DoseRAE 2 Personal Radiation Detector

I am happy with this purchase overall. When the device arrived, there were problems with the display of the current rate, and the audio buzzer did not work. This was caused by firmware, and was relatively easily fixed - however, the process of diagnosing the problem and of dealing with RAE systems was somewhat more difficult than it should have been. The unit I purchased had been sold by RAE (presumably to PK Safety) several months ago, before the release of the new better firmware. If you buy this unit, definitely go streight to RAE systems' web page and get the latest firmware.

For overall quality however, the device works very well, is well made, seems pretty rugged (time will tell), and is easy to recharge and maintain. The software from RAE is pretty rudamentary. It seems like something a very smart physicist would write in a day (this means, that it was not written by a consumer oriented professional computer scientist). It works, but it is awkward to use. There is no available API from RAE for writing your own software, but it is probably possible to talk to the (USB) interface of the device relatively easily if you really want or need to.

The one real weak point, and this is not critical for most user I think, but it is something to know, is that the dose rate takes some time to stabilize (10s or so). This means that the device can not be used easily to search for a source. Clearly it was not intended for this purpose, but if you are thinking of using this device as an inexpensive alternative to a unit like the GammaRAE, you will need to take this into account.

Summary judgement though is that this is a great little unit. Compared to the dose badges of the distant past, it is amazing. Compared to a more sophisticated unit like the GammaRAE, it does suprisingly well when used in that context as well. I certainly can't think of anything on the market which is as good for anything near the price.