FNIRSI GC-01 Geiger Counter Nuclear Radiation Detector,Curve Display

Works. As soon as I turned it on it started measuring background radiation in the 0.02 to 0.11 uSv/h. But I couldn’t really tell if it was working or not or just measuring some kind of noise. So I drove to work and back home and walked around at work but nothing triggered a higher reading. So I took it to a lab where they have Cobalt 60 readily available for radiation testing and just walking into the outside room behind the multiple feet of lead and concrete my meter went from 0.01 to 1.0uSV/h in just a few seconds. The little red light at the top wasn’t flashing anymore, it was solid red. So I knew that meant it was measuring the radiation and it was tripping an alarm to let me know I was way over the 1uSv/h alarm limit. That was good enough for me. On another note, the menu system is a little kludgy and you cannot save a screenshot or any history which is kinda disappointing, but for a quick measurement for on the spot radiation testing, I would say it does what it promises. I. Just wish it would connect to my phone through Bluetooth so I can download the data to save for later.

I purchased this geiger counter because most reviews were very good, but some reviewers said the Bosean FS-5000 was better. They said the FS-5000 had the F321 GM tube, and the GC-01 had a smaller cheaper tube. However, when I opened the GC-01 I found out that it had the GM-1011 tube which is basically the same as the J321. I bought them both, so I could compare them. The FNIRSI GC-01 ended up being much better. However, I had to make a few modifications. 1) I drilled holes in the plastic case around the tube, because Beta particles are easy to block. 2) I upgraded the firmware to Rad-Pro, and that improved response and sensitivity. I couldn't figure out which micro-processor it had, because it wasn't labeled, so I guessed. Rad-Pro version I used was: radpro-fnirsi-gc01_apm32f103rb-en-3.1.1 And, it worked great. But, be warned, that doing these mods will likely void the warranty, and risk ruining the device. So, do it at your own risk. You can see my photos showing the two on a uranium glass plate.

So, she's a bit skittish. If it catches a few too many particles, too quickly, she goes up quick. No way to spread out the average, that I have found so far. That is NOT a problem, so long as you know wtf you are doing. TL;DR; Buy one. or 3. depending on your needs.... I'm ordering another RIGHT NOW, same day I got the first. I have 2 Radex ONEs, which you might not be able to get anymore, and if you CAN, be suspect of them, as they are russian made. They are probably??? still ok? But I do NOT update them currently.... Turned off auto update on the phone app also. I also have 2 RadiaCode 101's. but have not compared yet. Those are in deep protect. Wrapped up in Al Foil, no updates to the android app. A phone also wrapped... Same russia thing I think? I also have an older https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EZBOVKA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 which is unavail, but mine still works great. With that history, this device has an AVERAGE flaw, in that it will FREAK YOU OUT for a short term source. However, mine did recover pretty quick from a uranium ore exposure, so I am gonna recommend this as a short term warning device, with long term monitoring abilities also. If it starts screaming, vibrating, do what the shepherd said. ( Really? Get the FLOCK out of there!!! ) Once it slows down, maybe keep moving away, but don't kill yourself in a hurry. I LIKE it. It DOES work well, and it is CHEAP, for what it does. Does it do anything special? absolutely not. Look at the Radex One, yeah, from Russia, if you can even find one now. Also the Radiascan RadiaCode 101, however, I just looked these up, and they are CRAAZY right now. I got mine for $300, some guy has em for $700!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is crazy! Look for other things close to as good. Yeah, buy two of these. Maybe 2 others with good reviews also. Wrap one up in Al foil.....

Before I begin, I need to say that this is a radiation counter that has been designed to be a dosimeter. It is not a Geiger counter. Other reviewers think that it us a Geiger counter which is something entirely different. The only thing that the two have in common is that they both use a Geiger-Mueller tube. This instrument measures the accumulated radiation exposure in fractional units of Sieverts over time. This is a high quality dosimeter considering the price. It can read gamma, beta and x-radiation dosages. Two screens are provided: the first is numerical and the second is graphical. The manufacturing quality of this instrument is evident at first glance. It is beautifully packaged in order to protect the Geiger-Mueller tube in shipping which is otherwise subject to shock breakage. I purchased this item in order to monitor radiation dosages in two places in my home. The first is an activated charcoal filter that I have on my water supply in the basement while the second is a reverse osmosis system with charcoal filters under the kitchen sink. Since there is radon in my well water supply, I prefer to remove as much as possible before it is delivered to the faucets in the house. It also serves to reduce the radon levels in air due to cooking, washing, showering and laundry. Capturing the radon in activated charcoal will also capture radon decay products (daughter products). Some of these have very short lifetimes, but some are extremely long and tend to build up in the activated charcoal filters over time. I wanted to see how these radiation dosage levels increased over time in order to determine the optimal time to change the filters. The first thing that I noticed was that in just one week, after a basement filter change, the radiation had already built up by a significant amount. The radon radioactivity in our water is approximately 3000 pCi/L. If allowed to vaporize due to cooking, washing, bathing and laundering, this amount of radiation could add about 0.3 pCi/cubic meter to the air. The radiation dosage level that was measured close to the tank was 1.4 uSv/hr according to the meter. If multiplied by the number of hours in a year, 8760, we arrive at the accumulated dose per year which is 12.3 mSv. This is the amount of radiation exposure that would be possible were a person to stay in proximity to the tank for an entire year. This exceeds the NRC dosage guidelines of 1 mSv (0.1 rem) per year. Clearly, the filter should not be placed anywhere near where people or children would normally gather or play, for example, a finished basement. I will be monitoring the activated charcoal filter tank for several weeks to see if the radiation buildup reaches equilibrium as the filter capacity is exhausted. This will provide a guideline for how often the filter should be replaced. Short term exposure to the filter during a filter change should not be an issue provided that safe handling practices are followed. As a followup, I have decided to change the activated charcoal filter in the basement four times per year since no one is in proximity to the filter most of the time. One additional piece of information: For occasional proximity to radiation by workers, the annual permissible dose is 50 mSv (5 rem) per year. On the subject of radioactivity and dosage; they are not the same, pCi/L cannot be converted to uSv, or vice versa. The first is an instantaneous radiation level in disintegrations per second from a liter of water, while the second is an accumulated exposure dosage over time. Finally, I am not a licensed professional engineer or health physicist. Always consult with a professional engineer or health physicist who is. Most water system installers pose as being knowledgeable, but they are not. While they may attend training courses in radon mitigation, they do not possess the knowledge required to make sound health decisions for your family.

This device is an absolute disaster and a scam. IT FAKES READINGS. When I decided to invest in a geiger counter for my personal safety and peace of mind, little did I know that my hard-earned money would be wasted on an absolute disaster of a device. The geiger counter I purchased, touted as a reliable tool for detecting radiation, turned out to be a nightmare in every possible aspect. The most important thing by far however are the fake numbers this geiger counter shamelessly produces. It's as if the device has a mind of its own, conjuring up figures that have no basis in reality. When placed next to a United Nuclear test card, it would completely make up fake numbers. Not only that, the CPM would always only change by weird, fixed pattern. This leads me to believe that they are making up numbers. This is absolutely unacceptable for a radiation detector that touts itself as a health tool. The geiger counter's battery life is nothing short of abysmal. It's as if the manufacturers took pleasure in designing a device that drains batteries faster than a leaky faucet wastes water. Within a very short period of time, the FNIRSIR began to lose charge quickly. In under a couple hours, it was fully dead with the device being very hot. This is absolutely unacceptable for a device that’s supposed to keep someone safe. But the cherry on top of this disastrous cake is the fact that the UI exacerbates the device's already apparent accuracy issues. The tiny, barely legible screen displays readings in a font size that requires a magnifying glass to discern. And when the readings themselves are as unreliable as a coin toss, struggling to decipher them due to poor UI design becomes an added insult to injury. In conclusion, the geiger counter I purchased has turned out to be a monumental disappointment. Its abysmal battery life, laughable accuracy, and propensity for producing fake numbers have shattered any semblance of trust I might have had in its functionality. I could forgive any of these problems if only it would actually accurately read radiation levels. I would strongly advise anyone considering buying this geiger counter to think twice and explore more reliable options on the market. Please look at the other 1 star reviews and videos and notice the random CPM and see how many people have the same problem I have. Your safety and peace of mind deserve better than this sorry excuse for a radiation detection device.

15 years ago I woked as a Forester in Northern WI. I got the opportunity to work inside the Enterprise Radioactive Forest (google this). A forest that the USFS experimented on with Cesium in the 1970's to help deterime what would happen if the big one ever happened and what the effects of radioactive fallout would be on our forest resources. The project ended decades ago, but the forest continued on. When I worked as a forester, I can say it was the most bizzare forest I ever worked in. The trees all grew weird, were stunted, or misformed. A lot had wires coming out of them from the experiment. I also found alunimum rods everywhere. I picked up one of these rods and used it as a walking stick during the project, and kept it as a momento of working on the project (nothing illegal, it was trash). Years later, I found it in my garage and kind of wondered, is this radio active? Seems logical that it could be. All reserch I did on transfering of radiation to metals like aluminum said it was unlikely, but I was curious so I bought this detector. Glad to find out that it wasn't and I could keep my momento. It actually did not register anything, while bannanas sure did.

I thought this thing was pretty neat at first. It seemed to reflect accurate background radiation. It seemed to provide readings on par with other devices when exposed to sample sources of radiation. After about a month of turning it on for a while now and then, it started showing background radiation about 2-3x normal. Next day, about 5x normal. Its default alarm level started to get set off. Then suddenly, no radiation detected, not even normal background radiation. It was a fun month, but now it seems to be useless. I do not recommend this product. ------------- Update: The seller reached out to me and refunded me. I appreciate that.

It does work! shows background radiation around .09 usv/h average. When I put it on top of a smoke detecter it jumps to .3 usv/h average. Granted may not be a precision scientific instrument but for detecting ionizing radiation it does the job. Also had a good quality solid feel when held in the hand. LCD also a high quality screen. Compact and looks cool. A must consider for anyone looking for a geiger counter for home testing peace of mind at a very good price!!!

Buon misuratore della radioattività dei materiali. Lunga autonomia della batteria integrata e buona robustezza dell'apparecchio.

No way to tell if it's accurate. But the radiation levels do change over time. So far the radiation levels are low.

Works effectively as a radiation detector. Have used to check in house and surrounding areas around home and office. Helps keep peace of mind. Low battery consumption.

Aprés plusieurs essais j ai réussi a le flasher avec le firmware : radpro-fnirsi-gc01_ch32f103r8-en-3.1.1 !! La puce est illisible on ne sait pas si c est un ch32 ou un apm32F, le tube c est écrit dessus c'est bien un GM4011. Flash réussi avec la version de RADPRO pour ch32f, l autre ne marche pas. le produit est très sensible il bloque / efface le firmware des qu on le branche sur le pc, après il s allume plus ! j ai cru que je l avais bousillé. Pour le refaire marcher, il faut downloader le firmware d origine chez FNIRSI et le copier sur GC01(BOOTLOADER) drag and drop, et la il remarche de suite !! Aprés pour flasher Radpro, contrairement au firmware d origine il faut rester appuyer sur power quand on transfère le .bin !

I bought this partly for curiosity, and partly to do some testing for my son's nuclear energy science fair project. I had a fancy one of these a while back, and never really saw much happen on the screen other than normal background radiation and a small jump when held up to a highway rock cut. This unit was a much better value, has a cool graph display, and we were thrilled upon taking it with us on a tour of a nuclear power facility. They had a hunk of uranium ore on display, and the unit jumped up to about 320 CPM, as opposed to the normal 15-30 we had been seeing everywhere else. Pretty cool to see, and very exciting for my son. Winner!