Reddit mentions of GQ GMC300EPlus Fulfill Digital Nuclear Radiation Detector Monitor Meter

Complete bill of materials (£250 though some you may have already, like camera and 20v power supply):

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Flyback transformer, 35kV, (£8)

ZVS Oscilator to drive flyback (£8) (both come as a pack here)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/FTVOGUE-flyback-generator-Jacobladder-ignition/dp/B07NZ4XM2H/ref=sr_1_32?keywords=flyback&qid=1561950997&s=gateway&sr=8-32

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X-Ray phosphor screen (£20)

(Terbium-doped gadolinium oxysulfide (Gd2O2S:Tb) scintillator pixels which are embedded into a polyethylene substrate. Normal price £400)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AGFA-HD-MAMORAY-X-ray-Imaging-Cassette-Screen/222626977966

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X-Ray source - 2X2A USA MULTI OFFER 5 PIECES (£15)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2X2A-USA-MULTI-OFFER-5-PIECES-NOS-TUBE-VALVE-HALF-WAVE-RECTIFIER/113786775508?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

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Geiger counter (£80)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00IN8TJYY/ref

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A digital camera with a long exposure ability. (£100)

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A tripod (or table) for the camera. (£30)

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And a power supply - DON'T GO OVER 20 volts - the flyback WILL pop.

It will draw around .6 amps if working correctly.

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You NEED AT LEAST 500 µSv (Microsieverts) per hour - this will produce a glow on the screen BARELY visible in complete darkness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoC7_Xz6mu8

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WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

The X-Rays mostly come out from INSIDE the "dome" on the top of the vacuum tube, in the shape very similar to a half opened umbrella. Not much comes out the top - they're VERY soft X-Rays at 25kV, so VERY HARMFUL TO ORGANIC stuff because your body WILL absorb MOST of the X-Rays.

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THIS ENTIRE PROJECT IS DANGEROUS:

It will kill you from the 30,000 volt power source.

It will give you cancer from the X-Rays (ionising radiation tears DNA apart).

It can give you ionising radiation burns in the short term (ionising radiation tears cells apart).

It can damage DNA in your family jewels, producing deformed babies/sterility.

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If you don't have a Geiger counter and lead shielding, as well as high voltage experience, you're best bet is learn about radiation and HV and do little experiments weeks before you try something like this. If you don't know what the "one hand rule" is, or what ionising radiation does, it's best to stay well clear!

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Hard X-Rays mostly pass through your body, but you'll need a voltage of 75kV for that.

I have had MOST success with the following (NOT SHOWN: the results.)

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Canon 7D Mk 2, ISO 5000, F1.8, 20 second exposure using the 50mm £50 prime lens AT FULLY OPEN APERTURE.

Pre focus it on the screen using some newspaper or something laying ON the phosphor sheet to focus on.

Turn on "Manual focusing", set up the camera to those settings, turn off all the lights HIDE all your LED's in the room, they WILL light up the screen. (I left an orange power LED on and my screen looks pink!)

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Turn on the X-Ray machine! Press the shutter, exit the room. Run back in and turn off X-Rays.

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BOOM! Picture.

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X-Rays make CUMULATIVE DNA damage - all the doses are added together even days apart, so be careful!

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Here's two exposures UNEDITED - in Photoshop the noise can be reduced, and the green phosphor turned to blue, like the standard X-Ray sheets.

https://imgur.com/a/tQ4VV7v

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The X-Ray sheets online are black and clear - and the plastic sheet they're on is tinted blue because back then they thought the blue increased contrast to the eye - it doesn't.

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If you turn the image black and white, fiddle with the contrast, and then colorise the image to Cyan..... you'll get the same X-Ray result!

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The sheets from X-Ray cassettes are AWESOME. Plastic phosphor layer, and a BLACK back layer - the light you see isn't leaking from the blue light of the tube, it's only from the phosphor lighting from X-Rays.

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(I used a paper card version for those first images, so they didn't benefit from this contrast increase)

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Good luck!

Or consider getting your own cheapo Geiger counter and have a bit of fun!

https://www.amazon.com/GQ-GMC300EPlus-Fulfill-Radiation-Detector/dp/B00IN8TJYY/

Just buy one of these and check a note in front of her. Nothing beats the scientific method!

I've got a couple of these and like them. They are above your price range, but were the lowest cost ones I felt comfortable purchasing. I've owned mine for nearly 2 years and haven't had a problem with them. I've even tested them extensively shooting them with dental x-ray systems to ensure they were accurately reporting.

I'm in California where our two largest concerns (mine, anyway) are earthquakes and fire.

For earthquakes it's standard preparation stuff because aspects of grid can shut down for short or long periods of time. There's also the "get out of the house now!" type situation which is really just shoes and a flashlight, or just your human body. If your bag is downstairs and you're upstairs you're not going to run to a bugout bag first. It's just get out (depending on the quake, the building, etc).

I do have a bugout bag primarily for fire evacuation, which has:

• Important docs. Homeowners policy, our will, healthcare directives, passports, social security cards, etc.
  
• A printed road map of the state (thin book).
  
• A kickass little am/fm radio.
  
• A handheld 2m radio programmed with area repeaters, I have a mag antenna in my truck.
  
• Geiger counter. Way over the top for people to have but I bought one so where else would I put it.
  
• 4 way water key.
  
• Spare credit cards, some cash.
  
• Medications we need.
  
• USB chargers.
  
  I also have a google spreadsheet printed out that has the items we want to take. The evacuation orders can come at any time and you might be knee deep in some project or sick on the couch, you need to be able to mindlessly grab items that a smarter-you considered bringing. The bag is just the one that we're really screwed if we don't have. This is my list, it's taped under my desk at home.
  
  Edit: also, there's a column for different family members. My kids have stuff they're supposed to grab (a change of clothes, etc) while mine has the chainsaw and a shovel.
  
  It's possible you'll have less than 20 seconds to escape your home but chances are you'll have at least a few minutes, maybe even a few hours. Having a list of things to grab from the house thought out in advance seems reasonable to me. And some stuff that's super useful (like dumping everything from the medicine cabinet into a bag) is more of an instruction than an item, per say.
  
  Dolls (for kids)
  
  laptop
  
  EMT gear
  
  Backpacking food
  
  Flashlights
  
  Gasoline tanks
  
  Wet wipes
  
  Toilet Paper
  
  Firearms
  
  Ammunition
  
  Map (Marked)
  
  AA/AAA Batteries
  
  Chainsaw
  
  Shovel
  
  Solar Panel
  
  Tent
  
  Soap
  
  Medicine Cabinet
  
  Checkbook
  
  2m Radio
  
  10 gallons water
  
  2m base antenna
  
  2m pvc ant mast
  
  I also have a list of things I need to do if I leave the house, again this is tailored to fire evacuation. This is taped to the inside door of our utility closet. Easy to find but house guests aren't staring at it and we can keep our home more "homey" looking versus a forward operating base. These are taken from CalFire's suggestions and my own experience in and around fire.
  
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• Remove flammable window shades, curtains.
  
• Remove flammable objects from walls, windows, doors.
  
• Shut off gas (crescent wrench).
  
• Turn on all lights.
  
• Turn off HVAC.
  
• Place flammable items in open area.
  
• Connect garden hose, drag to driveway, charge hose, controlled by gun nozzle.
  
• Place buckets of water in driveway.
  
• Place ladder in driveway, visible.

Well, if the material is just zinc sulfide, then it won't be radioactive. The problem is that I have no idea what it is, so I can't be sure. If you have the funds, you can buy a geiger counter for around 100$ to be sure. Here is a good and cheap one.

I like my GMC300 as well https://www.amazon.com/GQ-GMC300EPlus-Fulfill-Radiation-Detector/dp/B00IN8TJYY/ref=sr_1_4?crid=PQ7KJG5GJZ1M&keywords=geiger+counter&qid=1571443280&sprefix=geiger%2Caps%2C278&sr=8-4