Geiger Counter Shop guides
Geiger Counter Shop guides: readings, units and uses
How a Geiger counter counts, what µSv/h and CPM mean, how background varies, and what a pocket counter cannot measure, explained with public sources.
-
Are Bananas Radioactive? Potassium-40 and the Banana Dose
Bananas are very slightly radioactive because of potassium-40. EPA puts one banana at 0.1 µSv. See how that compares with flights and yearly averages.
Read -
How to Choose a Geiger Counter: What Matters Under $100
How to choose a Geiger counter under $100: tube type, beta and gamma detection, µSv/h and CPM, alarms, USB-C battery, and the EMF gadgets to skip.
Read -
Radiation on a Plane: Flight Doses and Your Geiger Counter
How much cosmic radiation a flight adds, in µSv, mSv and mrem, what changes it, and what a pocket Geiger counter can and cannot show you on board.
Read -
Granite Radiation: Do Countertops Give Off Radiation?
Granite can hold traces of natural radioactive elements that give off a little beta and gamma. How to compare a countertop with background, and the limits.
Read -
Radioactive Household Items: What a Geiger Counter Picks Up
Which household items are radioactive, which ones make a pocket Geiger counter react, and which it cannot show: uranium glass, granite, bananas, radon.
Read -
How Does a Geiger Counter Work? What It Measures and Detects
A Geiger counter turns each ionizing event in its gas-filled tube into a click. See what it detects, what CPM and µSv/h mean, and what it cannot tell you.
Read -
How to Use a Geiger Counter: First Readings and Quick Checks
How to use a Geiger counter: charge and set it up, take a background baseline, measure objects at a fixed distance and check that it really works.
Read -
Who Invented the Geiger Counter? Hans Geiger, 1908 to 1928
Hans Geiger invented the Geiger counter: a 1908 paper with Rutherford, a 1911 alpha counter, then the 1928 Geiger-Müller tube built with Walther Müller.
Read -
Can Your Phone Be a Geiger Counter? Apps, Watches, Limits
No: a phone has no Geiger tube. What camera-sensor apps and radiation watches can and cannot show, why EMF and 5G differ, and what to check first.
Read -
Portable Geiger Counter: Pocket and Handheld, With Alarms
A 5.6 oz (160 g) pocket Geiger counter with µSv/h, CPM, a trend graph and alarms by sound, light or vibration. Battery life, flying with it and its limits.
Read -
Radiation Detector: Handheld Nuclear Radiation Meter, Alarm
Handheld radiation detector with a glass Geiger tube: beta, gamma, X-rays, µSv/h and CPM, trend graph, adjustable alarms. What it reads and what it can't.
Read -
Radiation Maps: Compare Your Geiger Counter With RadNet Data
How EPA RadNet and UK radon maps work, why your pocket counter shows different numbers, and how to log your own background to compare trends.
Read -
Radioactive Rocks and Minerals: What a Geiger Counter Finds
Which rocks and minerals make a Geiger counter click, how to check a sample against your background in CPM, and what a pocket counter cannot tell you.
Read -
Can a Geiger Counter Detect Radon? What It Shows and Misses
No. A handheld Geiger counter does not measure radon in the air of your home. See why, what it can still show, and how to test with a radon test kit.
Read -
Smoke Detector Radiation: Americium-241 and Geiger Counters
Ionization smoke detectors hold a very small americium-241 alpha source. What the EPA says, why a glass-tube Geiger counter cannot see it, and disposal.
Read -
Geiger Tube Explained: GM Tubes, Pancake Probes and DIY Kits
What a Geiger tube is, how glass GM tubes, short tubes and mica pancake probes differ, why tube size matters, and what to know before a DIY Geiger kit.
Read -
Geiger Counter Units: CPM, µSv/h and Background Readings
What CPM, CPS, µSv/h and µSv mean on a Geiger counter, how sieverts convert to rem, and how to read background with EPA and UKHSA figures as context.
Read -
Uranium Glass, Old Glazes and Radium Dials: How to Check
How to check uranium glass, old glazes and radium dials: a UV lamp first, then a Geiger counter compared with background, plus the EPA handling advice.
Read -
Geiger Counter for Uranium Glass and Vintage Collectibles
Yes, a Geiger counter reacts to uranium glass held close. How to check a piece against background, why to read CPM, and how to handle old glass and dials.
Read -
Vintage Geiger Counter: Do Old Civil Defense Units Work?
Do old civil defense Geiger counters still work? Why many read zero at background, what ages inside, check sources to leave closed, and what to use today.
Read -
Geiger Counter vs Dosimeter vs Scintillator: The Differences
A Geiger counter estimates dose rate now, a dosimeter adds up dose over time, a scintillator is more sensitive to gamma. What each does and when to use it.
Read
Our guides are based on the supplier's listings and public documentation. We have not tested the counter ourselves.