SARAD RADON SCOUT User manual

SARAD RADON-SCOUT 1
Manual_Radon-Scout_EN_24-03-17.doc
User Manual
RADON SCOUT
Version 03/2017
SARAD GmbH Tel.: ++49 (0)351 / 6580712
Wiesbadener Straße 10 FAX: ++49 (0)351 / 6580718
D-01159 Dresden e-mail: s[email protected]
Internet: www.sarad.de
CONTENT
THE INSTRUMENT.................................................................................................... 2
GENERAL .................................................................................................................. 2
FRONT PANEL ELEMENTS ............................................................................................ 2
POWER SUPPLY ......................................................................................................... 3
START OF A MEASUREMENT......................................................................................... 4
INTERRUPTION OF A MEASUREMENT............................................................................. 4
TO PERFORM A MEASUREMENT.................................................................................... 4
Preparation........................................................................................................... 4
Selection of the right location for exposure........................................................... 4
Selection of the right integration interval............................................................... 5
Lock toggle switch ................................................................................................ 5
INTERFACES (RS232 AND USB) ................................................................................. 5
ALERT SWITCH........................................................................................................... 6
Technical Data...................................................................................................... 6
TECHNICAL DATA.................................................................................................... 7

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The instrument
General
The new Radon Scout is a versatile, easy to use and state-of-the-art instrument focussed on
the detection of Radon (Rn-222) in the ambient air. Beside the activity concentration of
Radon, air temperature and relative humidity and barometric pressure in case of the
RADON-SCOUT PLUS will be determined and saved to a non-volatile circular memory (first
in - first out). Up to 670 (RADON-SCOUT PLUS up to 16383) chronological data sets will be
available for data transfer to PC. An internal real time clock ensures a correct time regime, a
tamper lock indicates dislocation during the measurement.
In case of the RADON-SCOUT PLUS a display informs about the actual readings.
Neither mechanical parts like membrane pumps nor an external power supply are required.
Therefore, use and exposition at home or at workplace is possible without any disturbance. A
total duration of measurement of up to four month with continuos data recording is possible.
Due to its small dimensions and little weight, the Radon-Scout can be shipped by mail to the
place of interest/measurement without any additional man-power required for installation or
start-up of an analysis –even untrained staff is able to start a measurement.
Entire part of delivery will be a comfortable software for data read out and dose assessment,
easy data back up and publishing of results in protocol prints.
Read out of measurement data and adjustment of device parameter
Interactive graphic display with zoom and pan
Automatic backup of measurement data
Protocol print of customised time periods with individual header
Selective export and conversion of customised time periods to text files for additional
tasks (like import to EXCEL)
Front panel elements

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Power supply
Power supply of Radon-Scout is realised by two D size (Mono) batteries (also rechargeable).
To open the battery slot, screw out the cover anticlockwise using a screw driver or a coin.
Please pay special attention to the correct polarity of the batteries when inserted. The
positive pole needs to be contacted to the front panel.
Change both batteries at the same time as differing charging levels may lead to failures. Use
always batteries of the same type.
Close the battery slot by screwing clockwise for 45°. Ensure a tight sealing of the cover.
The RADON-SCOUT PLUS offers an external DC input to supply the instrument by an
AC/DC mains power adapter.
ATTENTION: Connect the AC/DC adapter only if batteries had been inserted before.
Never use the instrument without batteries even if it is supplied by an external voltage,
otherwise malfunction can not excluded.
If the AC/DC adapter is connected, the batteries will not be discharged. They will work as a
buffer in case of mains power interruption. If rechargeable batteries are inserted, the
batteries have to be recharged from time to time because of the self discharge process
dependent on the used chemistry. They will NOT charged by the connected AC/DC adapter!
Using Alcaline batteries in combination with the external DC, the instrument can be operated
over several years.
The connector for the AC/DC adapter (4.5V/500mA) is placed at the rear panel of the
RADON-SCOUT PLUS.
After the batteries had been changed and replaced by new ones, the LED will light for about
one second in orange.
Changing the batteries will force you to adjust the re-set internal real-time clock. A
concerning message appears on the display of the RADON-SCOUT PLUS. Stored data
remain in the memory and can be read out after changing of discharged batteries.
The selection of the right battery depends on the purpose and total duration of the
measurement. For principals, NiCd- and NiMH-accumulators with a cell voltage of 1.2 V as
well as alkaline-manganese or zinc-carbon batteries with 1.5 V can be used.
Important hint: Never use Lithium batteries - those cells provide a cell voltage of 3.0V or
3.6 V.
For long term measurements or frequent measurements with small periods of usage, the use
of alkaline-manganese cells is recommended as those batteries provide a high energy
density (up to 17000 mAh) and a low self-discharging.
Time-to-time measurements for short term are best supplied by rechargeable batteries, as
they may be charged prior to usage. NiMH cells provide a energy density of up to 8000 mAh
compared to NiCd-cells with a maximum of 5000 mAh. In addition, maintenance to avoid
memory effects is not required for NiMH type but self-discharging is higher.
Because the capacity of any cell type is dependent on temperature, storage condition and
age (especially rechargeable batteries), the following data is only an approximation:
Alkaline-manganese 17000mAh: up to 4 month (RADON-SCOUT PLUS up to 3 month)
NiMH 8000mAh: up to 2 month
NiCd 5000mAh: up to 1 month
The uptake of power during stand-by is about 15 –20 % of a measurement. Anyway: In case
of storage of the instrument without usage, batteries should be removed.
If the battery cell voltage drops below 1.1 Volts, a warning “Replace battery!” appears in the
display after stopping the measurement. During the measurement a red (instead of green)
blinking LED indicates this status. The remaining capacity is 15 ... 25% depending on the
chemistry of the used cells. If longer measurements are planned, the batteries should be
replaced before to avoid data lost.

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If the cell voltage drops further below 0.95 Volts, the measurement is stopped automatically
and the device enters into the stand-by modus. Discharged batteries are indicated by the red
LED, flashing each four seconds.
Start of a measurement
Setting the toggle switch to the right starts the measurement of the Radon activity
concentration in the ambient air. Older data will remain in the memory and can transferred
later together with the new one.
RADON-SCOUT only
In case that the switch is already set to the position “RUN” during replacement of discharged
batteries, the measurement will be started immediately. Please set the real time clock and
restart the measurement once again. The LED will flash in green for about half a second,
then LED will flash one or three times each four seconds dependent on selected integration
interval (one flash = three hours, flashing three times = 1 hour).
RADON-SCOUT-PLUS only
If the toggle switch is already in „RUN“ position after replacing the battery, the display will
show a request to set the real time clock of the instrument by the PC software.
To start the acquisition, the switch has to be set firstly to “STOP” and then to “RUN” position.
The green LED lights for a short time and blinks each 4 Seconds during acquisition.
After starting, the remaining time to finish the first integration interval (until the first value can
be calculated) is displayed.
As soon as the results of the first integration interval are available, the display switches over
automatically between two display pages (each Minute). The first page contains the actual
value for Radon with statistical 1-Sigma error as well as the sensor readings (T, rH, p),
battery voltage and time stamp. The second page shows the Radon average since the last
start of an acquisition, the time of the start, the time period from start (used for averaging)
and the number acquired records.
All results are stated in the physical units as selected by software (SI or US style).
Interruption of a measurement
A recent measurement series may be interrupted by switching the toggle switch to the
position “STOP”, assumed that it is not locked by the software. The Radon-Scout will enter
the “STOP” modus immediately without finishing the recent integration interval.
The RADON-SCOUT PLUS will show “Radon-Scout PLUS”
To perform a measurement
Preparation
Prior to each new measurement campaign, the status and type of the batteries should be
checked to avoid a loss of data with respect to a interruption of the analysis. In case that the
cells had been changed after you adjusted the real-time clock the last time –adjust the timer
again to ensure a reliable time regime!
Selection of the right location for exposure
The Radon-Scout was designed for stationary monitoring. Strong vibration, movement or
mechanical shocks can disturb the analysis. This interference will be detected and

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compensated by the instrument, therefore the sampling process is not affected. Disturbance
during longer periods of time needs to be avoided by selecting an appropriate place of
exposure. Measurements during transport must not be carried out.
In case that the device had been moved during measurement, the corresponding integration
interval will be marked to detect e.g. an unauthorised transportation or a movement with
admission.
Selection of the right integration interval
Radon-Scout will store 672 (RADON-SCOUT-PLUS = 16383) measurement records. In case
that this maximum of data will be exceeded, the oldest data in the history will be erased and
overwritten by the last cycle result (circular memory). Set the interval long enough to avoid
data lost in case of measurements over long time periods.
If the assumed or predicted Radon concentration is smaller than 200 Bq/m3, the integration
interval should set to three hours. Otherwise the statistical error of each single value below
200Bq/m³ will exceed 20%. The integration interval can be changed by software only. The
RADON-SCOUT-PLUS allows integration intervals from 1 to 255 Minutes. From the physical
point of view intervals less than 60 Minutes make no sense because of the response time.
Lock toggle switch
To avoid a sudden or unintended interruption of a measurement campaign by unauthorised
staff, the toggle switch can be locked by software. Two variants of the lock function have
been implemented:
1 - The function is activated if the instrument is in stand-by mode (stopped)
It will be possible to start a measurement and stop it one time. After setting the button into
STOP position, the sampling will be finished and the result of the whole test period appears
in the display (1. line Start time/date; 2. line Stop time/date; 3. line result without statistical
error). The result remains in the display until a new sample is started.
After the first access to the instrument via the serial port (any command), a new start is
possible and the unit operates in the same manner as long as the lock function remains
activated.
2 - The function is activated while the sampling is already in progress
In that case the display is also disabled but it will be impossible to stop the measurement by
the toggle switch. The lock can be released only by the unlock function using in the PC
software.
In both cases the shows the display during the measurement period "Radon-Scout" instead
of the results. The green LED is flashing periodically.
For the standard unit without display only the second version of the lock function is
implemented.
Interfaces (RS232 and USB)
The serial interface according RS232 standard is required to read out measurement data and
to adjust the measurement parameter of the Radon-Scout. Please note that the power
consumption of the instrument is about five times higher if connected to the PC by the data
transfer cable. In case that the device is permanently connected to a PC, the battery life-time
is reduced due to that. The RS232 port is also used for connecting a modem or ZigBee
wireless adapter.
Alternatively, the USB port can be used for communication. In that case, a software driver
(available on SARAD website) must be loaded and installed before. The communication path
appears as an additional COM port in RadonVision.

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Both interfaces cannot be used simultaneously because the RS232 port will be disconnected
automatically after plugging the USB cable into the port.
Alert switch
Both, Radon Scout and Radon Scout PLUS are equipped with a switch output which can be
used for ventilation control or alert indication. The potential-free contacts of the switch will be
connected at the end of the sampling interval if the measured Radon concentration exceeds
the threshold. The output will be deactivated one minute before the subsequent interval
ends. Therefore, the sampling interval must be set at least to two minutes. The alert
threshold is fixed at 300Bq/m³ for the Radon Scout while it is user adjustable in the Radon
Scout PLUS. The connector is located on the rear panel of the instrument. In case of pending
alert, the red light at the front panel will blink instead of the green one.
As an accessory, we offer a wireless power switch which can be used for direct ventilation
control. The switch includes a transmitter unit to be connected to the alert switch output of
the instrument, and a plug adaptor (receiver) which can be placed between the wall outlet
and the power cable of the ventilation unit. Optionally, a flush-mounting power switch is also
available. The plug adaptor offers an additional timer function to define the duration of the
ventilation period independently on the sampling interval of the instrument (for example 15
minutes on while the sampling interval is 60 minutes). The wireless switch is coded - that
means, several transmission lines can be established within one building. The assignment
between transmitter and receiver is easily done by a push button.
The sampling interval should be set to 60 or 120 minutes if the threshold level is lower than
300Bq/m³.
Technical Data
Alert Switch
Max. switchable voltage
24V
Max. switchable current
0,4A
Max. pulse current
1,5A
connector
2-pins
Manufacturer: Binder, series 710
Wireless switch
Transmitter
2 inputs
Additional input can be used for manual
switch
Frequency
433MHz
With coding for secure transmission
Range
approx. 30m
Power supply
Battery CR2032
Good for 20000 switch actions
Plug adapter
220V/50Hz
6 code memories for group switching
(e.g. for more than one Radon monitor)
Max. switchable power
3500W
Timer settings
7s, 5min, 30min,
1h, 2h, 4h, 8h
If the timer function is not used the
power switch follows the alert switch

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Technical data
Measurement Measurement chamber with HV collection and Si detector
Gross alpha detection
Sampling Diffusion
Sensitivity 1.8 cpm/kBq/m³ (4 cph/pCi/L)
Measurement range 0 ... 2 MBq/m³
Error 5% within the whole range or smaller
Ambient conditions -10 ... 40 °C, 0 ... 100 %rH not condensing
Temperature sensor -20 ... + 80 °C
Humidity sensor 0 ... 100 %rH
Pressure Sensor 800 … 1200 mbar
Alert switch 24V/0,4A (potential free Opto-MOS relais)
Tamper sensor 2G to detect movements or shocks
Memory 672 records (RADON-SCOUT-PLUS 16383)
Power supply 2 x battery type D (Mono) 1.5V/1.2V
RADON-SCOUT-PLUS also by mains power (AC/DC adapter)
Autonomous operation ca. 3 month for alkaline battery (17000mAh) at 20°C
Data transfer Serial interface cable (RS232) or USB adapter
Operation Start/Stop by toggle switch (may be locked via software)
RADON-SCOUT-PLUS: display 3 x 16 characters
Dimension ca. 175 x 135 x 55 mm
Weight ca. 800 g incl. batteries