The uRADMonitor-D, also known as the Portable Environmental Monitor is a powerful handheld unit equipped with advanced sensors to detect and warn against hazardous airborne substances. Three Beta stage prototypes are currently in transit for the Hackaday Headquarters to be part of the Hackaday Prize 2015 competition. Fingers crossed, winning this would boost the uRADMonitor […]
First uRADMonitor Model D prototype is ready
The first uRADMonitor-D hardware prototype is ready, while the software is still under development. See the progress and read more details here: http://www.pocketmagic.net/the-first-prototype/
Weather vs Radiation readings
I’ve been running uRAD unit #12000003 here in Australia for around 12 months now and the only time I’ve really seen a solid increase in readings is during heavy rain which got me thinking, what other weather conditions affect radiation levels? To find out I purchased a cheap weather station off eBay and set about […]
uRADMonitor Model D featured on HackADay
The uRADMonitor-D, racing for this year’s HaD Prize, has been featured on HackADay Support this project by voting, using the skull button on the project page. You can follow it to stay in touch and receive update notifications
First uRADMonitor unit in Middle East
The temperature levels in Kuwait are high. The highest recorded temperature was 54.4°C (129.92°F), but summer values often reach 50°C (122°F). On the other hand background radiation stays in normal levels, as measured by the first uRADMonitor unit in Middle East that just went online: The following image shows a quick comparison between various locations. […]
Model D Radiation Sensor
The previous blog entry on the uRADMonitor D presented a few details on this new radiation detector, stating that it will be able to detect not only gamma radiation, but also beta and alpha (including radioactive radon sources). One problematic issue was sourcing the proper detector, one that was both sensitive and small to fit […]
uRADMonitor in Shenzhen, China
Unit 1100007D went online in Shenzhen, China, showing slightly elevated radiation readings: This unit is located in an industrial electronics production centre. Its purpose is more connected to future uRADMonitor production than to environmental surveillance, so the readings might go offline from time to time. Other units in that part of the world, include the […]
uRADMonitor model D Concept
The uRADMonitor project started with a single network connected automated dosimeter, that quickly proved its usefulness and spawned into a global scale, full fledged monitoring network, covering all major continents. At the core of the entire infrastructure are the low power automated dosimeter units, at the moment of this article available as the uRADMonitor model […]
Featured on The Green Optimistic
If your concerns on a healthy environment extend from Ionising Radiation to multiple other environmental hazards, you’ll be most pleased to know that uRADMonitor has been featured on The Green Optimistic, part of an in depth analysis of our radiation detector! With their huge experience on enviromental-friendly technologies going back to 2008, they have a […]
Hackaday Prize 2015
The uRADMonitor project owes a considerable part of its exposure to the Hackaday Prize 2014 Edition, where it was one of the 50 semifinalists out of a large number of participants. Tomorrow, March 10, the 2015 edition of this prestigious competition is taking a new start. They are throwing huge resources in the game, in […]
uRADMonitor KIT1
uRADMonitor KIT1 is the first open source DIY dosimeter KIT, that can be used to collect radiation measurements and push them to the uRADMonitor network. Similar to model B that is to be released later this year, the KIT1 is intended for those interested in building their own radiation devices and contribute to the uRADMonitor […]
Two hundred uRADMonitor units
Not long after the 2014 summary announced a first achievement of 100 units deployed globally, the network has already doubled its size, with a total of two hundred units installed or in transit to their new location. The new locations are many and it would be a rather complicated task to name them all in […]
Model A New firmware v111
With the uRADMonitor network covering more ground, constant effort is invested in making the project serve its purpose better. Code improvements come with extra features or better stability, and new firmware updates are released to anyone interested in upgrading their units. Firmware 111 is the latest code released for the uRADMonitor model A units. We […]
The Compensation Capacitor
Normally, the Geiger tube delivers a sharp short pulse, with an abrupt descending path, as the quenching gas very quickly neutralises the conductive ions, and so terminating the current flow. The uRADMonitor pulses appear with a slightly rounded tip because an extra capacitor is added in the circuit, named the “compensation capacitor”. All uRADMonitor model […]
Checking the Geiger tube
The Geiger tubes used in uRADMonitor model A units are mostly the SBM-20 or the SI-29BG, both of Russian provenience, manufactured at military grade specs. Therefore they were meant to resist fluctuations over a wide interval of temperature or pressure. If a tube failure is suspected for a particular uRADMonitor unit, for example when the […]
Howto upgrade your uRADMonitor and graph local statistics
Hi everybody, My first post here to develop my answers in the forum about how to upgrade the firmware and get the local data to create some graphics. The upgrade procedure has been explained by Radhoo in a previous post, but I will add my little grain of salt.
Model A firmware upgrade guide
As a project targeting global coverage, uRADMonitor was designed with all the important features right from the start: the units are plug and play, the network settings are automated via DHCP, the location is estimated automatically based on IP and so turning the unit on is enough to have a new node on the map, […]
A year to remember
2014’s last day is slowly passing by. For what uRADMonitor is concerned, the passing year was one to remember. It was 2014 where this entire project practically started: it moved from an idea to a prototype and then into production, for now to see it expand quickly all over the world. The solution is already […]
Poland on the map with two units
With some of the new units still in transit, or waiting to get installed, a few others are already up an running. From the list of firsts, it is the time of Poland to come forward with two brand new uRADMonitor radiation monitoring stations in two of the country’s biggest cities: Warsaw and Łódź The […]
A new Radiation monitor in Akron, OH USA
Akron joined the uRADMonitor network with yet another ionising radiation automated dosimeter. 1100002E Akron, OH USA All the other data is available on the radiation map page. To get a uRADMonitor dosimeter and help the project, see join the network.
Hard to solder
It’s been another day, full of…soldering. To cover the high demand, I’ve been hard at work producing more units for those interested in helping the network expand. Here’s more than 20 PCBs. Tubes will be added later, also the software, and the calibration tests. It’s a lot of work, but the neat results make it […]
Powering the uRADMonitor via PoE
When I received my URAD Monitor, I was trying to think of the best placement where it would satisfy the requirement to be outdoors but still remain close to a power source. Having worked with PoE WiFi devices before, I contacted Radu to mention a PoE solution I was considering. Since I was able to […]
uRADMonitor Model A featured on EEVblog Mailbag
Dave Jones, from EEVBlog, did a nice review of uRADMonitor and covered everything from unpacking the unit to powering it up and getting the data online. Take a few minutes to watch Episode 686: Interested in joining the network? Click here.
The uRADMonitor network is expanding
Following the units in Norway, the network has registered a high number of new units going online from all over the world. Canada, USA and Europe, all have new radiation monitors: 11000024 in Vancouver, Canada 1100001F in Richmond, Canada 1100001B close to Detroit, USA 1100001C in Jeannette, close to Pittsburgh, USA 1100001A in Abingdon, close […]
Norway joining the network
Two units went online in Norway, the 11000016 in Oslo, and the 11000013 in Sandefjord. The measurements show higher readings compared to the tests performed in Timisoara: The Northern Europe seems to have a relatively higher background radiation. Here is a map that shows some of the background radiation levels measured across parts of Europe. […]
Bucharest, Romania and Calgary, Canada on the map
Almost each day a new station goes online in an arbitrary location on the map. The new station in Bucharest is the first of its kind right in Romania’s capital city, while the one in Calgary, is the first uRADMonitor unit in Canada. For now both are indicating normal readings and let’s hope they will […]
Producing the uRADMonitor – New units available
In an effort of expanding the network even further, several new units have been prepared and are ready to ship. But, creating a device that will function perfectly in a distributed environment is not an easy task. Yet, from its relatively early start, uRADMonitor has already spread to all major continents and continues to grow. […]
Several new units went online worldwide
Following the large number of units recently shipped out, several new units went online in various corners of the World: 41000005, in Belt, Montana, US 11000015, in Helsinki, Finland 11000017, in Paris, France 11000018, in La Breille les Pins, France As these new devices reached their destination and were connected to the Internet, all 4 […]
A new detector in Central Germany
As the units presented in the previous post slowly reach their destination, here is unit 11000019 that just went online in Central Germany, close to Neu-Eichenberg: This is the third uRADMonitor detector running on German soil.
Multiple new units joining the network
Some of you might have noticed the high number of units that recently appeared on the map around Timisoara. They are part of a new batch of units with some of them already in transit to locations all across the Globe. The units were tested and calibrated manually, to make sure they will function perfectly. […]
Brisbane, Australia joining the network
Unit 12000011 just joined the network from Brisbane, Australia, as the third unit on this continent. The measurements show relatively low radiation levels: And here is a comparison to initial tests done in Timisoara: If you haven’t already, you can vote for this project’s entry in the HackADay Prize competition by giving it a Skull […]
New model A monitor in Burlington, Vermont
uRADMonitor unit 12000010 went online in Burlington, Vermont. It is one of the new Model A units.
uRADMonitor Model A Video
With the approaching HackADay prize stage 3 competition, a new uRADMonitor Video has been added according to the competition’s rules. The uRADMonitor is a digital radiation dosimeter, enclosed in a rugged aluminium case. Designed to function as nodes, in a distributed network of radiation monitors,the uRADMonitor units are working together to achieve environmental radiation surveillance […]
Featured on HackAday as Semifinalist
uRADMonitor has been featured on Hackaday in a new article. As one of the Hackaday Prize semifinalists, the uRADMonitor project sits in the spotlight, waiting for the next stage of the competition. We promise to press on toward the goal of winning the prize.
New unit in Arizona
The 10th unit in the US is now online from Prescott, Arizona. The average measured radiation level is currently at 0.11uSv/h: Very similar to initial measurements in Timisoara:
Model A – Production Ready!
The uRADMonitor Project is a network of radiation detectors covering locations all over the Globe. The Model A is the first designed, it is an automated GM detector in a rugged aluminium housing which responds predominantly although not exclusively to gamma radiation. Count rate data is recorded and transmitted continuously via built in Ethernet adapter […]
A new unit in Melbourne, Australia
The second uRADMonitor unit in Australia went online today. This is one of the limited 5 model A2 units announced some time ago. It currently shows an average of 0.16uSv/h : The readings are higher than those measured during the initial tests in Timisoara:
A new uRADMonitor unit in the USA
This new unit is the second in the New York area or the 9th in the entire US. The 41000001 is one of the newer A2 Models with barometric pressure sensor. Taking advantage of the recent server side changes, all the unit’s measurements are available in the new compact web interface. The unit currently shows […]
Observations on diurnal indoor variations in gamma ray count rates
Richard Prettyman, August 2014 Background A close correlation between gamma count rate at ground level, and soil derived Rn-222 flux has been demonstrated in work which has also studied the effects of meteorological and diurnal factors on Rn out-gassing and hence gamma count rate (Szegvary et al, 2007). Under conditions of settled weather with no […]
Server software improvements
The uRADMonitor project has a complex architecture, involving both hardware and software. The software level also has two separate components, one is the client firmware – the software running on the dosimeter’s microcontroller, and the other is the software running on the server. The last posts have shown a lot of progress on the hardware […]
The second unit in Florida, USA
Just a day or two after announcing the first uRADMonitor unit in Orlando, Florida, a new unit went online, 1200000E, not far from the first. The way the unit was mounted looks highly professional, and it gets the best score so far for correctly following the installation instructions. The first measurements indicate very low radiation […]
uRADMonitor in Florida, USA
The 7th uRADMonitor detector in the US went online recently and is transmitting from Orlando, Florida. This is one of the newer A2 revision units, that were available in limited quantity a few weeks ago. Besides radiation and temperature, this unit also monitors the barometric pressure, helping to our understanding on weather impact on background […]
Hackaday Prize 2014 Model A Video Presentation
To comply with the requirements of the HackAday.io “send me to space” Hackaday Prize 2014 competition, we’ve made a short video as an introduction to the uRADMonitor project. The video presents only a few succinct details, but for more information you can read the additional articles on the uRADMonitor blog. And don’t forget to vote […]
Česká Čermná
Česká Čermná is a village and municipality in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. The village is located close to the Polish border. A dedicated website is available where you can find more information on this location. The village location is covered by the excellent Geology.cz website, where we can […]
Producing the uRADMonitor – the circuit boards
The first uRADMonitor units were built by hand as prototypes, a time consuming task involving a lot of attention that often led to results of only satisfactory quality. Very frequently it was the PCBs that simply weren’t good enough when made by hand: defects were frequent and repairing them was nearly impossible. Luckily the usual […]
The Geiger Tubes
The Geiger tube is a gaseous ionization detector that uses the Townsend avalanche phenomenon to produce an easily detectable electronic pulse from as little as a single ionising event due to a radiation particle. It is used for the detection of gamma radiation, X-Rays, and alpha and beta particles. It can also be adapted to […]
New unit in Phoenix, Arizona
The second uRADMonitor unit in Arizona just went online. Unlike the other unit to the North – that is run at higher altitude and shows increased readings, the new unit measures an average of 11.3CPM (on a SI29BG tube), approximated for the background radiation to a dose of 0.11uSv/h, not unlike what it has seen […]
Unit in Australia up and running
The first uRADMonitor unit on the Australian continent went online the last few days. Located in close vicinity to Melbourne, the uRADMonitor unit #12000003 offers continuous background radiation surveillance. The unit’s current measurements show an average of 10CPM (approximated to 0.10uSv/h):
uRADMonitor model A2 with Barometric pressure sensor
Here is a revision of the current Model A uRADMonitor detector. Codenamed the model A2, it replaces the internal DS18B20 temperature sensor with the more versatile BMP180. The BMP180 is a low power, high resolution temperature and barometric pressure sensor, manufactured by Bosch. It comes with pre-calibration parameters that are used for accurate measurements. The […]
Unit in Netherlands up and running
A new unit went online, in a location close to Amsterdam. The new detector is the first in Netherlands, covering more ground as the network expands. The current measurements show a low background radiation level, only 0.09uSv/h. Here are the initial measurements, performed in Timisoara, Romania, before sending the unit: And here is the same […]