Patent ID: 8716650

Claim:
A nuclear gauge suitable for measuring the density and/or moisture of material, comprising: a gauge housing having a vertical cavity therethrough; at least one radiation detector located within the housing; a tower defining a vertical channel therein, the tower disposed on the gauge housing with the channel aligned with the cavity to form a vertical conduit; a vertically moveable source rod extending within the conduit; a radiation source operatively positioned within a distal end of the source rod; a handle secured to the source rod for vertically extending and retracting the source rod to a plurality of predetermined source rod locations so as to change the spatial relationship between the radiation source and the at least one radiation detector, the handle providing a fine adjustment element for adjusting the height of the source rod for positioning the radiation source relative to the at least one radiation detector to provide proper measurements at the different predetermined source rod locations; and wherein the handle further comprises a coarse adjustment mechanism that works in conjunction with the fine adjustment element for adjusting the height of the source rod for positioning the radiation source relative to the at least one radiation detector to provide proper measurements at the different predetermined source rod locations.