Here is explaination on how to understand the NETC charts.
Some of the sites are from the EPA's database. The EPA's 4.site# are the beta sites from the EPA and the EPA's 5.site# are the gamma sites from 600-800 Kev range where a lot of geiger counters are calibrated to. The sites in Japan uses nSw/h. Our system is based of relative readings from the past history of each site to their present readings, so you will be able to tell if there is an increase in radiation at that site. But some customers like to know what is the absolute level of radiation at each site, so with the chart membership you can change the readings to absolute base zero. The Japan maps looks totally different in absolute format. I am sorry that I have not posted this information in the Forum for you to understand what NETC.com system is all about.

As a chart member, you can change the way Netc.com displays the data from Relative mode to Absolute mode, then you can see that Japan radiation level is much higher, but you will never know when the radiation increases because the Japan stations will always be in Radcon-5 level for the next 1000 years. In Relative mode the NORM background radiation at each station is compared to the current radiation level at that station, so when the radiation increases you can tell at your location that something has changed and alerts you of the increase radiation level. The degree of radiation increase determines the RADCON level that is set at your location. Netc.com does not compare one site location to another location because each location is different by the type of Geiger counter, inside or outside, location, etc.

PS...

Hi all new bloggers
My name is Harlan and I design this Netc.com system, so let me help you understand the numbers. First of all, the system is design to tell when the radiation is increasing, not to tell you if it is bad or good. Only your Doctor know for sure. Second, Netc.com server calculates the NORM background radiation over a 3 month period, so when the alert message email is sent, the radiation is at least 10% higher than it was in the past 3 months. Third, do not compare one site with another because each site has different equipment, different locations, inside or outside and many other conditions.

In the absolute mode in Japan, their sites around the Fuku NPP will always be in RADCON-5 compared to other sites. If the fuel rods break and the radiation going sky high, you will never know it because it is in Radcon-5. Netc.com does not use this method, it uses Relative mode where the NORM radiation level is created and compared to the current radiation level to create the Radcon levels.


I hope this help. Harlan

The question about the Radcon-5 level, why is one location's level is 60 and another location's level is 500 for Radcon-5
Here is my answer:

I agree that the EPA's sites and private networks sites, may fail us when we need them, that is why we are building our private network and using all the EPA's and Japan's sites to form a better system than having only one source of information.
Our new Raspberry PI computers have been tested in a greenhouse with temperatures of over 100 degrees and outside with rain protection. This is nearly impossible to do, when you must use your computer to collect the data. Our units can handle up to
three Geiger counter at one time and create three different charts too. I will post new information as we develop new features for our Raspberry PI and Geiger counter combos.

Thanks hey, I am a newbie here and I am trying to figure out how to interpret the keV unit. How does that translate? In my area, my GC (Inspector) is running average at 30 CPM and when I look at the EPA gamma count , it is running at 169keV. My readings are similar to the EPA beta readings. Maybe my Inspector reads only Beta?

Is there some kind of conversion between keV and the readings I get off my GC?
Thanks!

That is a good question for KingCobra - he has the same unit as yours and many others too. The EPA's range 5, which is reported on NETC has a CPM of 169 at that range 600-800 Kev and different CPM counts for each of other 9 ranges that they report on RADNET. The EPA reports beta on some of their sites too.

Ok, I see that gamma range 5 is the yellow line : http://www.epa.gov/radnet/radnet-data/r ... it-bg.html

Maybe Gamma range 5 was used because it is in the middle of ranges 1-10.

I never knew what to make of that EPA chart other than I could see when we were have gamma spikes. I don't know what the alarm level in keV. Do you?

Maybe each range is a type of particle?

Thanks!

EPA's 5.site# are from 600-800 Kev range where a lot of geiger counters are calibrated to. Our system is not set to one Alert level because the background is different in each area. Netc.com alerts you when your radiation level is higher than it has been in a quarter of a year in your area. Then you must decide to take action, like bringing in your kids from outside, or taking action when the rain is falling, or in my case, when the greenish-yellow pollen arrives.

Do you know what level of keV is the beginning of an Alarm level?

I will repeat, each site has its background level and it is revised every night. The alert level is the highest level over a three month range plus many different checks that are made to stop false alerts. It is not just one value, every 10 minutes the conditions changes the alert level.
When the site turns Red/Black, you are 97% of the way. Check the Alert Page, for other conditions that need to be met ( Good ).

Ok, I am sorry for being such a Nervensage (nerve saw in German) but I think that people on enenews and myself are confused about the high CPM using the keV value.
I understand what you are saying about taking note of the significant deviations from baseline. So, if I understand right it does not matter if the CPM on the keV scale are 800 if the CPM has always been 800. We are looking for deviations that either measuring higher or lower on average?

So this -

What units are used for measuring radiation energy?

The energy of ionizing radiation is measured in electronvolts (eV). One electronvolt is an extremely small amount of energy. Commonly used multiple units are kiloelectron (keV) and megaelectronvolt (MeV).

6,200 billion MeV = 1 joule

1 joule per second = 1 watt

1 keV = 1000 eV, 1 MeV = 1000 keV

Watt is a unit of power, which is the equivalent of energy (or work) per unit time (e.g., minute, hour).

- doesn't translate into an equivalent of microsieverts or how it interacts with the human body.

Thanks for being patient with me and thanks for not banning me for being so dense. lol
I actually joined this site to get down to the bottom of the meaning of these "high readings."

The questions you ask have been asked over and over again on many different forums. Here is the link to explain EPA's Radnet data. http://www.epa.gov/radnet/faqs.html#gamma-ranges

Netc.com server collects data from private and Government sites in US and Japan. The data is recorded and each site is set to a NORM. Once the NORM (natural occurring radioactive material) level is set, Netc.com server will inform you if the value increases. Some networks uses 100 CPM as the Alarm stage. That is impossible way to set an Alarm state when there are so many different Geiger counters being used and location of each unit. Our system reports each site history against its current value and tells if the radiation levels are rising or falling, not the danger point of the radiation. That is for the scientists is calculate.
I hope you now understand where the data comes from and what Netc.com function is in reporting the data.