These detectors are getting to be very popular around reactors, etc., and they give a cumulative reading which is accurate and easy to read.
I have read up on these in the past. They demand rather expensive consumables and the amateur purse is out of the running. They are not very efficient either.
With an old reliable BF3 counter, batteries are about the most expensive consumable.
Probably for the average joe, a lucky surplus or hamfest snag of an old Eberline BF3 counter (PNC-1) represents the quickest and least expensive neutron counting solution.
I just bought my second PNC-1 off of E-bay yesterday! The price was right even if it is defective, as it can serve as a "parts" device. Naturally, the seller had no idea if it worked and said it could be used to hunt for uranium or test radioactives. (something it cannot do under any circumstances even when new and warranted to count neutrons!)
Richard Hull
Created on Monday, March 12, 2001 11:42 AM EDT by Richard Hull