# What to put in your Faraday cage



## Palmetto1 (Sep 15, 2009)

I am watching the Nat Geo show on EMPs and it got me thinking. If you have created a Faraday Cage what do you put in it? Cell towers and systems may not work so a cell phone won't help. I guess a radio may be useless as well????

My first thought upon watching this show was to buy or build a cage in my prep room with a two way and a cell in it. Now I am not sure what you should keep? 

Laptop, VHF, cell, ham? I defer to you who know a lot more than I.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Any extra electronic equipment you happen to have on hand, that you'd rather not live without. Older notebook computers, extra hard drives, usb drives, with important data. Radios (if someone gets a radio station up and going, if my radio is fried, I'm a burnt pumpkin... since I got a great deal on some portable shortwave and windup radios a few years back, they go in). Extra dvd players. Dvd players w/screens. Extra computer lcd monitors. Radio chargers, portable 18v tool chargers (12vdc > 18vdc). Enough space? extra 18vdc handtools and chargers.

Unless every country on earth gets whacked with an EMP, someone somewhere will be broadcasting on shortwave.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

micropressers to fridge, microwave, dishwasher, even the crockpot if it has one! Okay, a couple of those we could do without, but anything with a microprocessor would need to be considered.


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## Jakk (Aug 14, 2008)

I am wondering the same thing.What good is a crockpot, and micropressers if there is nothing to plug them into? If the grid is down, there is no juice coming out of your wall. 

For me, I would think I would want the extra components that go with my solar system. According to some, the solar panel would survive an EMP attack but the charge controler, inverter etc would be fried. So for me, those are the things I would like to protect. I was also thinking a pair of those hand held walkie talkies and my emergency solar radio.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

A Faraday canary!:gaptooth:


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Trying to save modern devices from modern destruction isn't going to work too well.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Will old tube equipment/radios still work? I'm thinking they would, as transistors and such are what I'm thinking the EMP effects.


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## willbuck1 (Apr 4, 2010)

Depends on distance and strength of EMP. The wiring in the transformer is a great antennae for the pulse. Weak insulation or a weak capacitor could go easily. 
Radio transmitters can be built fairly easily so it wouldn't be long before someone was up and running provided they could solve the electricity problem.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

Let's take radios for example ....

Assume you have built a perfect shielded environment so that your radio set will survive a large EMP blast. How are you going to power it? And for how long? Who are you going to talk to? It's a large assumption that anyone within range of you ALSO built a shielded environment to protect THEIR gear. And it's an even larger assumption to assume that anyone who did is friendly enough to WANT to talk to you. There's also the possibility of hostile forces (whomever detonated the EMP in the first place) triangulating signals and coming to pay you a visit. 

If I built a shielded environment to protect a radio, I'd think long and hard before I ever keyed the microphone.


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## snakeshooter1 (Mar 8, 2009)

I'm thinking a few extra car parts like an older distributer, coil, points. Tractor ignitions that sort of thing.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Jakk said:


> I am wondering the same thing.What good is a crockpot, and micropressers if there is nothing to plug them into? If the grid is down, there is no juice coming out of your wall. .


Ever heard of a generator? Ee have one and the fuel to keep parts of our home up and running for a year. Probably won't use it on the fridge or microwave....but the freezer is a definate possibility. My thought was to look for things in the house with microprocessors and buy a spare one for the faraday cage of the most important.


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## PhilJohnson (Dec 24, 2006)

snakeshooter1 said:


> I'm thinking a few extra car parts like an older distributer, coil, points. Tractor ignitions that sort of thing.


Yep, that is what I'd have in mine too. An older diesel powered tractor or truck though would be the best thing to have in an EMP blast. There are no electronics to get fried beyond the starter.


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## willbuck1 (Apr 4, 2010)

The generator might have to be in the cage to be of any use. Lots of wire in that thing.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Good point on the radio, Ernie. The only people I'd be talking with would be locals, and probably on GRS. If I had a shortwave transceiver, I'd bone up on how long it takes to triangulate a signal. In a post apocalyptic EMP'd world, I'm wondering how many raiders would have the equipment/and knowledge on how to triangulate. Regardless, conversations would probably be short, if any at all... I have no plans on stocking extra transceivers to dole out.

Thanks Phil... will be looking for another starter for my tractor.


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## Ernie (Jul 22, 2007)

You can triangulate a signal instantly if you have three tracking stations online and the source signal is within the perimeter of those stations. It's not like tracing a phone call or anything.

I dunno ... I've thought about this some more and I don't think the idea is totally without merit. However if an EMP goes off then people are going to have to radically rethink everything they do. That old car you manage to keep working is going to draw an enormous amount of attention to you if you try to move around too soon after the event. The sound of a generator is going to carry for MILES in a world where all other vehicles and devices have suddenly gone silent. Even a 100 watt bulb in a window at night is going to draw trouble on you faster than you can even spell E-M-P.

I would like to keep a radio going after the fact, but only to listen so I know which way to jump. I expect after an EMP the only voices you'll be hearing on the radio will be speaking Chinese.


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## Jakk (Aug 14, 2008)

Callieslamb said:


> Ever heard of a generator? Ee have one and the fuel to keep parts of our home up and running for a year. Probably won't use it on the fridge or microwave....but the freezer is a definate possibility. My thought was to look for things in the house with microprocessors and buy a spare one for the faraday cage of the most important.


Generators require fuel, which will eventually run out. They are also loud and attract attention.


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## PhilJohnson (Dec 24, 2006)

I live in an area that is heavily into agriculture. My bet would be after an EMP strike one would see a lot of tractors on the roads, at least until fuel ran out. A few years ago when gas was crazy high there was a ton of fuel theft that hit the area. I don't even want to think about how bad it would be if one couldn't get fuel at all. I'd almost think you would be better off being the only person with a running tractor/truck since no one else would have anything that could use fuel.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Jakk said:


> Generators require fuel, which will eventually run out. They are also loud and attract attention.


Totally agree. 
Unless you own your own natural gas well, and know how to operate it. If things went 'south', one of the things I'd do after it was obvious corporations no longer existed, is to go over and shut the well off from the pipeline. At that point, I'd have a thousand years worth of gas available. Even a 'dead' well, will have enough gas left to provide a few families energy for years or decades. I don't have a natural gas genny yet, but hope to have a whole house standby system by the fall, to run off of gas, natural gas, or propane.

Ernie, one of my basics is to hunker down, after a shtf event... don't let the recently 'have more's' that suddenly have nothing, see that you still have something. I'd not be driving to town or anywhere else for a month or two after the madness had died down. No chance of drive-bys, so I could have indoor lights without fear. Except from airplanes... and if L&E break down, it'll be open season on low flying aircraft.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

A generator can buy you time though. We have fuel enough to run it for a year. That's a LONG time in an emergency. A LONG time. My biggest concern is if we have to leave - we can't take some of that with us.


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## willbuck1 (Apr 4, 2010)

The best solution is property with free gas and one of those Japanese home fuel cells. Quiet electricity and hot water.


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

Two questions:
1. Would an ammo box do the same as a faraday cage? If so, I'd at least like to put one of those solar/dynamo radios in there.
2. How do you build a faraday cage? If this has already been covered or someone has a link, please post it.
Thanks.


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## PhilJohnson (Dec 24, 2006)

anniew said:


> Two questions:
> 1. Would an ammo box do the same as a faraday cage? If so, I'd at least like to put one of those solar/dynamo radios in there.
> 2. How do you build a faraday cage? If this has already been covered or someone has a link, please post it.
> Thanks.


If I remember right most of them are built with two metal boxes. An inner box and an outer box. the outer box is grounded. I've also seen them built out of brass or copper wire mesh.


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