Review: Ecotest MKS-05 Terra-P Radiation Detector

Ebay has seen an explosion in interest for personal radiation detectors since the recent Japanese nuclear accident. One popular model is the Ecotest MKS-05 Terra-P radiation detector. It is about the size of a previous generation cell phone. It is battery operated and is equipped with 2 buttons and a simple LCD display. The unit’s thick plastic case speaks well for its durability. The back of the unit has a battery compartment, and a second compartment reveals the most important component onboard – a Geiger Muller (GM) tube.

The device is manufactured for a specialized market, and thus lacks the polish of a true consumer product. For instance, batter door has a slightly different color, and the GM door has a delicate catch, though neither seems to be an issue. 

The two operation buttons on the front of the unit require a firm push to engage. The display is easily read under most light conditions, although backlighting and contrast control are missing. A small piezoelectric speaker can signal an alarm when higher radiation levels are detected, and in Dose Rate mode, the speaker can mimic the clicking sounds of a Geiger counter.

Operation

You cycle through the four modes of the Terra P as follows:

•Dose Rate

•Gamma Dose

•Time of Day

•Alarm Time

•

The initial Dose Rate mode is really a “live counting” mode, and the unit responds like a normal Geiger Counter. One particle detected equals one click. Numerically, the amount of microsieverts per hour is displayed and you can mentally convert to the more familiar micorads per hour by multiplying the displayed reading by 100. It takes about a minute for the unit to warm up and produce accurate counting figures.

The Gamma Dose mode is simply an accumulation of the Dose Rate mode. It is not a rate of exposure, but rather the total amount of exposure. It displays in millisieverts to 3 decimal places, and continues to accumulate information even when the unit is in “sleep” mode, although the speaker is disengaged during sleep.

The alarm comes preset for .007 microsieverts in 24 hour period. This is considered the maximum safe exposure rate, but you can override this setting with the Threshold button. Should the live conditions exceed the programmed amount, the unit automatically enters live counting mode as the alarm sounds.

The Terra-P radiation meter is ideal for measuring specific items for radioactivity and monitoring the environment for potential threats. Although built in the Ukraine, they are usually available on eBay.