Title
Family Radiation Measurement Kit – Bendix CD V-736 / CD V-746 / CD V-756
Author
The Bendix Corporation, Cincinnati Division, Cincinnati, Ohio
Image
Description
The Family Radiation Measurement Kit was manufactured by The Bendix Corporation, Cincinnati Division, during the height of the Cold War era. Marketed as a civilian fallout preparedness instrument set, the kit includes:
CD V-736 Dosimeter Ratemeter (0–120 R/hr)
CD V-746 Dosimeter (0–600 R total exposure)
CD V-756 Dosimeter/Ratemeter Charger
Original Instruction and Maintenance Manual
The box itself is printed in bold civil-defense red and white with the unmistakable slogan:
“SURVIVE – You can measure fallout radiation and survive.”
Certified to meet Office of Civil Defense Mobilization specifications, this kit was intended for household use in the event of nuclear fallout exposure. The design reflects mid-century emergency preparedness philosophy — empower the family unit with measurement tools, maintain shelter discipline, and monitor cumulative exposure.
The CD V-736 ratemeter measures radiation intensity in roentgens per hour. The CD V-746 pocket dosimeter measures accumulated dose. The CD V-756 charger allows re-zeroing and reading of the dosimeter via internal electrostatic charge adjustment.
This is a complete consumer-market civil defense kit — not military surplus loose components.
Condition
Complete with original box, manual, ratemeter, dosimeter, and charger.
Box shows edge wear, light crushing, creasing, and surface soiling consistent with age.
Instruments appear intact with cosmetic wear consistent with storage; no evidence of leakage or structural damage. Operational status not tested. Manual present with expected age toning.
Gallery
Historical context
Following World War II and especially during the late 1950s and early 1960s, U.S. civil defense programs encouraged private citizens to prepare for nuclear fallout. Fallout shelters were mapped, pamphlets were distributed, and radiation detection equipment was standardized under “CD V” (Civil Defense Version) numbering systems.
The Bendix Corporation was one of several manufacturers contracted to produce radiation detection equipment meeting federal specifications. While many units were distributed to municipalities, schools, and public shelters, some kits were marketed for family ownership.
The printed retail price of $24.95 on the box reflects a serious investment at the time — roughly equivalent to several hundred dollars in modern currency.
Curious Facts, Ephemera, and Trivia
The “CD V” numbering system was standardized nationally.
The CD V-746 dosimeter reads total exposure up to 600 roentgens — a sobering scale.
Many surviving CD V units were later discovered to contain radium calibration sources (varies by model; this kit does not visibly show an exposed source).
The optimistic language on the packaging reflects Cold War messaging: survival through preparedness.
Most surviving examples today are incomplete; original box sets are less common.
Excerpt
“Place dosimeter on charging contact.
TO READ: press down lightly.
TO CHARGE: press down firmly and adjust hairline to zero.”
Cold, instructional, and utterly practical.
Why it is in the Cabinet
This kit captures the psychology of the Atomic Age better than any pamphlet ever could. It is not theoretical. It is tangible. It assumes fallout is measurable, survivable, and manageable — provided you own the right instruments.
It represents an era when suburban America believed it could calibrate its way through the apocalypse.
That earns its place in the Cabinet.
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