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Victim of Life's
Circumstances
Picture of doublesharp
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emergency radio, watch and some batteries in a freezer bag wrapped in alum foil in an ammo box in my steel pole barn. Sounds like a plan.


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Posts: 4859 | Location: Sunnyside of Louisville | Registered: July 04, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
If you see me running
try to keep up
Picture of mrvmax
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I think anything would be better than doing nothing but there are too many factors to take into account to protect from every possible EMP. I say this because I worked with a guy that previously worked for the government when they did EMP experiments. I tried getting info out of him but their experiments were all hard numbers where they knew the strength, distance etc. and built protection accordingly. Do what you can for a grounded faraday cage. It will probably be more than 99% of the people do and just pray the EMP doesn't hot close to you.
 
Posts: 4260 | Location: Friendswood Texas | Registered: August 24, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
eh-TEE-oh-clez
Picture of Aeteocles
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Regarding the lock on the safe... Just watch some YouTube videos on how to break into a safe with a crowbar. Commit the techniques to memory.

If shit goes down so hard that my lock won't function, I'm popping that boy open manually and won't care in the things inside get a little banged up.
 
Posts: 13066 | Location: Orange County, California | Registered: May 19, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Shaman
Picture of ScreamingCockatoo
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Modern cars will survive an EMP attack.
EMP is meant to shut down power grids.

https://www.futurescience.com/emp/vehicles.html





He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.
 
Posts: 39895 | Location: Atop the cockatoo tree | Registered: July 27, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
safe & sound
Picture of a1abdj
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quote:
Hmmm, in regards to an electronic lock on a gun safe,



I believe this risk is overblown. Several lock manufacturers have tested their locks and found them to be pretty resistant to EMP as they are.


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Posts: 15918 | Location: St. Charles, MO, USA | Registered: September 22, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Peace through
superior firepower
Picture of parabellum
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Set off a 500 kiloton nuke in their testing facility, did they?

I know one thing to a certainty- EMP doesn't affect a mechanical lock.
 
Posts: 109630 | Registered: January 20, 2000Reply With QuoteReport This Post
safe & sound
Picture of a1abdj
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quote:
Set off a 500 kiloton nuke in their testing facility, did they?

I know one thing to a certainty- EMP doesn't affect a mechanical lock.



The US Government uses electro-mechanical locks on all of their safes. Companies like Kaba and S&G who make all manners of safe locks also produce locks that are sold for Government use and which must pass testing that includes EMP. I don't know how they generate the EMP, but I know that they do.

On a whim S&G had some of the other locks they made tested, and they too passed. I don't know why exactly. Perhaps the lock case, or maybe even the safe is shielding the electronics that would be impacted.

Everything the military uses is EMP tested. My trucks (built in the 90's) are shielded and have a grounding port to connect to a ground rod to complete the "cage".

I suspect if you were near a blast strong enough to fry your safe lock, you won't be alive to get into your safe.

Here's what S&G says:

https://www.sargentandgreenleaf.com/emp/

quote:
An independent lab applied a radiant transient electromagnet field on a variety of S&G keypads, following the Military Standard MIL-STD461F, Method RS105 at 50 kV/m peak exposure. At the end of the testing series, the S&G locks were still fully functional. S&G credits the locks’ resilience to the expertise our engineers have from working with high-security locks for U.S. government facilities.


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Posts: 15918 | Location: St. Charles, MO, USA | Registered: September 22, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Ignored facts
still exist
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quote:
Originally posted by arlen:
The Faraday cage must be grounded. If not, it will do no good. "Grounded" means deep into the earth.



This is not true. By their very nature, all currents will flow on the outside of the sealed Faraday Cage and what's inside is safe.


.
 
Posts: 11157 | Location: 45 miles from the Pacific Ocean | Registered: February 28, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Peace through
superior firepower
Picture of parabellum
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quote:
Originally posted by a1abdj:
I suspect if you were near a blast strong enough to fry your safe lock, you won't be alive to get into your safe.
'Suspecting' is not knowing, and we don't know, do we? And any man who doesn't make preparations that cost essentially nothing is a fool.

I live in the suburbs of large metropolitan area. Neither you nor I know what would happen in the event of a nuclear blast.

I mean, it's not like we live in a dangerous world with people who want to murder every one of us at their first oportunity so, y'know, let's just coast and have a beer.
 
Posts: 109630 | Registered: January 20, 2000Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of Greymann
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www.dhs.gov/sites/default/file...ience-Guidelines.pdf
.................................................................
DHS has this publication on EMP.
If you don't want to down load pdf, you can view at dhs.gov and search "EMP".
 
Posts: 1689 | Location: New Mexico | Registered: March 21, 2017Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Ignored facts
still exist
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quote:
Originally posted by a1abdj:
.......My trucks (built in the 90's) are shielded and have a grounding port to connect to a ground rod to complete the "cage".



Wait, what? Do you have a reference for this "grounding port to connect to a ground rod to complete the 'cage'" which refers specifically to EMP?


.
 
Posts: 11157 | Location: 45 miles from the Pacific Ocean | Registered: February 28, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Tupperware Dr.
Picture of GCE61
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I have a few 6 gallon steel trashcan's which have a very tight locking lid on top. I put my two way radios and some AM/FM radio's and electronics in there to store. The inside is lined with rubber sheeting that I had laying around and then a couple of black plastic garbage bags to make sure nothing touches the metal trashcan's. Put the lid on tight and then wrap around the lip to seal it with metallic HVAC tape.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/behre...AvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Here is where I saw the idea:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bvR--AFq7M0
 
Posts: 3596 | Registered: December 28, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
semi-reformed sailor
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What if your car is off and just parked on the street or in a garage? Will an air detonated nuclear device at say 30k feet ruin a car?

I’ve read Fortchner’s books and wondered what would be spared?

I know none of my stuff will be hurt, and I could live afterward, but many things would change. Could I get a hand cranked am radio and keep it for emergencies w/o fear that an EMP would ruin it?



"Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor.” Robert A. Heinlein

“You may beat me, but you will never win.” sigmonkey-2020

“A single round of buckshot to the torso almost always results in an immediate change of behavior.” Chris Baker
 
Posts: 11517 | Location: Temple, Texas! | Registered: October 07, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
safe & sound
Picture of a1abdj
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quote:
Wait, what? Do you have a reference for this "grounding port to connect to a ground rod to complete the 'cage'" which refers specifically to EMP?



I read it in one of the manuals or supplements at some point because I was not familiar with exactly what the port was, and apparently was missing the kit used for grounding purposes.

I just did a quick google search to see what I could find, and although I couldn't find anything specific to this particular truck, did find general statements about "penetrating conductors" requiring grounding efforts to prevent the EMP from going through them and into the protected areas. I'm assuming in the case of my truck, the "penetrating conductors" would be the battery/power lines.

There are not nearly as many electronic doodads on these vehicles as most regular vehicles.

This may explain why S&G mentions directing the EMP at the keypad and not the lock itself. The lock is a metallic box mounted inside of another metallic box. The keypad and wiring would be "penetrating conductors", so that's what they're zapping to see how/if it travels into the lock proper.


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Posts: 15918 | Location: St. Charles, MO, USA | Registered: September 22, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
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Years ago I read that electronic items that are plugged in to elect power at the wall outlet may be damaged. Power lines will essentially be like longwire antennas that receive the power burst and route it to your home electrical wiring system.
 
Posts: 1623 | Location: Texas Hill Country | Registered: April 07, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
safe & sound
Picture of a1abdj
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I also just found this in a unclassified government manual dated this year:

" In general, small handheld electronics are relatively immune to EMP effects, unless they have long antennas or power cords attached, and so the need for Faraday cages is of secondary importance."


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Posts: 15918 | Location: St. Charles, MO, USA | Registered: September 22, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Peace through
superior firepower
Picture of parabellum
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"Relatively immune". An old styrofoam box and two wrpas of aluminum foil will remove 'relatively'. Why wouldn't I do this? Has anyone here been through a nuclear attack?
 
Posts: 109630 | Registered: January 20, 2000Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Three thoughts -

1. I think the insulated items inside an ammo box is a reasonable precaution. An AM radio comes to mind. Laptops, cell phones, etc. will, in my opinion be relatively useless due to the cell towers that are in essence “lightening rods” being well fried.

2. If you think home appliances, or anything plugged into 110v, is safe I suggest you talk to people that have had lightening strikes near their homes. That surge/power spike is impressive and I would suggest that anything directly wired to the grid is susceptible to damage. We just had (last year) such a strike that fried a solar panel inverter and the controller that went with it. Neighbor, who was closer, lost more.

3. We, the men on the street, don’t know our current weapons capabilities. We are likely defending ourselves from 1990’s technology. Yes, we do likely have people here with more current information - that they may or may not be sharing.
 
Posts: 2164 | Location: south central Pennsylvania | Registered: November 05, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
hello darkness
my old friend
Picture of gw3971
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For my gun safe I replaced the lock with this.

http://www.securitybase.com/se...proof-safe-lock.html

it has a regular electronic lock and can be used as a dial lock as an option just in case.
I have had it for a year or two and seems to work well.
 
Posts: 7745 | Location: West Jordan, Utah | Registered: June 19, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
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I replaced the electronic lock on my gun safe with an S&G combination lock.
 
Posts: 1482 | Location: Western WA | Registered: September 11, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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