Faraday cage

[Bubbles]

Since an emp can be caused by any number of factors and since majority of us plan to use our cars to bug out, or use home generators who is storing kit in faraday cages? I have my spare car parts in one but have yet to test it. My generator is pull start so no risk there of it not starting.

Just a thought as an emp will hit quicker than we can realise.

Storage of extra parts is also a viable source of bartering.

[Wingfoot]

I'm not as organised as I would like to be on this subject but I have a couple of Baofeng UV-5R radios as well as a smart phone & backup usb memory stick along with a torch encased in polystyrene inside a metal box in my prep store, it's not much but it's at least something.

Wf

[Hoipoloi]

I have my small wind-up radio wrapped in foil in my INCH bag but had completely forgot about my USB stick. Nice reminder, thanks.

[Arzosah]

My old laptop, which is one of my backups for my data, is stored in several layers of heavy duty foil.

I've been researching space weather, because of the government report produced last month, looked at international research and safeguards too. I can't (yet! I'm still looking, going to email some people today) find anything about safeguarding our own equipment except stuff written by preppers. There's no official data on it at all.

That said, I personally know people whose tvs have blown up, or who've been thrown across a room when using a telephone - not from EMP or geomagnetic storms, but from lightning striking nearby. The precaution of a faraday cage, and certainly of unplugging anything thats not in use, seems right, but i've not found any scientific proof yet. There's a thread on the American Preppers Network that sounds like there are actual scientists in prep-mode talking about it, but I haven't managed to decipher it yet.

Are there any scientists on here who can chip in? Much appreciated, if so.

[Wales1]

Some small radios in a old buscuit tin, A galvanised dustbin type incenarator which needs to be buried in the garden but i never get around to it.

Thinking about it I need to step up that area of my preps.

[Wulfshead]

My Faraday cage is a project I am working on now as it goes.
I need mine for my wife's 12 Volt electric cool bag for her insulin,
Our solar cells and hub,
one of my Baofeng UV-5R radios + a small but more powerful 2m & 70cm ham radio.

Mine has to be quite a large cage but I am making it from ply wood covered with layers of foil and the joints stuck with builders insulation joining tape, which is an adhesive 2 inch wide thick foil.

Wulfshead

[Hamradioop]

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Faraday_cage

A Faraday cage is really any object made of a conducting material that is hollow in some manner. The laws that govern our understanding of electricity and magnetism state that "for any object made of a conducting material, the electric field at any point inside that object is zero" The same law mentions other things (like the field being normal to the outside of the object at any point) but really the only thing you need to know is that you can't get shocked if you are inside a Faraday cage while it is being zapped.

Pretty much the easiest demonstration of a Faraday cage would be an elevator car.

[Wulfshead]

Talking about metal boxes and stuff, here's a question that's been bugging me since I was looking at a decommissioned MPB as the ultimate bug-out-vessel.
I asked it on our local repeater but the 'The boat is a big Faraday cage' answer I got I am not to sure about.

So, the motor patrol boat I was looking at, read lusting over, was a 116 ft steel boat with from what I can see metal checker-plate flooring in the engine compartment.
Now, I can understand earthing radio equipment to the hull but what if the all metal ship gets a lightning hit.
Is it as simple as the Amateur told me that those inside the boat would be OK as the electric travels on the outside of the metal or, would anyone touching the inside surface of the hull/ bridge etc get zapped.
The reason I am confused is that when reading about Faraday cages the instruction usually says the cage should have a box of insulating material inside the metal which forms the outer skin of the Faraday cage.

PLEEEEEEASE, for the sanity of my wife and I can someone tell me the answer

Wulfshead

[Hamradioop]

most radio repair shops in the army had a Faraday cage which was a big mesh cage Earthed with work benches inside, the idea was to prevent stray transmissions leaving the work shop. As far as I recall they were made from a weld mesh type material bonded together. no idea what they were made from. Have seen them for sale on E bay in the past.

[90.]

If a steel boat(in water) got hit by a lightening strike the lightning would go to earth(dissipate in the water) over the skin of the boat by the shortest route.

Anything in the boat would be protected.

However assuming worst case of an EMP the effect on equipment in a steel boat or other steel box would be severe as the windows, gaps in the door frame or other openings would allow the EMP to pass and damage electrical equipment.

A faraday cage made of mesh would not work on an EMP as the holes in the mesh allow parts of the pulse to pass, a faraday cage will block Radio waves and most electromagnetic waves - depending on the size of the holes and the mesh must be earthed.

To protect against EMP you would need a grounded steel box with no gaps.

hope this helps.
regards all
90.