Do you know what is this?

[FrancoItaly]

Hi everybody

sorry for my bad english, do you know this instrument?
this is in a french book, chasse aux tresors methodes et
techniques. It is based on Radioactive Isotopes

[J_Player]

I recognize that machine. It is a device made by Dr. Armin Bickel to detect underground oil, water, gold copper, silver and other ores. Dr. Bickel is an astrophysicist who studied in Germany with Werner von Braun and other rocket scientists. He worked for Nasa for years, building devices to be mounted in satellites that would chart the earth's mineral deposits. After retiring, He used the same technology to build the machine in your picture. It works by sensing weak gamma emanations from anomalies in the earth. When there is a deposit of ore under the earth directly below the senssor in his machine, the sensor will register a very weak signal that identifies the element by it's characteristic gamma energy level. The gamma energy actually originates from a very few radio isotopes of the element that are decaying in the ore deposit (yes, gold does have a couple of unstable radio isotopes). The computer part of the machine is what discriminates between silver, gold, copper, and other ores by recognizing the gamma energy signature being sensed. Dr. Bickel demenstrated this machine to me when I visited him in Lompoc, California. It will find ore deposits with pinpoint accuracy, but it is usually used in a small plane or a vehicle that is driven in a grid pattern to map a section of the earth's surface. After the map is made, the data is analyzed from a geological point of view to determine where to dig for mineral deposits. Most of his work was for large mining companies and oil companies. During my visit, he also showed ma a handful of gold nuggets he found during his travels making geological surveys for these companies. At the time I visited him (the early 1980s) these machines were being sold for about $8,000 to $10,000 for the model with the computer. He told me that after about 5 years, the sensing element seems to become less sensative, and is advisable to replace. These machines are rare. If you can find one then buy it and install a new sensor. You will then have a machine equivalent to the sensors in the US satellites that mapped the earth's minerals in the 1980s.

P.S. I am an engineer, and I have uite a bit more technical information about that machine if you are interested.

[FrancoItaly]

thank you for very interesting notices, but I dont have a isotopes gun. I'm an electronic hobbyst and I have realized some PI metal detectors, I'm interested to long range locator especially to Esteban' works and I think that Schumann frequency is very useful for this purpose.

[FrancoItaly]

thank you for very interesting notices, but I dont have a isotopes gun. I'm an electronic hobbyst and I have realized some PI metal detectors, I'm interested to long range locator especially to Esteban' works and I think that Schumann frequency is very useful for this purpose.

[positron]

If this is the same machine, this machine is extremely rare, only 10 ever made.
I've seen this machine and it looks similar to that one. The man who uses it says it's the best he's ever known, and says it's extremely accurate. From the stories he told me, Dr Bickel was a very interesting and brilliant man. He has replaced the crystals. Does anyone know of any others?

Does anyone have any other information on Dr. Bickel? PM Me

Thanks

[positron]

Originally Posted by J_Player

P.S. I am an engineer, and I have uite a bit more technical information about that machine if you are interested.

Didn't see this. Do you have some schematics or any other data about the unit? I'd love to see the inner workings of this machine, but I don't think he will open this jewel for me.

[J_Player]

Hi Positron,

I do not have the schematics for this machine, but I can tell you how it works. Actually it's pretty simple. there is a scintillation crystal inside a lead tube which acts as a shield so the crystal sees only radiation that enters from the open end of the tube. When gamma radiation or alpha radiation interact with the crystal, a faint fash of light is emitted from within the crystal. Behind the crystal is a photomultiplier, which magmifies the faint flashes of light so they are measurable. Once the flashes are measurable, they are converterd into electronic pulses, much like the pulses heard on an antique geiger counter. these pulses are sent to several controls to adjust for background radiation and set the null levels. After the adjustments are made, the resulting pulses are sent to a digital counter, analog meters, and to a chart recorder with the associated amplifiers to put the signal in the range of the meters and recorder. This machine is looking for anomolies in the radiation that enters the tube during a pattern scan of an area. IT also classifies the strength of the "flashes" of light, which will give data about what element caused the flash. The idea is to make a map similar to the magnetometer maps. The front end circuitry is a power supply for the photomultiplier and pulse shaping circuitry (1980's op amp circuitry) to adjust and classify the signal. There is also a section devoted to running the digital counter display, which is mostly discreet TTL or cmos digital counters and multiplexers. They didn't have single-chip numeric display drivers, so Dr. Bickel used individual digit drivers and counters cascaded together. Of course he had a rechargable battery and charger built into the machine.
At the time of my visit to Dr. Bickel, he was selling 3 models:

1. The subterranean Isotope sensor "Algor Alpha" for prospector and mining Engineers mineral detection (vein and placer). $2000.00 (add $300.00 for chart recorder).

2. The Professional Isotope Sensor "Algor Alpha X" for geologists and engineers at mining exploration and evaluation mineral and water well detection. Extremely sensitive, used by car or plane (including recorder) $3400.00

3. The super-sensitive subterranean Isotope sensor "Algor explorer X" for use in minerals, oil, gas and water detection, mine exploration and evaluation, exploring new oil and gas fields, usable by car and plane. For sale only on a royalty of 2% on mineral, oil or gas detected by the instrument. $5000.00

GE and RCA photomultiplier tubes, and domestic crystals are not used on these devices because they are inadequate, while domestic crystals stop scintillating after a year. These parts are ordered from abroad. The electronics are all mil spec. The real secret that made his machines the best in the world is about the top quality components he used, and the detailed calibration of the circuitry. Dr. Bickel had been installing similar sensors on the Nasa satellites for years before he retired and started building sensors for the private community.

Dr. Bickel gave me a copy of the operating manual for his machines. He said many people use his machine and others similar, but few understand how the machines work. It seems the most important thing is to learn the secrets of what causes the radioactive anomolies, and the geophysics involved in the objects under the ground. This is how you can be sucessful in accurately determining what is beneath the ground. Dr bickel's manual describes a lot about what causes false signals, and other hazards that can degrade the data. The part you are apparently most interested in is the circuitry. Here is the block diagram from his manual for his "Algor explorer X":

[FrancoItaly]

Hi all
Perhaps it's possible to build a similar instrument with a home made Geiger counter... The probleme it's to find a sample of gold for testing the instrument, as a fresh buried gold dont emit nothing..

[J_Player]

Hi Franco,

All gold emits gamma radiation when in the metallic form. The problem is to build a machine sensitive enough to detect the minute traces of radiation from the stable nuclide 79Au196. Dr. bickel accomplished this by using scintilating crysrals from sources that sell only to government and military markets, and he used photomultiplier tubes that are better than anything avalible in the USA. In addition, He is an astrophysicist who knows geology and the physics of the formation of the elements, as well as how these physics will show up on the sensor device. He knows how to interpret the data based on the geological formations that he is scanning.

Today's technology far surpasses what was available in the 1980s, and it is probable we can find photomultiplier tubes better than his at low cost. But the crystals come from a German supplier, and are still difficult to obtain. The remaining electronics is fairly easy as long as you know how to process the signals from the flashes of light to determine if you are looking at a gold isotope or silver, or copper, etc. (basic gamma spectroscopy techniques).

[positron]

Hi J_Player,


Thank you so very much for that response, with photos. My uncle stayed with Dr.Bickel at his house while in CA, (70s'-80's). DR. Bickel gave him one of those models I presume, because it's an isotope counter. He said Dr. Bickel had a whole different approach to measuring anomolies, then mapping them. Everyone agreed that they needed to measure the radiation striking right before it leaves the ground, but Dr. Bickel said you need to measure it down further, where it meets oil and changes. I didn't really know much about Dr.Bickel or his units, but now I know some more. Thank you for that huge response, J_Player!

How many pages are in the manual?

[positron]

I'm going to make a www.Wikipedia.org page on Dr. Armin Bickel, since I found very little info about him and his work.

There's nothing on Wiki besides a group picture of operation paperclip on wiki.