MiniSentry – Transportable Gamma Portal Monitor

Features

• Portal monitor for rapid deployment and emergency response
• Quick and easy setup with automatic start-up and operation
• Simple clean/contamination status indicator
• Self-contained – no laptop or other peripherals required for setup, calibration, or operation
• Weather resistant for outdoor operation in adverse weather conditions
• Pedestrian opening 76 x 203 cm (30 x 80 in.) high (can be modified to meet customers’ specifications)
• Automatic background subtraction
• Walk-through and stop-andcount modes
• Audible alarm capable of being heard six feet away
• Battery operation for up to 40 hours
• 120/220 V ac with surge protection
• Canvas carrying case included
• Weight less than 45 kg (100 lb) (without battery)

Description

The MiniSentry is a gamma sensitive portal monitor designed to be quickly set up and operated with very little training or expertise in radiation detection technology. This portable system is used to quickly provide a gamma scan of pedestrians or vehicles for emergency scenarios.

The firmware included with the system is simple to use and selfcontained. The user interface is menu driven, scrolling up and down and increasing or decreasing values when edited. Alarms are based on sigma levels (standard deviations above background), and background is monitored constantly if the photoelectric sensor did not sense a person or vehicle occupying the portal. Emphasis has been placed on self-diagnostics both on start-up and during operation to guarantee integrity. The unit supports both walkthrough and stop-and-count modes.

The MiniSentry is designed to meet the requirements of the Contamination Monitoring Standard for a Portal Monitor Used for Radiological Emergency Response published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 1995.

MiniSentry Software

Sample MiniSentry Display

A Windows®-based program is available to enable users to completely set up the MiniSentry from a PC, using an intuitive point-and-click Windows interface. Once setup is complete, the user can then download information to a MiniSentry via RS-232C serial I/O and save to the PC’s hard drive for additional use. Alternatively, values can be uploaded from a MiniSentry and saved to the PC for downloading to other units. This powerful capability allows complete flexibility in setup and maintenance of many units.

Firmware readout includes the following information:

• Digital values and analog bar graph displays the background and alarm values.
• Automatic Plateau generation and display with movable cursor showing count rate.
• Battery status icon showing percentage charge remaining.

Certifications and Testing

• Meets the requirements of the 1995 FEMA standard for portal monitors, “Contamination Monitoring Standard for a Portal Monitor Used for Radiological Emergency Response”.
• CE Certification for the European market (pending).