"One Second After"

[IMSabbel]

It is also notable to remember that there are few things in the world which have more bullshit being told about than nukes.

Especially the EMP effect (which is only really present in high altitude detonation).
Tests like that created rather bad effects on all kind of equipment.... in the 50s.

Meaning long-wave military radio equipment, power lines, etc. Thinks that can capture enough flux to induce voltage and thus current.
Same reason why solar flares could blow out power substations in canada.

I wouldnt care _one bit_ about the usability of any device that can fit into a hand (and even less if it has a solid metal body). It simply isnt affected by the wavelengths involved. Just think about the likelyhood of a nutshell being crushed on the shore on a stormy day vs a boat...

 

[Vesper]

Just to be safe, make sure your fire-making skills are up to speed too. :candle:

We also all have a small faraday cage in our kitchen - the microwave oven. If you look at the window, you will see the metal mesh that keeps you from getting cooked by the radio waves.

Also, regarding aluminum foil, check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booster_bag

 

[TorchBoy]

I saw a reference to those things on the Faraday page, but I've gotta say "While the bags assist in foiling security detectors" on that page really is clever.

 

[march.brown]

Your best bet is to use a good (steel) Gun Cabinet with metal hinges and two good quality all-metal locks ... The hinges and locks effectively make connection to the body so the door would be at the same potential as the body of the cabinet ... Ideally the door should be connected to the body of the cabinet with flexible (1" wide) woven copper tape ... One end of the tape would be bolted to a bare metal area on the cabinet and the other end to a bare metal area on the door , half way between the hinges ... This is just in case you don't trust the continuity through the hinges and locks ... The cabinet body should be connected to earth (ground) using a suitably large cross-section-area copper conductor (7/.036mm or similar) ... The earth can be a suitable copper earth spike hammered into the ground ... The ground must be in an area where the soil is never dry, to give effective earthing ... You may prefer to bury an earth plate instead of using an earth spike to give a greater surface area ... Protect all connections from corrosion with a vaseline gel and check tighten the bolts regularly for loose connections.

Your torches can be kept inside this device to give peace of mind in case of the "Pulse" ... I would place the torches on some type of insulating material (paxolin or similar) thus avoiding contact with the skin-effect problem.
.

 

[Egsise]

a car is NOT a Faraday cage. it keeps you safe from lightening because the tires insulate it.

The tires don't mean sh*t to lightning that has traveled ten miles IN AIR!
It's the metal chassis, not a faradays cage though.

 

[jamesmtl514]

bury an emergency kit 3 feet deep.
​

 

[Jay R]

This EMP cripples almost all of the electronic circuitry in the U.S. This includes our power grid, communications equipment, GPS, etc. Anything with circuitry would basically be disabled. :shakehead

There is a reason that they call this sort of film Science Fiction. Because it's fictional. There is no such thing.

Do you have any idea the amount of power something would have to produce to screw up every electronic device in the US. It would be easier to pull the moon closer and drop it on the States. Better still, if you could produce someting that generates that amount of power you'd have the worlds energy problems solved and could just be filthy rich for the rest of your life.

That aside ( ). Stick a normal bulb based torch under your bed. No electronics, no worries.

 

[PerttiK]

In the book - "One Second After", the U.S. gets hit with an ElectroMagnetic Pulse (EMP) as a result of a nuclear detonation above the continental U.S.

A-bomb is SCIFI?

 

[Jay R]

A-bomb is SCIFI?

One that can screw up every electronic device in the US. Yes it is.

 

[zs&tas]

i thought EMP would only screw things up that actually had current going round it at the time.
therefore a flaslight that is turned off - read not on standby or any that use electric switching - would be fine and work right away after EMP has passed.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

about the only country capable of zapping the whole US with an EMP would be Russia, and it would both not want to do so because if the US crashes the markets would go nuts and all the world's economies would crater. Only terrorists would want to do such things and they do not have the technology nor the finances to get hundreds of missiles to launch emp devices. I would also say terrorists would find it cheaper and more profitable to just nuke us instead so if you got EMP'd you would probably be irradiated and sick/die anyway.

 

[Paul Baldwin]

a car is NOT a Faraday cage. it keeps you safe from lightening because the tires insulate it.

Try watching this video, it might clarify things for you (it's quite entertaining too!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve6XGKZxYxA

 

[Lighthouse one]

You can quit worrying. The EMP that can shut down the whole country is a THEORY. Back in the 60's we had a Mig-25 pilot with his aircraft defect ( we were surprised ). THe Air Force was amazed that the Russians were still using tubes- instead of transistors for much of the electronics. Our guys thought the Russians were smart- since the tubes would not be blown out by an EMP. Turns out the Russians were just too far behind yet, and hadn't managed to steal enough to go digital!

Two reasons: SInce when do bad guys care about property damage? If they want to destroy us...they REALLY want to destroy us. 1 mile up works quite well. THe EMP thing is much more difficult to actually do. One big bomb won't do anything. You need huge numbers. Not going to happen.

(USAF retired..A bomb carrying missile technician)

 

[souptree]

This is surely one of the most interesting threads I've ever read on CPF. Really glad I clicked on this one. :thumbsup:

 

[StandardBattery]

This type of planning is of little use because it can't be tested adequately or even tested at all. Unless your able to test your plan, your plan might as well be increased storage of toliet paper. You're better off focusing on the after affects than the event itself.

 

[Kindle]

A couple of things

To generate a HEMP that will propagate over long distances the detonation must be higher than 6 miles or so (interestingly enough passenger airliners tend to fly at right around that altitude). Below that altitude the greater density of the atmosphere acts to slow down/stop the electrons generated from the blast before they have a chance to interact with the Earth's magnetic field.

To potentially affect the entire continental US a device would need to be detonated higher than 250+ above the surface. At that altitude the entire US is in direct line of sight of the detonation. The earth itself served to block the energy generated so areas below the horizon are not directly affected.

That being said a detonation at 30 miles in altitude would still affect an area almost 500 miles in diameter (all of New England or SoCal).

Small stand alone devices (like the flashlight in the OP question) are generally going to be less at risk than those that are connected to phone or power lines. The long runs of said lines act as antennas which E-M will travel along.

You can quit worrying. The EMP that can shut down the whole country is a THEORY.

Yes but it's a theory that's based on observation the effects caused by actual nuclear detonations (the Fishbowl tests being the primary data source). In addition the real world effects are tested on electronic systems through the use of EMP simulators, from small ones used to test handheld equipment all the way up to the monster ATLAS/Trestle test rig at Kirtland.

Back in the 60's we had a Mig-25 pilot with his aircraft defect ( we were surprised ). THe Air Force was amazed that the Russians were still using tubes- instead of transistors for much of the electronics. Our guys thought the Russians were smart- since the tubes would not be blown out by an EMP. Turns out the Russians were just too far behind yet, and hadn't managed to steal enough to go digital!

Belenko defected in the mid 70's and the Foxbat wasn't operational until 1970 (although prototypes had been flying for several years).

Two reasons: SInce when do bad guys care about property damage? If they want to destroy us...they REALLY want to destroy us. 1 mile up works quite well.

It really depends upon what the goals & capabilities are of the theoretical group intent on attacking the US.

Can you do more damage to a nation as a whole by devastating a single city (New York) or by damaging it's entire communications & power infrastructure on a national scale?

I'm sure there are some groups who would be willing to bet their money on the later...luckily they're not likely to have the capability to loft a thermonuclear device to 250 miles above the fields of Kansas.

THe EMP thing is much more difficult to actually do. One big bomb won't do anything. You need huge numbers. Not going to happen.

That opinion does not square with the majority of the published research on the topic.


For those interested the EMP Commission's threat assessment report may be worth checking out.

 

[gsxrac]

I dont know why people are saying that cars are EMP proof or saying they are a faraday cage (Last time I checked I make and receive calls in my car all day long)

I also dont know why people are saying modern electronics would be unaffected :thinking:...

EMP's havent changed since the 50's and our electronics are much more susceptible to EMP waves because theyre built cheaper and arent encased in real metal anymore. Ive been told that an ammo can that is well grounded (Bolt a wire to the can and then ground it) and then insulated on the inside is a good faraday cage... Im actually about to make one to store a GPS and a few LED drop-ins and lights and batteries.

 

[travelinman]

That'll work, but don't ground it. It's got to be insulated from everything, even the ground.

 

[John_Galt]

That'll work, but don't ground it. It's got to be insulated from everything, even the ground.

Now, see... This is where confusion sets in for me. I've read several different thing, and they all contradict each other. Some say the faraday cage has to be grounded, others say that it has to be insulated from the ground!!!

What's correct?

 

[Alan B]

A Faraday cage depends on a continuous conductor completely surrounding the volume. Ground is not required.

The problem with a steel ammo can is that it is not continuous - the lid gasket insulates the lid.

The connection between the lid and the box must be conductive all-around. Examples of this are found in radio shielding compartments - fingerstock and plenty of screws.