Is Your Geiger Counter Lying to You? Understanding the Limitations of Your Geiger Counter

With the proliferation of inexpensive Geiger counters, many less experienced users are unaware of the strengths and weaknesses of their instrument. This video discusses the proper use of the Geiger counter and its significant limitations, especially regarding detection efficiency and measuring dose rates. The Geiger counter is also compared to other technologies, such as scintillation detectors. Part 1: A Popular History of the Geiger Counter [0:20] Part 2: When is Your Geiger Counter Telling the Truth? [3:25] Part 3: When is Your Geiger Counter is Lying? [8:25] Part 4: The Do's and Don'ts of Geiger Counters [29:14] * A note on average, U.S. background radiation [29:07]: The figure shown, 0.32 µSv/h, includes the impact of Radon and its decay products. These are usually negligible outdoors and the dose cannot be directly measured by a typical survey meter. A more realistic figure for outdoor, background radiation would be 0.06 µSv/hr (0.006 mrem/hr). Thanks to Dr. Ross Kleinschmidt (Environmental Health Physicist) and Kai Kaletsch (Environmental Instruments Canada) for this clarification.