BNC SAM 935 Portable Gamma Spectroscopy System - Manual (Page 5)

SAM 935™ Instruction Manual 1
1. Introduction
Welcome to the SAM 935™, a portable surveillance and measurement system for detecting and identifying
multiple nuclides.The SAM 935 identifies mixed isotopes, providing quantified results and time-slice
analysis.
The SAM 935 has a large feature set that addresses almost any gamma radiological task. It can be used in
a very simple mode that does not require any radiological experience. The purpose of the Quick Reference
in Section 1.2 is to give the operator the information needed to use the SAM 935 for radiation detection
and isotopic identification. Complete discussions of the full SAM 935 functionality can be found in the
remainder of the manual.
The modes of operation are described in Section 5. The SAM 935 is not just a MCA since it has many
automated and easy-to-use features with real time analysis. Therefore, operation solely from the Manual
mode does not use the intelligence that makes the SAM a very unique instrument. The operator should be
aware that the SAM 935 is designed to be operated primarily in the Surveillance, Monitor, or Detail mode.
In any of these modes an alarm may be stored, reviewed, and dragged into the manual MCA for further
analysis. This not only makes for ease of operation but allows greater functionality and immediate identifi-
cation of isotopes. Furthermore, these primary modes of operation allow review and printout of each stored
alarm. The Manual mode will not allow review of stored events, dose-rate measurements, neutron mea-
surements, or many of the time slice features built into this instrument.
QuantumMCA and QuantumGold are PC software packages that allow up to 8 MCAs to be controlled at
one time with up to 16K of real time display. QuantumMCA is the standard software and QuantumGold is
the premier software for quantitative analysis. These packages are available with their own documentation
on operation. Appendix A of this manual gives instructions for loading the PC software (see also Section
6.17 for remote access). This software will allow analysis in 256 QCC or linear, 512 QCC or linear, and
1024 linear modes. When using the SAM 935 without a PC, operation is limited to 256 and 512 QCC. How-
ever, all stored data (including 1024 linear that is not stored) may be transferred from the SAM to the PC
for analysis.
1.1 How To Use This Manual
This manual uses the following typographic conventions:
File Menu names are shown in bold mixed case, indicating the SAM 935
screen mode.
E NTER , F1…F4 Small capital letters are used for the names of keys to be pressed on the
SAM 935.
Calibrate Area Monitor Choices in menu listings and on-screen prompts are shown in italics.