Whats the Difference Between Survey Meters, Geiger Counters and Dosimeters?
Survey meters, field survey meters, rate meters, radiac meters, radiation detection meters, low-range meters, high-range meters, airborne meters, fallout meters, remote monitors, Geiger counters, and even ‘dose rate meters’ are all describing instruments that measure exposure rate or the intensity of radiation at a location at some point in time. It’s like the speedometer of a car; both present measurements relative to time. All of these above ‘meters’, the Geiger counter, too (which utilizes a Geiger tube rather than an ion chamber), will show their radiation intensity readings relative to time, such as R/hr or mR/hr like the scale at the right, same as a car speedometer will show miles/hr. If you entered a radioactive area and your meter says 60 R/hr then that means if you were to stay there for a whole hour you would be exposed to 60 R. Same as driving a car for an hour at 60 mph, you’d be 60 miles down the road after that hour, at that rate.
