A Beta-Counting System Linked to a Personal Computer

Abstract

The automatic beta-counting system plays a significant role in obtaining high-level reproducibility and reliability in conventional radiocarbon dating. I review here the results achieved by using the "Fully Automatic Radiocarbon Dating System" developed by Omoto (1982). Since setting up the system in 1981, I was able not only to save operator time in beta counting, but also to obtain accurate dates with only minimal uncertainties. Another positive result was the introduction of the automatic voltage correction program, which produced excellent results for counting sample materials over a long period.