FARADY CAGE

About four month ago we had saved enough to finally purchase a solar and wind generator 1800watt with deep cell batteries. 4 - 100 amp hours. I am former Intell Analyst with the USAFSS from 1964-74 then retrained and retired in 1983. I have also study the solar activity for years. After purchasing the off grid emergency generator with solar panels and wind turbine seperately, I started making the faraday cages to protect them and other electronics we wanted to save from an emp or cme. I have had electical experiance so I built a cage of 2" x 2" wood framing, with wood flooring and shelving in them. Large enough for the entire generator, panels, the electonic part of the turbine, emergency radios, CB's. FM Tansievers, battery chargers 110volt and solar, all our rechargable batteries, chainsaw guts, and other items needed if a masjor emp or cme occurs. Always making sure none touched the metal cage. Styrafoam , or carboard or non conductive material can be used on the inside, although it is not needed as long as nothing touches any part of the screening on the inside. I surrounded the 2 x 2 wood frame with normal metal screen used for screen doors, all metal no paint on it, then stapled it to the wood. Where I had a door I wrapped the 2 x 2 with screening and stapled it down. I personally put them above the ground on two desks. After insuring the screening was all encompassing, I ran a thick copper ground (AGW 3 or 4) outside to a 4 foot deep grounding rod. (our area has damp dirt year round at about two feet deep. If you are in a dryer area the grounding rod must be deep enough to be in damp soil. The ground for the generator while being charged once a month with regular electricity is conntected through the wire by a punched hole and on the inside a metal conductive tube that has a screw on each end to screw tight the copper gounding wire. That way if you know a emp or cme is coming in you disconect the ground until the event is over. So all was well, then about three days ago I was watching:
Apocalypse 101 on TV and they built the same exact faraday cage I did, and put a radio inside then closed the lid and the radio stopped receiving the wave. So it works as I thought it would.
If you have an all metal car where it will be a conductive item, IT HAS BEEN SAID, NOT CONFIRMED that I know of, if you have a ground like the faraday cage I built, then make contact with the matel frame it also is a faraday cage. It is suggested that if you know an emp or cme is coming in to take the battery out and put it in the other faraday cages. This one I do not know about for sure or not, but if the wave will run around the outside of the car to the ground wire, it might work.
Thought you might like to know this really does work as far as the faraday cage I built for the generator and other items.

 

The last CME was the Carrington Event in 1859. A large CME has proved what can happend. It was large enough to get here in a couple of hours compared to the normal two days. It fried all telegraph, wires caught fire, men on the telegraph were knocked out. It is well know that if we have another Carrington Event that occur about every 100 years all electronics would be down, cars after 1968 would not work, electronic ignitions, MSD, etc., anything using a computer would not work, all power grids not protected would be fried, etc, etc. So with the fact this has happend to this massive extent that is recorded, and in 2002 all of eastern Canada was shut down for two or three days by a very minor CME, and China was hit in between 2002 and 2010, can not remember the date, WHY NOT take the precaution of preperation when the cages do work? All you need is a grounded cage that will allow the waves to run around the cage to the ground and be gone.

 

I used to be an engineer so I have some knowledge of this stuff but I'm no faraday cage expert, especially when it comes to a CME or EMP strike. I've done many years of work with RF though.

@Popcorn. You mention something about connecting to the faraday cage because it's a ground. It's only a ground if you have it connected to an actual ground. A faraday cage doesn't protect electronics by pulling the current to ground as in normal electrical protection. RF travels on the skin of a conductor so a pulse would actually go around it. If something isn't actually inside the protective shell, it won't be protected from RF even if it's connected.

Aso, as far as the battery's concerned, I don't really see much worry about having it inside a faraday cage. There's not enough of a conductor in it to induce much current, and if there is, your shield's gonna melt anyway. The wires to/from the battery would be a concern but really only if they're connected on both ends to something, although having it connected on one end can cause it to act like an antenna if the power's large enough and the length etc are resonant on some frequency or multiples of the frequencies it hits hit with.

An EMP pulse works similarly to the way a transformer or RF antenna does. The power crosses a conductor and induces a current through it. No conductor; no current. A ground on a faraday cage can either be a blessing or a curse, depending on exactly how things work at the time (depending on how it's constructed and exactly what kind of pulse(s) it gets hit by. A faraday cage will protect electronics with or without a ground. A ground just pulls current from the box. In the case of the cage, it both conducts and reflects the current based on both the permeability and conductivity of the material. Having mesh instead of a solid shield, for instance, reduces current loop paths in the material itself, improving protection against EM. There shouldn't be much current to have to be pulled to ground, and in some cases, a ground could induce a current that wouldn't have happened in the first place.

It sounds like you have a great design for your cage. In almost all cases, you don't need a lead bunker to protect your equipment. Certainly better protection if you do, but everything comes at a cost. A lead-shielded bunker costs time and money that'll take away from other preps. If you have unlimited time and money then it's the best way to go. I suggest just constantly improving your fighting position by building better and better EMP/CME protection as you have time and can afford it.

 

I am not worried about the EMP pulse so much, I am more concerned about a CME.

I am not concerned that much about an EMP, my major concern is a massive CME, we are overdue. As far as the cage goes it is permenantly grounded. I have the ground for the solar gen. that I can disconnect, since it is in the farday cage. I have a disconnet when I am not charging it or for use if I ever need it.

 

Not at all it is all stuff I have known from the 70's when I started studying more about space and solar events. I was an amature astronomer for a long time. As many say our earth is in a very dangerous area. WE have peaked on our up - down ride throught our arm of the galaxy and are now dipping back through once again. We are alos entering an Intergalictic Energy Cloud that enhances solar and planet atmoshpherics. This stuff I hear from Michu Kokue (spelling) and another Scientist, just items to research and be aware of. Remember: "Knowledge is power, the lack of knowledge will enslave or destroy you."

 

I seem to remember reading something about an air-burst nuclear test in the USSR (and possibly a US one in the Pacific) that demonstrated some of the effects...but with much smaller devices than are available now...

 

In Minneapolis the BNSF Railway Radio shack has a Faraday cage about 12 feet square in it. It is made from a copper mesh roughly the size of insect window screens but of a thicker woven mesh. It does not stop certain frequencys. I was able to talk to someone inside the cage from outside on some channels but not on others. that tells me that maybe this type of cage would not stop an EMP nor a solar event. That jives with what I have read, that the wave length of an EMP can be small enough that it would pass through most types of woven mesh. The author recommended a solid barrier instead. I am e sorry I cannot quote my source as I have read a lot on the subject and it seems I have about the same amount of opinions. I too wish we could have access to what research the gov. has but I am asuming they want to keep most of it secret.

 

It depends on the wave the the size of mesh if that will stop the emp or cme wave, the grounding, and making sure there are no gaps in it. Copper is nice but very expensive. Regular wire mess for screen doors works well. The holes is so small I would guess that very few, if any wave lengths can get through. Just my thoughts. THis type of mesh if constructed properly will stop a CME wave. Oh another thought for consideration, if it is a very large CME we also get a Gamma Burst too, so take cover when it arrives. Then if it is out of sight large, goodbye all.

 

If a solid skin would be best, I have a roll of aluminum trim-coil that could be used to sheet the outer surface. Aluminum is used in wiring, and should be easy to work.

 

You can get used galvanized ducting for furnaces in a house. It is wide enough to ba able to put cardboard or styrafoam insulation in it to keep items from touching the sides. You need to make sure it is sealed as best as you can, and the open end lid be the screening or another sheet of galvi with metal tape around it. on the edges. Then the cage must be grounded with AGW 3 or 4 to a grounding rod that reaches your year round damp soil depth.
As for the screen one has to remember that even a small hole in the screen should not be a problem Electricity (CME) or this magnitude should take the path of least resistance. It would arc over the hole. Not that you want a hole in the screen. I do not worry to much about a seemingly loose fit as long as nothing inside is near the edges. If worried one can cut screeening to warp around the edges of that area.
Take care. Knowledge is power the lack of knowledge will enslave or destroy you. AND The human race is a herd specie they want to be led without knowing they are being led. I always add, Watch out who you follow to make sure you are not one of the last buffalo off the edge of the cliff.
Take care. Thanks for all the comments and knowledge.

 

Great information, whatever works for those that understand that being prepared is just a state of mind and protection for you and yours. I was taught canning, gardening, meat canning, dry leguim saving, spices, etc. for years. I have to say walking into the basement makes me feel really good.
Take care All.

 

Found something of interest, and I'm going to get the stuff this weekend. I saved the info separately, and here's the link I followed:
Jed Daniels . com|net|org » Blog Archive » Faraday Cage (Part 1)
The Word file is just the page, saved so that I have it and don't have to find the link every time.