Dark Days Ahead

[Hamradioop]

Decaf a microwave oven is probably a better bet than a Bread bin for a Faraday cage. It is designed to keep Radio Frequency energy contained inside. So It also keeps RF Out, So next time you replace your Microwave, keep the old one as a faraday cage.

see here for a more detailed explanation http://io9.com/5902325/could-a-microwav ... emp-attack
http://modernsurvivalblog.com/emp-elect ... aday-cage/

Powerpoint presentation here : http://physics.ucsd.edu/~tmurphy/phys8/ ... rowave.ppt

[raz]

So a metal bread bin would be OK to store my kindle, tablet and other delicate equipment?

depends on how contained the unit is and there is a way to test it so that it isn't just theory... simply place an FM radio inside whatever item u are using as a faraday cage tune it to a station and simply close the lid. if the radio plays as normal then radio waves are able to get in and its not working if it gives off only static then it is sealed and should work fine.. for the inside id insulate with cardboard as to ensure no contacts are made hope it helps

[ForgeCorvus]

So a metal bread bin would be OK to store my kindle, tablet and other delicate equipment?

depends on how contained the unit is and there is a way to test it so that it isn't just theory... simply place an FM radio inside whatever item u are using as a faraday cage tune it to a station and simply close the lid. if the radio plays as normal then radio waves are able to get in and its not working if it gives off only static then it is sealed and should work fine.. for the inside id insulate with cardboard as to ensure no contacts are made hope it helps

I thought that static is untuned RF ?

Surely the radio should go silent?

ETA: Just tried it and my microwave doesn't seem to have much effect either way

[StashCache]

I find this thought quite scary really, I mean when you think about it nuclear power stations would be so vulnerable. They can't exactly power down and turn of all electronic equipment. Even if they have spare computers/circuit boards on standby, with this event lasting six days they still wouldn't be able to get things back to operational in that time.

I don't know a great deal about nuclear power but I do know there seems to be a hell of a lot of electronic operating systems within the control rooms of them, I imagine they provide a lot of info about statistics and vital instrument reading which allow them to continue safely. Would it be possible to continue to keep it in a safe state with no computers in a situation like this?

Definitely a scenario where you want to be bunkering in anyway (preferably well underground). I think the worst part of it would be not being able to listen to the radio to garner some information about the current state of play as well and if meltdown was occuring, anything capable of broadcasting will be well and truly out of commission as will your radio if you try using it. What a dilemma of a situation to be in.

[Hamradioop]

GUYS this is a well documented HOAX. keep it in perspective.

[Trawlerman]

I had Faraday in a cage once. He wept so I let him out!

[raz]

I thought that static is untuned RF ?

Surely the radio should go silent?

ETA: Just tried it and my microwave doesn't seem to have much effect either way

You are correct in the fact that static is just untuned RF but a faraday cage is not completely infallible and although the signal will be diminished it will still get through. here is a more in depth explanation. hope it helps

Faraday cages cannot block static or slowly varying magnetic fields, such as the Earth's magnetic field (a compass will still work inside). To a large degree, though, they shield the interior from external electromagnetic radiation if the conductor is thick enough and any holes are significantly smaller than the wavelength of the radiation. For example, certain computer forensic test procedures of electronic systems that require an environment free of electromagnetic interference can be carried out within a screened room. These rooms are spaces that are completely enclosed by one or more layers of a fine metal mesh or perforated sheet metal. The metal layers are grounded to dissipate any electric currents generated from external or internal electromagnetic fields, and thus they block a large amount of the electromagnetic interference. See also electromagnetic shielding.

The reception or transmission of radio waves, a form of electromagnetic radiation, to or from an antenna within a Faraday cage is heavily attenuated or blocked by the cage.

[Hamradioop]

The stactic noise you hear is a combination of solar and earth electomagnetic noise.

[raz]

Echoes of the big bang :')

[ForgeCorvus]

Well, thats todays new thing learnt.