Exploring Uranium Mining Area with FPV Drone

[@tobyfraley]

30:14 I literally LOL'd which never happens. 😅

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Glad I could make you laugh a little.

[@ChristineDelFrari]

Hello from the Colorado couple! It was so cool meeting you and learning so much from you!

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Nice to meet you and your husband as well. Glad I got to show you some of what the area offers.

[@5roundsrapid263]

It’s great that people can still meet and get along these days. We just need to hang out.

[@PsRohrbaugh]

If you are going into mines where you have to worry about radon AND H2S don't screw around, and buy a SCBA system (like what firefighters wear, SCUBA minus the "underwater"). Tanks can be refilled for a few bucks at any dive shop. They also have systems where you carry a hose connected to a compressor, but you have to ensure that compressor is getting clean air, and it limits you to a few hundred feet (or however much hose you can carry / drag).

[@juliusmazzarella9711]

I'm right with you on this. I put a comment of caution in myself but wasn't sure how to exactly word it.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks for the super thanks. I have a gas monitor now that I will be wearing when going into mines. As far as radon is concerned, I’m not that concerned. If you keep your time down to a minimum in environments like this it’s nothing to worry about.

[@jackieow]

@@juliusmazzarella9711 Your H2S mask won't be reliable unless you have ampoules of gas to test it with every day. They have to be calibrated on the sensing meter otherwise you don't know how dangerous the level you are exposed to actually is. H2S can put you unconscious with two inhales, and from there you die unless somebody is around to drag you to safety.

[@jackieow]

@@RadioactiveDrew Talk to a big city sewer inspector. They use H2S masks every day and can give you pointers to make sure yours is calibrated correctly and actually working. If you make a mistake, only two whiffs and you are unconscious.

[@xephael3485]

Radon, while bad... wouldn't be horrible for short term exposure I'd presume.

[@TheChloroformCowboy]

I like what you do and how cautious you are with these mines. Radioactive isotopes really interest me because of your videos. Keep up the good work Drew.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks. I take chances but I try and keep them to a manageable level...or as manageable as risks can be.

[@markmark2080]

About a half year ago I was reading up about Charlie Steen while reflecting on the travels of my younger days. I had eaten at his old Moab house turned into a restaurant (now the Sunset Grill) back about 1980 and had heard he had passed away in the region north of Denver where I have spent most of my life. Reading his son Mark's account "My Old Man" THE URANIUM KING, was VERY interesting and I proceeded to hunt down the location of the Mi Vida mine on google earth. My neighbors, who love the Moab region, were planning another trip out there so I shared what I had learned with them and showed them the location of the 'famous' mine, saying it might be interesting to go see. Well, they did, and they were the "Colorado couple" you ran into, needless to say I have been enjoying your videos as I don't care to travel anymore, keep up the good work... Cheers

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I've been reading "Uranium Frenzy" by Raye C, Ringgholz. Goes into some pretty good detail on the uranium mining in the area. Your friends were really nice. Great people to talk with.

[@marksteen9322]

I enjoy watching your videos and reading the comments by the people who are interested in the 1950s Uranium Boom that was ignited by my father’s discovery of the Mi Vida Mine on July 6, 1952. My earliest memories in life are being underground in the Mi Vida Mine with my father and mother. The Big Indian Uranium Ore Belt produced about 80 million pounds of uranium oxide from 16 large mines in the Moss Back Member of the Triassic Chinle Formation between 1952 and 1980. Most of the mines in the second half of this video are located in the Permian Cutler Formation. These low-grade, uneconomic uranium deposits were what first attracted my father’s attention to the Lisbon Valley Anticline in 1951, when he staked his claims above the Big Bucks. I have yards of geologic reports and publications on the Big Indian Mining District, and I would be glad to share the the titles of these papers and publications with anyone who is interested in this fabulous uranium mining district and the incredible stories about the people who staked and discovered and fought over the mines that created the Big Boom in the Big Indian. Anyone who wants to learn more about these uranium mines can read about them in the US Bureau of Mines Information Circulars that describe the geology and mining methods of each of these larger mines. They have numerous photographs and engineering drawings that describe how the mines were discovered and exploited. I would be glad to give those of you who want to learn more about the Big Indian Ore Belt a tour of the district if you’re interested in arranging a tour of the area before it gets too cold. It’s my favorite subject.

[@markmark2080]

@@marksteen9322 Hello Mark, It was a bit of a thrill to see your reply this morning, I quickly shared it with "the Colorado couple" above... Do you live in the front range region (Denver area) by any chance? I've had an interest in the history of the 'Atomic Age' since learning and reading about Admiral Rickover and the Atomic Submarine back in the late '60s while in the Navy. My knowledge/understanding is only at a 'layman' level but fairly extensive.

[@marksteen9322]

Hello from the last member of the Steen family who knew all of the principal players in the Big Indian Mining District. I actually live in Boulder County, but I’m very involved as a Prospector-Geologist in the Fourth Uranium Boom with several partners searching for another Big Indian Ore Belt in the Paradox Basin. I wonder if you and your friends have seen the Uranium Issue published by the Moab Museum? It expands on the articles that I wrote for the “Canyon Country Zephyr.” I am currently researching an expanded history of the Uranium Boom that will tell the story of all of the important people who searched for uranium during the first and second Uranium Booms. I get a kick out of reading all of the comments that Radioactive Drew generates with his videos about the Big Indian Mining District. Most of them really show how many years have passed when almost everyone on the Colorado Plateau was involved in some fashion with uranium prospecting and mining.

[@markmark2080]

@@marksteen9322 Thanks again Mark, I grew up in Boulder/Boulder County starting in the early 50s, what an incredible place/region that was back then, we (myself and the Colorado couple) are currently on the 'other side' of Broomfield, would love to connect with you... I love Western Hemisphere history regardless of the era, the Uranium 'Gold Rush' of the postwar years is a IMPORTANT but literally unknown chapter, my 'layman' interest in Atomic energy, PLUS my deep love of UTAH make this especially interesting to me...

[@1RemotePilot]

Physics and drones. Scratches 2 itches at once! Thank you for this!!!

[@RadioactiveDrew]

No problem, glad you enjoyed it.

[@lancelessard2491]

Thanks!

[@RadioactiveDrew]

So awesome...thanks.

[@ccjensen4670]

Your videos bring back fond memories of me camping in the summer at my father's and Marloe Smiths mines back in 1952. We moved to Santa Rosa in 1952 and I bought out a local cable tool driller in 1972. Modernized over the years to top head drive rotary drills and sold out 7 years ago.to the grandson of an old time driller who was like a father to me. Company is 102 year young and still active in Northern CA. I retired to Las Vegas..still love the desert..LOL

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Glad you enjoyed the video and that it brought back some fond memories. Mining sites are so interesting to explore...so much history.

[@redmesa2975]

Uranium - war , energy , & the rock that changed the world. A good book to read. I live near Rifle Colorado. Worked on the cleanup project in the early 90’s. Union Carbide had a plant in West Rifle, with a big tailings pile. It was torn down and tailings were trucked to the disposal cell 5 miles north of Rifle.

[@Dudz_MgGee]

YAY! New Radioactive Drew Vid, AWESOME! Keep it up man, I love your content.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

The people that enjoy this content are nothing short of amazing. It’s awesome to have people excited about a subject I enjoy sharing.

[@Dudz_MgGee]

@@RadioactiveDrew Your passion of the subject matches us Rad-Nurds. lol

[@Splarkszter]

​@@RadioactiveDrew Your videos are super educational and very fun to watch. Over time you had been improving the value of your videos. Thank you so much for making the world a better place by sharing genuine education!

[@cpm1003]

A bad thing about H2S - it stinks badly at first, but if you keep breathing it, you kind of get numb to it and can't smell it anymore. But it is still poisoning you.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Sounds like fun...I'll keep that all in mind next time I'm out there.

[@ChipsTheOrigamiLemon]

Is the H2S a problem in the whole area, or just if you go inside the mines? I’ve always been interested in going to these radioactive mine areas, but not if I have to worry about poison gas.

[@scotferns]

@@RadioactiveDrew Symptoms of low level exposure are similar to hayfever / allergies FYI.

[@wesleylenoir5655]

H2s as long if you smel it its oké if you don't smel it anymore youre in trouble

[@jbarnesfpv]

So cool. I am a freestyle FPV pilot and i have also watched your videos for a while. Very cool to see you using an fpv drone to explore the mine

[@RadioactiveDrew]

FPV is such an interesting perspective. I wish the Avata 2 had 24fps. I'm trying not to format all my videos to 30fps with my A7S3 24fps dumped in there. But I might have to do that to keep the footage looking smooth.

[@jbarnesfpv]

Yeah it is limited in the fps it can record. I use a GoPro on a custom built 3.5 inch drone and 5 inch drone. That may be another avenue for you if you need 24 fps

[@VHTim]

Hi Drew, that area is one of my favorite places to go. I learned about Radon contamination as you described @ Mi Vida. My ignorance about Radon had me trying to understand why all my equipment stopped working as normal. Everything was radio active and did not know why. As it turned out, I saturated myself and all my equipment. I figured it out later. Your video is a great reminder for anyone looking at these old mines. If you feel any air coming out, you are probably getting flooded with Radon. I really appreciate your videos and knowledge. Thanks!

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Glad you enjoyed the video. The whole radon contamination thing was new to me as well when I started doing this. First time I went to the MiVida mine I went there with my puppy. We both got contaminated and my wife was very angry that I did this to our puppy. I ended up getting a hotel in the area and giving my dog a bath to get the contamination off of him. I also took apart my Radeye B20 and cleaned it up the best I could. Lots to learn while exploring these areas.

[@Indiskret1]

Fantastic video. I wouldn't mind a revisit later on. Looks like a LOT to explore. But, of course, always be safe enough.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I'm hoping to go back out there maybe towards the end of the summer.

[@I-Tried-It-At-Home]

Love your videos man. I really got to get my hands on a Radiacode 103 here pretty soon.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks. Hope you get one. I use mine everyday…basically any time I go out.

[@trottermalone379]

Been with you a while. Great to see you taking the big steps to up your production quality. Your effort with the video on this one really shows! Sure your miss's will understand...

[@RadioactiveDrew]

She got over it…but I try not to bring it up. Not the first time it’s happened. When you go into remote areas you can’t always let people know what’s going on.

[@OdinDrengr]

So happy to see another vid from Radioactive Drew. Always super interesting, even inspired me to buy my own geiger counter. Looking forward to more content!

[@RadioactiveDrew]

That's so awesome to hear. Its great when people find enough of an interest in what I'm doing to see what's in the world around them. There is always something to find and learn about.

[@velninja6356]

Keep it up man, the best radiation content on youtube.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks...I try and make it the best.

[@Diamonddavej]

The radioactive plants are fascinating. They are probably receiving a higher dose than the Chernobyl exclusion zone. They should be studied to see what effects radiation is having in them.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

This would be an interesting study for sure.

[@hatredishuman]

The fungi around the elephants foot is fascinating too. Pretty sure that is being researched for clean ups etc

[@nicholasdedomenico6205]

DREW! I camped the Mi Vida in fall of 2023 after coming across your channel! My friend and I study nuclear physics at USAFA and absolutely enjoy your content. Please keep posting man!

[@RadioactiveDrew]

That's awesome. That area is one of my favorite places to explore and find uranium. Sounds like an interesting place to study nuclear physics...USAFA.

[@nicholasdedomenico6205]

Curious, we left a small fire ring of rocks there. Did you see it?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Not that I remember seeing.

[@dafterpunk6008]

So excited for the new drone! But yes, get the detector, we need you to be safe! Thanks again for sharing this with us 💚

[@RadioactiveDrew]

No problem.

[@thoyson2562]

Great video! Awesome seeing the south west and hearing the radiacode clicking.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Its nice hearing the clicks...gives you a sense of what's around.

[@TI4438]

Great vid. Love the location. More like this please.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks. I'll be going back out there soon enough.

[@michaelgurvitz9310]

Beautiful work Drew. Thanks for sharing the awesome scene.

[@davidwarm6799]

The H2S sign is most likely related to the gas wells they are “Sour gas wells”. If there was a leak it would be bad. Unlike propane natural gas is lighter than air. Remember upwind, upstream.

[@dixiecup3928]

LOL Rofl "My wife is very supportive of what I do......She was mad" Ha ha ha LOL!!

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

@ 0:13, what is that flat area with a single rd to it on the lower left side of the screen?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I’m sure it’s another natural gas pipe. Lots of them in the area.

[@CloudSpecter]

Really enjoyed watching this! Keep it up 👍

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks.

[@MrAndrew990]

so glad you got a drone. awesome content man.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks. Drones offer such a unique perspective.

[@memesmlbandmore3973]

Very interesting man. Love your work!

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks...I can't wait to go back out there.

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Great vid, Drew...👍

[@ausnorman8050]

Cool as mate! some amazing scenery, loved it.

[@goiterlanternbase]

0:55 Me neither. And there are a lot of piles around here. At least i have the UV light and had som fun in the woods and in urban areas, for different reason. Guess i buy a #Radiacode too.

[@leonardmichaelwrinch446]

Great drone shots ‼️👍👍

[@Atomic_Chemist]

Thanks for investigating here so I dont have to! lol Im gonna be in the area in a few weeks and ive been interested in finding the Louise tunnel

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I have been in there yet. Hopefully it isn't blocked right inside.

[@mikeburgess7331]

Great video! A miniature GM detector on the drone would be incredible, if possible.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Its in the works.

[@Michael_Livingstone]

Some nice videos! Thanks For sharing.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

No problem...thanks for watching.

[@1966spyderco]

Dude epic stuff like usual. Thanks Drew

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks...I try and make the videos fun to watch.

[@EstOptimusNobis]

Another great video Drew! 👍

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks.

[@billc3278]

If small reactors do become a thing, do we have any uranium mines left or are they all played out and we will have to rely on foreign sources ?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

There is an incredible amount of uranium in the US. Plenty of deposits.

[@adamconnell5965]

Most of the Texas Gulf coast is a vein of Uranium... I only know this because I got sent to work at a wellsite that happened to be an old open pit mine south of San Antonio about 10 years ago. It was about as sketchy as one can expect in a state with a power grid as sketchy as ours is.

[@trash0]

I was exploring this area last year and saw these mines but didn't have a lot of time to find a way up to them and explore them. There's so many I could have spent weeks out there. There's another mine to the east of Mi Vida in the valley behind the power lines in the start of the video. They have collapsed the entrance to the mine but like Mi Vida it goes a long way into the mountain and there are collapsed sections.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

There are so many mines I want to explore in that area. Thanks for letting me know about that other one.

[@Excuzerr]

Btw some of that red shale could be a good candidate for finding dinosaur footprints depending on its age.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I find so much petrified wood out at uranium deposits. I've heard of people finding dinosaur fossils as well.

[@Excuzerr]

@@RadioactiveDrew very cool! I'd love to dig through some of that shale, particularly the thinner layers (0.5-4 inches).

[@rre9121]

Good on you for not winding up as a statistic, even though you could have really pissed off your detectors by going in those shafts and drifts.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Oh, I'm planning on going back there and inside. I wanted to come back better prepared.

[@mikewinings4120]

Lots of people from Colorado are kind of goofy,oh wait,I'm one of them😅,those steel straps on the ceiling are called" bacon strips"they are for reinforcement of the ceiling or the "back" in mining terms,love another great episode my friend😊

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@calebgibson1999]

I love the drone shots. Some of that would be extremely hard to get to. I rockhound in Georgia, but having watched your videos for a while I may have to add the desert to my bucket list.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks. The desert is pretty amazing…especially out in Utah and Arizona.

[@cosmicgreen]

Great shots!

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks...its a beautiful place. So it makes my job a little easier.

[@cosmicgreen]

@@RadioactiveDrew Hope u will have more subs and views.

[@jethrox827]

Only just subbed, have you tried strapping Geiger counter to drone. Also could it be possible to have Geiger counter number come up on corner of screen

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Haven’t done the radiation detector on a drone yet. I’ve been thinking about different ideas for it. Main problem is keeping a uniform height over the area being sampled. I’ll know more once I have done some testing.

[@jethrox827]

@@RadioactiveDrew if you can secure the Geiger counter to the drone and have it transmit back real time readings to your screen and have the ticking noise come up as you fly the drone around the mines gathering readings. This will definitely get you more followers to see you and your equipment radiated, which beats watching you walking around through the dirt lol When you did the ground zero thing I just wanted to see more Geiger counter readings, I like the historical flash backs and history too. If you take more risk, improve your technology, be different from the others with innovation, you'll get more rewards.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

@jethrox827 I agree, that would be very interesting. Just have to see how I can make it work.

[@CATPDC]

Have you experimented with attaching a radicode to your drone to get readings from impossible to reach places like that Ore shoot?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I’m planning out a video testing the concept.

[@CATPDC]

@@RadioactiveDrew interesting, can’t wait!

[@stipi6996]

Just wondering, did you ever tried mounting Radiacode to the drone? and how acurate would the measurements be?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I haven’t yet. The biggest problem with doing that is any changes to the surface elevation could change the reading.

[@stipi6996]

@@RadioactiveDrew i guess you are right, would make sense, so i am new to all this. Got my radiacode 103 and a cheapo chinese Pudibei NR-950 which is actualy a ok device... with those 2 i am collecting some samples i can get my hands on , well no luck with uranium ore in my area 😅... your channel is great it inspired me alot, so much to learn, keep it up.

[@chemicode]

Love when you upload keep it up you are very inspiring

[@ericfielding2540]

Interesting to see all the mine remains you found. I wonder what is the original source of the air that is flowing out of that one mine. It is picking up radon from the mine, presumably, but where is the air going into the mine?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

The air is coming from an entrance, like a shaft or a drift that is higher up...more than likely. As the air moves through the mine it picks up the radon in the air current. The radon comes from all the uranium in the mine as it decays into other elements, mainly radium. Right after the decay of radium you get radon. Usually mines that have this high radon air content have good deposits of uranium.

[@MegaSilverStacker]

Great video Drew. Makes me wonder how many of the miners that worked those mines ended up with Cancer.

[@RangerMcFriendly]

My wife used to take care of one of them. It was horrific the condition he was in. Bald. Frail. Missing both legs. Cancer ravaged several organ systems. He died not too long after we moved away. He worked one of the mines near Moab.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I know in the beginning when uranium mining started, the uranium miners were getting overexposed to radon. They started ventilating the uranium mines to cut down on exposure and it worked.

[@jandanielcrepaz8680]

Very cool footage

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks.

[@skyking3525]

Another great video. I hope to get to some of these places someday. The deserts of the south west are so beautiful. What are some places that are easily accessible with a normal vehicle (basically without 4x4) can access? Maybe a video on your recommendations for easy to drive and easy to hike to mines would be fun?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

The easiest are the Oyler mines in Capitol Reef National Park. They are right off the road...maybe 300 feet. That National Park is pretty awesome as well. Camping there is a trick because the camp sites fill up extremely fast. There is an area at the West entrance to the park that has free open camping. Lots of people stay there.

[@adventuresofdave3324]

I went into that one adit with the ore cars at the entrance, with pretty much no safety equipment. Was in there for a couple hours. It’s a massive mine didn’t come close to seeing it all I think. But nothing in there has seemed to have affected me yet so you are probably good to explore it especially if you wear a little PPE and have your radiation detector

[@RadioactiveDrew]

If I go in there I’ll be wearing a mask just to cut down on dust and isotopes getting into my lungs. It won’t completely block that contamination but it might help a little. I’ve seen pictures from inside the MiVida and it looks pretty big.

[@adventuresofdave3324]

@@RadioactiveDrew yeah that’s definitely not a bad idea. I’d be interested to see how crazy your meter goes off in there. You can still see some uranium ore in a couple places. Lights up green under the black light

[@adventuresofdave3324]

@@RadioactiveDrew yeah that’s definitely not a bad idea. I’d be interested to see how crazy your meter goes off in there. You can still see some uranium ore in a couple places. Lights up green under the black light

[@ThizzRyuko]

This is the only podcast ill pause just to watch whats actually being shown. Keep up the amazing finds/ work

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks.

[@ScottLovell07]

Hi Drew, I was wondering about your tent setup for your vehicle. Would you be able to share what brand it is. Looking for a decent one for my vehicle.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

The tent I was using in this video was the Frontrunner Rooftop Tent. I just upgraded to the iKamper Skycamp Mini 3. Planning on doing a little video talking about the differences between the two tents. I had over 500 days in that Frontrunner one and have about 10 days in the new one. The iKamper is about 3x the price as the Frontrunner but its a bit easier to setup and take down. There are quite a few differences that I'll show in the video.

[@travelwithjustin]

Thanks for sharing another cool area! Are there any specific decontamination steps you take while you're camping out there and run into one of those mines that are blowing dust out?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I was thinking of wearing a boiler suit when I go in there so decontamination could be a little easier. Not really worried about my skin holding onto contamination. As far as decontamination steps for getting a blast of that air…just waiting 24 hours would be enough. If your detector gets a blast it can make it very inaccurate for 6 hours or so.

[@arrowhtrucking8651]

the borehole you found was a core drill sample hole , they drill down and pull up a sample of the layers to see if it is worth mining. that is why the roads are in lines or grid patterns . the holes are spaced a cirtan distance to get an idea of the ore body location . you should check out the yellow circle area , the workings there are older from one of the earlier uranium booms. next time you are in that area.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll make a note about it for my next visit to the area.

[@marksteen9322]

That borehole is one of thousands of rotary drill holes that were used to discover and block out the uranium ore deposits that produced nearly 80 million pounds of uranium oxide from the Big Indian Ore Belt. None of the Moss Back Member hosted uranium ore bodies were outcropping, and all of them were discovered by exploration drilling. There are miles of roads on the Lisbon Valley Anticline that were built for this exploration drilling, which was conducted on a 100 to 350 foot pattern. Amazingly, every hole that encountered ore grade uranium became a mine. However, these ore bodies did not have a low grade halo around the ore deposits, and it was possible to miss a multimillion dollar ore body by a couple of feet. This is why there are more than 8 thousand drill holes in Lisbon Valley. After the Permian Cutler Formation hosted Bacardi Mine was discovered accidentally by Atlas Minerals in the 1970s, most of these drill holes were reentered and drilled down through this ore horizon. There are about 8 million pounds of uranium oxide remaining in three or four of these Cutler mines that are awaiting higher uranium prices.

[@WBNomo]

Another great content video. Looking forward to the "wife was mad at me" video. I bet she was radioactive then.

[@fritzpipkin792]

Hey Drew, from Fritz down here in san juan county where you did this video, I've been to all these mines and explored the area where i live down here. The ones up on the hill are crazy the 2 portals with the doors still on them were powder bunkers and they're huge my grandfather, dad and uncle's worked all these mines when they were active, the buying station for the ore was in monticello west side of hwy 191 while the processing mill was on the east side

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks for the info. Looks like I’ll be exploring that lower drift as that one goes back a ways. That whole area is so interesting and beautiful. One of my favorite places to visit.

[@tormentoxx]

Tell the guys of Radiacode that I bought one because of your channel.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

They sometimes read the comments on sponsored videos. I’m glad to hear you picked one up.

[@LibraHammer]

It would be really cool to have a radiacode or some way to see radiation on your drone for when you are scouting a mine like you did.

[@chemicode]

​Hey ​@RadioactiveDrew Can you please make a video About Activation using neutrons?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Yes...

[@chemicode]

Thanks❤

[@hamrepair3815]

Would be interesting to strap or hang a Radiacode to a drone and map areas of interest. Probably not a great connection distance to the GPS mapping, but still would be great for localized scanning, especially along the canyon walls. As always, great video.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Its an idea that I've been thinking of for a while now. Might do some videos of the testing process.

[@MojaveSniper]

Hey, I am curious, how do you find out about different uranium mines? I love exploring the outdoors and would like to explore places near me.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I usually do a search for mine in thediggings.com and on the USGS site.

[@MojaveSniper]

Thank you!

[@thirtythreeeyes8624]

Need to fly regular fpv 3", the ducts of an avata are gonna add a lot of drag for the wind to grab. More power of an open prop fpv build helps too.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Its on my list of things to do. I would really like to get into proper FPV...when I have the time.

[@thirtythreeeyes8624]

@@RadioactiveDrew Ya it's a whole thing, it's definitely got easier in the past few years though.

[@1over137]

In areas that that the wind is most likely thermal cycles. As different slopes and valleys come in and out of shade they absorb or release heat. This turns the area into something a little like a lava lamp. If a big bubble of warm air breaks free from the hill beside and you and rises rapidly upward it will pull in a load of fresh air towards it's base. In just the same way a nuke breaths in with in rush winds as the column rises.

[@deracool6]

It's always awesome to see a new video from this channel it has really helped to cultivate a growing passion of mine. Also I really hope you continue to pursue looking for uranium ore under UV light it certainly is pretty cool. By the way what wavelength is your UV light?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Glad the videos are interesting enough to give you the spark of curiosity. The UV lights I use are in the 365nm range with a UV pass filter.

[@deracool6]

@@RadioactiveDrew so I've heard from some people that longer wavelengths are more desirable for mineral illumination somewhere around 400 to 410 nanometers if memory serves correctly

[@romanglinnik8073]

When it comes to hydrogensulfides, you should be able to smell them. So if you smell something, don't go into the mine in question. But if you are already inside and stop smelling it... that's when you get real problems. As long as you are able to smell it, you have enough time to get out. But beware that a large concentration can be so potent that you don't even notice it immediately. Anyway, abandoned mines are fascinating, here in germany we don't have any unfortunately...

[@xephael3485]

Do you go out there alone? If so, I'd let someone know EXACTLY where you're going and what you're doing before hand. Almost better to have someone on-site monitoring from safe location.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I let my wife know where I was going to be. That side of the mountain didn't have signal so I was out of touch for a day or two. She wasn't happy when I finally got signal again.

[@squidchurch82]

What about getting an electric mountain bike to go up the narly roads?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

That would be much faster. I would like to show off an electric bike on the channel. But walking works for now.

[@VittumainenArska]

What is radiation level when you turn around and go back in cpm.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

At what point in the video? Pretty sure I stayed in CPM for everything.

[@VittumainenArska]

@@RadioactiveDrew Ok i almost order you channell but i think not today or never.

[@oldminer5387]

Interesting video Drew, thank you. I'm also disappointed more historical information is not available for old sites or structures. The USGS does have a paper on " The LaVeta Prospect Near Marysville Utah". This paper does include a underground map of the mine, type of radioactivity and CPM observed. Sometimes I find information on a mine or area by entering "geology of" then the name of the mine or geographical area.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks for the tip. I’ll have to try that out.

[@Slimpawws]

So interesting! Can't wait to see some footage of the inside if you're safely able to. Are you able to sell some small fluorescent samples that you find?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

When I find them I usually list them on the uraniumstore.com site. I have some glowing rocks that need to get listed.

[@Slimpawws]

@@RadioactiveDrew Right on. 🤙

[@jtcustomknives]

Is there a way to get ahold of you. I have been designing and building a very sensitive Geiger counter with the goal of resell for a price that’s cheeper then the high end GMC stuff. I would love to send you one to get your feedback and possibly help spread the work to people without a big budget to get something like a radeye. Thanks

[@RadioactiveDrew]

You can contact me through the contact info for my channel or through Instagram.

[@christophertiredofbs8514]

Hey Drew, This was a nice long video, just like we like them. Did they use any personal protection equipment when they were digging in that mine? Do you think they had any type of a respirator? You said that contamination from the mine will only last 24 hours, could that damage your lungs if you inhale any of that dust within the 24 hour period? Are those solar panels on your front windows? Lots of questions I know, I appreciate all of the correspondence. I would love to hang out in the desert with you for a week with some dirt bikes and metal detectors… You are living a dream of mine… Stay safe brother! God bless you and your family! Thank you for the vids!!!!

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I'm happy to answer questions when I have the time. The miners would have a helmet for PPE and that's about it. The mines were ventilated, which cut down on radon exposure and uranium dust. The daughters of radon...along with radon, can damage your lungs if its in a high enough dose and you are constantly in that environment. I did have a solar panel on my windshield charging my battery that I use to power my cooler and charge camera batteries.

[@christophertiredofbs8514]

THANKS MAN!!!

[@RadioactiveDrew]

No problem.

[@OnTheRiver66]

Another great video. those radioactive plants were a surprise. I hope there were no edible plants around there.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I didn’t see any that were edible…for humans.

[@confuseatronica]

I like the idea of a radiacode on the drone- although I need some kind of datalogger with gps, like an old outdated phone, to keep the tracks.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I've been thinking about this and talking about it with friends. The biggest problem would be keeping uniform hight over the area. Or logging the hight difference and recalculating dose rates based on hight difference.

[@kimrosland]

@@RadioactiveDrew I don't think you need to worry about hight if the goal is to scout an area to quickly find wich way to go. The constant hight issue come if you want to do scientific survey of the area. Strap that Radiacode to the drone and shorten your trip👍🏻

[@solanaceae2069]

Been a while since I've been around there. Be nice to get back there at least once more.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

It’s a fun place to explore.

[@adamdobias4669]

but isnt air coming out of a mine a good thing? i mean if the air is stagnant the radon and other gasses get more concentrated and potentially hazardous compared to constant dillution

[@marcvachesus9071]

Hey sir h2s gas is heavier than air and is dangerous in confine spaces. That gas can be found anywhere it come the decomposition i don't know from what exactly but it can be found in oil and gas mining, mines , sewers ect

[@TheElectronicDilettante]

That’s an awesome rig you’ve got there!! Camp well!!! If you’ve not already, Please get yourself a proper dosimeter and some potassium iodide. Better to have and not need then need and not have… Thanks for the video!! Also, with all those loose rocks, check the vacuum lines to the 4 wheel drive actuator(s). It can save your butt one day. 😎

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Glad you like the rig and the channel...thanks. But what do you think potassium iodine is going to do? It doesn't protect you from radiation. All it does is keep radioactive iodine (iodine-131) from entering your thyroid. Iodine-131 is a fission isotope found in fallout from nuclear weapons or from nuclear power accidents. So it would offer zero protection for exposure to uranium or any other source.

[@JakesOnline]

Do you wear a mask when breaking rocks?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

If its in a confined space, yes. Out in the open I'm not that concerned.

[@repro7780]

Beautiful scenery as always! How old are these mines? When did they close?

[@juliusmazzarella9711]

Your skills are awesome. Any major motion picture company would hire you on the spot. Please be very safe always and protect yourseft from dust, chemcials and radiation not to mention rockslides or cave in. I have had cat scans and radioactive dyes of sort but it was for a medical reason. Sometimes I get scared I maybe have had too many cat scans. Maybe you wear a dosimeter.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

The Radiacode I always have with me acts as a dosimeter. Thanks for the concern and the compliments.

[@TheGreatGastronaut]

hey Drew: another incredible video and vistas. You missed your calling shooting pictures for National Geographic. Quite an eye for composition. Please tell your sponsor that because of you they sold both a 102 and 103 to me! Two questions: 1. Going to Trinity this October ? and if so, have you considered a meetup or maybe a photo workshop ($$)? I’d love to learn some of your techniques and tricks, setups, etc., especially for some of those incredible starlight and night sky shots you’ve made. Now’s the time for lodging reservations so …. 2. Why not send Mr. Drone into that large shaft that so captivated you? It doesn’t care about radon or H2S and with a good line of sight that such a shaft had, you would easily remain in communication with it. The addition of either a small, slightly defocused dish antenna aka “spoiled beam” or Yagi antenna attached to your drone controller would also massively extend range by concentrating the RF signal energy into a spotlight-like beam illuminating deep into the tunnel. A UV flashlight attached to it might also yield amazing image results.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks...some kind words there. I've had NatGeo try and buy footage from me in the past (before I started this channel). There are extremely cheap. I would love to plan a meet up. I was planning on going to the April open house at Trinity but it was cancelled for some reason. I've never been in October, I always do April. But maybe I should give October in New Mexico a chance. I have friends that do photo workshops and they seem like a great way to earn some money. I would rather just hang out and not have a workshop type setting. I just looked up my schedule for the next Trinity open house and I already have plans. So it might turn into trying for April again. If I change my mind on the workshop idea, or maybe a meet up I'll post it here on my channel. I want to send the drone into some of the mines. I have the Avata 2 now and apparently that does better at maintaining position when it loses GPS lock, which I will lose flying into a mine. But I want to have the proper equipment with me just incase I have to recover the drone from inside the mine. So Next time I'm out in a spot like this I'll send the drone in. Just need to get some lights I can mount for the drone.

[@TheGreatGastronaut]

Hi Drew: thanks for being so responsive. You had responded before to me regarding a possible meet-up at the last April Trinity public access and I too was planning to attend again, but was shocked as well to see it abruptly cancelled without much notice or explanation. Also, they indicated at that time the convoy across the breadth of WSMR from the Alamogordo side has been cancelled in perpetuity. What a major shame that is. It was an incredible drive and view of unspoiled vistas. Re a photog workshop, it wouldn’t need to be as formal (or expensive) as the commercial ones, but provide an opportunity to compensate some of your travel expenses in exchange for some show and tell, plus insights and knowledge transfer to us imaging mortals. I’d be happy to informally and more privately assist in developing what that might look like, a venue (with beer), etc. for a more casual evening type discussion vs a lecture hall 2 day conference affair, like the big boys do and at a unaffordable price. Think of it as more of a “Special interest group” type meeting if you’ve been to one of those. In any case, it’d be great for a separate Trinity meetup for show and tell with you and other channel radio-nerds (that was a great term posted last night by another follower) to see what equipment folks have. I’d be happy to show my collection including NOS victoreen detectors, my Mil radiac set and other G-M detectors I have, plus we can see how many 102s and 103s we can get together at one location. Your sponsor might like to weigh in on that one - kinda like a user group…. Please let me know if you’d like any assistance in planning that and/or coordinating. Cheers!

[@ccjensen4670]

My dad struck the claim to the Rio Algum Lisbon Valley mine and gave it away in 1962😅

[@marksteen9322]

CC Jensen, I would like to hear more about your father’s involvement with the claims that Rio Algom brought into production as the Lisbon Mine. I’m very interested in the history of the Big Indian Mining District.

[@IonOtter]

It's just plain hydrogen sulfide. And yes, smelling it is a reason to be wary, but mainly of enclosed spaces. H2S _loves_ enclosed spaces, as it's heavier than air, and will collect in concentrations that can overwhelm you in a single breath. A deep depression or ravine would be dangerous, but out in the open like that, it's not a concern, just an annoyance.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks...I'll keep that in mind next time I'm out there.

[@BugZap98]

Radicode is the cats meow. 👍☢️

[@RadioactiveDrew]

It is for me and my use.

[@ProtoNeoVintage]

You might also consider getting a Ham radio license to stay connected when you are in the back country. Even if you can only get out on 10/40 meter you could have a fellow operator drop an email to the spouse letting her know you are still alive. Set up a separate e-dress used for just when you are out exploring.

[@johnnyquest9358]

Dont worry Rory & Mike from Trailmater will come to the rescue if you fall off the trail 🙂

[@pandarzzz]

Please be careful, Drew! You are very very important 👍👍

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Thanks...I always try and be as safe as I can given the situation.

[@DirtyPlumbus]

I assume you've been mapping the whole area with the Radiacode. Have you considered selling the maps?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

No, I try and share some of my maps on Patreon. Have to make it worthwhile for people.

[@DirtyPlumbus]

@@RadioactiveDrew that's an awesome benefit.

[@figueroalabs]

Can you talk a little bit about the difference between the radiacode 103 and 103G? I'm buying one for my niece that is starting to study nuclear physics here in Costa Rica at the start of the new year, and I think that is quite the tool to get her started, but I don't understand the difference between those two products. Thanks a lot, love the videos and don't go around snuffing H2S :)

[@RadioactiveDrew]

I'm working on a video comparing the 102, 103 and 103G. I have to say I'm impressed with what I'm seeing from the 103G. I think that new sensor might be the future for all scintillation detectors moving forward.

[@figueroalabs]

@@RadioactiveDrew Wow, can't thank you enough for that quick review. Will wait for the video to come out.

[@JewelsoftheTrade]

@@RadioactiveDrewVery excited about the comparison video! I’m pretty serious about buying a radiacode and just have to select which one I want. I have an iPhone, and I’ve heard negative things about the app for iPhone - but I wonder if it’s gotten better. If you have (or can get ahold of) an iPhone, I’m very interested to see what you think of the app. It also seems like there might be efforts online to use Radiacode for crowd-sourcing a radiation map that the public can continually contribute to. Have you found one of these? Do you know if Radiacode is going to start their own?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

@JewelsoftheTrade the comparison video is at the very earliest a month out…fyi. There will be a Radiacode 103G video out before that. I have both an iPhone and an Android phone. So I’ve used the iOS Radiacode app. Was just using it today while my Android sat at home charging. The iPhone app has a lot of functions. You can monitor dose rates and CPS, do gamma spectroscopy, radiation mapping. The main things it lacks are the ability to do calibration, spectrogram, some controls on the Radiacode unit, monitoring the screen on the Radiacode and controlling button presses on same screen from phone. Those are the ones that stick out in my mind. But if you want to get an Android and have all that functionality you can get one for $80 or less with no cellular plan. Just run it in Airplane mode all the time. The mapping function still works great and you can connect to data through WiFi.

[@JewelsoftheTrade]

@@RadioactiveDrew That is extremely helpful, thank you! As with anything you mention in your videos, I’ll definitely use your link when I’m ready to order my radiacode 😊 I appreciate all the info your share on your channel

[@lvgaben]

May i ask you dont scare to inhale some radioactive fine dust?

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Not really...at least not in that environment. If I was digging some uranium out of a rock wall I would want to wear a mask.

[@lvgaben]

@@RadioactiveDrew Thank you! ;)

[@dan_in_sd]

great video, love what the DJI can do. plus the Sony A7

[@RadioactiveDrew]

That DJI FPV is such a fun drone to fly around. I want to get some lights on it and send it into some dangerous mining areas that I would rather not go. The A7S3 has been a work horse for the channel. I'm also really digging the A7R5 but I mainly like using that for timelapse shots or B cam stuff. I also upgraded the FPV to the Avata 2...much better camera. Sold the other Avata to my brother.

[@dan_in_sd]

@@RadioactiveDrew be careful with going into area where no GPS is received. not sure how the DJI FPV works when GPS is lost. Things like Altitude hold or Position Hold might drift a lot

[@BillHertzing]

Your opening looks like something from The History Channel.

[@carolinaturfpros6854]

What kind of contamination did the miners receive? It looks like a lot of radiation in those mines. I watch every video you make. Thanks.

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Nothing a change of clothes an a shower wouldn't fix. I'm sure some of the contamination would follow miners home. But nothing at a level to be a problem. The contamination would have been from radon and its decay products along with uranium dust and bits in the hair. Radon is a decay product of uranium so you could say its all uranium contamination, just at a different point in the decay chain.

[@JimD77]

Those isolated clouds in the sky are creepy...

[@RadioactiveDrew]

Really? Is that because of the movie “Nope”?

[@JimD77]

@@RadioactiveDrew Maybe normal there, but us Easterners don't see that. Is Nope about aliens? There is a theory they mask as a cloud.