Faraday cages have gained a lot of popularity for preppers and survivalists who want to make sure that their electronics remain intact in the event of an EMP or CME.
The problem is that the popularity of Faraday cages has also generated a lot of myths and misinformation that anyone wanting to build one must sift through.
What to Place Inside of a Faraday Cage?
Think about any complex electronic devices you would like to have available to you in a grid-down situation.
For example, hand-crank radios, amateur radios, solar generators, computers, battery packs, flashlights, etc., all could be rendered useless after an EMP.
Related: What To Store In A Faraday Cage For EMP Protection?
Placing these inside of a Faraday cage will shield them from the devastating effects of the pulse and result in you having more tools to increase your survivability post-collapse.
Myths and Misinformation
Since we have thankfully never had to live through an EMP attack, there is no accurate first-hand information on shield electronics from an EMP.
However, there is a lot of research and experiments that have been done on the subject that we can base our Faraday cage designs off.
The lack of real-world examples of people designing and building Faraday cages and successfully using them to shield electronics during an EMP attack leads to myths and misinformation.
While there are dozens of Faraday cage myths, I have collected these five that I see brought up repeatedly.
All You Need Is a Metal Box
I have seen a few posts online that suggest that all you need is a metal box or trash can to place electronics inside.
While this is a good start, fabricating a practical Faraday cage requires a little more work. The critical factor is that the exterior must have no gaps in its conductivity.
This means that the lid and the container’s body must be connected electrically. Where the lid and body meet, there must be a bridge for the electrical energy to pass along.
Bare metal may be enough in some cases, but using conductive tape to seal the joint is better.
Related: 5-Minutes DIY Tested Faraday Cage Out Of A Trash Can
The equipment inside also must be insulated from the shell of the cage. This can be as simple as a cardboard, rubber, or wood layer.
The key is that whatever you place in the box will be electrically insulated from the cage’s metal.
Faraday Cages Need Grounding
Whether a Faraday Cage requires grounding or not is a topic of hot debate in prepper and survivalist circles.
The truth is that it does not need grounding to be effective.
Still, you should consider grounding a Faraday cage anyway.
The advantage of grounding it is that it will allow the electrical energy that the cage’s metal captures to be directed away from the cage and into the Earth.
If it is not grounded and an EMP strikes, the cage could build up a significant charge leading to the risk of electrical shock when you try to open the enclosure.
If grounding the cage is not practical in your situation, your electronics inside will still be fine. However, you will have to figure out how to discharge any charge built up on the cage’s surface.
A Microwave Is a Good Faraday Cage
Microwaves are designed to shield us from the radiation they produce.
So it is reasonable to assume that the appliance will also protect anything inside it from electromagnetic radiation coming from outside. While a microwave will provide some protection, it was never designed to be a Faraday Cage.
There is a gap in conductivity between the door and the microwave’s body where the pulse of an EMP can sneak in.
You Must Store Batteries in a Faraday Cage
It can seem logical that batteries would suffer the effects of an EMP, but this is not the case.
It would be a good idea to store the chargers for your batteries inside of a Faraday cage, but as for the batteries themselves, there is no need to do so.
You Need a Faraday Cage to Protect Against CME
A Coronal Mass Ejection is not the same as an EMP. A CME is a storm of charged particles from the sun and poses the greatest threat to our power grid and not complex electronics.
When the particles interact with our atmosphere, they generate current in Earth’s atmosphere and surface.
Since the power grid is essentially a giant antenna, it will collect this current, which will melt the transformers in the power grid.
Unless your electronics are connected to grid power or a long conductor such as an antenna, they will likely be unaffected by a CME.
Related: The First Steps You Should Take Immediately After a CME
That being said, there is no harm in using it to protect electronics from the threat of a CME.
You Can Make a Faraday Cage Out of Chicken Wire
In theory, you can use chicken wire as the exterior of your Faraday Cage.
The openings in the wire would be smaller than the wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation that you would expect to see during an EMP attack.
I can find little evidence that a Faraday Cage made from chicken wire would be as effective against an EMP attack as a box made from solid metal.
It is far better to use a metal container made from solid metal such as ammo or a trash can sealed with conductive tape than to spend the time and resources constructing it using wood and chicken wire.
You Need to Store Solar Panels In a Faraday Cage
Solar panels harness the sun’s energy and should be unaffected by an EMP, so there is no need to store them inside of a Faraday Cage.
That being said, if your solar panels have charge controllers built into them for charging devices directly from the panel, these circuits may be affected by an EMP attack.
While solar panels do not need to be protected by a Faraday Cage, solar generators, charge controllers, and inverters will probably be adversely affected by an EMP.
Therefore, it is a good idea to use a Faraday cage to protect them.
You Can Use a Cellphone to Test a Faraday Cage
If the Faraday Cage can block the signals of a mobile phone, it seems reasonable that it would offer a high level of protection for all electronics in the event of an EMP.
Unfortunately, this is not the case.
A mobile phone operates on a specific set of frequencies that may not be the same as the frequency of an EMP.
It is better to test your Faraday Cage with various devices that operate over a wide range of frequencies.
For example, you can use AM radios, amateur radios, Wifi routers, and GPS units along with a mobile phone to test a Faraday Cage’s effectiveness.
Doing this will give you a far more accurate assessment of the effectiveness of your Faraday Cage.
An EMP attack is a genuine threat. Be it a rouge nation or terrorism, EMPs are a cost-effective method to cripple an entire nation for months, if not years.
Do not fall victim to the myths and misinformation that pollute the internet.
Do your own research, understand how an EMP and CME works, and do not cut corners when building your Faraday Cage.
You may also like:
The Only Way to Communicate After an EMP (Video)
Harvesting and Using Dandelion Roots – The Natural Detoxifier
11 Things Native Americans Carried With Them To Survive In The Wild
Is a shipping container a faraday cage?
No.
Why not?
LCC
just wondering because I’ve not read anything about underground bunkers or a buried shipping container.
Does being buried underground protect from an EMP?
A retired marine in our area had an underground bunker buried in his back yard a few years ago. I’m not sure what it was made of but it looked to be fiberglass.
a shipping container’s doors have rubber gaskets that will allow the electromagnetic radiation to get inside, as well as the flooring that are often wood laid over metal frames that do not stop electromagnetic radiation.
Too many gaps in the typical container. It can be made into an adequate Faraday cage with the expenditure of probably more money than the container cost to start.
That said, it is not necessary to obstruct all EMP forces just to reduce them to a level that will not damage your electronic equipment. The trick is to be sure that you have adequately reduced the electron flow. The simplest approach is to just seal off the container so that there is zero electron flow.
By the way in his experiments with sealing garbage cans and other metal containers, Dr. Arthur Bradley found ordinary quality duct tape allowed less leakage than the much more expensive metallized tape that was sold specifically as errant electron blocking medium. So
save yourself some money and on-line searching for special tape just buy 3M or some other quality duct tape.
Go on line and search for: EMP effects on vehicles at futurescience.com. It is the most comprehensive article on the topic any of us have found. Avoid anyone who states positives such as ”All cars are safe from EMP” orc”All cats will be toast after an EMP.” The author of the referenced on-line article basically says that there are too many variables to make blanket statements, that the best anyone can say is that they will know for certain after such an event happens. Not what we want to hear but that often is the case. Ask your doctor if you are going to get better and unless he is lying or a fool he will hedge his answer.
See my positive statement to the question about the suitability of container boxes. It should have been, “Generally, no, but.” With enough effort and money you can make it so.
I ask this, that since grounding or not grounding a cage makes no difference then a buried object as long as the devices are not in contact with the the ground would be protected. The earth displaces the voltage and current over a larger area so would reduce the EMP effect.
I do not know how deep or if this would work. But underground shelters or storage cellars in most cases block a lot of signals.
I do not have the equipment to test this so maybe someone out there that does might want to test this out.
if you are shipping a faraday cage as big as the shipping container
I am not worried about my laptops and information being lost, I am worried about my optics on my guns,
In most cases if the device is not turned on it will still function or at least that is what I have been told. I do not worry about the electronics on my weapons I have backup hard sites and scopes with regular crosshairs. Those electronic site will only last for a short time before you have to change batteries. Best case is to use hard sites and not have to worry about having all that extra.
If you notice soldiers very seldom use optics in normal combat situations. The reason is they have to be supplied and supply lines are an iffy thing in combat. The ones that mostly use optics is special operations where they know about how long they will be out.
Soldiers use aim points or acoustic primary dude
Buy extra batteries as well most red dots can stay on for a year before needing a new a battery
It seems that Raven has never used a red dot much well I have and the red dots or reticles I have are great but the battery only last on an average of about 3 months, if you use them a lot. If you never use them then yes, a year is about right. If you forget to turn the site off, then come back a two or three week later the battery is dead lol.
I have had this happen several times, so I use iron sites for back up. I ask you this if a WAWKIE happens, your being attacked, and you red dot stops what are you going to do?
If you stop fighting, then most likely you lose everything even your life or if you go to your secondary (pistol in most cases) your fighting ability is drastically reduced, and you probably lose too.
The battery life depends on the site itself, the area you live in (colder areas batteries last longer or so I am told) and the amount of use. Some sites might last a year but most of them last about 3 to 6 months.
A 1000$ site might last you a year but a 100$ site might not last but a few months. The difference in sites is a lot. I do not know about you, but I don’t have the money to waste on sites or batteries.
dread i own a m68 on med to low setting it lasts a year… I own serveral holosuns that have shake wake and also have longer hours on battery life then the aimpoints…..
Wanna let me know more about optics .. I run and gun with a lot of the Red dots and used them in training class’es as well as going to war so now what broski.
hell dumbass i have a aimpoint mark 3 that might be what your old ass is thinking for battery life…. but it still works and rocked out to 600 yards on 223 poly wolf
An extra red-dot doesn’t take much space or weight. I keep one stored with a couple of batteries but no battery installed. I also keep a sight on my go-to rifles. If I find the installed sights don’t work, maybe I have an opportunity to swap it out, maybe I don’t. Most likely, though, I die of old age sitting here at the PC typing replies on askaprepper.
Dreaded,
I don’t know which of you or Raven has actually used Red Dots the most but that you don’t know they’re sights, and not sites, doesn’t lend much credibility to your argument.
An EMP attack & you are worried about your ability to light someone up ( from a distance) being compromised.
All that prepping just for a shot at an extra 6 months.
– Nuclear war You are probably in North America which means you are toast
– If you are in or near a big population center don’t bother
– If it’s Aliens just use the gun on yourself and hope the whole soul harvesting theory is bs.
– prepping won’t help with the diseases that would decimate survivors.
– filter water all you want but there is no filter for radiation
It’s your life but
Consider trying to do your part to save the planet
The thing with faraday cages is that they are easy to make but hard to know how efficient it will attenuate a certain frequency of electromagnetic radiation and at what amplitude. Tinfoil may cut a low power transmissions from a cellphone in half while a fine brass mesh will attenuate the entire lower bands but may allow a detectable amount of higher frequency transmissions bleed through. To cover the largest spectrum of frequencies you would need multi layered and materials. Non ferrous materials work the best. Brass, Copper, aluminum etc…and all seams must be mechanically and electrically closed to prevent inducing feedback leakage…which at a small amount could be bad if used for blocking data transmissions or detection…
I see the value of a Faraday Cage to protect electronics. I just fail to see the value of having our electronics to the extent so many seem to plan for.
If my circle of friends, family and I have to hunker down, our electronics will not be foremost in my mind. I hope our communications will be face-to-face. I hope our sources of knowledge are in printed form, in books. I hope I’ve had good sense to have appliances that work without electronic components. I hope we can make it like our ancestors did before the advent of gadgetry.
Of course, electronics have made life easier, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to make life harder by being so attached to them I can’t live without them.
I think radio is the lone exception to your scenario. Gotta be able to communicate with others to be successful
How much of the data and information we’ve collected exists only on our PCs or phones? I have thousands of PDF documents. I could print them out but I’d spend a huge amount of time and effort in cataloging and searching for what I need. Keeping at least a tablet with all your documents makes sense.
Also, much of my EOTW recreation plan is in watching movies. Granted they will get old quickly and seem so trivial in the reality of the EOTW but they may also give hope and show what it is we need to work to restore. So having a couple DVD players in Faraday cages makes sense, too.
Of course all of that is useless if you have no power source – get some solar and batteries and a pure-sine-wave inverter. Get two, one for use now in storms or power outages and a backup in a Faraday cage.
I can think of a lot of things to put in a Faraday cage. My intention is not to move to the stone age in EOTW but to have as much technology as I can use to help restore some sense of the past into the future.
Families and support facilities are widespread nowadays. Distance comes will be crucial.
I agree. I live in a rural area and in the event to an EMP or some other debilitating catastrophe the only communication I hope to have is face to face. The degree of addiction to all things electric is disturbing if not frightening.
I would rather have it and not need it than wish I had stored some data along with a small cell phone, tablet, or laptop to retrieve it. This applies to small crank and solar powered lights, AM/FM/Emergency Band radios as a way to listen for radio broadcasts, and also handheld walkie-talkie radios to stay in communication with others if anyone is out and about like foraging or fishing. Cell towers will probably not function, but cell phones are small handheld computers that can store information you can carry in your pocket, and small portable radios will be very handy after SHTF for both obtaining information and communicating with others. I recommend getting hand cranked and solar powered lights and radios, as well as a couple of small solar chargers, and all the wires and connections needed to keep everything connected and charged.
Sorry misread what you were saying. I agree with you about short-range radios for people of a group or local groups that are near each other to stay in contact. I have a couple myself but as to using anything to protect them I just keep them turned off which in most cases will be enough. I am an electronics tech by trade. If you have electronics that you want to protect then by all means use cages but for myself and my group if the unwanted happens survival will not depend on communications as much as how you go about things. There are ways to communicate without radios there is tribes in the world that communicate over long distances without radios.
I guess what I am saying is electronics is way down on my list of things needed to survive.
Dreaded, I agree saving electronic devices is not very high on my priorities. Having knowledge and skills is at the top of my list, followed by survival items like water filters, hand tools, weapons, basic bushcraft equipment, and long term storage foods. I do not intend to spend a lot of time or resources trying to make faraday cages or stocking up spare electronic parts for vehicles and is why I tested some very cheap and easy things people might use as small faraday cages. I think clean snack tins with clean cut-to-fit corrugated cardboard for insulation inside the tins will work best for me, and I already store data on thumb drives and DVDs, and we also have a couple of old cell phones and laptops with extra cords and connectors, so I might as well load them up with information and store them in the snack tins for “just in case”. If it works, great! If not, I have minimal investment and as I always profess, I also have paper copies as well for really important information, such as health and medical subjects, plant identification, bushcraft, gardening, and so much more. I really find it odd that so many people always focus on one or another solution instead of saying “how about both”. I prefer to hedge my bets and prepare in as many ways I can that I consider reasonable and within my means. Some people think converting their garage into a faraday cage is reasonable, I do not.
As far as long-distance communication such as AM/FM, CB, and HAM radio, you can always just listen in and evaluate anything you pick up. I am thinking about getting a small portable Ham radio set for us, and also some for family that live in other states so we can remain in contact if ever the phones don’t work. Again, it’s determining priorities and what is reasonable to do.
I think you are correct in your basic assumptions.
The only things I can see that might be needed is a radio and some power source. This is so news can be kept up with while the stations still work (if they work after the EMP which is very doubtful). Secondly communications from other people through any two-way radio is going to be suspect because can you believe them? If the info is passed from one ham radio to another it will be just like lining up a row of people and telling the first one something and to pass it along. Then asking the last one in line what was passed along. It is always very different from what started it.
As to power source just maybe your regulators and charging controls might need to be protected.
The thing is this the people have not lived like our ancestors and so have not developed the same values. So, it will be almost impossible to get back to that way of life. If we succeed it will take years.
Because of the way people have developed from years of living a certain way it will be very hard on people’s minds not knowing what is happening in this country or the world for that matter. This will make a lot of people to become insane.
I am 70 years old; we were poor and had very little back then, so I know what it is like living without a lot of the modern convinces. In my opinion it will be very difficult for people to make this backward transition.
Dreaded, please reread my post very carefully. I suggested using handheld radios to stay in communication with others when they are out foraging and such, meaning being able to communicate with people you know and trust within short distances. For broader long-range communications, general AM/FM broadcasts may or may not be trustworthy, and I would probably trust weather reports, but would have to pay close attention and analyze if any “news” was valid or propaganda, such I would be very cautious if FEMA or another government agency was broadcasting for people to come to their camps to receive “assistance”, would you trust it? You would also need to make cautious determinations about information received by CB and HAM radio unless you actually know and trust the sender, such as friends and family in faraway locations like other states, and other countries. With the right conditions HAM radio can transmit around the world.
Written forms for saving information works well until they encounter fire, flood, or other physical damage, same for electronics, but both work well as long as you have a secure location to store and use them, but electronic storage and small rechargeable devices are a lot more compact and easier to transport. How about having both available so you can use what works best for you at the time you need it?
If I needed to travel for several hundred miles, even in a large vehicle, do I want to use up valuable space and carrying capacity trying to bring hundreds of pounds of written materials, compared to maybe ten pounds of electronic storage, reading devices, and chargers? I think I would prioritize the available space/weight capacity to bring maybe a few written/printed items (medical, bushcraft), but the vast majority would be used for other bulky and heavy items such as fuel, tools, ammo, medical supplies, food, water, live plants, etc. If traveling on foot, maybe one small device, solar charger, and a few thumb drives.
Having access to pictures of your family members on a laptop may seem frivolous BUT morale is important in times of crisis. Having a device I can charge on my generator to connect me to the old world would boost anyone’s mood. I see value there as well as anything you’ve downloaded in the event of something like this. The space it takes up and the miniscule time to secure it is a good investment in my opinion.
not bad – good job in fact covering that limited scope about Faraday cages ….
only thing I can see is your advice to use metallic tape as a final closure to lid/container “gaps” >> not unusual advice – almost always included in the Faraday cage instruction manuals >> problem is that the need for re-usable cages is never addressed – both EMP/ CME bursts would not be singular events – any use of electronic items stored would definitely need to be on a “use & scoot” basis initially – and longer …
I suggest the use of ultra-fine 000 steel wool as an alternative to the one use metallic tape – as example >> steel wool is an excellent gap “filler” for galvanized steel garbage can Faraday cages – it can be permanently applied to the lid and quikly repeats it’s mission each time ….
Great idea. Steel wool. First time I’be heard of it.
Steel wool can also help deter rodents from chewing wires if they get into the cage, which might be possible depending on how it’s constructed.
Instead of those 30 gallon trash cans — How about the 55 gallon ALL STEEL cans with lid and tightening ring — line it with Heavy cardboard , then a layer of those thick rubber floor mats – cut to fit– the ring will seal it tight
most people like to keep the overall size and weight down to a more manageable size – I don’t even use the 30gal size cans – the smaller size cans have a handle that is also a pressured lever lock – I also use the 20mm ammo boxes for the VIP goods …
if you have something like an inverter generator you might want to cradle it inside a large drum …
Using open top steel drums with lid and tightening rings as a Faraday cage sound like a very good idea, but there is usually a rubber gasket between the lid and the drum that might allow electromagnetism to enter. If so, you might need to do some home testing to see if cell phone and radio signals can be received inside the sealed drum with the gasket. If the phone or radio receive signal, then you might see if you can remove the gasket and test again. I did a quick search and found several links for steel drums, and they can be a bit pricey to buy outright unless you know in advance they will work for your purposes. Here are links for open top steel drums from U-Line and McMaster-Carr to review and compare:
https://www.uline.com/BL_8156/Steel-Drums
https://www.mcmaster.com/metal-storage-drums/steel-drums-8/
dz, radio or cellphone reception tests are not a test of the efficacy of a Faraday cage. They are completely different frequencies. There are stainless steel braided and copper braided rubber seals manufactured for similar purposes that might be able to be utilized (I only know this because we had them when I was in the service). I don’t know where they’d be found in the civilian market.
Dale, please provide a better and practical “home test” we can do without spending a lot on just guesses. The best I was able to check were cell phones and portable radios, so please provide details of your tests you have personally conducted, including materials, instructions, and costs to do home testing so others won’t be wasting funds on someone else’s “best guess”.
dz, the home test is simple. take your proposed faraday cage, put your cell phone in it. Get a suitcase nuke and your cessna. set off the nuke at 10000 feet above your home. Land, open your faraday cage, test your phone.
Otherwise, you’re just guessing. If you’re going to guess, it’s best to start by understanding the nature of the radiation products involved and the efficacy of various shielding strategies. Here’s a start for you:
https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1122/ML11229A721.pdf
Illini Warrior – excellent points and advice.
The world would be better off if the cyber warfare teams would just shut down the internet and emp the power grid…
Please ignore Raven, he thrives on creating discord.
You know Raven IF losing the internet would be a GOOD THING in your opinion WHY ARE YOU ON THE INTERNET?
Don’t know where the Off Switch is for that computer?
James 1: 7That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
oh look we found someone who’s a slave to his smart phone….
The world is in chaos and the tech is part of the problem. People are far to dependent on the “system” so solution is to shut it all down. Let’s go back to a simple time and kids and you teenage girls yourself can put down your snatchchat and get outside.
Oh my GOSH THANK YOU Raven for being on the internet so much that you can REPLY on Your own Smart phone.
Time stamps don’t lie Raven, your reply was as fast as you could type on your Smart phone OR are you going to claim your using a telegraph?
Don’t you have some training to teach or something?
Just finished watering my early seedlings. About 100 days until that early harvest.
Get busy folks IF you need a Faraday Cage do it today as waiting until Ravens hope of losing the grid and internet via EMP is a bit too late.
i use a flip phone Michael so no smart phone for this guy.
Remember– THAT IF an EMP does Shut our country down – The bad guys that did it will be FINE — they WON”T be shut down — AND the next thing is that they will be landing their Military forces to mop up what is left AND we won’t know that it is happening
Raven is not thinking again lmao.
Our society is in fact dependent on the internet, communications, power grid and electronics. You lose all the electronics, and you lose it all and in most cases their lives.
As to the internet well now let us take a close look at what would happen today if we lost the internet.
First you could not order anything from anyone. Why, your smart phones would stop working. Why because they are internet dependent. If you ever been out of range of a cell tower, then you know. Some of your communication goes thru the internet from your cell phone to the tower then through the internet to another cell tower.
Then because the grocery stores cannot order more food and gas station suppliers cannot order more fuel you run out of things needed to live.
So, the answer is not getting rid of the modern things. The answer is getting rid of the corrupt governments and lying media.
Dreaded, please explain how it is that your cellphone goes through the Internet when you are out of range of the tower? When I worked as technical manager over a cellular system, I must have missed this feature.
Well, I’m on here too. It’s good to share ideas any way available to us. But, if I wake up from a nap to discover that the internet is gone and I can’t receive my daily “Car Warranty” phone call, I won’t shed a tear. We all probably have better things to do than be on here, if we were honest with ourselves. I agree with Raven. We might be better off. Turn off the fan and when the S hits it, nobody will really notice.
Yeah and what about those half dozen Medicare Supplement calls everyday.
had to laugh at that daily “Car Warranty” phone call mention – glad I’m not alone ….
I must have blocked over 90 “779” phone room dialing numbers – thought they gave up a while back with some recorded last appeal messages – nope back again with the recorded messages ….
John have you and your family ever turned off the main circuit breaker for a week or more?
I have. It’s eye opening to find out the holes in your prepping that way.
It’s AMAZING how much fuel you need for even intermittent power to keep freezer safe.
Really opened my wife’s eyes to allocating our time and money for the more expensive preps.
Aside from that loosing grid and internet means a very large percentage of our population will be sickened and soon dead as 3 days without water kills. Let alone the electricity dependent medical equipment.
I think the robot calls are a lesser problem.
Michael, a few years ago before I wised up and started researching better, I bought the “4-Patriots Solar Power” kit and soon discovered how little power it actually supplies, and for limited durations. I was able to keep a refrigerator/freezer operating intermittently so it remained cold for a few days but could see the limited system was not keeping up with demand and the freezer was not staying cold enough for long enough to stay below freezing, it just slowed the thawing process down from a couple of days to a couple of weeks at best. And I live in Southern Kalifornication with plenty of sunshine so that was not the problem, the system is too small, it may be good for traveling or camping, but not for keeping household appliances operating for very long.
Good Solar setups cost a small fortune. They do in the long run make or break the ablity to use your well and have water and run the Freezer to keep your food going.
Nobody ever talks about ordinary office file cabinets. Seems that they (perhaps with the steel wool) would be great for the shoot and scoot use of electronics.
I still have six file cabinets left over from my business those drawers do not seal nearly well enough for EMP protection. Perhaps newer ones do but I doubt it because most office furniture that I see is considerably flimsier than it was 50 years ago.
Note that some of the rechargeable batteries now carry sophisticated electronic controllers.
Lost power for 7 days after a hurricane in South Florida. Thank GOD he gave us cooler temps so AC needs weren’t a major issue. It gives you a new perspective on just what your daily needs might be. It is not a joke to think about what those “needs” might be. I’ve learned to think ahead and I appreciate reading articles like this one to stimulate the “little grey cells”. Thank you.
When a nuclear weapon is detonated, it creates a nuclear electromagnetic pulse (NEMP). This pulse is typically described as having three components: E1, E2, and E3.
The E1 pulse is the very fast component of NEMP. E1 is produced when gamma radiation from the nuclear detonation ionizes atoms in the upper atmosphere. This is called the Compton Effect and the resulting current is known as the Compton Current.
The E1 pulse risetime is typically five nanoseconds. Its magnitude generally decays to one half its maximum value in 200 nanoseconds. The 2 milllion electron-volt gamma rays typically produce an E1 pulse near ground level at moderately high latitudes that peak at around 50,000 Volts per Meter. It is this pulse that is dangerous to your portable electronic devices and a properly constructed Faraday Cage offers great protection from it. Note that most portable electronic equipment is only vulnerable to electromagnetic radiation capable of inducing significant current in the device and this generally means frequencies in a range from a few hundred Megahertz and up. The E1 pulse energy is concentrated at the low end of this range and the energy content decays rapidly with increasing frequency (shorter wavelengths). If you live near a cell phone tower and your cell phone will not operate when placed inside your Faraday Cage, you may be confident that it is working well enough to protect you from NEMP. Additionally, due to something called the “skin effect”, you do not need to insulate anything placed in the Faraday Cage as all of the currents from the E1 wave will be flowing on the outside of the cage, not the inside. Finally, grounding the cage is of no benefit whatsoever unless you are talking about something which is room-sized or larger.
The E2 pulse offers no more danger to your electronic devices than a nearby lightning strike. The E3 pulse is mostly dangerous to the power grid and should pose no danger to devices that are not directly connected to it.
Ltcol Venom,
You seem to know a lot about EMPs. I want to ask you is an electronic device protected underground and if it is how far underground would the device have to be?
I don’t have the equipment to test this, but the question needs an answer.
One item you forgot to mention was how to protect your vehicle that you depend on for transportation. Some older vehicles are not susceptible to an EMP attack but most newer vehicles with all of their electronics on board are. So, how do you protect your teched out ride?
Turn your garage into a Faraday Cage and then keep your teched out ride parked inside it. It’s actually not that hard to do, and a number of 3-letter government agencies have high security rooms which are Faraday Cages, although in this case it is generally to prevent electromagnetic radiation from escaping rather than the other way around!
Well its mostly unkown but the 10 year plus yearold study showed most cars did just fine with a EMP burst. While the test results are not in favor of the sci fi wrighters of the worlds….. It would seem a few things you have to understand about cars….
One most cars are a faraday cage in a way… . Two modern cars have shielded wiringing around the senetive things…. Three Those who talk about the glory non ecu cars have no idea how to tune rebuild or even operate a carberatored car.
While i love my 77 GMC 3/4 plow truck…. it has broken down more then i care to but it does run. Parts are cheap and the HEI setup you can buy dozens of them for a 100 bucks.
Vehicles are designed to operate in hostile environments. Spark gap generators from spark plugs and possibly starters and alternators have to be protected against as well as the wide range of temperatures…engine heat when it’s already 120°F outside down to well below 0°F to even get started (-20°F or lower). Condensation and other moisture issues, too.
In the case of EMP, some cars will have problems while others will be fine, and it might simply be because of what direction your car is facing when it is parked. Being in a regular garage will give some attenuation. If you have a metal roof or building, it will be better even without worrying about a full Faraday cage.
My car was directly hit by lightning. It found its way to ground through a tire that ended up flat. The electrical system was damaged but, the car started and ran very rough. Nothing worked electrically. The dash lights were all on like a Christmas Tree. It was functional enough to drive 20mi to the dealer.
My car was also hit by lighting – it hit a 60 ft tree , traveled down ,blew the bark apart – Jump 2 ft to the car – blew out the computer, Alternator and regulator- replaced Alternator and regulator, no computer available – but ran in ‘Limp home mode’
Please read the article referenced in my reply. In my opinion snatching bits from the report is not helpful. Read it in its entirety.
Bill how about a more serious set of questions.
Where are you going to get FUEL for it after EMP shuts down all the gas stations pumps?
And even IF you happen to have thought of a salvage pump to get it from the underground tanks just how long is that gasoline GOOD for?
Not to mention the few thousands in your area that are heavily armed and THOUGHT of salvaging said fuel. OR those that think “HEY He has a working truck, HE’S RICH, let’s make him crash and kill-rob him”.
Might get interesting. Personally, me and mine are going dark as to look like we have nothing worth dying over for about a month to let the aggressive kill each other off.
Rude visitors will be processed into fertilizer via pig food.
Michael Your way is the only way to survive a full-scale shutdown. I have pumps that can be used to salvage but only thing I would have to salvage fuel wise is for a generator so my invalid wife would have a little comfort being bed ridden and all. As to a vehicle no way would I need one except to carry off the carrion (bodies of people who tried and failed). Can’t just leave them laying around near where I live.
That brings up another subject what will everyone do with all the bodies that will be laying around? I don’t relish the thought of having to dig holes to bury them in and you cannot leave them laying because of diseases and animals. Certain animals when they get a taste for human will start attacking humans.
Dreaded, from ancient times unto today, people burn the dead, especially if they are trying to avoid contamination from diseases. You should carefully select your “burn pit” area so you don’t contaminate your water or food crops, nor attract unwanted attention from smoke and smell. I was thinking about using a large gardening wagon if I had to move bodies away from our home, take them somewhere downhill as far as I can safely manage, then burn them. If scavengers start coming around and are a threat, then you might consider setting up some snares, and killing them with a heavy “boar spear” rather than waste ammo.
Great article! Although I’m thinking of this as an option for electronics I don’t use regularly, im not certain there will be a warning should an emp attack occur? If not how will you know when to place your items in a faraday cage before an emp event?
J the whole point of EMP is a surprise attack. And done properly with a fair degree of deniability WHO did it.
Your Back Up stuff needs to be in a Faraday Cage. For example, my neighbor needs a CPAP so she has her older spare on in the Faraday Cage.
I have a modest solar array, so I keep a spare solar charge controller and inverter in mine.
There’s too much worldwide atmospheric tracking these days for any nation to have much chance of deniability as to who launched the upper atmospheric ICBM or cruise missile when it has to travel halfway across the northern hemisphere. It can still be a relative surprise attack with less than 30 minutes of warning, possibly a good deal less.
I think of walkie talkies, computers that have stored info about farming, cooking, medical and first aid and ham gear in a garbage can on a concrete floor. The floor is limestone and holds moisture from the air plus it is full of steel reinforcements for strength. It would seem prudent to steel wool the can lid. Popcorn Steel cans should work as long as the lids make good contact to the can. I spent 30 yrs as a Lightning, Bonding, Grounding, and EMC Engineer for NASA, the Boeing Company and the counterstrike systems including the Alaskan Silos. This also includes UPS power support using batteries and motor generators. Protect the charge controllers if you can or better yet have a replacement safely stored with 12 or 24v to 120v converter. Don
Unfortunately, according to Dr. Bradley, concrete is a conductor of electrons and doesn’t provide the protection thatvonecwould ordinarily think. I posed the question to him about a car down on level five below ground and away from the elevators and other power equipment. He said there might be enough attenuation that far down but couldn’t give a more definitive answer than that.
I’m strictly talking about setting the steel or cast iron container on the concrete floor which is full of rebarb or wire mesh, as a grounding plane, since it conducts. It is not the Faraday cage. Although it may provide more protection if you take into consideration the lightning rods on the roof that go directly to ground rods usually driven into the soil to a wet or chemically conductive (salted) area. Alot of this is unknown. So, I have to concur to some degree with the Dr. Bradely.
Hello!
I’m new to all of this …what is a popcorn steel can and how would you steel wool the can lid?
Thank you so much for your time and advice on here!
Julia
You can buy potato chips, popcorn, and cookies in steel/tin cans. They are not very big and usually available at discount stores like Big Lots around the holidays. A bubble wrapped small radio or cell phone with stored info will fit inside and provide protection. The steel wool should be shoved between the lid and the can to seal it from the EMP and act like a mini–Faraday Cage.
You would be surprised (maybe) of how many electronics your car contains. From GPS, cell phones, Maps, electronic ignition systems that control fuel consumption to ignition timing and controlling vacuum pressure. Most of these are integrated with more than one device, any of which would keep your car from running if they happened to get “fried”. That’s why Raven’s old truck is quite dependable. I used to have an old “72 Dodge pickup and it was also very dependable because it lacked all the electronic gadgets. I am old school and prefer carburetors and find it easier to work on them and find them more forgiving. Unless you have a degree in electrical engineering and know how to troubleshoot these systems, you will be out of service until you can find a way to replace or repair them.
Probably a good resource would be for someone to recommend a reliable source for faraday construction and how to protect your trusty “steed”.
I’m out.
Get a steel backers rack, remove any paint on it with paint remover followed by steel wool.
Put a roll of Reynolds wrap o0n the top shelf.
For extra goodness, solder a wire to the bakers rack and solder the other end to a structural member or iron water pipe for a ground.
Now take any item of equipment you want to save, wrap it completely in Reynolds wrap (aluminum foil) and just place it on the baker rack.
Actually you dont really need the grounded bakers rack.
There is also a heavier version of the foil that might be easier to work with.
you have to insulate the electronic items from all contact with metal, did you use something as an insulating layer between your items and the aluminum foil and bakers rack? If not you might as well leave them pugged in and let ’em fry.
Could a cast iron Dutch oven be used for smaller items, such as: AM/FM radio and a cellphone? I have several cast iron Dutch ovens.
Jacquelyn, you would need to insulate your items from coming into contact with anything conductive such as the metal of the Dutch oven. Clean cardboard should work, and then you will probably need to “seal” the lid to the pot with metal duct tape – not the plastic kind. I don’t know if the steel wool idea as a seal would work or not. The article says we need to test several different items in our faraday cage to make sure it works. Several months ago I did test things around the house by using cardboard as an insulation so my phone didn’t touch anything but cardboard and placed my cell phone in the microwave, refrigerator, gun safe, ammo can, metal garbage can, and snack tins with snug fitting lid, then called and if it rang the signal was not blocked. The only thing I found that blocked the cell phone signal was the snack tin, and I did not use metal tape or anything else to seal it, just snugged the lid on, so by the process of elimination I narrowed it down to snack tins with cardboard for insulation as the most economical item in my house that might or might not work as a small faraday cage – I won’t know for sure until after an EMP and see if the items inside still work. Now I need to test my snack tins with a portable AM/FM radio, and handheld walkie-talkie type radios to see if the tins will block those signals also since those are different types of bandwidth signals than the cell phone transmissions.
All of these comments have been interesting, and I’ve learned a lot from all of you. I should be able to take away a few ideas to use on my own.
Another question? What about folks who have pacemakers? Or other electronic devices in their bodies? Are they toast?
Bill
U die
Not necessarily because it is insulated to some extent by the body, so the thing is no one knows for sure what will happen, and it would also depend on where that person is and what that person is doing.
The real thing is this if an EMP happens and it does destroy most of the electronics then there will be no medical help within a few days.
The people that now lives because of the medical help and medications will be the first to go over the mountain. My wife is one of those people.
Reality is what people need to think about.
A lot of this stuff that is said is not based on reality of the situations. People do not want to know the reality of the situations that they could face because looking at hardships or death in the face is one of the hardest things anyone can do. This is reality so think long and hard about reality for it will change the way you Prep and do to survive.
Harsh dude. Too bad.
Bill, no one knows what will happen from an EMP, but the “Charlie Foxtrot” X-spurt continues to pretend he can foresee the future and continues being the totally f*cked up jerkoff he really is. No wonder he couldn’t make it in the military, another disgruntled grunt reject blaming his own failures on everyone but himself, what a loser he is. And my prediction is he will manage to get himself and others around him hurt and killed by his ignorant arrogance. I wouldn’t trust or depend on him for anything, but the sad part is, he has a wife and kids that suffer because of him.
Does anyone have a suggestion for protecting the electronic lock on a gun safe? You know the SHTF if there is an EMP strike and I want to make sure I can get to my guns and ammo.
Wow good question. Do they have a manual override?
well most safes are pretty simple to break into…. 5 inch angle grinder on the side is done and over inside of 10mins
More reasons to not use a Safe
I watched a video of a safe cracker who is the world record holder for speed on small safes. He had never in his life tried to crack a commercial bank vault combination lock so they put him in front of one in a real bank. It took him less than 5 minutes to open the lock.
Since the safe is made out of metal all you would have to do is make a box that has a little room, so it doesn’t touch the lock keypad and put it over the lock keypad, seal with tape around door and it should be protected. But there is in most safes a whole for the light wiring to go through at the back you would have to cover this too.
As has been said safes are easy to break in if you have a power source. If not, a torch will cut through it quickly. For my cannon safe I would cut a whole about middle of the door and then reach in and unlock the door lol
The latch mechanism is not that complex and easy to unlatch.
AG, my gun safe came with a “key” that enters through the back of the safe as a manual override. I keep that key in a location outside of my house. We also have a small handgun safe that also has a manual override.
DZ nailed it. If your gun safe or vault does not have a manual override – meaning a key, then you have to cut your way in.
Almost any electronic lock gun safe is nothing more than a key operated gun safe. The combination is a gimmick to sell you the safe but it comes with a key and all that is needed to open the safe is the key.
There are some high end electronic lock safes that actually don’t have a backup key option. For those, get that grinder out.
Two ideas:
People have mentioned tins as a good storage place for smaller electronics. Keebler makes a large tin of soda crackers that only runs about five dollars the last time I checked -Export Soda Crackers. I found them at Walmart. The tins are fabulous for all kinds of storage, and I use them for dry cat food.
But would the cell towers be functional in the case of an emp? I’m no expert, but if the electrical grid is down, my guess is probably not. Also, what would the effects of a solar EMP be on cellular and other communication satellites? While they might survive a man-made EMP, being detonated at a lower altitude, they might be disabled by a solar one coming from above. I wouldn’t count on a cell phone being able to work, and I would suggest having an alternative means to communicate tested and ready for use.
Any safe with an electronic lock would likely be disabled in the event of an emp or even a power outage. I would suggest getting one with either a key lock or a manual combination lock. Or just hide the stuff well – if it can’t be located, it can’t be stolen.
In some research I’ve been doing on storage in small homes and RVs, there are some cleverly concealed built in storage compartments in furniture and cabinetry that require just basic carpentry knowledge that many of you already have. There was a picture of a loveseat with concealed storage in the back and the armrests that could be accessed by lifting a simple lid or sliding a panel. If you just want to conceal your guns, etc., this might be a good option.
if we honestly think the Sat’s will still be running i got news for you….. none of them will be around…. They have sat killers for a reason.
I saw a comment about what would happen if a EMP were set off by an enemy. It stated without us having long range communications we would not know were were being invaded and could not put up a defense. It also stated that they would still have all the communications.
First do you think our military would be sitting on their hands and not firing nuclear war heads back at the attacker. The military has EMP protected communications, equipment and plans just for this scenario. They will be fighting them.
Secondly do you think just because civilians do not have communication they will not fight? If this were to happen everyone will be on HIGH ALERT and if they see some other countries troops, they will consider them enemies. Then the people will group up into small 2 to 4 man fighting forces. This will not be conventional fighting, it will be guerilla, hit and run style fighting. If you have ever had to defend from guerilla action, you would know how hard it is to do.
I do not see this happening. What I see is an economic shutdown. This will stop food production, transportation and shelves will be empty fast. Oh, we might be attacked by outsiders that think we are weakened but I ask you what do you think our military will be doing? Most will be fighting who ever attacks us.
At this point there is only two real scenarios that could have a high probability of happening.
1. Complete economic failure
2. WWIII (conventional warfare) due to Russia expanding their war.
Do I see any nation that would risk complete destruction of their country? No every one of them knows if they fire at us, they will get destroyed. This includes Russia. Is Putin that dumb I don’t think so.
Dreaded, please explain how it is that your cellphone goes through the Internet when you are out of range of the tower? When I worked as technical manager over a cellular system, I must have missed this feature.
Where I live at has very bad cell phone service most of the time 1 bar. I was told by my provider Version wireless to turn on my Wi-Fi and connect my phone to internet that it would make and receive calls as long as I was connected to a Wi-Fi which it has. I can be driving somewhere that has bad signal and pick up a Wi-Fi and connect to it and make calls. So now tell how this is so if it does not go thru the internet.
So I bought a cell Extender and connected it to my internet. Though it has to have 8 satellites and the Wi-Fi connection both going in order for it work. If I turn it off I can not make a call have one bar. But with it on I have full service with 0 dropped calls and every time I make a call it calls. So now tell me why if it does not use the internet that it has to be connected to make a call.
Also if just my internet goes down and not the extender it will not make calls.
BTW I am a senior electronics tech. I do not have any experience with working on cell phone systems and know nothing but what I have been told by people at my service provider about my cell phone system.
If you’re home and have Internet, then you can make calls through the Internet. Try doing that when you pull out of your driveway. AT&T has free wireless at some places (I think all Starbucks, for example) where you can make Internet calls. When you’re driving down the road where you’re handing off from one cell site to another that doesn’t work.
When you’re making Internet calls you’re not making cellular calls, and vice versa. You can’t transfer a call from one to the other. It’s not a question of moving in and out of range from cellular and using wireless.
That said, there are far more important diversions in this thread.
What kind of electronics do you do? I worked in electronics from when I was 12 until I went in the Navy and did it there for 10 years and then from the Navy into another 20 year career in electronics until I finally went into IT.
Dreaded, my smart phone also works through wi-fi as well as cell towers, and it can get internet streaming while driving such as using interactive maps or searching the internet for businesses like food and gas. I’ve been in remote places in the mountains and deserts where neither calls or internet would work, but saved data could still be retrieved and read, and is why I promote storing a smart phone and lots of storage devices in a faraday cage in case the system fails. I might not be able to make phone calls or access the internet, but I will be able to retrieve and read all the electronic data files I managed to save.
You know I came on this page to try and help some people that really wants help. But there are some people that think they know it all and want to down others because they spell something wrong, or their writing skills are not as good as an English professor.
I have 71 years of knowledge plus I graduated college with a 3.49 grade point average majoring in Electronics which was no easy feat. Out of a class of 32 people only 4 graduated, 21 dropped out because it was too hard, and the last 7 finished the electronics portion but lacked a course or two graduating. 2 of those 4-graduating graduated with a 3.2 and a 2.9 GPA. My friend had a 3.9 GPA, but he had a photographic memory, and I had a 3.49 to be exact and that was because I had no modern math until I started college. Back then they taught arithmetic and was just starting to teach modern math when I had an accident and broke my left elbow. Because of the medical procedures I went through and the length of time it took for me to recover I got so far behind in school that I gave up and quit in the 9th grade.
So, I never had any formal high school. I had to have a tutor help me in modern math and it took a semester before I was able to understand it and learn. After that I was able to make 90 and 100s in it. But that one semester dropped my grade point down to 3.49 overall.
But after I got out of service, I went to work as a T.V. repair service trainee and I learned tube type and transistor electronics from Mr Mattox which was the owner of the TV shop. The hours were long, and the pay was small. But I keep at it until I was considered one of the best service men around. My VA training came to an end and so I took another job at another TV repair service where I made a good salary for about 5 years. Then chips came out and none of us knew anything about them. At that point all we could do was change a board out and there was no money in board swapping. So, the worst decision of my life was made and that was to go to college majoring in electronics. The reason is the only place to make a decent income was working in industry and you had to fight every inch for every dollar. You had to actually quit jobs and take other ones to get a raise. It was like going in circles.
This will be my last comment because of know it alls and English professors wanting to find something to say about how your write. What I tried to do was make people think by what I posted but it turns out I guess my way of saying things just makes people want to down me.
For those out there who really need help here is a piece of advice. Always test anything before taking it as gospel and then keep your mind open to other ways because there will be multiple ways of doing the same thing with some better than others.
I am not mad about anything that was said just got tired of it.
Dreaded, you started out doing what you’re complaining about. I don’t understand why so many here think it’s OK to attack Raven because they disagree with him and you piled on about battery life in a gun sight. I don’t know if you served but I understand he did.
So I challenged your expertise because you claimed it to be greater than his but your story didn’t back it up. So I should have taken the high road and didn’t. I apologize.
Stick around. There as a-holes and nice guys. And like WWF, we all swap sides from time to time to keep the ratings up.
After getting interested in electronics through ham radio, I started out my career in electronics in my uncle’s TV shop. My first job for him was testing filaments on a huge box of used 12AT7s. I spent my youth in tube TV repair and the first 5 years of my Navy career in tube-type Electronic Warfare systems.
I did not mean to make it seem I was downing him or anyone. I wanted to show a different view of the subject and that I disagreed, but it seems as you indicated my writing skills are just not good enough and I did get a little on the angry side at some of the things he said. It seems to me that because I disagree and because my writing skills are not good enough to convey what I really wanted to that I really need to stop responding. If I am not helping, then I am hurting people. I do not want to harm anyone.
As to the cell phone stuff maybe the guy who told me was wrong. I have not delved into it deeply. I just know how it appears to work.
My electronics expertise was in industrial. I designed and repaired industrial equipment. During the last 20 or so years I designed and built the electronic control panels and wrote the programs for Allen Bradley PLCs that controlled production lines.
My responsibility included writing applications for PC (used on the lines for weight, count and labeling), programming the PLCs to control the various automation functions for producing fiber, networking, quality control, emergency response for accidents, production record keeping, medical record keeping and systems repair.
I was a manager in control of plant maintenance, quality control, production rates etc.
Another words I was the go-to if something went wrong. lol
I started out just building and wiring electrical panels for one line and ended up building 3 more lines. Each of these lines had upward of 50 motor controllers, various type of sensors and several PLCs that worked together to preform automations.
I have worked in robotics, laser tracking, and surveillance radar systems also but that was back in the early 1980’s and 1990’s government jobs are dependent on congress and they come and go quickly. So, I went into industrial. I also have done a lot of board level repair on industrial machinery.
Btw I did serve in the Army during Vietnam, but I make no claims to have been in any war.
Dreaded:
Please stick around and feel free to chime in anytime. I for one appreciate all of our disfunctional family. There are plenty of pains in the ass, and there are a lot of good people too. Then there are the good pains.?
The serious preppers need the neophytes and the “chippers” to keep them stimulated and on their toes, and the beginners need the old hands to teach them the hacks that are only learned over time.
In a good brainstorming session, the one rule of coming up with a solution to a problem is that there are no stupid ideas, just ones that may not apply to the situation, but those might work for something else.
As for the spelling and grammar elitists, I’ve noticed that most of them have also made errors in their posts. Nobody’s perfect, and we’re not here to try for a degree in Composition 101, but to exchange ideas on how to get ready for the Big Nasty lurking around the corner.
Miss Kitty,
What has come across to me is this, I came on to help and I got away from helping because of my own inability to control anger at things I know to be wrong. This indicates either I need to not comment or change from responding to one comment and just make a general comment about what ever. But I am not sure even then it would change much.
I don’t want to tell someone something wrong that their life may depend on. Just like saying the red dots are dependable when they are only about 60% to 80% dependable depending on the person that uses them and depending on how often they are checked etc.
So, at this point I have not decided but if I do comment it will not be to any comment made unless asked directly. As far as me needing help with survival I really know how to survive. I am a redneck country boy at ❤ and already know what is coming and how to survive. I was raised in a small city during the winter months and on a farm during the summer. I was taught how to cook, hunt, fish and gather at an early age. So, I have a mix of both kinds of life.
I know this my wife will not survive more than a few weeks or months because of her medical condition, because without the prescription drugs she has to have she cannot survive long. Without her as my life partner I only have my children to worry about and they are as trained as I am. I do not see surviving for a long period of time after the as the world we know ends. Not even sure I want too. I know too much about the hardships that are in store for those who do.
A lot of the preppers act like it will be a walk in the park or like going camping when in reality it will a struggle every minute to survive. You will not have the luxury of sitting down and reading a book or taking a day off because if you do then you lose. We take all the time off we have for granted this time off will be gone.
My uncles worked from before daylight and until after dark to make a living at farming. They had very little time off. They worked a lot of Sundays after church. This life they lead was not as bad as it will be if the world as we know it ends.
Well, Dreaded, you’re a big boy. Do what you’re going to do. Just quit whining about your feelings being hurt. You’re not going to survive anything if you’re not any tougher than that.
What is this common falsehood that I keep coming across with regards to microwaves being faraday cages? Oh my lord, please stop saying this as it’s completely untrue.
A microwave emits microwaves, i.e. EM radiation of a few centimetres in wavelength.
It does NOT capture electrical charge as your microwave would be one giant death trap, as it produces enough voltage in it’s transformer to literally burn your fingers off if you were to touch it.
A microwave blocks MICROWAVE radiation, not electricity induced through interaction with the microwaves. The holes you see in the front panel are 5mm for a reason. It’s because the microwaves themselves are too high a wavelength to fit through them and thus a literally just blocked by the metal metal and bounce around freely inside, heating up the water molecules in your food. This is why you don’t fry your face off when you stare at your pot noodle.
If it were a Faraday cage you’d be tripping the circuit breaker everytime you used it, as it runs like 20,000 volts or something stupid through the transformer to make the microwaves.
You want to talk about practical experiences with homemade faraday cages. Fine. But don’t spread nonsense urban myths to make yourself sound credible on the theory.
Prior US Army As for Red Dot sites, Yes every prepper should have one along with a pair of Backup Iron Sights. for each weapon you have with Optics on it.
One of the best Faraday cages you can buy. 55 gallon Metal Drum with the removable lid, you can usually get them for Free from Spray Foam insulation Contractors. You have to clean them out. I use about 1 quart of paint thinner to remove the chemical residue. The cool thing about these drums is the lid they have a rubber gasket you can remove which then makes them metal to metal. They also have a metal to metal ban with a 3/4″ Bolt you tighten down and the lid is on there nice and tight. Cut up an old refrigerator box and line the bottom and sides. I don’t do the top since nothing touches it. By placing them on the ground or concrete they are already grounded. Some of my items I store. Jump drives with tons of video’s and books every manual I can get my hands on All my old phone’s I’ve every had, Laptop and tablets. Night Vision and Thermal as well. Solar Panel Charger Dewalt tool charger, AA-AAA Battery Chargers Thermal Battery CR2’s yes you can now get them, in rechargeable. All my Flashlights and Headlamps . 2 way radio’s All my important stuff is inside of a mini Faraday cages just for extra protection. These cages are cookie cans and popcorn cans and Ammo Cans. I use rubber gasket material as liners inside of them. As for Batteries never ever store them inside of a Faraday Cage over time they will leak gas and destroy your equipment. Batteries are cheap and most of them you can store for years.
I just would like to know if a cardboard box inside a mylar bag would work for e m p
Thank you for your time.
It would be far better if you talked to an engineer on how to protect your gear. I can tell you from memory from experiments conducted long ago by a university & the government the only way to be sure is to bury at least 4-6ft underground in a container designed to absorb any pulse this will also do well for any concussion wave or heat wave as the ground absorbs it all preventing damage. Personally, i would use a certain type of plastic sheet used in nuclear plants in layers. I don’t have the name in front of me right now but you can but all that’s needed on amazon.com and low coast. You make a few layers of the sheeting alternating with iron oxide & graphite, all of these are used in nuke plants for shielding. Use a mold of some sort, a trash can, PVC piping etc. then make your layers then bury it 4-6 ft underground. this would be the only sure way to ensure its survival, even though you may not survive without the same shielding.
A new company started by combat vets came out: EMP SHIELD.COM. They have many different types of EMP Shields for EMP-1, EMP-2, an EMP-3. EMP-1 lasts like a billionth of a second, EMP-2 lasts about “the rest of the first second”, and their web site says an EMP-3 lasts about three minutes because it is the electrical charge in the air that is much thinner at 250 miles high, etc; and the air churns trying to ground out its super-charged ions that takes some time to reach earth.
They sell a house EMP Shield (from one Utility power line only) and it protects ONLY EVERYTHING THAT IS PLUGGED INTO AN ELECTRICAL OUTLET. Anything unplugged gets “fried” unless it is in a Faraday Cage protective container.
The EMP Shields are expensive at up to $470 each “ouch”! They say that it operates by shorting the EMP overcharge and that it will be operative through EMP 1, 2, and 3. WHAT I DON’T KNOW FOR SURE IS WHETHER IT WILL REMAIN OPERATIVE AFTER AN EMP. So my “I don’t know” question is that if it is designed to “short” the EMP 1, 2, and 3. Will it also short itself out when it is done saving my house and car (and everything plugged into an outlet)? I am still waiting for my purchase to arrive, so I lack the complete details. They say they have a 6 week backlog. They also sell EMP shields for motorcycles, RV’s, Mobile Homes, solar panels, Radio Towers, etc.
I am sure there are plenty of house fires that start at the Electrical Main Panel due to a panel failure from a high electric overcharge in the box. Then, if I lacked this protective device how much would it cost me to replace my house? Or my electric oven/stove top, computers, TVs, refrigerators, HVAC system, water heater, and everything else hooked up to an outlet? In that respect, $470 is super cheap insurance. The one for my car is the same price. But if everyone’s computerized electronics got fried, How many fried cars are in your community? How long would you have to wait for parts when an after-war peace time arrived? How would you get back to work if your work is 20 miles from home? Ride a bike through the snow or on the ice??? Something to think about. There is a lot of information on EMP Shield.com; and NO I am not an affiliate seller and gain nothing from sharing this info other than thinking y’all are worth it. period.
Thank you to those who posted information here, and those asking questions.
I appreciate all of that. I guess sometimes, there is no easy answer and we’ll find out when it happens, Nice to have some food for thought about the topic.
At the same time:
I REALLY wish authors of these posts would be REQUIRED to
provide LINKS to back up their claims!
Anyone can say ANYTHING, but that doesn’t necessarily make it TRUE.
Please, Claude! Require those who write for this blog provide links to backup what they claim, or provide evidence of scientific education and literacy regarding the topic (unless it is personal experience).
This is to ensure that this blog remains credible.
Look up “ammo can faraday….your doing it wrong” on
YouTube
“ammo can faraday….your doing it wrong”
Read the “more” under picture!!!