u/Petnek

I brought my Radiacode 110 with me on a dolphin-watching boat trip during our vacation in Croatia, mainly because I was curious how much the gamma background would drop once we were well away from land.

I let it accumulate a spectrum for 2 h 40 min, and the average count rate was only 1.52 cps.

The first image shows the spectrum measured on the boat. In the second image I overlaid it with a spectrum measured in my garden at home for comparison.

The difference is quite dramatic. At sea, most of the terrestrial gamma contribution from soil, rocks and buildings is essentially gone, while the large volume of seawater provides additional shielding from radiation originating below and around the detector. What remains should therefore be dominated much more by cosmic radiation, secondary radiation and whatever small contribution comes from the boat itself.

The comparison is especially interesting because the Radiacode 110 normally sees a much higher background on land. The reduction of the low-energy continuum is very obvious in the overlay.
Not exactly the usual thing people take on a dolphin-watching cruise, but this is probably one of the more interesting background measurements I’ve made with the RC110 so far. 😄

Has anyone here done longer open-sea measurements with a Radiacode? I’d be interested to see how your spectra and count rates compare.

I measured this small uranium-glass pendant with a Radiacode 110.

The background at the measurement location was approximately 23 cps, while the pendant measurement averaged 31.3 cps over 3 hours and 4 minutes. I had previously recorded a separate background spectrum at home and subtracted it from the sample spectrum in the Radiacode app.

Despite the pendant’s small size and the relatively modest increase above background, the RC110 still produced a clearly structured low-energy spectrum. A feature is also visible around 183–185 keV, close to the 185.7 keV gamma line of U-235.

I was impressed that the Radiacode 110 could detect and spectrally distinguish such a small uranium-glass object even with a background count rate of about 23 cps.

The attached images show the pendant and the background-subtracted spectrum.

Would you consider a three-hour acquisition sufficient for an object this small, or would you run it overnight for a cleaner spectrum?

I measured this small uranium-glass pendant with a Radiacode 110.

The background at the measurement location was approximately 23 cps, while the pendant measurement averaged 31.3 cps over 3 hours and 4 minutes. I had previously recorded a separate background spectrum at home and subtracted it from the sample spectrum in the Radiacode app.

Despite the pendant’s small size and the relatively modest increase above background, the RC110 still produced a clearly structured low-energy spectrum. A feature is also visible around 183–185 keV, close to the 185.7 keV gamma line of U-235.

I was impressed that the Radiacode 110 could detect and spectrally distinguish such a small uranium-glass object even with a background count rate of about 23 cps.

The attached images show the pendant and the background-subtracted spectrum.

Would you consider a three-hour acquisition sufficient for an object this small, or would you run it overnight for a cleaner spectrum?

Hi,
I had an unexpected Radiacode detection today at work and thought it might be interesting for this community.

My Radiacode first started alarming while I was walking to the restroom. On my way back, I tried to locate the source and eventually found that the signal was coming from one of my coworkers.

He told me he had received some kind of medical “cocktail” for a nuclear medicine procedure / contrast-like examination. I measured up to around 4****k cps close to his chest pocket area.

I recorded a spectrum for about 6–7 minutes and attached the screenshot. The main peak appears to be around 140 keV, so my first guess is Tc-99m. There is also a visible feature around 88–90 keV, which I assume is probably backscatter from the 140 keV gamma line rather than a second isotope.

Additional context: he mentioned that the tracer was supposed to accumulate in organs, and he is scheduled for dialysis tomorrow. I am not asking for a medical diagnosis, just curious about the spectrum and isotope identification.

Does this look like a typical Tc-99m medical spectrum to you? And would you also interpret the ~90 keV peak as backscatter?

Hi everyone,
I just bought my first Kia and wanted to share the excitement. It is a Kia Ceed SW 1.5 T-GDi TOP, manual transmission, in blue metallic, year 2022, 59 000 km.

I am coming from a 2003 Volvo S60 D5, which served me incredibly well and had over 500,000 km on the clock. It was a tough, comfortable and reliable car, so replacing it was not an easy decision. But after driving the Ceed, I feel like I made the right move.

The car feels much more modern, quiet and practical, while still keeping a very normal and honest driving feel. I like the size, the estate body, the equipment, the LED headlights, heated seats and steering wheel, and the 1.5 T-GDi seems like a very good match for the car.

It is still strange to leave the Volvo era behind, but I am genuinely excited about this new chapter with Kia.
Happy to join the community.

Any Ceed owners here with long-term experience or tips for a new owner?

Just picked up the GW-BX5600CBG-2ER and I’m honestly more impressed than I expected.

My plan is to wear it mainly at work, where I’m a test engineer in hydrogen technologies. My time is roughly split 50:50 between open office and lab work, so I wanted something tough, practical and still good looking enough for daily work use. Most of my work clothes are dark blue or navy, and this model fits that style almost perfectly.

At home I wear M5610U, which I still really like, but the display on the BX5600 is on another level. The viewing angles are dramatically better. I did not expect the difference to be this noticeable. I have just these two models, yet🤫🤭.

Curious what other square G-Shock fans think of this model. Underrated, or just a very specific taste?

How it looks like when you forget RC 102 on the dashboard in partially (thank God) cloudy day? When I arrived after work, it shows 57 °C and really, really high readings. After cool down under 50 °C readings decreased to normal values.
It was in ankle strap.
After all this, it looks to function normally.

Recently I switched from Garmin Fenix line to "disconnected" watches. It's awesome, so peaceful without notifications or need to check various gathered numbers. Here are my old Edifice EF-328, revived with new battery just for office work.
I've got also G-Shock GW-M5610U and GA-B2100DF-1AER and like them very much.

When I saw these GA-B2100DF, I simply couldn't resist. Collaboration with Charles Darwin Foundation was the last detail I needed to convince myself 🤭.
I plan to wear them to the nature, zoo, Radiacode terrain research and no city family trips.

Hi, I see here posts from United States, I suppose, and I'm not sure if this model was sold there. I would like to ask from Europe anyway.
Is here someone who can give me an advice on what to be beware of before buy in title mentioned used car? In my scope are cars specifically with this engine from years 2021 to 2023. Are there some red flags?
So far I read about automatic transmission, so I go for manual one.

During a run with my Radiacode 102 at the Komora sports area in Tábor, Czech Republic, I noticed something unusual.
The entire area was consistently showing about +10 CPS above the surrounding environment, and at one spot I measured up to 0.26 µSv/h.
What makes it interesting is that this was not just a tiny hotspot. The elevated readings covered a relatively large modified terrain area.

Here is the Radiaverse map segment:
Radiaverse map location

My first thought is that the terrain may have been landscaped using imported material with naturally elevated radioactivity, possibly crushed granite, industrial aggregate, or soil containing more uranium/thorium-bearing minerals than the local background.

The surrounding area is noticeably lower, so the transition is quite visible.

Has anyone else found large “artificial” elevated background zones around sports fields, parking lots, or landscaped public areas?

I recently checked an old watch that belonged to my grandmother, and it seems to be my first real radium-related find.

I measured it with a RadiaCode-102. The dose rate close to the watch is around 1.6 µSv/h.

I also collected a longer gamma spectrum:
Watch measurement: 3 h 31 min
Background measurement: 3 h 30 min
Watch: average about 60 cps
Background: about 9.2 cps
Net difference: about 50 cps above background

After background subtraction, the spectrum shows peaks consistent with the Ra-226 decay chain, especially Ra-226 itself and its daughters Pb-214 and Bi-214.
The most visible lines are around:
186 keV, consistent with Ra-226
242, 295 and 352 keV, consistent with Pb-214
609, 1120 and 1765 keV, consistent with Bi-214

I have not opened the watch and I do not plan to. I know the main concern with old radium watches is not just external dose, but possible contamination if the paint is damaged or disturbed.

For me, this is a fascinating find. It is one thing to read about radium-painted watches, but seeing the spectrum from an old family object makes it feel much more real.

I recently found an old watch that belonged to my grandmother. Out of curiosity, I measured it with my Radiacode 102, and this turned into my first proper gamma spectrum from this kind of find.

The dose rate near the watch is about 1.6 µSv/h.

I also made a longer measurement:
Watch measurement: 3 h 31 min
Background measurement: 3 h 30 min
Watch: average about 60cps
Background: about 9.2 cps
Net difference: about 50 cps above background

After subtracting the background, the spectrum shows clear peaks consistent with the Ra-226 decay chain, especially:
Ra-226 around 186 keV
Pb-214 around 242, 295 and 352 keV
Bi-214 around 609, 1120 and 1765 keV

For me, this is a pretty fascinating find. It is one thing to read about radium paint in old watches, but seeing the spectrum from a family object makes it feel very real.

I have not opened the watch and I do not plan to. It will be stored safely as a collectible, not worn.