Electromagnetic Pulse (22 page)

Finally, here is an example of shielded electrical wire:

Shielded Racks/Cabinets

Shielded racks and cabinets can be constructed as Faraday Cages. There are two different types:

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Rugged, high-performance steel shelves with knife/copper EMP‐gaskets in the door. Primarily used in industrial settings, this type is supplied with cable filters (power and telecom), in addition to the standard equipment like a small Single Entry, honeycombs and fans for vented air.

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Semi-rugged, high-performance steel racks with a simpler (less dense) mesh EMP‐gasket in the door leaf. Like the above type, this is also typically equipped with honeycomb vents or a mesh door. However, this type is less costly.

Manufactured EMP‐racks are expensive, but affordable compared with a professionally-installed shielded room. Assembly of cabinets is of course much easier and less expensive than the design/build of shielded rooms. An affordable alternative is to follow the instructions for creating a shielded room, but on a smaller scale—closet size.

Steel Shipping Container

An EMP‐proof shipping container or shelter is a bigger Faraday Cage; steel box; built with approx. 3‐5mm thick steel plates. Such containers are normally equipped with a shielded door, air vents with honeycomb, a Single Entry, cable filters, etc. The shielding effectiveness is very high; often equal to shielded rooms. This solution is fairly expensive, but effective, when there is lack of in‐house space. The key is creating a seal around the entry door.

Grounding of Shielded Cabinets and Containers

Grounding of electric systems and equipment has several meanings, definitions and purposes:

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Protective grounding | protecting people to prevent user contact with dangerous voltage if electrical insulation fails.

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Functional grounding | usually the neutral in an electrical power supply system. For EMP shielded rooms and cabinets, the grounding “network” is essential for obtaining good shielding effectiveness. The shielding cabinets main purposes; EMP absorption and reflection, are dependent on a correctly grounded shield.

Since the shielding systems of a cabinet or shipping container may involve human contact, it is recommended to conduct and drain possible unwanted currents to a grounding source. Normally, the shield is connected with a massive grounding cable connected to the main earthing bar in the building and to the grounding rod outside. Correct grounding shall provide equal protection on the outside and inside of the shielded cabinet. It further avoids risk of electrocution by human contact.

Operation and Preventive Maintenance

The shielded enclosures and cabinets have to be regularly maintained to ensure specified shielding effectiveness. Typical maintenance activities are:

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General inspection and eventual repair of holes, slots, and other irregular openings in the enclosure

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Cleaning, lubrication, and greasing of EMP‐gaskets

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Checking for possible EMP‐gasket damages

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Door lock gear inspection and adjusting

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Air vents (honeycombs) dusting and vacuum cleaning

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Single Entry frame and modules inspection

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Filter inspection and bolt tightening

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Grounding and bonding cables inspection and tightening bolts, cable lugs, etc.

Mountain Plants/Underground Bunkers

Vulnerable electronic equipment could be adequately protected even without extra shielding in a Faraday Cage, if it is placed deep enough inside in a mountain plant or underground bunker. The shielding effectiveness is dependent on some important preconditions related to:

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Rock and soil environment depth and thickness

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Rock and soil type; i.e. the ground conductivity

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Cables from outside into the mountain or underground bunker; types, length, etc.

A note about construction, knowledge and competence

Construction and completion of shielded rooms is typically a process involving several parties like consultants, suppliers, installer companies, and dedicated consultants for a final test and control measurements. Common for all of these parties is a demand of sufficient competence, knowledge, and experience to secure high-quality performance and shielding effectiveness. If you are undertaking the construction of a shielded room, cost may or may not be a factor. These projects can be undertaken by anyone with a basic knowledge of construction, but testing is important after completion. At the very least, hire a competent professional to conduct the requisite testing.

Verification, test and measurements

After design, construction, and completion of a shielded room or installation of a cabinet, it is vital to check that the shield itself has obtained the designed and required shielding effectiveness. This is normally done in two steps; first, a careful visual inspection, followed by a set of tests and control measurements.

It is recommended to test a shielded room in two steps; first time after completion of the room construction, and finally after full installation of technical equipment with cabling, racks etc. The first step, will validate if the shield continuity is maintained and constructed correctly without holes, gaps, etc. The final step, will reveal wrong or poor installation of cables and tubes into the Single Entry, incorrect fixing or installation of equipment on walls, roof, etc.

After an EMP event is not the time to call an expert.

Chapter Twenty-Three
Contents of your Faraday Cage

The Faraday Cage is an excellent solution, assuming that you aren’t using the equipment when the event occurs. Following the prepper rule of redundancy—
three is two, two is one, one is none
—it is important to have one item of electronics for everyday use, and another secured in your Faraday Cage. Identify anything you may need after the grid-down event and keep it stored at all times.

Electronics to put in the Faraday Cage

First, you have to consider the size of the Faraday Cage. Again, applying the prepper rule of redundancy, have multiple cages with backups of certain electronic devices, especially medical ones. You should think about small electronics without which your life would be more difficult. Here are just a few examples:

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Hearing aid

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Electronic Blood Pressure machine, thermometer, defibrillator, blood sugar tester

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Solar powered radio, a crank radio, and a CB radio

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Two-way communications, HAM radio, including a smart phone

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Trail Cameras

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Laptop computer

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Computer Tablet loaded with preparedness related pdfs and survival guides

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LED flashlight with batteries

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Standard battery charger with rechargeable batteries

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Electronic Water Tester

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Handheld GPS and a GPS watch

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Buy an external hard disk with enough space to put all your computer back-ups on it and put it in the cage

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Laser Rangefinder

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Solar array equipment, charge controllers, wiring, etc.

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A radiation detector that will be very useful to check the radiation level after the EMP.

The list is not exclusive, and can go on according to how much space you’ve got. You can always make more than one Faraday Cage to store everything you might need. Inventory and label each Faraday Cage, so you don’t have to break the outer seal unnecessarily.

Let’s reiterate the importance of this chapter. Keep your essential electronics stored at all times. While we may receive advanced notice of a minimum of twelve hours for a geomagnetic storm, the rogue actors who threaten our nation daily with an EMP attack will not send a warning. Acquire the critical electronics necessary to survive in a post-TEOTWAWKI world, secure them in a Faraday Cage, and leave them there!

Because you never know when the day before, is the day before.

PART EIGHT
PREPARING FOR AN EMP ATTACK

Chapter Twenty-Four
Effects of an EMP on Vehicles

This is probably the single most prevalent topic of conversation when the effects of an electromagnetic pulse are discussed.

First, let’s establish a few given facts. We have been unable to find any credible resource which has conducted testing on the effects of an EMP on a vehicle other than the use of the EMP cannon by law enforcement to disable a vehicle. When the high-altitude nuclear testing took place in the 1950’s and early 1960’s, automobiles did not have the extensive wiring and electronics of today’s models.

Next, it is unlikely that a geomagnetic storm would harm an automobile’s electronics because the E3 component of the electromagnetic pulse is not strong enough to cause damage to the wiring. A solar storm may impact the ability to obtain fuel.

The EMP Commission did conduct some testing on vehicles in 2002 and older models, but the electromagnetic pulse generated did not simulate the strength and power of a HEMP. Another caveat to the report of the EMP Commission is that their testing was limited due to funding. Vehicles used in these experiments were exposed to gradually increasing levels of electromagnetic pulse energy, up to the point where they began to show some kind of damage or malfunction. In order to save the vehicles from being excessively damaged, tests were halted immediately after a car or truck began to indicate some kind of dysfunction.