Description
Victoreen 440 Geiger Survey Meter Radiation Detector mR/hr Ionization Chamber
The Victoreen Instrument Co. Model 440 is a portable ionization-chamber survey meter designed to detect and measure gamma and beta radiation. It features a large circular end-window detector, a clear analog needle-and-dial meter face, and a rotary range selector that steps through discrete mR/hr ranges. Built by The Victoreen Instrument Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, this is a classic instrument from a company that was a leading American manufacturer of radiation measurement equipment for decades.
Specifications & What's Included
- Make: Victoreen Instrument Co. (Cleveland, Ohio, USA)
- Model: 440
- Instrument type: Ionization chamber / Geiger survey meter
- Display: Analog needle meter with mR/hr scale
- Measurement unit: mR/hr (milliroentgens per hour)
- Rotary selector positions: Off, BAT (battery check), 3, 10, 30, 100, 300 mR/hr
- Detector: Large circular end-window detector at front of unit
- Housing: Brown and tan painted metal body with carry handle
- Battery compartment: Interior compartment with spring contacts (no batteries included)
- Calibration label: Check date 12-15-94, calibration due date 12-15-99 (past due — recalibration required)
- Includes: Detector end cap
- Does not include: Batteries
Applications
The Victoreen Model 440 is a health physics survey meter used to detect gamma radiation and, with the end-window cap removed, beta radiation in field and laboratory settings. Survey meters of this type were standard equipment for radiation safety officers, nuclear medicine facilities, research laboratories, universities, industrial radiography sites, and civil defense programs from the 1950s through the 1980s. Victoreen was one of the original American makers of Geiger counters and ionization chambers, supplying instruments to the U.S. military, the Atomic Energy Commission, and commercial nuclear programs. The Model 440 in particular was widely used as a portable field instrument for area surveys and personnel protection. Units of this vintage are still sought today by health physics technicians maintaining legacy equipment, by collectors of Cold War–era nuclear instrumentation, and by educators demonstrating radiation measurement principles. Any unit intended for safety-related use today would require professional recalibration before deployment.
This Victoreen Instrument Co Model 440 Geiger Survey Meter came from the collection of a retired electrical engineer and has not been fully tested at our facility. The housing shows age-appropriate wear consistent with vintage field equipment — the brown paint finish shows scuffing and light marks on the body panels. The analog meter face and needle appear intact, the rotary range selector knob is present and turns, and the large circular end-window detector cap is included. Inside, the battery compartment is open and empty (no batteries included), and the internal wiring and spring contacts are visible and appear intact. A calibration label on the unit shows a check date of 12-15-94 with a calibration due date of 12-15-99 — the unit is well past its last calibration date and would require recalibration before use in any safety or compliance application. Please review all photos carefully and contact us with any questions before purchasing.
Warranty Information
Additional Information
Brand: |
Victoreen |
Model: |
440 |
MPN: |
440 |
Type: |
Geiger / Ionization Survey Meter |
SKU: |
18533 |
Measurement Type: |
Gamma / Beta Radiation (mR/hr) |
Range: |
3, 10, 30, 100, 300 mR/hr; BAT check position |
Display: |
Analog meter (needle / dial) |
Detector Type: |
Ionization chamber / Geiger tube |
Form Factor: |
Handheld / Portable |
Selector Switch Positions: |
Off, BAT, 3, 10, 30, 100, 300 mR/hr |
Probe / Detector Window: |
Large circular end-window detector with cap |
Country/Region of Manufacture: |
United States |
Manufacturer: |
The Victoreen Instrument Co., Cleveland, Ohio |
Calibration Date: |
12-15-94 (calibration due 12-15-99) |
Seller Notes: |
Includes detector end cap. Battery holder present inside unit; no batteries included. |
Condition Notes: |
This Victoreen 440 Geiger Survey Meter came from a retired electrical engineer and has not been fully tested at our facility. Housing shows age-appropriate wear. Calibration date: 12-15-94, due 12-15-99 — recalibration needed. No batteries included. |
California Prop 65 Warning: |
WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including lead and lead compounds, and DEHP (a phthalate), which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Go to P65Warnings.ca.gov |