Since we had a recent solar storm that caused the Aurora Borealis to extend much further south than usual, and since there is talk about Russian space nukes (Feb 2024), we wanted to share some information about Faraday Cages.
A Faraday Cage can be used to protect useful electronic devices that would be needed in a survival grid-down situation. EMPs are generated from two primary sources. Natural (Solar Flares from the Sun) and Nuclear War (The big bomb). The Faraday Cage will prevent the total loss of essential electronic appliances critical to survival. They work by blocking electromagnetic pulses or low-frequency waves from literally blowing up and frying almost any electronic device that holds a capacitor (a device that stores electric power). Almost all electronics hold capacitors in their circuits, therefore almost every appliance inside your home would be vulnerable to an EMP. Medical equipment (CPAP/BIPAP, Walkie Talkies, Ham radios, hand-cranked portable SW radio, solar generator controllers, solar generators (like the Jackery) inverters, certain batteries and car brain boxes, including all electrical substations powering your home would likely be fried in by EMP pulses unless back up spare electronics were protected inside a Faraday Cage.
What do Faraday cages look like? Essentially, the Faraday Cage is nothing more than a large metal can with an airtight lid. Inside the Faraday cage is an insulating mat found at the bottom of the can along with a layer of insulating cardboard built around the inside of the can. The essential electronics you wish to save are placed in layers inside your trash can and must never touch any metal part of the can including the sides and trash can lid. You can test the wave protection of your homemade Faraday cage with other radios tuned to a loud local radio station. If you can still hear the slightest hum or crackle from your radio inside your Faraday cage then it is radio wave leaky and will allow the destructive power of the EMP to destroy your survival equipment.
Here is a good link on YouTube by a fellow prepper named Josh Centers. The article is entitled “Making and testing a trash can Faraday cage.” https://theprepared.com/blog/making-and-testing-a-trash-can-faraday-cage/. While I know many sites providing excellent instruction in crafting a homemade Faraday cage, this is one of the best with step-by-step instructions and plans for many options with estimated prices.
I know it seems unimaginable that a solar flare could destroy modern human civilization, but if you think your government is not worried about this potentially devastating EMP disaster; that is going to happen to the U.S. then you would be quite wrong. They are very worried, and they have not done much beyond continuity of operations (places like the Pentagon, and other sites in the D.C. area) in the federal government to mitigate this potential threat.
if you are waiting for your tax dollars to harden our electrical grid to EMP threat, then, “Oh Well, sorry about those millions of innocent people who will likely die.” This is one of those very, very bad things that likely can and will happen that is a very cheap fix. Don’t let all the money you spend on prepping go to waste. You would be much better off preparing to make a Faraday Cage as a sort of cool Christmas gift to yourself. Merry Christmas while it is still legal to say those words and very kind holiday regards. Your prepping friend, Scott .
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Now, there appears to be some evidence that not all devices would be affected by an EMP. Factors that come into play would be distance from the blast, partial shielding and terrain. if there is a solid state circuit, that would not use capacitors. Here are some documents about this possibility.
A solar flare, or CME, corona mass ejection, is very different from an EMP, and they do very different things. An EMP is dangerous to electronics because of the E1 pulse. This is an extremely high frequency fast pulse that does not occur in a CME. The biggest danger of a CME is to satellites in orbit that do not have the protection of the atmosphere and to the power grid. The other big difference between a EMP and a CME is that we typically have 48 to 72 hours notice before a CME hits the Earth. This is enough time to shut down the power grid and unplug our important appliances or electronics.
Thanks so much to Gerald Hughes, one of the group experts of Prepping, for sharing this information and perspective.
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What would we put in a Faraday cage?
Here is the minimum number of items that would be very useful, helpful, and even necessary that would require protection:
Walkie Talkies that can be charged with a solar charger
Handheld HAM radios that can be charged with a solar charger
Shortwave Radio (hand crank if possible)
A tablet, small laptop, or even a smartphone loaded with prepping documents
A solar power supply.
A radiation detector
For some, medical devices will be necessary:
Chargeable travel CPAP/BiPAP devices
A larger solar powered charger
Some may want to provide electronic games for children, but after a SHTF there may not be much time for idle play.
Here are some more helpful links:
Building a Faraday Cage
How to build a DIY Faraday Cage (with picture)
10 Faraday Cages You Can Make at Home
You can find some Faraday Cage related products by clicking on these links. They would make nice gifts.
The group Prepping recently had a conversation about EMPs and Faraday Cages, and you can follow that conversation by clicking on those links.
I hope this little article helps to answer some of your questions.
Have Fun Prepping!
Ruth and Scott
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