Cold War Crap
DKP-50A Radiation Dosimeter (Radpen)
Price: £5.50 Inc shipping
Manufacturer: State factories
Model: DKP-50A (12)
Year of manufacture: 1977?
Country: Poland
Length: 130mm
Diameter: 13mm
Weight: 30g
Measures: accumulated radiation absorbed over time. 0-50 Rentgens scale
Active Service: ? - still currently issued
Description: Personal radiation detector used by polish military during the cold war era. Based on the Soviet version
Shipped from: UK
Vendor: seller bea27storee from eBay
This is the end you look down to check exposure dose
First impressions
I'm starting to like this cold war stuff now, especially when it costs virtually nothing to buy. I saw these on my favourite eBay surplus store and thought they looked pretty cool.
Certainly unusual to anyone who hadn't seen one before. They look like simple measuring instruments built to tough Soviet standards. - with the all familiar radiation warning roundel on the front!
I managed to barter with the seller and get this fine device for £5.50 instead of £7.99 which is a small saving but a saving none the less.
As usual the seller promptly sent the device via royal mail in around 3-4 days second class.
The meter arrived in a brown cardboard envelope undamaged.
The DKP-50A is made up of many internal components (I'm not ready to take it apart though) the outer body is made from what seems to be high grade aluminium. The pen style clip looks to be made from brass plated something metal judging by the furry residue and discolouration of it.
At one end of the radiation pen is the sight glass where you look through for a reading and at the opposite end is the electrode connection for charging and calibration. This end is normally covered by a plastic cap but for some reason mine doesn't have one.?
I have noticed that some of this cold war kit comes in 'filthy warehouse' condition and this radpen is a prime example.
This thing was absolutely filthy despite being stored for 40 years. God only knows where these have been!
No matter though, a little washing up liquid, a damp rag and some elbow grease will put that right.
Old manky pocket clip showing the model number
Who were these issued to?
These dosimeters were originally issued to officers and senior NCO's in the Soviet Military or in this case the Polish military. (Also issued to other eastern bloc nations)
Worn on the uniform by way of the pen style clip these provided the wearer the opportunity to monitor their own radiation levels unlike using the DS-50 dosimeter which required a seperate device to read the measurements.
This end is where the device is charged/calibrated
Chenobyl nuclear disaster 1986The DKP-50A was used during the clean up operation at the Chenobyl nuclear power plant during the 1986 melt down.
Many commented that these devices were ineffective in this application due to their low accuracy but no substantial tests were carried out due to the low numbers of devices used.
Looking down the sight tube - measured in Rentgens
The photo above is meant to highlight the actual meter and scale itself but sadly the lens aperture is so small that my tablet had no chance in capturing this all important feature in any great detail. Apologies then...
The photo above is meant to highlight the actual meter and scale itself but sadly the lens aperture is so small that my tablet had no chance in capturing this all important feature in any great detail. Apologies then...
The meter is marked 'Rentgen' at the top with a scale acending in numbers from left to right. 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50.
Unfortunately my device appears to have been charged but not calibrated so the needle isn't quite over the 0
Testing
Although it's not likely I will be in a position to test this device (thank God) I can explain how it works.
The DKP-50A is basically a simple electrometer.
Once ionising radiation passes between two electrodes in the device, the charge between the electrodes and the metal casing neutralises. This in turn causes one electrode to move from its start point and consequently move the needle along the scale.
The devices must be charged and calibrated using a special base unit called the DP-24. - I haven't really looked into the price and availability of these yet.
Rating ✅✅✅✅✅ 5 out of 5
You cant really go wrong for the price. Cheap enough to buy as a costume accessory or for the cold war collector.
They might need a bit of soapy water and a damp cloth but worth the effort.
You cant really go wrong for the price. Cheap enough to buy as a costume accessory or for the cold war collector.
They might need a bit of soapy water and a damp cloth but worth the effort.