RF radiation detector
 

I remember during my undergraduate years i took a course on antennas. During
our labs . Our lab assistant used this device. A thin cylindrical tube.
Which glowed when it sensed RF radiation. Our professor used this device to
show various polarizations of various antennas.

My question:
What is this device called. I wish to buy it from ebay or any other source.
Any other suggestions shall be appreciated

hsuri wrote:
"A thin cylindrical tube which glowed when it sensed radiation."

An ordinary fluorescent tube fits the description and hsuri may already
have one.

A neon tube also readily glows in the presence of r-f.

At a radio station where I worked in 1949, I used to grab any old
fluorescent tube at night to serve as a flashlight when making checks
outdoors. It worked well when the envelope was held near one end and
reguired no antenna nor hand contact with any terminal. Frequency of the
station was and still is 790 KHz.

Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI

I remember during my undergraduate years i took a course on antennas.
During
our labs . Our lab assistant used this device. A thin cylindrical tube.
Which glowed when it sensed RF radiation. Our professor used this device
to
show various polarizations of various antennas.

My question:
What is this device called. I wish to buy it from ebay or any other
source.
Any other suggestions shall be appreciated

I don't know what his device was , but a florescence light bulb (tube) will
glow around RF. If you excite it with a voltage just below the firing point
it will be very sensitive.

In the Olden days, 1955 - 1960, I would startle [shock] the patrons at
the local Ice Cream Parlor by pulling into the parking lot at sundown
and load up my AM mobile on 75 meter phone with 60 watts into an 8 foot
whip and have a friend, also a ham, walk around the parking lot with an
8 foot fluorescent bulb being held in just one hand asking 'HELP, HELP,
Please someone HELP'. The owner of the Ice Cream Parlor, K1III, would
just chuckle as patrons came in asking for the phone. grin

Well, boys will be boys!

Deacon Dave, W1MCE

Richard Harrison wrote:

hsuri wrote:
"A thin cylindrical tube which glowed when it sensed radiation."

"Dave Shrader" wrote in message
news:DrRyb.382457$HS4.3139400@attbi_s01...
In the Olden days, 1955 - 1960, I would startle [shock] the patrons at
the local Ice Cream Parlor by pulling into the parking lot at sundown
and load up my AM mobile on 75 meter phone with 60 watts into an 8 foot
whip and have a friend, also a ham, walk around the parking lot with an
8 foot fluorescent bulb being held in just one hand asking 'HELP, HELP,
Please someone HELP'. The owner of the Ice Cream Parlor, K1III, would
just chuckle as patrons came in asking for the phone. grin

Well, boys will be boys!

Deacon Dave, W1MCE

Richard Harrison wrote:

hsuri wrote:
"A thin cylindrical tube which glowed when it sensed radiation."


Ahh Dave, just tape it to the whip and go DRIVE!!
;^)))))
73
H.

thats funny Dave,
must have been quite a sight seeing their expressions LOL
:-)
"Dave Shrader" wrote in message
news:DrRyb.382457$HS4.3139400@attbi_s01...
In the Olden days, 1955 - 1960, I would startle [shock] the patrons at
the local Ice Cream Parlor by pulling into the parking lot at sundown
and load up my AM mobile on 75 meter phone with 60 watts into an 8 foot
whip and have a friend, also a ham, walk around the parking lot with an
8 foot fluorescent bulb being held in just one hand asking 'HELP, HELP,
Please someone HELP'. The owner of the Ice Cream Parlor, K1III, would
just chuckle as patrons came in asking for the phone. grin

Well, boys will be boys!

Deacon Dave, W1MCE

Richard Harrison wrote:

hsuri wrote:
"A thin cylindrical tube which glowed when it sensed radiation."

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 17:19:09 -0800, "har****" wrote:

I remember during my undergraduate years i took a course on antennas. During
our labs . Our lab assistant used this device. A thin cylindrical tube.
Which glowed when it sensed RF radiation. Our professor used this device to
show various polarizations of various antennas.

My question:
What is this device called. I wish to buy it from ebay or any other source.
Any other suggestions shall be appreciated


An NE2 neon bulb and a three inch steel coil spring about the same
diameter. Connect each end of the spring to one of the bulb contacts.
Don't know how sensitive it is, but the Navy provided one on the end
of a broomstick to reach into the transmitter room to detect HF before
entering. We never got hit, so I don't know how well it worked.

Bob McConnell (Ex-NFIT)
N2SPP

You can take a 40 watt fluorescent bulb and walk under high power lines
and it will light up bright.
That's RF.

Bob McConnell wrote:

An NE2 neon bulb and a three inch steel coil spring about the same
diameter. Connect each end of the spring to one of the bulb contacts.
Don't know how sensitive it is, but the Navy provided one on the end
of a broomstick to reach into the transmitter room to detect HF before
entering. We never got hit, so I don't know how well it worked.

Bob McConnell (Ex-NFIT)
N2SPP