What to store in a Faraday cage.

What to store in a Faraday cage.

What every prepper should keep in a Faraday cage.

 

 

As we know nuke explosion can create five effects:

A)   Light

The first sign of a nuclear explosion is a sudden flash of light that can temporarily or even permanently blind anyone looking in the direction of the explosion.

 

B)    EMP – Electromagnetic Pulse

Electromagnetic pulse is a brief burst of  electromagnetic energy. EPM is running simultaneously with light explosion but it holds just milliseconds and it is not harm to human body. However, some research suggests that strong EMP may have a substantial effect on the cognitive processes of the left hemisphere of the brain. This research suggests that it can temporarily short-circuit the logical circuitry. The main problem of EMP is destruction of any electrical circuit up to hundreds kilometers from the blast.

 

C)    Heat

 

35% of all the energy released during the explosion is radiated into the environment in the form of heat.  A 1 megaton bomb emits heat that vaporizes everything within 3 miles of the blast, ignites almost everything within 8 miles, severely burns all living things 11 miles from the blast, and 1st degree burns within 20 miles.

 

 

D)   Shock wave

About 50% of the energy is released in the form of a pressure wave. Its propagation speed is approximately 1 mile/second. The pressure wave sweeps away everything in its path and its power lasts, unless it weakens with increasing distance from the epicenter. All structures within a 4 mile radius will be swept away. Since it travels faster than the speed of sound, no noise can reveal it.

 

E)    Radiation and radioactive fallout

The most dangerous harmful factor is the radiation produced during the explosion. It only works for a minute after the explosion, but it has maximum deadly penetrating power.

Secondary radiation is radioactive fallout. Intensity of radiation fallout decreasing dramatically every hour and day but contamination can continue many years.

 

We will talk today in this article about EMP - Electromagnetic Pulse.

The first human-caused EMP occurred in 1962 when the 1.4 megaton Starfish Prime thermonuclear weapon detonated 400 km above the Pacific Ocean.

One hundred times bigger than what was dropped on Hiroshima, Starfish Prime resulted in an EMP which caused electrical damage nearly 900 miles away in Hawaii. It knocked out about 300 streetlights, set off numerous burglar alarms, and damaged a telephone company microwave link that shut down telephone calls from Kauai to the other Hawaiian islands.

And that was from 900 miles away.

As known today EMP can destroy any electronic device using semiconductor circuits, FET transistors and micro chips. Today almost all electronic equipment work on this basis. Only old cars which are not supplied with board computers and electronic engine control  can be EMP proof and will run after EMP attack.

 

There is a possibility how to protect electronic devices against effects of EMP. The solution is to keep electronic devices in the Faraday cage. 

A Faraday cage is a container made of conducting material, such as wire mesh or metal plates, that shields what it encloses from external electric fields.

There are many companies which are selling such shielded containers. But every prepper can build own very simple shielded container on the principle of Faraday cage. 

Now if we know how to protect our electronics we should also to know which electronic equipment should be protected.

For this reason I created basic groups of items which should be stored by prepper in Faraday cage as follows:

1.    Communication

2.    Weapons Equipment

3.    Navigation

4.    Energy

5.    Light

6.    Security and Safety

7.    Medical Devices

8.    Measurements

9.    Other Tools

 

You can store all items in one larger shielded container or you can make more smaller boxes. It depends on your choice, possibilities and priorities. How to create own simple shielded container on priciple of Faraday cage you can read in another article here.

 

1.    COMMUNICATION

When EMP happens all go suddenly silent. Many engines stop to run, TV and radio stations will silence. Internet and cell phone network will be out of the service. Lights will go off and cars (except old ones) stop to run. Man will desperately need to get information what is going on.  Any working radio can be helpful in this situations.  Portable worldwide radio receiver can help you which radio stations are still running and which are not. You can analyze scope of the problem if it is just local, state level or  country or continent. Also some types of cell phones can work independent of cell phone network as radio. But the most important will be HAM radio to call for help even in the foreign countries. Small walkie-talkie or CB, PMR radios can be helpful just within local area of small groups.   

Remember: Always dismount antenna from each radion when you put in shielded container, also don‘t store any radio with installed battery.  

This is the reason why  every prepper should store in his Faraday cage:

1.    Ham Radio

2.    Portable Worldwide Radio Receiver

3.    Crank AM/FM Radio Receiver

4.    Older Cell Phone

5.    CB or PMR Radio

Remember if impact of EMP is local only the situation can be guite optimistic and help can come relatively soon. But  when you find out that EMP impact is in the entire country or continent this is very serious and dangerous situation.

You should find out as soon as possible if this EMP has natural character like solar flares or  somebody from politicians made terrible mistake and  EMP was caused by nuclear eruption or new EMP bomb was used. If GPS is still working it means EMP was not created by sun erruptions. Even if nuke bomb was used at earth surface the GPS satellite can still work. If nuke bomb explosion was in high altitude in this case some GPS satellite can go off.

 

2.    WEAPONS EQUIPMENT

After EMP attack we can expect rising of violations on the streets due to lack of security. Missing command of chain in police and other government service. Many preppers are already armed and trained for such situation but some of them forget to protect their combat equipment which is working on electronic basis. And therefore do not forget to put in your Faraday cage:

1.    Red Dot Sights

2.    Night Vision Devices

3.    Thermo Vision Devices

4.    Laser Aim

5.    Stun Gun

 

 

3.    NAVIGATION

Old school preppers will keep always with them printed maps of their area of interest. New generation of preppers are much more in favor of  using modern electronic devices and this is the same in the field of orientations and maps. Using GPS unit is more comfortable and much cool for some preppers. Here are items which should be stored in yout Faraday cage:

1.    GPS unit

2.    Tablet with offline maps

3.    Cell phone with offline maps.

Do not forget regularly update your offline maps in your devices.

 

4.    ENERGY

Very important category. Do not forget on chargers of all electronics equipment mentioned above and below of this list.   

1.    Power Banks

2.    Inverter Generators

3.    Chargers for cell phones, tablets, power banks, radios, flashlights etc.

4.    Solar Panel Set

5.    Battery Inverter 12/24V

6.    Rechargeable Batteries

Remember some of diesel/gasoline generators with simple cord pull start are EMP proof and don’t need to be protected in Faraday cage.

 

5.    LIGHT

It is pretty hard today to buy modern flashlight with old classic incandescent bulb. Almost all lights are using LED technology which have to be protected against EMP. This is the reason why  every prepper should store in his Faraday cage:

1.    Headlamps

2.    Crank Lamps

3.    Shake Flashlight

4.    Any flashlight with LED bulb or build in rechargeable battery.

5.    Any flashlight with USB-charging

6.    Solar powered lantern

I am not sure about shake flashlight if is EMP proof but I put it in the list. It uses magnets, coil and capacitor to generate electricity by shaking.

 

6.    SECURITY and SAFETY

Keeping entire home security system as backup in Faraday cage is insane. But keeping extra some cheap sensors which can be used as trip wire alarm could be useful.

1.    Home Security Cameras various types

2.    IR Trip Wire Alarms

3.    Heat/Motion Detectors

4.    Smoke/Carbon Dioxide Detectors

5.    Night Vision Cameras

6.    Thermal Cameras

 

 

7.    MEDICAL DEVICES

If you don’t have old school blood pressure monitor or thermometer do not forget to keep new ones as spare in your Faraday cage.  Many diabetics should spare also one set for them in Faraday cage too.

1.    Blood Pressure Monitor

2.    Thermometter

3.    O2 Pulse Oximeter

4.    Blood Sugar Monitor

5.    Hearing Aid Set

 

      

 

8.    MEASUREMENTS

Because radiation cannot be detected by human senses my first choice in this category will be radiation detector – compact dosimeter/Geiger Counter which can  measure alpha, beta, gamma or X-ray radiation levels. Useful can be also complex weather station which is detecting not only temperature but also atmospheric pressure, humidity, visibility, direction and speed  of wind. This collected weather data can help you to analyze or predict radioactive fallout track.

1.    Geiger Counter

2.    Digital Weather Station

3.    Battery Voltage Tester

4.    Electric Multi-Meter

5.    Wrist Watch

6.    Digital Scales and Electronic Caliper

Some preppers do reloading with their ammo. Scales and calipers if they are electronic should be stored in Faraday cage too.

 

9.    OTHER TOOLS

This section can have various items all depends on your occupation or hobbies. Craftsman will have different choice then intellectual. Somebody is working with specific tools and somebody use more computers. Just short illustration list what can be useful:

1.    USB Key

2.    SD Cards

3.    Multi Card Reader

4.    External Hard Drive

5.    Battery/Solar Calculator

6.    Laptop, Tablet, Ebook Reader

7.    Cordless Power Tools and Accu Batteries

 

Last note: If you want to improve protection of your stored items you can put most important of them in separate aluminum protection bags.

Do you think I forgot to mention other items? Which other items do you store in your Faraday cage?

To get more details about EMP read selected free books in this EMP library

 

EuroPrepper

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