In a linear quadrupole plasma containment device, lacking internal supports for the current conductors, the flux of charged particles from the main plasma volume is measured directly. With rf‐produced plasmas(nebetween 1010− 1012cm−3, Te˜ 10 eV, Ti< 1 eV), the end losses are only a small fraction of the total losses. Most of the plasma is lost outwards in a direction perpendicular to the current conductors (radial loss). With gun‐injected plasmas, the radial loss is usually smaller than the end loss but is still nonclassical.