Victoreen CDV-715 Model 815A Survey Meter (ca. 1961-1962)

Victoreen CD V-715 Model 815A
Victoreen CD V-715 Model 815A

This little mystery item is an early version of the CD V-715 manufactured by the Victoreen Instrument Company.

It carries the OCDM item number CDV-715, but instead of the model number you would expect for a 715 (e.g., Model 1, 1A or 1B), it only indicates the manufacture's model number: 815A. The low serial number, and the fact that I have never encountered any references to this instrument, suggests that not many were produced.

It is worth noting that 815 was the model number assigned by Victoreen to their versions of the CD V-715s.  Section 2.1 of the General Description Section in the manual for the Model 1A begins with the sentence: "The CD V-715, Model 1A, Victoreen Model 815, is a portable monitoring instrument which measures gamma radiation dose rates as high as 500 roentgens per hour." The corresponding sentence in the manual for the Model 1B reads: "The CD V-715, Model 1B, Victoreen Model 815-1B, is a portable monitoring instrument which measures gamma radiation dose rates as high as 500 roentgens per hour." Why Victoreen chose 815 rather than 715 is not clear. The similarly identified Victoreen model numbers for the CD V-710 and CD V-720 were 710 and 720 respectively.

The fact that this instrument refers to the "OCDM" item number indicates that it was produced earlier than the Victoreen CD V-715 Model 1A and 1B because the latter refer to the "OCD" item number. The OCDM became the OCD in 1961.

Detector: Ion chamber

Range: 0-0.5, 0-5, 0-50, 0-500 R/h

Audio: None

Case Material: Metal

Batteries: Two 1.5 volt D cells

References

  • Victoreen Instruction and Maintenance Manual Radiological Survey Meter OCD Item No. CD V-715, Model No. 1A. 1962.
  • Victoreen Instruction and Maintenance Manual Radiological Survey Meter OCD Item No. CD V-715, Model No. 1B. 1964.