TOTM Feb. 2017- EMP A Real Threat or Fiction

I hate auto correct.
That was supposed to be "pre computer". Not "precious computer", wft.

 

Tune the radio to the strongest station wrap it and stuff it in the ammo can while it's on, obviously had to be battery powered. If you can still hear music it's likely not going to work.

 

I have never heard this. Thank you. That is so easy and I definite way to test. Thank you @oil pan 4

 

If AM or FM waves can still reach the radio then you know all the bad stuff can too.

 

I have seen that government EMP "test" touted many times, my personal, opinion is I don't buy it. From what I have studied, 50 kV/m is a mere fraction of what a real EMP device or Carrington type event would generate. The starfish prime test in 1962 knocked out street lights in Hawaii 898 miles away. I am no expert, but I would think a street light is a bit more robust than a computer chip or even a transistor. The US, UK and the Soviet Union stopped atmospheric testing testing in 1963. France tested until 1974, and China till 1980. The US above ground tests were done at a time when cars were not electronically controlled. I am not familiar enough with the vehicles of France or China up to the era when they ended above ground testing. We won't really know until it happens. One bright side I do see is that during the US era of testing, I have not seen reports of starters or generators on any of the vehicles being damaged by the pulse.

The early 70's the beginning of "electronic era" in American automobiles. The mid to late 80's was the beginning of the "computer era" of automobiles. Many electronic engines can be converted to points. The key to an "easy and cheap" points conversion is an engine that was available with points. Such engines include most American made in line six engines and V8 engines that are based on what was available in the 60's. The XS650 Yamaha can also be converted to points. (many consider that an upgrade over factory electronic ignition) Japanese bikes started going electronic ignition in the early 70's on the higher end bikes, by the early 80's the points were all gone. Those are just what I could think of right now, there are many others. Most "small" engines, went to some form of electronic ignition in the early mid 80's. I would guess that most of the generators, mini bikes, and such in service today can't be retrofitted with points, easily.

The amount of computers in cars for the last 10 or so years, in my opinion, has gotten totally out of hand. Personally, I don't need my electric mirrors, seats, and every other thing controlled by a computer. My daily driver is a beat 95 Toyota truck, I don't expect it to survive an EMP type attack. I also have some /6 powered vehicles. While they have factory 70's Dodge electronic ignition, I have points distributors I can drop in them in about 10 minutes or so. As far as other electronic preps, I haven't done much outside of storing some things in a metal building. Should those items survive, great, if not, it's not the end of my world.

That new Rokon mentioned is nice, yet it most assuredly has electronic ignition. Another problem I see with that Rokon, is that it seems to have a belt that drives something. I have learned that a belt drive will give NO SIGNS before failure. Yes, the make a "master link" for belts, but it is designed to just get you off the road, a doughnut spare is more reliable. Rokon bikes are a really cool design, but I would look for an older one, personally.

Sorry about the rambling rant. I hope somebody got something useful from it.

 

I think you are missing one of the key components of a faraday cage...the non-conductive insulating layer between the outer shell and the item(s) you are trying to protect. Wrapping the radio in tin foil is cool...as long as there is still a good non-conductive layer between the wrapped radio and the outer shell.

 

I'm pretty sure solar flares do not create any where near 50kv/m at ground level.
If solar flares were as powerful as nuclear emp then planes would have been falling out of the sky in 1989 over canada.
For comparison the 1989 solar storm was about 1/3 the power of the Carrington event.
Nuclear EMP can far exceed 1,000kv/m.
As far south as I am a solar emp may not even be a threat. Plus Texas has its own powe grid.
During the next bad solar storm you can bet the western interconnection will be toast, Quebec interconnection smoked with out any doubt, the eastern grid may be damaged. Mid Atlantic grid could be damaged, mid western grid will likely be damaged too.
I'm on central grid which only goes as far north as kansas. So the Central, Texas and Florida grids will probably be uneffected.
Yet another reason to not livery up north.

I have no plans to do this.
I have around 30 pounds of brass screen I picked up from the scrap yard.
I'm going to build actual shielding no screwing around with trash cans, ammo cans or aluminum foil.

 

Your fiber optic cable is not safe..the fiber cables have a copper tracer that runs along the whole length. That is a lot of potential.....OH it is used for locating the cable..............I have seen the effects of a lighting ground strike on home electronics where the charge ran up the tracer. I know the charge effect is different for lighting VS the EMP charge but this is worth thinking about.

 

@Motomom34 I cut up a cardboard box and lined the inside of the ammo cans so no interior metal is exposed. I also took out the rubber seal in the lid and stuffed the space with steel wool. I can't remember where I heard of this technique, but I'm taking the gamble.

 

You still need an insulator between the stuff you are protecting and the screen. That said, air works.

 

Fiberglas works well for electrical insulation.

 

I'm a climate change denying EMP believing prepper. China urges North Korea to do it promising to defend them. Fat boy goes to China. We torch North Korea and are out of China's way. China and Russia split up America. Sounds like a book I'm reading now. Who or what is to stop them?

Wrap electronics in alternate layers of plastic and aluminum foil. The last layer should be plastic as well as the first. This is the only thing I have found that works every time.

 

Some where over the years I read about a similar system that in effect turned the wrapping into a basic capacitor that was eternally grounded. Seemed like an improvement over brass or other metal screen wire to handle large or small spikes. Never tried it myself but would like to hear more thoughts on it.

 

I was watching one of those fun science shows you see every so often on the TeeVee. Seems that an electrical manufacturer owned a 'lightening machine' it could generate up to 1 million volts. The companies equipment would be tested as to how well it would hold up to...wait for it - a lightening strike. An event that happens to our Grid millions of times a year.

The shows host wanted to show how being in your car would protect the occupant from a lightening strike....

They drove a new model Ford Pickup into the test area and hit it - multiple times - with million volt strikes. When the demo was over, the guy started the truck and drove away.

So, EMP is an issue, but not a big one. The grid today is a far cry from the antiquated system from the 60s....

This is one of those things where everyone gets to decide for themselves. YMMV.

About Canada -
The variations in the earth's magnetic field also tripped circuit breakers on Hydro-Québec's power grid. The utility's very long transmission lines and the fact that most of Quebec sits on a large rock shield prevented current flowing through the earth, finding a less resistant path along the 735 kV power line.
(March 1989 geomagnetic storm - Wikipedia)

AND

Within months of the blackout, Hydro-Québec had recalibrated the trip levels for safety equipment across the grid to reduce the chance it would be triggered by a solar storm. Later, it added equipment called series compensation on some lines to increase the stability of the network by changing the electrical behaviour of its transmission lines — a project completed in 1996.
(The power grid is getting smarter, but is it tougher?)

 

Smarter can mean tougher if it's part of the design.
Lightning strikes to a piece of equipment are a lot stronger than solar flare but not as strong as nuclear can be.
The real test is if the truck is running.

The problem with nuclear is if it's an ideal air burst the strong EMP that takes out everything probably puts you in the pressure and thermal blast radius that destroys and irradiates everything.
A very high altitude blast just gives EMP with out all the death, destruction and fallout. Even being 100,000ft up it can still make a very strong EMP at least several times lighting strike EMP for an instant, then followed by hours of solar storm like interference as the charge in the atmosphere works it's way down.
Problem is if terrorists get ahold of one you can bet on 2 things, it will go to the biggest city they can get it to and it will be a surface or very near surface blast, so not a lot of EMP, but lots of fallout.
Same thing with N. Korea, if they can get one over here it will very likely not be a high altitude blast, hell it may be on an impact or proximity fuse.

 

I believe a nuclear EMP event is exceptionally unlikely. If it was as easy to do as some have made out I think it probably would have been done already. I am not prepping specifically at all for an EMP event as I would rather spend my resources on things I will truly need...food, seed, skills training, medicines, clothing, solar powered devices. There is always a bigger disaster that could happen and you have to draw your personal line in the sand somewhere. I've chosen to draw mine far before events the size and seriousness of an EMP event. I live in a four season climate and 1) I know how to grow and store food to last a year; 2) I am working on having a reasonable heat source but know how to keep warm in the winter with no heat source; 3) I am working now on how to get water regularly and reliably.

If I had an EMP survivable vehicle...where will I get fuel? oil? etc. Also, what would I be needing a vehicle for? How much oil/fuel consumables can a person reasonably store in the quantities that would be needed? A few weeks worth? A year maybe? What then?

If I had a radio that was safe in a Faraday cage...what would I be listening to after the event? Who will be broadcasting? And since most people won't have an EMP safe radio, to whom will the broadcasters be broadcasting to if in fact they can? I suppose some portable ham radios could be useful as they would be in any major survival event.

 

Where do you get fuel for your emp resistant vehicle after an emp? Easy.
All the vehicles that aren't emp resistant.

The further south you are the less likely a solar EMP is likely to effect you.

If you are on Texas grid, central grid or Florida pensula grid, don't worry about a solar storm knocking out power.
But in Florida and Texasgulf Coast it will be a hurricane, inland Texas and central could have tornados knocking out power.
If you are up north, prepare for it. Because solar storms have happened before and knocked out power and it
will happen again.
Another thing that you can bet on knocking out power is government or corporate incompetence. For example my wife's brother lives in down town okc, lost power for over a week last year when a transformer blew and the power company couldn't get a replacement.

If you had a radio after EMP I will tell you exactly who will be broadcasting, some one who will be saying "I told you so".