Exploring Uranium Mining Area with FPV Drone
Went to a uranium mining area near Moab, Utah to look for a uranium mine I haven't been to before. Used the DJI Avata FPV drone to explore some of the mining areas. Was a very helpful tool to use.
If you want to pickup a Radiacode 102 or 103 use the link www.radiacode.com/
Patreon Thanks:
/ radioactivedrew
(Gamma Radiation Tier)
Craig Robinson
Dale & Kristy Taylor
Paul Rohrbaugh
Jeremy Mattern
Brennen Boyer
Gregory Horine
Jelly
Kyndall Taylor
Matt Pickering
Rich Hardcastle
Steve Bradshaw
Tore Christian Michaelsen
James Lawrie
I tried it at home
JOHN LOBBAN Creative
Camera Equipment Used
Camera Used in this video:
Sony A7S3 amzn.to/3WZsU53
Lens Used:
Sony 16-35mm f2.8 amzn.to/3Gg6vub
Drones Used:
DJI Avata 1
amzn.to/3VXIQXc
DJI Air 2S
amzn.to/4eQnKl1
Variable ND Used: amzn.to/3g2PPvN
Wireless Mic Used: amzn.to/3TM6gh1
Looking for something radioactive or one of the t-shirts I wear in my videos? Check out uraniumstore.com
Пікірлер: 297
30:14 I literally LOL'd which never happens. 😅
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Glad I could make you laugh a little.
Hello from the Colorado couple! It was so cool meeting you and learning so much from you!
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Nice to meet you and your husband as well. Glad I got to show you some of what the area offers.
@5roundsrapid263
Ай бұрын
It’s great that people can still meet and get along these days. We just need to hang out.
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
Ай бұрын
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.
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
Ай бұрын
Thanks. I take chances but I try and keep them to a manageable level...or as manageable as risks can be.
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
29 күн бұрын
Glad you enjoyed the video and that it brought back some fond memories. Mining sites are so interesting to explore...so much history.
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
Ай бұрын
Sounds like fun...I'll keep that all in mind next time I'm out there.
@ChipsTheOrigamiLemon
Ай бұрын
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
28 күн бұрын
@@RadioactiveDrew Symptoms of low level exposure are similar to hayfever / allergies FYI.
@wesleylenoir5655
16 күн бұрын
H2s as long if you smel it its oké if you don't smel it anymore youre in trouble
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.
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
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
@@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
Ай бұрын
@@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.
YAY! New Radioactive Drew Vid, AWESOME! Keep it up man, I love your content.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
@@RadioactiveDrew Your passion of the subject matches us Rad-Nurds. lol
@Splarkszter
Ай бұрын
@@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!
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
Ай бұрын
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.
Physics and drones. Scratches 2 itches at once! Thank you for this!!!
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
No problem, glad you enjoyed it.
Btw some of that red shale could be a good candidate for finding dinosaur footprints depending on its age.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
I find so much petrified wood out at uranium deposits. I've heard of people finding dinosaur fossils as well.
@danielmckim8521
Ай бұрын
@@RadioactiveDrew very cool! I'd love to dig through some of that shale, particularly the thinner layers (0.5-4 inches).
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
Ай бұрын
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.
@jbarnesfpv2810
Ай бұрын
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
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
Ай бұрын
This would be an interesting study for sure.
@hatredishuman
Ай бұрын
The fungi around the elephants foot is fascinating too. Pretty sure that is being researched for clean ups etc
@WaylonFoxtrot
16 күн бұрын
I've been totally thinking about this as well, I'm only a couple weeks into radioactive study and foraging, and noticed some plants register higher than background CPM where I live, but even though the plants show activity, I have not found any radioactive rock/ore samples on my property that I am still exploring. It's a 100 year old lead mine where they pulled a lot of lead and silver, some gold, and pumice/perlite. A volcanic breccia vent is the center of the property, lots of manganese left behind, the ground is felsic/silicified, flow banded rhyolite mostly. I believe from my findings that this area used to be underwater, it's likely that the breccia vents were islands at the opening, following a fault line below. There's some speculation that the valley was struck by two very large meteors, and I think that's what drained the valley, which would have been a very large lake at the time. That said, I'm in the Colorado plateau border zone and my small county is surrounded by radioactive material mines on the outskirts in each direction. Home background CPM is 20-50, fluctuating, averaging 30. When the wind blows north or south through the valley, that count rises. A neighbor about three miles up the road found an outcrop with thorium in his driveway. He's outside of the mining area of this town.
Great video Drew. Makes me wonder how many of the miners that worked those mines ended up with Cancer.
@RangerMcFriendly
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
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.
Great vid, Drew...👍
Great video! A miniature GM detector on the drone would be incredible, if possible.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Its in the works.
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
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
Curious, we left a small fire ring of rocks there. Did you see it?
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Not that I remember seeing.
Love your videos man. I really got to get my hands on a Radiacode 103 here pretty soon.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Thanks. Hope you get one. I use mine everyday…basically any time I go out.
LOL Rofl "My wife is very supportive of what I do......She was mad" Ha ha ha LOL!!
Beautiful work Drew. Thanks for sharing the awesome scene.
Cool as mate! some amazing scenery, loved it.
Great drone shots ‼️👍👍
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
20 күн бұрын
Oh, I'm planning on going back there and inside. I wanted to come back better prepared.
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
Ай бұрын
No problem.
Some nice videos! Thanks For sharing.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
No problem...thanks for watching.
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
29 күн бұрын
Thanks. The desert is pretty amazing…especially out in Utah and Arizona.
Fantastic video. I wouldn't mind a revisit later on. Looks like a LOT to explore. But, of course, always be safe enough.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
I'm hoping to go back out there maybe towards the end of the summer.
Dude epic stuff like usual. Thanks Drew
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Thanks...I try and make the videos fun to watch.
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
Ай бұрын
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.
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
Ай бұрын
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.
Great video! Awesome seeing the south west and hearing the radiacode clicking.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Its nice hearing the clicks...gives you a sense of what's around.
Keep it up man, the best radiation content on youtube.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Thanks...I try and make it the best.
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
Ай бұрын
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.
Very interesting man. Love your work!
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Thanks...I can't wait to go back out there.
Very cool footage
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Thanks.
Another great video Drew! 👍
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Thanks.
This is the only podcast ill pause just to watch whats actually being shown. Keep up the amazing finds/ work
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Thanks.
Really enjoyed watching this! Keep it up 👍
@RadioactiveDrew
20 күн бұрын
Thanks.
Love when you upload keep it up you are very inspiring
great footage 👍
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Thanks.
Great vid. Love the location. More like this please.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Thanks. I'll be going back out there soon enough.
Thanks!
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
So awesome...thanks.
so glad you got a drone. awesome content man.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Thanks. Drones offer such a unique perspective.
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
Ай бұрын
Its an idea that I've been thinking of for a while now. Might do some videos of the testing process.
Great shots!
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Thanks...its a beautiful place. So it makes my job a little easier.
@cosmicgreen
Ай бұрын
@@RadioactiveDrew Hope u will have more subs and views.
I just happened to find this early. A few minutes ago I was looking at other videos about uranium.
@thaturaniumguy
Ай бұрын
... but don't invest in it... of course!
Nice you see you figured out radioactive dust, breathing it and hot particles is what you need to read about next. I didnt see you ever go to Oak Ridge.
Another great video. those radioactive plants were a surprise. I hope there were no edible plants around there.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
I didn’t see any that were edible…for humans.
19:51 ohh wow you were able to see in the video while you were looking in the mine the effects it had on the video. Love your videos
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Thanks.
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
Ай бұрын
I have been in there yet. Hopefully it isn't blocked right inside.
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
Ай бұрын
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll make a note about it for my next visit to the area.
My dad struck the claim to the Rio Algum Lisbon Valley mine and gave it away in 1962😅
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
Ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it.
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.
Another great content video. Looking forward to the "wife was mad at me" video. I bet she was radioactive then.
Tell the guys of Radiacode that I bought one because of your channel.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
They sometimes read the comments on sponsored videos. I’m glad to hear you picked one up.
Please be careful, Drew! You are very very important 👍👍
@RadioactiveDrew
27 күн бұрын
Thanks...I always try and be as safe as I can given the situation.
If you ever do a video on the Cotter Mill in Canon City, send a message! I'd like to meet you, I'm nearby and heavily into the mining history of this area of Colorado. My house is actually built on top of a mine shaft, not to mention the other ~30 shafts and adits on the ranch.
@RadioactiveDrew
16 күн бұрын
That would be cool to do a video out there. So much mining history in that area. The city is on my list of areas to check out. I know there is a big uranium mill site south of the city.
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.
Even the scorpions are radioactive? Man I really need to avoid the desert. (joking, joking)
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
I haven't run across an radioactive scorpions. I have come across a radioactive ant hill.
@madmax2069
Ай бұрын
Yeah, they're a different kind of spicy
@ThizzRyuko
Ай бұрын
@@RadioactiveDrew I find that interesting and wonder if there are any studies on radiation and it's effects on insects and especially ants. We all hear the joke about roaches being the last thing left if D-day happened.
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
Ай бұрын
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.
Dont worry Rory & Mike from Trailmater will come to the rescue if you fall off the trail 🙂
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
Ай бұрын
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.
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
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
@@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
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.
Radicode is the cats meow. 👍☢️
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
It is for me and my use.
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
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
@@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👍🏻
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
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
THANKS MAN!!!
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
No problem.
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.
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
Ай бұрын
Thanks for the tip. I’ll have to try that out.
Been a while since I've been around there. Be nice to get back there at least once more.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
It’s a fun place to explore.
Uranium Fever!
"Hydrogen sulfide's rotten egg smell is only detectable at very low concentrations. As hydrogen sulfide becomes more concentrated, it paralyzes your sense of smell. When the gas is especially dangerous, you may only have a moment to smell the sulfur before going nose-blind."
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
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
@@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
Ай бұрын
@@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
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
24 күн бұрын
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.
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
26 күн бұрын
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.
great video, love what the DJI can do. plus the Sony A7
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
@@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
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
Ай бұрын
The Radiacode I always have with me acts as a dosimeter. Thanks for the concern and the compliments.
Normally in an underground mine, the roof is secured with "roof bolts". The lack of roof bolts, is somewhat disconcerting. Either the roof is super secure from cave ins, or.......the miners were cutting corners. Would be interesting to hear the opinion of a mining engineer.
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.
the guy is talking the radiation of 100 X-rays for weekend vacations 😅
Your opening looks like something from The History Channel.
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
Ай бұрын
Its on my list of things to do. I would really like to get into proper FPV...when I have the time.
@thirtythreeeyes8624
Ай бұрын
@@RadioactiveDrew Ya it's a whole thing, it's definitely got easier in the past few years though.
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
Ай бұрын
When I find them I usually list them on the uraniumstore.com site. I have some glowing rocks that need to get listed.
@Slimpawws
Ай бұрын
@@RadioactiveDrew Right on. 🤙
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
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
Ай бұрын
Thanks...I'll keep that in mind next time I'm out there.
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
Ай бұрын
There is an incredible amount of uranium in the US. Plenty of deposits.
@adamconnell5965
Ай бұрын
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.
The thing about hydrogen sulfide is you can smell it in low concentrations. If you smell rotten eggs move away.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
That's what other people say. I've smelled that rotten egg smell at some hot springs...not sure if its the same thing.
Those isolated clouds in the sky are creepy...
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Really? Is that because of the movie “Nope”?
@JimD77
Ай бұрын
@@RadioactiveDrew Maybe normal there, but us Easterners don't see that. Is Nope about aliens? There is a theory they mask as a cloud.
Wonder how many people venture into these caves without the knowledge and end up contaminating themselves and others?
Beautiful scenery as always! How old are these mines? When did they close?
According to the MRDS there is a mine called Bacardi Cutler just south of where those concrete pads were, if you kept going down that road and went right it should be just farther down, Its not shown on Mindat. Also Mindat and the MRDS shows a mine called Big Buck on the opposite side of the valley from Mi Vida. It looks like theres a large tailings pile there but I havent found the adit. And there also appears to be a mine called Little Beaver just east from Mi vida.
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
I think I've been out to the Big Buck mine. That might have been the one the EPA buried. There is also the Nixon Shaft right around there...its a little weird. I'll have to go further on that road next time looking for that other mine.
@joshwasho9110
Ай бұрын
@RadioactiveDrew I meant to say little beaver is west of mi vida, you can look it up on mindat, it might be open. I plan to explore the mines you showed in this video next month, I got a Respirator and some full body tyvek suites
Hey @RadioactiveDrew Can you please make a video About Activation using neutrons?
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
Yes...
@chemicode
Ай бұрын
Thanks❤
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
Ай бұрын
I usually do a search for mine in thediggings.com and on the USGS site.
@MojaveSniper
Ай бұрын
Thank you!
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
Ай бұрын
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
Ай бұрын
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!
Have you experimented with attaching a radicode to your drone to get readings from impossible to reach places like that Ore shoot?
@RadioactiveDrew
9 күн бұрын
I’m planning out a video testing the concept.
@CATPDC
9 күн бұрын
@@RadioactiveDrew interesting, can’t wait!
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
Ай бұрын
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.
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
Ай бұрын
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.
Grants NM was the uranium capital
@Kwm63
Ай бұрын
We also have a museum on Ambrosia Lake the mines closed in the 80s
@RadioactiveDrew
Ай бұрын
I've been out to Grants a couple of times and explored the Poison Canyon area. I need to go back out there.