Radiation Counter
| Basic Radiation Counter | |
|---|---|
 Sensor Device | |
| Type | Sensor Equipment |
| Tech Level | TL–5 |
| Cost | Cr250 |
| Size | 5.0 liters |
| Weight | 1.0 kg |
| Manufacturer | Various |
| Radiation Counter | |
|---|---|
| Type | Sensor Equipment |
| Tech Level | TL–8 |
| Cost | Cr100 |
| Size | 0.5 liters |
| Weight | 0.2 kg |
| Manufacturer | Various |
| Advanced Radiation Counter | |
|---|---|
| Type | Sensor Equipment |
| Tech Level | TL–10 |
| Cost | Cr100 |
| Size | 0.1 liters |
| Weight | 0.1 kg |
| Manufacturer | Various |
A Radiation Counter indicates the presence and intensity of radioactivity in the immediate vicinity.
- It is a type of sensor.
- It may form part of a Ship Sensor Suite.
Description (Specifications)
A radiation counter is used to detect radioactive emissions, most commonly beta particles and gamma rays. It can be preset to give a warning signal if levels of radioactivity rise to dangerous levels. Readouts are given in specifics for (and in terms of danger to) the Sophont species that created the device: most commonly this readout is preset to safe human tolerances.
- It is a passive sensor.
Detection & Radiation Levels
The rad is a metric unit of absorbed radiation dose, defined as 1 rad = 0.01 Gray = 0.01 Joule/kg.
A radiation counter is generally set to ignore normal background radiation.
| Rad Levels | ||
|---|---|---|
| Exposure | Effect | Typical Source |
| 0.001 rads / hour | No negative long term effects. | Dental x-ray |
| 0.01 rads / hour | No negative long term effects. | Chest x-ray |
| 10 rads / hour | Radiation sickness, nausea, eventual recovery likely. | Airborne fallout as a result of a detonated thunderball device. |
| 25 rads / hour | Lowest dose to cause clinically observable blood changes. | |
| 200 rads / hour | Local dose for onset of erythema (reddened skin) in humans. | |
| 400 rads / hour | Acute radiation syndrome in humans. | |
| 1000 rads / hour | Organ failure, death within hours. Typical radiation tolerance of ordinary microchips. |
Within the crater of a detonated thunderball device. |
| 6 krads / hour | Typical radiotherapy dose, locally applied. | |
| 10 krads / hour | Rapid fatal whole-body dose, death within an hour. | |
| 400 krads / hour | Rapid organ failure, death within minutes. | Within the magnetosphere of a large gas giant. |
| 1 mrads / hour | Typical tolerance of radiation-hardened microchips | |
History & Background (Dossier)
Basic models of Radiation Counter are the size of a liter bottle, while more sophisticated models are typically palm-sized. The Advanced Radiation Counter is a wrist-mounted version designed to be worn on the person or attached to the exterior of a Vacc Suit.
- Battery life is around 200 hours for TL-8 (or lower) models, and several weeks for more advanced models.
- Radiation Counters have a visual readout. More advanced models can be connected to computers for data analysis of radiation exposure.
Image Repository
No information yet available.
Technological Overview of Radiation Counters
The technology is generally thought to mature within the TL:4-6 Technological Epoch.
- Radiation Counters are available from TL-5 onwards.
References & Contributors (Sources)
- Marc Miller. Imperial Encyclopedia (Game Designers Workshop, 1987), 56.
- Rob Caswell. "Travellers' Cache: Radiation Counter." MegaTraveller Journal 2 (1991): 41.
- Frank Chadwick, Dave Nilsen. Traveller: The New Era (Game Designers Workshop, 1993), 346.
- Greg Porter. Central Supply Catalog (Imperium Games, 1996), 29,34.
- Marc Miller. T5 Core Rules (Far Future Enterprises, 2013), 635.
- Traveller Wiki Editorial Team
- Author & Contributor: Lord (Marquis) and Master of Sophontology Maksim-Smelchak of the Ministry of Science