Radiation monitoring drones or UFO's?

Project Blue Beam?

I have been following this with interest and I could write chapter and verse on this, but I'll try and keep it short and sweet. I honestly have no idea what they are doing, but I don't think it has anything to do with radiation.

There are two references to radiation with regards to these drones. One was a missing pin source from a PET scanner, the other was 100 missing nuclear bombs of some description, proposedly Soviet suitcase nukes.

Why (I think) it wasn't the missing pin source; The missing source is a spent General Electric Medical Source HEGL-0132. This isn't a strong radioactive source and as it is spent the radiation is a mere 0.79 µSv/h (0.267 mCi). Germanium-68 has a half-life of around 270 days. There is no way all this expense would be to search for this little pin source. The source is a calibration and control source for a PET scanner, it is hardly active. In essence it is just a tiny little source. I think my Sr-90 check source is more active than the pin source.

Why (I think) it isn't 100 missing suitcase nukes; If you read back on all of the stories relating to the creation of these Soviet suitcase bombs (250 apparently), there is no evidence whatsoever that they ever existed. The report about the 100 missing nukes was in a TV broadcast (some time ago) where a Russian commander simply mentioned they lost track of around 100 of these. When the US learned the Russians were building these supposed suitcase bombs they reciprocated by supposedly building their own backpack nukes, the Mk-54 SADM. However, although these can be seen in museums and collections now, along with documentation, there were never any nuclear testing done with these. All of the testing and demonstrations were using conventional explosives. The only evidence of the Russian suitcase nukes was found in literature. The Russians supposedly stopped making them at the end of the cold war, when the Soviet Union fell. After quite some time researching this, I have come to the conclusion that the Soviet suitcase bombs, along with the nuclear capability of the US version, was mere propaganda. Nothing more than stories made up in the art of war.

I'll go through each of your points.
1: The US Government is absurdly silent and dismissive about the drones.
I wholeheartedly agree. I think they know exactly what the drones are and what they are doing, but they are simply keeping shtum. They tell the public that they do not know what they are, but that they are safe. How do they know they are safe if they don't know what they are? That stinks of BS to me. They do know, or those that need to know, know.

2: Of course, they can't really tell the public that there is nuclear material at large, or there would be a panic.
Is there nuclear material? I find zero evidence of it, except for the lost pin source, which wouldn't call for all those drones.

3: Did a sensor at the Port of Baltimore or at Port Authority of NY/NJ detect an elevated radiation level?
4: Or is there intel that someone has moved material into CONUS?
Despite searching, I can't find anything on this. Do you have a link to an article or something I can follow up on for this? All I find are articles about the types of technology and tools they are using in current day detection.

5: The drones are too big to be hobbyist devices.
Agreed. I have seen very few people with large 'SUV' sized drones. The ones I have seen are from the RC hobby community, and are few and far between. Usually only seen during test flights or at shows. Drones up to around 2m (between prop centers) are very common in a commercial setting and agriculture, but rarely much bigger than that. They are also reported to be capable of flying for long periods of time. That would require a very large battery, or alternative power/fuel source. From what I can tell, these drones appear to be of the multi-rotor flavour, and not fixed wing. Thus they hover. That requires much more power than a fixed wing drone and these things have eben reported to be in the sky for hours. So, either at the most extreme end of RC hobby, or either commercial or military (inc. police, CIA, NSA etc.) A hobbyist would likely only have one, and would most likely fly during the day. Hobbyists with a few-thousand dollar drone down want to break it, so it makes sense to fly during the day. 

6: Are the Chinese really interested in characterizing the response of the US Government to drone incursion - particularly with a change in administration happening in just a few weeks? If so, why would they be using such large drones?
I have absolutely no idea on this. The propaganda is running at 1000% overdrive at the moment. It's hard to really understand what is really going on with all the war at the moment.

7: They could be flying all day, as well. Just nobody is noticing. But it is more likely they are many more sightings, and they are suppressing these reports on social media.
To my knowledge there have been reported sighting of drones during the daytime, but (mainly) only at or near to military installations. One was sighted by NYPD detective over a Staten Island neighborhood.

Some important things to note:

• Some of the drones, but not all (according to reports) have FAA type flashing lights. This may indicate they are domestic, it also may not, and could be a cover for some clandestine operation. According to reports, some do not have lights.
• There have been sightings of orbs and other drones that do not fit the multi-rotor flavour.
• Why only (mainly?) at night? This, I think is a key bit of missing info. If it were radiation they were searching for, they would search during the daytime too. It is foolish to think that missing nuclear material can only be moved at night, or only radiates at night, or whatever. If only searching at night, something could be setup in the day, and executed, and the drones would miss it. If nuclear material, they would be searching on the ground more than in the air. If there were 100 missing nukes out and about, each of those, that is just the nuclear material only, would require so much shielding to not be detected each piece of material would be required to be in the middle of a ball of lead, covered by a large thick layer of polythene (or similar low-z material) and would be about 60cm in diameter, and weigh around 400kg each. Now times that by 100. That's a total of 40 tonnes. A regular (UK) 32 ton articulated vehicle has a payload of 16 tonnes max. That's three almost fully loaded trucks. And if it did have that amount of shielding, neither you, nor I could detect them with a SBM-20 at 2 feet. Without the shielding they would be screaming. The authorities would not let that much Plutonium be unaccounted for. If that were the case, and these nukes were in the US, there would be immediate marshal law, lockdown and a comprehensive search of the country, from door to door, looking everywhere. Why? Because the Americans would want the Pu. Pu is illegal to own not because it is radioactive. It's illegal because of the military industrial complex.
• There have probably not been as many drone sightings as you may think. One sighting gets parroted by many people, all putting their twist on it, and thus when stood in the echo chamber it sounds like 1000 sightings. I think there is a good chance that most of these are being captured by camera, and so two, or ten or thirty sightings of the same drone/UAP all of a sudden becomes thirty sightings once everyone has uploaded their own individual video. And then the echo chamber amplifies it to 3000 sightings. I am being a little over zealous with the numbers, but I'm sure you get my point.
• Not just drones. Orbs and other UAP have been sighted. Sadly everyone filming these seems to only record on a potato, for 7 seconds. I think these are another key. This from the New York Post: "On December 14, 2024, a retired NYPD detective observed a large drone during the day over a Staten Island neighborhood. The drone, described as approximately 7 feet long and 2 feet wide with flashing lights, hovered above his home before dropping a glowing object and then disappearing." So, not just drones, but drones and orbs? 
• Not just in NJ/NY. There have been reported sighting of drones over Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Ohio, California, Texas and in other southern U.S. States.

I may be wrong about it not being radioactive material, but digging real deep into that particular angle has revealed nothing for me. Quite the opposite. So what are they? I dunno. No clue. It's really piqued my interest and I'll continue following the story.

From process of elimination I come to the following conclusions:
Actual alien invasion
Fake alien invasion (project Blue Beam)
Military training exercise.
AI drone training exercise.
A distraction (or propaganda of some sort.)
Drone taxi service testing. AI or otherwise.
Some other clandestine operation.

It's going to be interesting to see where this goes. If it just dies out and the story goes flat, there is a good chance it was AI and or military training/testing, or it was a distraction/propaganda. It's important that in war there is no news, only propaganda. And there are many wars going on around the world right now.

Something else just came to mind. If the US military/CIA/NSA had the slightest inkling they were foreign, Russia, China, Iran, wherever, they would be blowing them out of the skies with a passion! Someone knows exactly what they are.

Something I completely forgot to include in that last reply was that people had been sending in false readings to gmcmap.com (GQ Electronics' radiation map.) You can read about it on their forum here and here . Someone suggested it was 'numerous people' from 'online platforms' exploiting their map for clickbating. This is entirely possible. It is also entirely possible someone not from an 'online platform' did this too. One post suggests you could simply create a new record on their map, which they soon disabled. I'm curious to know if the gmcmap was exploited before or after the reports the drones were looking for a radioactive source.

I have also read words like sniffing for gas, or leaks, but I highly doubt that using a multi-rotor as it will generally always be pushing the air downwards, and away from the drone.

I have been catching up since I posted my previous post and I have learned thus far:

Reports of drones flying in formation over New York and New Jersey indicate varying numbers, but the most common accounts describe 6 to 10 drones flying in coordinated patterns. In some instances, residents have reported as many as 12 to 20 drones moving together. These sightings typically occur during nighttime hours, with the drones displaying synchronized movements that suggest deliberate operation or programming.Reports of mysterious drones flying in formation over New York and New Jersey have described various patterns and behaviors:

• V-Formation: Some witnesses have observed multiple drones flying in a distinctive V-shaped arrangement, suggesting coordinated movement.
• Grid-Like Patterns: There are accounts of drones flying in grid-like formations, which may indicate systematic surveying or mapping activities.
• Hovering and Maneuvering: In certain instances, drones have been reported hovering over specific locations, such as critical infrastructure, and then maneuvering in unison to new positions.
• Nighttime Operations: The majority of these sightings occur during nighttime hours, with drones displaying conspicuous lights. Some reports note that the drones' lights would "go dark" when spotted, adding to the mystery.

Since mid-November 2024, there have been multiple reported occurrences of drones flying in formation over New York and New Jersey. Notable events include:

• Mid-November 2024: Initial sightings in Morris and Somerset counties, New Jersey, involving large drones with coordinated flight patterns. 
• Early December 2024: A U.S. Coast Guard vessel near Barnegat Light, New Jersey, was followed by a fleet of 12 to 30 drones for approximately 15 minutes. 
• December 7, 2024: Drones were reported near sensitive sites, including military bases and critical infrastructure in Staten Island, New York. 
• December 14, 2024: Drones were reported above nuclear power plants in New Jersey and Stewart International Airport in New York, leading to temporary shutdowns. 

In response to the recent surge of mysterious drone sightings over New York and New Jersey, officials at various levels have implemented several measures to address public concerns and enhance airspace security:
Federal Actions:

• Drone Flight Restrictions
• Deployment of Detection Systems

State and Local Measures:

• Enhanced Surveillance
• Public Safety Protocols (explaining to the public the difference between a drone and aircraft)

Legislative Initiatives:

• Calls for Federal Assistance: Urged federal agencies to provide additional resources and authority.
• Proposed Legislation: Lawmakers are advocating for new laws to enhance drone regulation.

Public Communication:

• Official Statements
• Community Engagement

So it looks like, still, nobody has a clue, but they are starting to look into it, in certain states. It is important to note how people are reporting on it. Some are stating 'drones', some 'UAP' and there are lots of reports of orbs and other UFOs and all sorts at the moment. It's hard to get a grip on numbers, but I think it is much less than the hype is suggesting.

Happy new year to you too, John. (And everyone else!)

It appears the reports of mysterious drones has decreased somewhat over the past few days. Still plenty though, and some reports of orbs/UAP, but seems to have reduced a lot. The load on the server is back to normal now. Now it seems lots of people in the US are talking about mystery fog, and powder raining down. Some reports of people becoming ill. I've not looked into any of that, so really not sure, but I have heard a lot of talk about it the past few days.

Interesting use of your drone/RTL-SDR/RPi. I think you could do that with a geiger counter, but it would have to move slowly in order to register the counts. A very sensitive tube would help, but the drone would still have to move fairly slowly. A scintillator would be faster, but may add to the weight due to the probe casing/crystal and PMT. An alternative would be to use an IC based scintillator, such as the Radiacode uses. I think they are Csl(Ti) crystal with SPiM (?) detector. They are small and light, but costly, and requires a more complex circuit. It would be interesting to automate a search process. Maybe transverse a field meter by meter running left to right, then if the counts go up a bit, change to your figure-8 pattern to home in on the source. Would be great to construct, but offers little in real world applications. It would be fun to watch it seek out some source though, for sure.

With regards to your counter/tube, disregard the internal noise, unless you are doing rocket science level stuff. It is also known as 'internal background'. Theory states (if I understand it right) that if the tube was to be completely shielded from everything, it will count 12cpm regardless of radioactive source. I don't fully know why this would happen, or even if it does, but I think it is due to some kind of capacitive reaction, where the ions get charged and then eventually discharge of their own accord, creating a count. When the tube is out of a shielded environment it detects background radiation, thus allowing the discharge to happen normally, and the charge doesn't build up. The internal noise doesn't contribute to the background reading when the tube is detecting radiation, or background. It should only manifest when the tube is completely shielded. And, I could be wrong on that, its a complex subject. Generally for what we are doing with counters etc. it can be ignored.

Yes, the 0.00812 is the conversion factor for your tube. It means that for every one count it is measuring 0.00812 uSv/h dose rate. If the cpm was 20, 0.00812 x 20 = 0.1624 uSv/h. And so on. There are a couple of posts on this forum that talk about conversion factors. You can use the API or more simple, just set it in your station control panel. Once it is set, it's set.

As for the dead time, there is nothing you can about that except use it to calculate the theoretical maximum CPM your tube can handle. 180us / 1000000 = 0.00018 seconds. 60 (seconds) / 0.00018 = 333333.33333. Essentially, your tube should be capable of 333333 cpm, and then times that by the conversion factor and we get 2706.664 uSv/h, or 2.706 mSv/h.

Cheers