Analysing Radioactive Mushrooms with a Portable Gamma-Ray Spectrometer

Here is more information on the RadiaCode-101 portable scintillation detector gamma-ray spectrometer which sells for €355 and connects to analysis software on a PC via USB or to Android and iOS apps with Bluetooth.

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Interesting device. The narrator says it is inexpensive. I suppose that is compared to other radiation detectors. Not so inexpensive as I see it at $395.

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The price is comparable to accurate Geiger-Müller tube detectors. I use a RADEX RD1706, which Amazon lists at US$ 348.95. Dosimeters with less accuracy and sensitivity are available for less than US$ 100. But, as far as I know, US$395 for a scintillation detector that records a spectrum of gamma ray detections is a price breakthrough.

Here are experiments I’ve posted with the RD1706.

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The enabling technology here is the silicon photomultiplier. It costs $50 or so rather than the hundreds of dollars one would pay for a traditional (vacuum tube) photomultiplier, and it operates at 50V or so rather than a kilovolt, making the electronics easier.

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