudio/Data.Thecurrentsettingfortheconnectorwillbedisplayed.Pressthe keytomovethroughalloftheavailablesettingsfortheport.Adescriptionofthesettingsfollows.
Audio/DataConnectorSettings
Off Allfunctionsoftheconnectorareoff
Data Usingtheoptional3.5mmtoUSBcable,thePRM-8000/9000willoutputacommaseparatedvalue(CSV)textstringeveryminute.Thestringincludesthetime,date,sixdigitCPMvalueaswellasthetext“CPM”toindicatetheunits.
ForExample:“10:30:00”,”04/08/2011”,“000025”,”CPM”<CR>
Baudrateisfixedat:57.6Kbaud,8bits,noparity,2stopbits
UsingaterminalemulatorsuchasTerraTerm(downloadableatnocost)theoutputofthePRM-8000/9000canbecapturedintoalogfile.TheresultisaCSVfilethatcanbeloadedintoavarietyofstandardsoftwaretoolsusedforanalysisincludingExcel,Ac-cess,MATLABandothers.
Note:1,000CPM=1mR/hr=10uSv/hr(PRM-8000)and3,500CPM=1mR/hr=10uSv/hr(PRM-9000)
Audio:Low Connectoroutputsaudiobeepsatalowvolumelevelforhead-phoneuseorconnectiontoexternalspeakers
Audio:Medium Connectoroutputsaudiobeepsatamediumvolumelevelforheadphoneuseorconnectiontoexternalspeakers
Audio:High Connectoroutputsaudiobeepsathighvolumelevelforhead-phoneuseorconnectiontoexternalspeakers
PulseOut Connectoroutputsapulseeachtimearadiationparticleisde-tected.ThisoutputiscompatiblewithmonitoringsoftwaresuchasGeigerGraphfromMineralab
Exercisecaution.Excessiveaudiovolumelevelthroughheadphonescanseriouslydamagehearing.
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 23
11. DataLogging
11.1 SettingtheIntervalandStartingDataLoggingThecountsperminute(CPM)measurementcanbeloggedeveryminuteoreveryhour.Thedefaultloggingintervalissettooneminute,andtheintervalcanbechangedasfollows:
1. FromtheHomeScreen,press toactivatetheMainMenu
2. Press or until“DataLogging”isdisplayed
3. Press toselecttheDataLoggingsubmenu
4. Theloggingintervalwillbedisplayedas“Every:Minute”or“Every:Hour”.Press tochangethelogginginterval
5. Press oncetodisplaythe“Start”commandandpress tostartdatalogging
6. Apromptwillbedisplayedtolettheuserknowthatanydatacurrentlyinloggingmemorywillbeerased.Press tocontinueandstartlog-gingoranyotherkeytocancelloggingandreturntotheHomeScreen.
NOTE:TurningthePRM-8000/9000offorperformingaresetfromtheUtilitymenuwillstoplogging.Allloggingdatawillbepreserved,however,thisdatashouldbesenttoaPCorMacforstoragebecauserestartingthelogwillerasethepreviouslystoreddata.
11.2 CheckingLogStatusWhileLoggingOnceloggingisstarted,thedataloggingsub-menuwillhaveonlytwocommands(“Stop”and“Status”)availabletotheuser.Thestatusoftheloggingactivitycanbecheckedatanytime.Tocheckthestatus:
1. FromtheHomeScreen,press toactivatetheMainMenu
2. Press or until“DataLogging”isdisplayed
3. Press toselecttheDataLoggingsub-menu
4. Press until“Status”isdisplayedandpress todisplaythestatusscreen
24 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
Thenumberfollowing“Record:”indicatesthenumberofmeasurements(minutesorhours,dependingontheintervalset)storedinthelog.Asloggingprogressesthisnum-berwillincrease.
Thenumberfollowing“Memory:”indicatesthenumberofbytesofloggingmemoryremaining.Asloggingprogresses,thisnumberwilldecrease.
11.3 StoppingtheLogLoggingmustbestoppedbeforethedatacanbesenttoaPCorMac.Tostopthelog:
1. FromtheHomeScreen,press toactivatetheMainMenu
2. Press or until“DataLogging”isdisplayed
3. Press toselecttheDataLoggingsubmenu
4. Press until“Stop”isdisplayedandpress tostoplogging
5. Apromptwillbedisplayedtomakesuretheuserintendedtostopthelog.Press tostopthelog
11.4 Sending(Uploading)DatatoaPCorMacThefollowingstepscanbeusedforuploadinglogdatatoaPC.Moredetailedinstruc-tionsfortheMacwillbeforthcoming.
1. InserttheUSBcableintoyourcomputer.ThedrivershouldinstallautomaticallyandinstallanewCOM(Serial)portonyoursystem.
2. WindowsUsers:TodeterminetheCOMPortoftheinstalledDataCableopenDeviceManageronyourcomputer,navigatingthereviaControlPanel/System,andthenHardware/DeviceManagerorsimilarmenus.TheDataCableshouldbeinstalledasa“USBSerialPort”underthePortscategory.MakenoteandwritedowntheCOMPortas-signment,forexampleCOM4.NowgotoStep5below.
3. IfyoursystemdoesnotinstalltheUSBdriver,youcanfindthedriversforyouroperatingsystemhere:http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 25
4. WindowsUsers:DownloadtheVCPdriverZIPfolderforyourWin-dowsversiontoyourWindowsDesktop.Extractthezippedfilestoafolderonyourdesktop.a)OpenDeviceManageronyourcomputer,navigatingthereviaControlPanel/System,andthenHardware/DeviceManagerorsimilarmenus.YoushouldseetheUSBDataCableinstalledunder“OtherDevices”,indicatedas“USBSerialPort”orTTL-232R-5V-AJ.b)Doubleclickonthatdevicefiletoopenit,thenfromtheensuingscreen,clickontheUpdateDriverbutton.c)Chooseto“BrowseyourcomputerfortheDriverSoftware”,andbrowsetothefolderonyourDesktopcontainingtheextractedzippedfiles.Selectthefolder,butdonotopenthefolder-justselecttheentirefolderbyleftclickingonitonce.d)ChooseOKand/orNext,andthecomputershouldinstalltheDriversoftware.GotoStep2above.
5. OnceyouhaveyourCOMport,useaterminalemulator,suchasTeraTerm.UserscandownloadTeraTermatnocostfrom:http://logmett.com
6. BesuretohavetheotherendoftheUSBadaptercablepluggedintothePRM-8000/9000.LaunchTeraTermandfromthemainmenuselect“Setup”then“SerialPort”anda)selecttheCOMportthatwasinstalledwiththedriverb)selectBaudRate57600,8bits,2stopbits,noparity,noflowcontrol.ThisisthebaudratethatthePRM-8000/9000usesAtthispointyoushouldseethelogdatawhenyoupress“Send”fromtheLogmenuonthePRM-8000/9000
7. TosenddatafromthePRM-8000/9000,fromtheHomeScreen,presstoactivatetheMainMenu
8. Press or until“DataLogging”isdisplayed
9. Press toselecttheDataLoggingsub-menu
10. Press until“Send”isdisplayedandpress tosendthecon-tentsofthelog
26 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
11. TheDate,TimeandCPMwillbesentincommaseparatedvalue(CSV)format
12. Usetheterminalemulatorsoftwaretocapturethetext.TerraTermoffersavarietyofflexibilitysothatuserscansavethedatareceivedtoalogfile.Alternately,userscansimplycutthedatafromtheterminalwindowandpasteitintoatextfileusingWindowsNotepadtocreateafileonthePC.
13. TheresultantdatafilecanthenbeopenedusingExcel,OpenOfficeorotherapplicationprogramtoanalyzeandplotthedata.
14. Note:TheCPMdatastoredinthelogcanbeconvertedintomR/hroruSv/hrusingthefollowingPRM-8000/9000calibrationrelationship:1,000CPM=1mR/hr-10uSv/hr(PRM-8000)3,500CPM=1mR/hr-10uSv/hr(PRM-9000)
12. SelectingtheUserInterfaceLanguage(Language)FromtheHomeScreenpressthe keytoactivatetheMainMenu.Usethearrowkeystomovetotheentry:Language.Thecurrentlanguagesettingwillbedisplayed.Pressthe keytoselectEnglishorJapanese.Pressingthe keywillreturntheusertotheMainMenuwithtextdisplayedintheselectedlanguage.
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 27
13. ReplacingtheInternalBatteryToreplacethebatteryperformthestepslistedbelow:
1. DisconnectanyexternalconnectionstothepowerconnectorandAudio/DataconnectorofthePRM-8000/9000
2. UsingaPhillipsHeadscrewdrivercarefullyremovethefourscrewslocatedaroundthekeypadwhilebeingcarefulnottoscratchthecaseorkeypad.
HighVoltageispresentinsidethePRM-8000/9000.AvoidanycontactwithareasunderneathorpasttheLCDtowardsthefrontofthedevice
3. Removethetoppartofthecaseandgentlyplaceitonit’sfacebeingcarefulnottooverextendtheribboncableconnectingthekeypadtothemainboardofthePRM-8000/9000.
4. Usingafingerfromeachhanddisconnectthe9-Voltbatterybypushingthetoppartofthe9-Voltbatteryawayfromthebatterycontacts.
5. Wait30secondsforthesystemtocompletelyde-energize.
6. Fromtheterminalsideofthebattery,liftthebatteryoutoverthebracketthatissecuringthebatteryinplace.
7. Properlydiscardtheusedbattery.
8. Orientthenewbatterysothatitispositionedtomateproperlywiththepositiveandnegativeterminals,andusethesideofthenewbatterytospreadapartthebracketsothatthebatteryissecuredinplace.
9. Pushthebatteryupandbecertainthatbothterminalssnapintoplace.
10. ThePRM-8000/9000shoulddisplaythestartupmessageandserialnumber.
11. Besuretofoldtheshieldintoplaceandgentlysecurethecoverbackintoposition.
12. ReinstallthefourPhillipsHeadscrewstocompletetheprocedurebe-ingcarefulnottoovertightenthescrews.
28 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
14. FundamentalMeasurementProcedures
14.1DeterminingBackgroundRadiation
14.1.1 AboutBackgroundRadiation
BackgroundRadiationisradioactivityfromtheenvironmentwheretheinstrumentispresent.Therearethreesourcescontributingtobackgroundradiation;terrestrial,man-madeandcosmic.Althoughbackgroundradiationispresenteverywhere,theconcentra-tionsanddistributionsarenotconstant.Certainmaterialshavehigherconcentrationsofbackgroundradiation,andvaryingenvironmentalandphysicalconditionscanresultinaccumulationsofbackgroundradiation.
TerrestrialRadioactivity
ThenaturallyoccurringformsofradioactiveelementsincorporatedintotheEarthduringitsformationthatisstillpresentarereferredtoas“terrestrialradionuclides.”Themostsignificantterrestrialradionuclidesincludetheuraniumandthoriumdecayseries,potas-sium-40andrubidium-87.Virtuallyallmaterialsfoundinnaturecontainsomeconcentra-tionofterrestrialradionuclides.
Man-MadeRadioactiveMaterials
Nuclearweaponstestingandnuclearpowerreactorshaveproducedlargequantitiesofradionuclidesthroughthefissioningofuraniumandotherheavyelementsandtheactivationofvariouselements.Examplesofman-maderadionuclidesthatcouldbeintheenvironmentareCesium137(137Cs),Strontium90(90Sr),andvariousisotopesofPlutonium.
Priortothe1963LimitedTestBanTreaty,falloutfromatmosphericnucleartestsdistrib-utedlargequantitiesofman-maderadionuclidesaroundtheglobe.Followingthe1963treaty,mostnuclearweaponstestswereconductedunderground,althoughChinaandFrancecontinuedatmospherictestingofnuclearweaponsintothelate1970s.In1996,aComprehensiveTestBanTreatywasnegotiatedwiththehelpoftheUnitedNations.AsofthiswritingtheComprehensiveTestBanTreatyhasnotbeenratifiedbyChinaortheUnitedStatesandwasbrokenbyPakistanandIndiain1998.However,worldwidefalloutconcentrationshavebeendecliningsincethemid1960s.
In1964aDepartmentofDefenseweathersatellitecontainingaradiationsourcefailedtoachieveorbit.TheSpaceNuclearAuxiliaryPower(SNAP)9-ARadioisotopicTher-moelectricGenerator(RTG)burneduponre-entryanddispersedthenuclearinventory(primarilyplutonium-238)intotheatmosphere.IncidentsinvolvingSovietsatelliteswithradioisotopesornuclearreactorsoccurredin1969,1973,1978,and1983.InAprilof1986,therewasanon-nuclearsteamexplosionandfireatthenumberfourreactoratthenuclearpowerplantinChernobylinnorth-centralUkraine.Largequantitiesofradioactivematerialwerereleasedintotheenvironmentasaresultofthecatastrophe.Theradionu-
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 29
clidesfromtheseincidentshavebeendepositedinanon-uniformlyaroundtheworld.
Isolatedpocketswithelevatedconcentrationsofman-maderadionuclidescanstillbefound.Forexample,ventilationsystemsthatwereinstalledpriorto1963collectedfalloutradionuclides.Ifthesesystemsarestillinuseandtheductshavenotbeenthoroughlycleaned,thereisapotentialforelevatedbackgroundradiation.Anotherpotentialsourceofelevatedbackgroundradiationfromman-maderadionuclidesiswoodash.Treesfilterandstoresomeairbornepollutants,including137Csfromfallout.Whenthewoodisburnedthe137Csisconcentratedinthewoodash.Materialsorequipmentassociatedwiththeashcouldhaveelevatedlevelsofbackgroundradiation.
CosmicRadiation
Cosmicradiationconsistsofhighlyenergeticparticlesthatarebelievedtooriginatefromphenomenasuchassolarflaresandsupernovaexplosions.TheEarth’satmosphereservesasashieldfortheseparticles,althoughonrareoccasionsasolarflareisstrongenoughtoproduceasignificantradiationdoseinthelowerreachesoftheatmosphere.
Cosmicradiationisalsoresponsiblefortheproductionofradioactiveelementscalledcosmogenicradionuclides.Theseradionuclidesareproducedfromcollisionsbetweenthehighlyenergeticcosmicradiationwithstableelementsintheatmosphere.Cosmo-genicradionuclidesinclude3H,7Be,14C,and22Na.
14.1.2 MeasuringBackgroundRadiation
OncethePRM-8000/9000ismovedtoanewarea,anewbackgroundmeasurementshouldbeestablishedasfollows:
1. PlacethePRM-8000/9000awayfromitemsthatcouldberadioactive,suchasmetals,pottery,granitecountertops,etc.Ideally,locatetheinstrumentinthecenteroftheareathatyouwanttomonitorandlocateittableheightabovethefloor.
2. ResettheAverageCounterValues-see“9.1ResettingCounterValues(ResetCounters)”-orpower-cycletheunitoffandontoresetthecounters.
3. Simplyallowtheunittorunovernightandthenextmorning,lookattheAveragemeasurementandnotethereading.Thiswillbethenormalbackgroundcount.
4. Whilemeasuring,feelfreetolookattheAveragevaluetoseethevalueitismovingtowards,butdonotmovetheunitfromthecurrentlocationuntilthebackgroundmeasurementiscomplete.
5. Alternately,aTimedMeasurementcanbeused.See“6.PerformingaTimedMeasurement(TimedMeasure)”.A10-minutetimedmeasure-mentwillbereasonablyaccurate,butanhourwillbemoreaccurate.
30 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
14.2AreaMeasurementandMonitoringThePRM-8000/9000isdesignedtobealways-onmonitoringtheareawhereitislocated.Toassessanarea,simplymovethroughthescreens(See“4.HomeScreen”)oftheunitandviewtheAverage,MinimumandMaximumvalues.NotetheMaximumvaluemea-suredaswellasthetimeanddatethattheMaximumwasrecorded.
NOTE:Duetotherandomnatureofradioactivity,itisnormaltodetectamaximumthatis2Xto3Xthenormalbackgroundradiation.SustainedincreasesinradiationwillgenerallybereflectedinanincreasedAverage.
Thedoseratealarmcanalsobesettoprovideanalarmwhenthethresholdsetbytheuserisexceeded,Seesections“8.3AlarmOn/Off”and“8.4SettingAlarmThresholdinmR/hr(mR/hrAlarm)”or“8.5SettingAlarmThresholdinuSv/hr(uSv/hrAlarm)”.
Ifanincreaseintheradiationoftheareaissuspected,re-establishthebackgroundcounttakingkeeninteresttotheresultingAverageandMaximumvaluesascomparedtothepreviouslyestablishednormsforthearea.
Ifincreasedradiation(indicatingpriorcontamination)issuspectedinaparticularregionwithinthearea,taketimedmeasurementsofthesameduration.Compareresultswiththenormalbackgroundandpreviousmeasurementstohoneinonthesourceorlocationofthehighestmeasurement.
14.3MeasuringObjectsRefertothefollowingguidelineswhenmeasuringanobject:
1. Withthesensorwindowpointingtowardsandlocatedclosetotheobject,slowlyscantheobjectwiththePRM-8000/9000notingobviousincreasesinthebeeporLED-blinkrate.
2. Thinkofthesensorwindowasacameralensthatis“looking”attheobject.LocatingthewindowfartherfromtheobjectincreasestheareathatthePRM-8000/9000can“see,”butdoessoatagreaterdistancefromthepotentialsourceofradiation.
NOTE:Theusershouldbalancethedistanceofthesensorwindowfromtheobjectkeepinginmindthatthestrengthofaradiationemissiondecreasesasthesquareofthedistancefromthesource.Forexample,ifthedistancefromthesourceisdoubled,theemissionwilldecreasebyafactoroffour.Ifthedistanceistripled,theemissionwilldecreasebyafactorofnine.Thisisknownastheinverse square law.
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 31
3. Ifasuspectedobject,orpartofanobjectisdetected,locatethemeterincloseproximityandtakeatimed-measurementtodeterminethespe-cificmeasurementandtheextenttowhichthemeasurementexceedsthenormalbackgroundcountofthearea.
4. Ifwhileperformingguideline1above,noobviousincreasesareno-ticed,thisdoesnotmeanthattheobjectiscompletelyfreeofradiation.Usersshouldtaketimedmeasurement(s)ofsuspectedobjectsandcomparetheresultwiththenormalbackgroundradiation.
14.4ScanningforSurfaceContaminationTocheckforradioactivecontaminationofasurface,pleaseusthefollowingguidelines:
1. Usingtwocoinsofequalsize,orothershims,orientthePRM-8000/9000verticalwiththesensorwindowpointedtowardsthesurface.
2. UseatimedmeasurementorsimplyresetthecountersofthePRM-8000andallowthedevicetomeasureovernight.
NOTE:DonotallowasurfacethatmaybecontaminatedtocomeindirectcontactwiththePRM-8000/9000.UsespacersorshimstoisolatethePRM-8000/9000fromthesurfaceandifanycontaminationisfound,disposeofthespacersappropriately.
14.5MeasuringFoodMeasuringfoodforradiationtypicallyrequiresadvancedequipmentandprocedures.Becausemanyfoodsarelargelycomposedofwater(itselfaradiationshield),thoroughdetectionoftenrequiresaspecialovenfor“ashing”thefoods.Ashingremovesthewaterandconcentratesanyradioactivitypresent.Measuringradiationinfoodisalsocomplicat-edbythefactthatmanyfoods,suchasdriedbananasandBrazilnuts,containnaturallyoccurringradiation.Individualshaveseveraloptionsfordeterminingwhetherthefoodthattheyconsumecontainsradiation:
• Makenoassumptionandtakenoactionandbe100%blindtothepresenceofradiationinfood.
• Assumethatthefoodhasbeenscannedtothestandardssetforthbyvariousgov-ernmentagenciesanddepartmentsandissafeforconsumption.
• Purchaseandusethesameadvancedequipmentandrelatedproceduresthatsuchagenciesusetoconducttheirtests
• UseapersonalradiationmonitorsuchasthePRM-8000/9000thatmaynotbeassensitive,accurateandthoroughasadvancedmethodsbutdoesprovidesusers
32 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
withsomelevelofassurance.
ThefollowingistheprocedurethatMazurInstrumentsfollowswhenscanningfoodforradiation.Thisprocedureisnotrepresentedasthebest,mostthoroughorleasterrorproneapproach.
1. Prepareatestareatoplacethefood.Donotplacethefoodonanystone,granite,metalorothersurfacethatcoulditselfbepartiallyradio-active.Plasticorglasswilllikelybethebestchoice.
2. EstablishanaccuratebackgroundmeasurementbaselineforthetestareabyplacingthePRM-8000/9000intheareaandreconfirmingthebackgroundradiationmeasurement.(See“14.1.2MeasuringBack-groundRadiation”)0”)
3. Removethefoodfromanypackagingandplacethefoodinthetestarea.
4. Alwayspointthesensorwindowtowardsthefoodandatadistancethatisascloseaspracticalwithouttouchingthefood.Useappropriateshimsasrequired,andavoidplacingtheinstrumentinaplasticbag.
5. Performaninitialscanoftheentirefooditembyslowlymovingthede-tectoracrosstheiteminanevenandsteadymannerwhilemaintainingthesamesensordistancefromtheitem.NoteanyobviousincreasesinthebeeporLED-blinkrateofthePRM-8000/9000.
6. Ifdesired,useatimed-measurementofatleast10minutesasasec-ondarywaytodetectradiationthatmayhavebeenmissedusingtheinitialscan.Noteanyamountofradiationmeasuredabovethatoftheestablishedbackgroundbaselineofstep2above.
14.6MeasuringLiquidsWhenmeasuringliquidswiththePRM-8000/9000,usethefollowingguidelines:
1. OrientthePRM-8000/9000acrossasuitabledrinkingglassorbeakerwiththesensorwindowovertheliquid.ThePRM-8000/9000shouldrestinastablemanneracrosstheedgesoftheglass.
2. EstablishanaccuratebackgroundmeasurementbaselineforthetestcontainerbyplacingthePRM-8000/9000overthecontainerandrecon-firmingthebackgroundradiationmeasurement.(See“14.1.2Measur-ingBackgroundRadiation”)0”)
3. Fillthesampleliquidasclosetothetopofthecontaineraspos-sibleexercisingcarenottobringtheliquidincontactwiththePRM-8000/9000.Ifonlyasmallamountoftheliquidisavailable,locateanappropriatelysizedcontainerasrequired.
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 33
4. Performatimedmeasurementofatleast60minutesandnoteanyamountofradiationmeasuredabovethatoftheestablishedback-groundbaselineofstep2above.
5. Asecondalternativeistoevaporateorboilthesubstance.Theremain-ingconcentratecanthenbemeasured.
6. Whenmeasuringwaterandsimilarliquidsthatareavailableinrelativeabundance,suchaspondorrainwater,itisrecommendedtoaugmentthisprocedurebyfilteringalargeamountoftheliquidusingacoffeefilterorotherfilter.Afterfiltration,measurethefilterusing“14.3Mea-suringObjects”
NOTE:Forthoseinterestedintestingforradioactivityofwell-water,aconvenientlocationfortestingisanywaterfilterthatmaybeinlinewiththewatersupply.Whenchangingfilters,simplymeasurethefilterusingtheprocedure(See“14.3MeasuringObjects”)
14.7MeasuringAirTomeasurecontaminationinairusingthePRM-8000/9000,itisgenerallynecessarytomeasurethecontentsofafilterthathasbeeninuseforareasonableamountoftimetofiltertheairofinterest.Examplesincludewhole-househeatingandcoolingfilters,HEPAFiltersandautomobilecabinfilters.Particlesconcentrateinthefilterelementsandifanyradioactivesubstanceswilllikelybeintheconcentrateaswell.Itisagoodpracticetomeasurethesefiltersperiodicallyifthereareanyconcernsaboutradiation.
Tomeasurethefilter,followtheprocedure“14.3MeasuringObjects”withtheadditionofthefollowingguidelines:
1. BecarefulnottoallowanyofthedustfromthefiltertoenterthePRM-8000/9000.Thiscouldcontaminatetheinstrument.
2. OrientthefilterwiththesurfaceareaofthefilterintheverticalpositionandrestthePRM-8000/9000onastackofbooks,orotherappropriateshimthatprovidesastablesurfaceformovingthePRM-8000/9000asclosetothefilteraspossible,withouttouchingthefilter.
NOTE:PlacingapieceofthinplasticinbetweenthefilterandthePRM-8000/9000willblockthedetectionofalphaparticles,butthisarrangementwillcontinuetoenablethedetectionofothertypesofionizingradiation.
34 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
15. InterpretingMeasurements
15.1UnitsTherearefourdifferentbutinterrelatedquantitiesrelatedtothemeasurementofradia-tion.EachquantityhasassociatedunitsofmeasurementthatarerepresentedinboththeEnglishSystemofMeasurementsaswellastheInternationalSystemofUnits,alsoknownasSI.
Thefourquantitiesareradioactivity,exposure,absorbeddose,anddoseequivalent.Intheorderpresented,thesequantitiesstartbyindicatingcharacteristicsoftheradiationsourceandendbyindicatingbiologicalimpactonhumanbeings.
Radioactivityreferstotheamountofionizingradiationreleasedbyamaterial.Whetheritemitsalphaorbetaparticles,gammarays,x-rays,orneutrons,aquantityofradioactivematerialisexpressedintermsofitsradioactivity(orsimplyitsactivity),whichrepresentshowmanyatomsinthematerialdecayinagiventimeperiod.Theunitsofmeasureforradioactivityarethecurie(Ci)andinSIbecquerel(Bq).
Exposuredescribestheamountofradiationtravelingthroughtheair.Theunitsforexpo-surearetheroentgen(R)andinSIcoulomb/kilogram(C/kg).
Absorbeddosedescribestheamountofradiationabsorbedbyanobjectorperson.Thatis,theamountofenergythatradioactivesourcesdepositinmaterialsthroughwhichtheypass.Theunitsforabsorbeddosearetheradiationabsorbeddose(rad)andinSIthegray(Gy).
Doseequivalent(oreffectivedose)combinestheamountofradiationabsorbedandthemedicaleffectsofthattypeofradiationonahumanbeing.Forbetaandgammaradiation,thedoseequivalentisthesameastheabsorbeddose.Bycontrast,thedoseequivalentislargerthantheabsorbeddoseforalphaandneutronradiation,becausethesetypesofradiationaremoredamagingtothehumanbody.
Note:Thedetectionandmeasurementofneutronsrequiresspecializedinstrumenta-tion,Geigercountersdonotdetectneutrons.
Theunitsfordoseequivalentaretheroentgenequivalentman(rem)andinSISievert(Sv).Thesebiologicaldoseequivalentsarecommonlymeasuredinonethousandthsofaremandisknownasamillirem(mrem)or1millionthofaSievertknownasmicroSievert(uSv).
Forfurtherclarification,notethatameasuregiveninBqindicatestheradioactivityofasubstance,whileameasureinmremoruSvindicatestheamountofenergythataradio-activesourcedepositsinlivingtissue.
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 35
ThePRM-8000/9000iscalibratedinunitsofdoseequivalentrate(alsoknownaseffec-tivedoserate),referencedtoCesium137,inmilli-Roentgenperhour(mR/hr)ormicro-Sievertsperhour(uSv/hr).Micro-Roentgenperhour(uR/hr)isalsoprovided.Foractivitylevels,countsperminute(CPM)andcountspersecond(CPS)arealsomadeavailabletotheuser.Toconvertthedoseratetotheaccumulateddose,multiplythenumberofhoursbythedoserate.
Example1:OnthePRM-8000/9000theAverageScreenindicates0.025mR/hr.TheElapsedtimeis3Daysand6hours.
Whatistheaccumulatedeffectivedose?
1. 3Daysand6hours=(24x3)+6or78hours
2. 78hoursX.025mR/hr=1.95milli-Roentgens
Ifasafetyorotherexposurelimitisprovidedinayearlyaccumulateddoseofmillirem,ormicroSievertsthendividetheyearlydosebythenumberofhoursinayear.
Example2:Thepaperentitled“Environmental Radiation” publishedbytheHealthPhysicsSociety(http://hps.org/documents/environmental_radiation_fact_sheet.pdf)states:”Eachyear,aresidentoftheUnitedStatesreceivesanaveragetotaldosefrombackgroundradiationofabout3.1mSv.”
ConvertthisvaluetoanaveragedoserateofuSv/hr.
1. 3.1mSv(milliSeivert)peryearisthesameas3100uSv(micro-Sieverts)peryear.
2. Thenumberofhoursinayearis365daysX24Hours/dayor8,760hours.
3. Therefore,theaveragehourlydoseratewouldbe3100uSv/8760or.353uSv/hr
4. Recallthat1mR/hr=10uSv/hr.Therefore.353uSv/hr=.035mR/hr
15.2WhatisaSafeLevelofRadiation?Therecontinuestobemuchdebateastothesafelevelofradiationexposure.Opinionsrangefromthepositionthatthereisnosafelevelofradiationexposuretocompleteac-ceptanceofthelimitsestablishedbytheglobalcollectionsofgovernmentsandagencies.
ThematterremainslargelyapersonalchoiceandMazurInstrumentsoffersnospecificadviceonwhatconstitutesasafelevel.Thecompanywillleavethesediscussionstotheglobalcollectionofexpertsinthedomain.
Alistofweblinksisincludedbelowasaresourceforthereader.
36 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
16. AdditionalResources
16.1WebResourcesAmericanNuclearSocietyRadiationDoseCharthttp://www.new.ans.org/pi/resources/dosechart/
CanadianNuclearSafetyCommissionhttp://www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca/
ENENews.com-EnergyNewshttp://enenews.com/
FairewindsEnergyEducationhttp://fairewinds.com/
HealthPhysicsSocietyhttp://www.hps.org/
NationalInstitutesofHealthhttp://www.nih.gov/
Nick’sWorldCollectionofRadiationLinkshttp://www.calytrix.biz/radlinks/
UnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgency-RadiationProtectionDivisionhttp://www.epa.gov/radiation/
UnitedStatesNuclearRegulatoryCommission(NRC)http://www.nrc.gov/
16.2AdditionalReadingCember,H.Introduction to Health Physics.4thed.,McGraw-HillMedical,2008.
“Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors, Inc.” 2011.ConferenceofRadiationControlProgramDirectors.www.crcpd.org
“Health Physics Society.”2011.HealthPhysicsSociety.www.hps.org
Martin,A.andHarbison,S.A.,An Introduction to Radiation Protection.3rded.,Lon-don:ChapmanandHall,1987.
“Radiation Protection.”2011.U.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency.www.epa.gov/radiation
Shapiro,J.Radiation Protection. 4th ed.,HarvardUniversityPress,2002.
Turner,J.F.Atoms,Radiation, and Radiation Protection 3rd ed.Wiley,2007.
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 37
17. PRM-8000Specifications¹
BatteryLife²Standard9VLithium 60,000Hours/6.85Years
Standard9VAlkaline 28,250Hours/3.22Years
MeasurementFrontEndDetector LND712Geiger-Müllertube,Halogen-quenchedwithmica
endwindow
RadiationDetected alpha,beta,gammaandx-rays
EnergySensitivity alpha:minimum2.5MeV;efficiencyat3.6MeV>80%beta:minimum50keVwith35%efficiencyat150keV75%gamma/Xrays:min10keV(window),min40keV(case)
1,000CPM/mR/hrCalibratedtoCesium-137(Cs137)
Accuracy ±10%Typical,±15%Maximum
MeasurementRanges 0.001to200mR/hr0.01to2000uSv/hr0to3,333CPS(16.66CPS/mR/hr)0to200,000CPM(1,000CPM/mR/hr)TotalCount:0to4,294,967,295(32BitInteger)
MeasurementStatistics ContinuousavailabilityofAverage,MinimumandMaximumdoseratemeasurementsineitheruR/hr,mR/hr,uSv/hr,CPSorCPMTimestamponnewmaximum
DoseRateAlarm AlarmcanbesetinmR/hroruSv/hrtoanyvaluewithinthemeasurementrange.
InternalDataLoggingStorage 100,000Bytesnon-volatilememory
LoggingIntervals EveryMinuteorEveryHour
MaximumCapacity 91,466MinutesorHours(90%NormalBackground,10%Full-Scale)
MinimumCapacity 32,656MinutesorHours(100%Full-ScaleMeasurementLevels)
LoggingOutputFormat StandardCommaSeparatedValue(CSV)withtimestampandCPMData(1,000CPM/mR/hr)
38 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
UserInterfaceLanguagesSupported EnglishandJapanese
Display Two-Line,14-charactertransflectiveLCDwithbacklightforlow-lightconditions
Keypad Weatherresistantcommercial-grademembranekeypad
VisualIndicator LEDpulsesonandoffwhenaradiationdetectioneventoc-curs.LEDcanbedisabled.
AudioIndicator Tonebeepswhenaradiationdetectioneventoccurs.Audiocanbemuted.
Input/OutputAudioOutput/DigitalInterface
Standard3.5mmjackwiththreeselectablevolumelevelsforoutputtoaudiosystems,computerspeakersormediaplayerheadphonesJackcanalsobeprovisionedbytheuserforpulseoutputorasaUSBInterfaceforloggingdatabyPCortransferringinternaldataloggingmemory(requiresoptionalcable)
ExternalPower 9VDCataminimumcurrentratingof100mA
Environmental/PhysicalTemperatureRange -20°to60°C(-4°to140°F)
Size 143x83x35mm(5.63”x3.25”x1.37”)
Weight 198grams(7oz.)includingbattery
Compliance CE,Lead-FreeIndependentlytestedandfoundtobesubstantiallycompli-antwithFCCrequirementsforhomeuse.ApprovaltodisplayFCClogopending.
Notes:
1.Allspecificationsaresubjecttochangewithoutnotice.
2.Assumingthatbackgroundradiationislessthan25CPM,thedeviceisusingthelow-powersettingandtemperatureofoperationis25°C(77°F).
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 39
18. PRM-9000Specifications¹
BatteryLife²Standard9VLithium 42,850Hours/4.89Years
Standard9VAlkaline 20,150Hours/2.30Years
MeasurementFrontEndDetector LND7317PancakeGeiger-Mullertube,Halogen-quenched
withmicawindowand45mm(1.75inch)effectivediameter
RadiationDetected alpha,beta,gammaandx-rays
EnergySensitivity alpha:minimum2.0MeVbeta:minimum0.16MeVwith25%efficiencyat1MeVgamma/Xrays:min10keV(window)
gammasensitivity:3,500CPM/mR/hrcalibratedtoCesium-137(Cs137)
Accuracy ±10%Typical,±15%Maximum
MeasurementRanges 0.001to125mR/hr0.01to1,250uSv/hr1to125,000uR/hr1to437,500CPM(3,500CPM/mR/hr)0to7,291CPS(58.33CPS/mR/hr)TotalCount:0to4,294,967,295(32BitInteger)
MeasurementStatistics ContinuousavailabilityofAverage,MinimumandMaximumdoseratemeasurementsineitheruR/hr,mR/hr,uSv/hr,CPSorCPMTimestamponnewmaximum
DoseRateAlarm AlarmcanbesetinmR/hroruSv/hrtoanyvaluewithinthemeasurementrange.
InternalDataLoggingStorage 100,000Bytesnon-volatilememory
LoggingIntervals EveryMinuteorEveryHour
MaximumCapacity 91,466MinutesorHours(90%NormalBackground,10%Full-Scale)
MinimumCapacity 32,656MinutesorHours(100%Full-ScaleMeasurementLevels)
LoggingOutputFormat StandardCommaSeparatedValue(CSV)withtimestampandCPMData(3,500CPM/mR/hr)
40 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
UserInterfaceLanguagesSupported EnglishandJapanese
Display Two-Line,14-charactertransflectiveLCDwithbacklightforlow-lightconditions
Keypad Weatherresistantcommercial-grademembranekeypad
VisualIndicator LEDpulsesonandoffwhenaradiationdetectioneventoc-curs.LEDcanbedisabled.
AudioIndicator Tonebeepswhenaradiationdetectioneventoccurs.Audiocanbemuted.
Input/OutputAudioOutput/DigitalInterface
Standard3.5mmjackwiththreeselectablevolumelevelsforoutputtoaudiosystems,computerspeakersormediaplayerheadphonesJackcanalsobeprovisionedbytheuserforpulseoutputorasaUSBInterfaceforloggingdatabyPCortransferringinternaldataloggingmemory(requiresoptionalcable)
ExternalPower 9VDCataminimumcurrentratingof100mA
Environmental/PhysicalTemperatureRange -20°to60°C(-4°to140°F)
Size 143x83x35mm(5.63”x3.25”x1.37”)
Weight 368grams(13oz.)includingbattery
Compliance CE,Lead-FreeIndependentlytestedandfoundtobesubstantiallycompli-antwithFCCrequirementsforhomeuse.ApprovaltodisplayFCClogopending.
Notes:
1.Allspecificationsaresubjecttochangewithoutnotice.
2.Assumingthatbackgroundradiationislessthan85CPM,thedeviceisusingthelow-powersettingandtemperatureofoperationis25°C(77°F).
PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide | 41
19.WarrantyLIMITEDWARRANTY
WARRANTOR:
MazurInstruments200SouthWilcoxStreet#448CastleRock,Colorado,80104,USA
ELEMENTSOFWARRANTY:MazurInstrumentswarrantsfor60daystheGeiger-MüllertubeandforoneyearallmaterialsandcraftsmanshipinthePRM-8000andPRM-9000tobefreefromalldefectswithonlythelimitationssetforthbelow.
WARRANTYDURATION:Thewarrantyshallterminateandbeofnofurthereffectoneyear(60daysontheGeiger-Muellertube)aftertheoriginaldateofpurchaseoftheprod-uctoratthetimetheproductis:
a)Damagedornotmaintainedasisreasonableornecessary,b)modified,c)repairedbysomeoneotherthanthewarrantorforadefectormalfunctioncoveredbythisWar-ranty,d)contaminatedwithradioactivematerials,ore)usedinamannerorpurposeforwhichtheinstrumentwasnotintendedorcontrarytoMazurInstrumentsinstructions.ThiswarrantydoesnotapplytoanyPRM-8000and/orPRM-9000thathasbeensub-jectedtocorrosiveelements,misuse,abuse,orneglect.
STATEMENTOFREMEDY:Intheeventthattheproductdoesnotconformtothewar-rantyatanytimewhilethiswarrantyiseffective,MazurInstrumentswillrepairthedefectandreturntheinstrumenttocustomerwithoutchargeforpartsorlabor.IfcustomerislocatedwithinthecontinentalUnitedStates,MazurInstrumentswillreturntheinstru-mentwithpre-paidshipping.CustomersoutsideofthecontinentalUnitedStateswillberesponsiblefortheshippingchargesandanyotherrelatedfeesassociatedwithMazurInstrumentsreturningtheinstrumenttothecustomerafterwarrantyservice.
NOTE:Whiletheproductwillberemediedunderthiswarrantywithoutcharge,thiswarrantydoesnotcoverorprovideforthereimbursementorpaymentofincidentalorconsequentialdamagesarisingfromtheuseofortheinabilitytousethePRM-8000and/orPRM-9000.
Theliabilityofthecompanyarisingoutofthesupplyingofthisinstrument,oritsuse,whetheronwarrantiesorotherwise,shallnotinanycaseexceedthecostofcorrectingdefectsintheinstrument,andafterthesaidoneyear(60daysontheGeiger-Muellertube)periodallsuchliabilityshallterminate.Anyimpliedwarrantyislimitedtothedura-tionofthewrittenwarranty.
42 | PRM-8000/9000 Users Guide
PROCEDUREFOROBTAININGPERFORMANCEOFWARRANTY:Intheeventthattheproductdoesnotconformtothiswarranty,pleaseEmail,callorwritetotheaddressabove.MazurInstrumentswillnotacceptcontaminatedinstrumentsforrepairunderwarrantyorotherwise.
NOTE:BeforeusingthePRM-8000and/orPRM-9000forthedetection,measure-mentandmonitoringofnuclearradiation,theusermustdeterminethesuitabilityoftheproductfortheirintendeduse.Theuserassumesallriskandliabilityconnectedwithsuchuse.
Thetermsofthiswarrantyaresubjecttochangewithoutnotice.