American Nuclear Corporation Model ANC-100XL "Ray-D-Tec" (ca. 1962-1965)

With its aluminum barrel-shaped body, flashing light on top, and purple plastic pistol grip, the Ray-D-Tec Model ANC-100XL might have come out of a science fiction movie.

Not only did it look cool, it could not have been easier to use. The only control was an on/off button positioned like a trigger on the pistol grip, and because it used a logarithmic scale, no range switch was necessary. The Ray-D-Tec came in two versions, one with a 0-100 mR/h range and the other with a 0-1000 mR/h range. While the 100XL was primarily designed for gamma exposure rate measurements, it was also capable of detecting beta and alpha activity.

Detector: End-window GM tube

Range: Logarithmic scale, 0-100 mR

Audio: None

Size: Barrel, ca. 3.5" diameter and 4" long; detector ca. 3" long

Batteries: Two 1.5 volt AA batteries. Battery compartment is in the handle.

The Ray-D-Tec was manufactured by American Nuclear Corporation of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, a company founded by Jim Wilde, a former employee of Oak Ridge Associated Universities (then the Oak Ridge Institute for Nuclear Studies). While American Nuclear produced a small line of detectors, their main business was the production of radioactive sources. In the late 1960s, contamination was detected in the Clinch River upstream from Oak Ridge and this contamination was traced to leaking tanks at American Nuclear. The state revoked the company’s license and then took control of the property.

Reference

Model ANC-100XL Instruction Manual, no date.