Just when you thought it was safe to.....

[k9zu]

Be sure to unplug everything each time you walk away from the shack...

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtr....23.html (http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/front2453711.9284722223.html) http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[KW4MW]

Unplugging everything may not totally protect your equipment, the EMP may be powerful enough to zap the IC chips in a rig that is disconnected from both the power source and the antenna/ground system.

Maybe you should think twice before getting rid of that old boat anchor.

[ae4fa]

Unplugging won't do the trick. #Perhaps placing all equipment in a box lined with thick lead would do the trick . . .

Tube type gear is much less succesptible [sp?], but certainly not impervious. #It would depend on the distance from the blast. #Solid state gear, on the other hand, would be toast.

[n2nh]

I think the only protection would be to put a faraday cage around any essential equipment. If the blast was close enough, that might not even help.

[k6pme]

Quote[/b] ]the conclusion of a report issued in 2004 by a blue ribbon commission created by Congress. The commission found that a single nuclear weapon, delivered by a ballistic missile to an altitude of a few hundred miles over the United States, would be "capable of causing catastrophe for the nation."


It took a blue ribbon commission to tell them that? I wonder why they didn't just call the Pentagon and ask a General.

[n2nh]

Quote[/b] (KG6QQL @ Dec. 07 2005,15:35)]It took a blue ribbon commission to tell them that? I wonder why they didn't just call the Pentagon and ask a General.
Or Google it. It's there.

[k6pme]

good point. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[KI6ASV]

Who is that blue ribbon commission working for? http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[ab8ma]

Quote[/b] (KI6ASV @ Dec. 07 2005,20:45)]Who is that blue ribbon commission working for? #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif
Don't know, but I'll bet it was outsourced - Best Shore Practice.

[n2nh]

I got dibs on the next blue ribbon commission. I'll even get the blue ribbon! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[k6pme]

Just make sure that you spend more than five minutes finding out the info. Otherwise they might balk at paying you xx millions that you can make. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[KD6NIG]

Why does it have to be a blue ribbon commission? I think the pastel ribbon people are being discriminated against, as well as the pinkish orange http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Honestly though, I think if a device like that was close enough to fry your radios, I would be more concerned about whats going to be falling out of the sky ("fallout") than the fact that your dang radio won't power up.......

But yeah, an EMP pulse would definetely make for a bad day for Ham Radio. It would, however, be a boon for cell phone and other companies....once they got thier towers working again, of course http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[ae4fa]

Y'know, I remember as a small child in the 50s seeing a TV show about EMP effects. One scene showed a tank rolling to a stop with the motor dead. They offered a fairly good explanation for the time.

And, just think, 50 years later we've spent millions on a blue ribbon commission to rediscover this for us.

I just love progress.

[k6pme]

Quote[/b] (KD6NIG @ Dec. 07 2005,14:29)]Why does it have to be a blue ribbon commission? #
Blue ribbon traditionally denotes #1, first place, top dog, second to none. I think it's supposed to lend it an air of respectabilty and instill confidence. (but you know this, I just needed to state it for my next point below)

yea, right. #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

[KD6NIG]

Quote[/b] (KG6QQL @ Dec. 07 2005,18:27)]Quote[/b] (KD6NIG @ Dec. 07 2005,14:29)]Why does it have to be a blue ribbon commission? #
Blue ribbon traditionally denotes #1, first place, top dog, second to none. I think it's supposed to lend it an air of respectabilty and instill confidence. (but you know this, I just needed to state it for my next point below)

yea, right. #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif
They have so many different colored ribbons nowadays representing multiple things anyway, so I wouldn't know.

[w8cbc]

The bit about cascading failures is, I think, what we'd have most to worry about. That power station near Cleveland showed us in 2004 what sort of a state our infrastructure is in.

We don't require a load of "experts" to tell us that either of course.

[KI6AZC]

Quote[/b] (KG6QQL @ Dec. 07 2005,18:27)]Quote[/b] (KD6NIG @ Dec. 07 2005,14:29)]Why does it have to be a blue ribbon commission? #
Blue ribbon traditionally denotes #1, first place, top dog, second to none. I think it's supposed to lend it an air of respectabilty and instill confidence. (but you know this, I just needed to state it for my next point below)

yea, right. #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif
Don't forget Pabst Blue Ribbon,

Maybe they were on a pabst binge....

[k9kjm]

This is another greatly misunderstood topic. EMP CAN be protected against (At least from a fair distance) by using proper lightning protection ideas along with fast rise time protectors (Like from I.C.E. (Industrial Communications Engineers) Or the special EMP devices from Polyphaser or other good suppliers) OR just putting in a coax switch that puts your antennas to ground when not in use........ # # This will NOT protect your ham grade radio if within a short distance from the EMP event, But will if you are further away....... #
One of the best sites I have found is: http://members.cox.net/pc-usa/station/ground0.htm
And no, that is not military grade protection, But is something that should be within the range of most hams to install. #And WILL go a long way to help protect your equipment from both lightning and EMP.

[al2i]

Warning: Dreamland, Coast-to-Coast like post follows, and in the interest of "full disclosure", I've had a couple.

When I was young I had a weird event occur that I have always thought was in the "damn strange" category.

I was sitting at the Totem Drive-In Theater with two friends in my 1968 Camaro. The engine was idling as it was winter in Alaska and I needed to keep the windows defrosted. That car had Hooker headers and header mufflers that had a steady, solid, vibrating low rumble when the engine was at an idle.

The Totem was on the Eastern edge of town and to watch the screen the cars faced West. We were watching the movie without incident when suddenly the movie, the lights of the theater building, the lights of the entire city of Anchorage, and the engine of my car, all suddenly turned off as if a big switch had been thrown.

That car should have never missed a beat. The ignition had after-market mechanical points, perfectly adjusted, with custom, heavy-gauge wires and brand new sparkplugs. It was mechanically carbureted and had a mechanical fuel pump. There was nothing about that car that would suggest a susceptibility to EMP, but the events of that night seemed like a pulse of something that simply interrupted the ignition.

Although the power remained out in Anchorage for quite a while, my car started quite authoritatively shortly after everything turned off. The official explanation given in the paper the following day for the power outage was that some sort of event had occured on the cable under the inlet between the Beluga power plant and Anchorage that had caused protective equipment to open the circuit. they never had a follow-up to explain the outage.

There was an atmospheric test ban in effect at the time, and so far as I know there had been no test in China or anything. The strange killing of my car engine really bothered me, and to this day I wonder if there was something in the military's black budget that they tried on Anchorage Alaska. We were barely metropolitan while far enough away from the mainland and every other country to make us a natural testing ground.

I now return you to your regular programming.

[W0LPQ]

ZU: George ... is that why you are always mobile??

Bill, W0LPQ

[n2nh]

Quote[/b] (al2i @ Dec. 09 2005,07:26)]Warning: Dreamland, Coast-to-Coast like post follows, and in the interest of "full disclosure", I've had a couple.
...

There was an atmospheric test ban in effect at the time, and so far as I know there had been no test in China or anything. The strange killing of my car engine really bothered me, and to this day I wonder if there was something in the military's black budget that they tried on Anchorage Alaska. We were barely metropolitan while far enough away from the mainland and every other country to make us a natural testing ground.

I now return you to your regular programming.
HAARP the early days. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[AG3Y]

Why do you suppose that the Russians bought up all the tube-type gear they could get their hands on a few years ago ? :rock:

I'm told it's true !

[KG6OPR]

Nothing better then shooting the bull with a tall glass of Blue Ribbon! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[KI4LZK]

Quote[/b] (KG6OPR @ Dec. 09 2005,13:12)]Nothing better then shooting the bull with a tall glass of Blue Ribbon! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
While nukes are flying overhead http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[K8ERV]

Al2i, you gotit backwards as usual.Your car died an took the rest with it. Obvious---

TOM K8ERV #Montrose Colo

[WA2DYA]

What do you do in case of nuclear attack?

First put your rig in a tin box and then kiss your posterior anatomy goodbye.

--- CHAS

[K9STH]

Oh little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie.
Above thy deep and lifeless sleep,
The strontium clouds roll by.
And in thy red skies shineth,
The mushroom's glowing light.
The hopes and fears of all the years,
Were blown to Hell tonight.

Christmas carole from the 1950s.

Remember: Run! Duck! Cover!

Glen, K9STH

[N0KLT]

Quote[/b] (K9STH @ Dec. 09 2005,15:48)]Oh little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie.
Above thy deep and lifeless sleep,
The strontium clouds roll by.
And in thy red skies shineth,
The mushroom's glowing light.
The hopes and fears of all the years,
Were blown to Hell tonight.

Christmas carole from the 1950s.

Remember: Run! Duck! Cover!

Glen, K9STH
Glen,

Either you have a memory beyond belief or you keep every joke, poem, gag, and cartoon you every got your hands on. I haven't heard that 'christmas carol' in over 50 years I would bet.

Ah yes, the good old days of hiding under desks curled up in a ball head against the legs and arms over the head. Also drills where we marched in an orderly manner to the designated 'fallout shelter' which was the boilerroom in our school building and the area around it. Those were as much fun as the fire drills where we had to crawl out windows to get onto the fire escapes and go down those rickety outside metal stairs. Why noone ever got hurt on those deals I will never figure out. I always envied some of the neighboring towns whose school had those big metal tubes to slide down for fire escapes. Those looked like fun.

[KW4MW]

AG3YQuote[/b] ]Why do you suppose that the Russians bought up all the tube-type gear they could get their hands on a few years ago ? #It's been more than a few years but I recall reading that via a defector the US got their hands on the latest Russian MiG (17?) and were really interested in the onboard avionics computer. #

To their amazement they discovered that the computer was built using subminiature electron tubes. #At first they laughed at the Russians lack of technical advancement. #

Then it occured to them just why the Russians used electron tubes. #They quit laughing. #

[w5klb]

Quote[/b] (n2nh @ Dec. 09 2005,08:02)]Quote[/b] (al2i @ Dec. 09 2005,07:26)]Warning: Dreamland, Coast-to-Coast like post follows, and in the interest of "full disclosure", I've had a couple.
...

There was an atmospheric test ban in effect at the time, and so far as I know there had been no test in China or anything. #The strange killing of my car engine really bothered me, and to this day I wonder if there was something in the military's black budget that they tried on Anchorage Alaska. #We were barely metropolitan while far enough away from the mainland and every other country to make us a natural testing ground.

I now return you to your regular programming.
HAARP the early days. #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Dave,

Well, I wasn't going to say anything about that, but since you mentioned it... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[K9STH]

KLT:

I have an almost photographic recall on things. Not bragging, just a fact.

My 3 daughters have "numbered" my "stories". Whenever I start telling a story one of my daughters will say something like "that is number 371". However, I do come up with a "new one" every so often.

Central Junior High School in LaPorte, Indiana, had those tubular fire escapes but the students were forbidden to use them. Concerning schools: The school district completely remodeled the elementary school the summer after I went on to junior high school. The summer after I left junior high school they tore down the building. Finally, the fall after I graduated from high school they opened a completely new facility. I believe that the school officials were trying to tell me something!

Glen, K9STH

[k4kyv]

Quote[/b] (KW4MW @ Dec. 09 2005,19:06)]AG3YQuote[/b] ]Why do you suppose that the Russians bought up all the tube-type gear they could get their hands on a few years ago ? It's been more than a few years but I recall reading that via a defector the US got their hands on the latest Russian MiG (17?) and were really interested in the onboard avionics computer.

To their amazement they discovered that the computer was built using subminiature electron tubes. At first they laughed at the Russians lack of technical advancement.

Then it occured to them just why the Russians used electron tubes. They quit laughing.
Rig here is homebrew, a pair of Amperex HF-300s modulated by a pair of 810's. Receiver is a Collins 75A-4. Vfo is a converted master oscillator unit from a military surplus T-368 transmitter. Also have another homebrew rig, a pair of 8005's modulated by a pair of 810's, and the 160m rig is a converted Gates BC1-T broadcast transmitter, a pair of 833A's modulated by another pair, each driven by a pair of 807's.

Let 'em bring it on. I'll be back on the air as soon as a.c. power service is restored.

[n2nh]

Just stick a QRP XCVR (,keyer) & Power Supply in a metal box with styrofoam to separate it from the sides of the box - duct tape all openings 360 degrees. After all hell breaks loose is over, if you're able to, remove from box and operate with dipole. Should be the biggest signal on the band in your area. Tubes are fine but need to run off of the mains which will probably be having their own problems. BTW, a ligthning strike does give an EMP, but nothing like the biggies that a decent sized nuke would give. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[w8znx]

Quote[/b] (k4kyv @ Dec. 10 2005,10:26)]Let 'em bring it on. #I'll be back on the air as soon as a.c. power service is restored.
if the big one happens, you may half to wait
a long long time for electric service

I won't worry about my rice boxes
there will be more important things to worry about

drinking water, food and fallout

if still alive few weeks later
can dig my AN/GRC 109 set out of the rubble
with the covers closed
almost nothing can kill a GRC 109
friend has the voltage regulator box and
hand crank gen

Mac

keep cranking the generatior

[N0KLT]

Quote[/b] (K9STH @ Dec. 10 2005,10:36)]KLT:

I have an almost photographic recall on things. Not bragging, just a fact.

My 3 daughters have "numbered" my "stories". Whenever I start telling a story one of my daughters will say something like "that is number 371". However, I do come up with a "new one" every so often.

Central Junior High School in LaPorte, Indiana, had those tubular fire escapes but the students were forbidden to use them. Concerning schools: The school district completely remodeled the elementary school the summer after I went on to junior high school. The summer after I left junior high school they tore down the building. Finally, the fall after I graduated from high school they opened a completely new facility. I believe that the school officials were trying to tell me something!

Glen, K9STH
BTDT,

A few years after I graduated, my home town finished the new high school and moved everyone over to it. The building was an old 3 story brick building that had a couple of additions over the years, the latest in the mid 50s. As I had gone thru school, the school district had first built an elementary school and moved the grade school kids out of the building just about the time we were in Jr High, then they moved the Jr High kids out of the old building and then finally they got the whole Jr High and High school building finished and moved everyone and declared our old building surplus and let it sit empty for a while. A few yrs later, after I was married they let a contract out to a man from the town I lived in at the time to demolish the old building. A few years later, I got to know him and asked him if he had any of the Keota school bricks left since I would like one or 2 as a keepsake. The man almost hit me in the mouth. After all the bad words cleared, I found out that he lost his butt on that contract. He had short bid the thing figuring on making a bundle in reselling salvaged brick and some of the stone floors in the old place. Turns out the place was way better constructed then he or anyone else ever imagined and that after 2 attempts at demolition by explosives, and some other attempt of some kind, he ended up pulling the place down with wrecking balls and bulldozers. Out of the whole thing he got, as I remember, about 2 small truckloads of bricks that were salvagable to resell and whatever copper pipes and wiring were in the building and nothing else. I forget how much he told me he lost on the thing but it was a heft amount and almost broke his company. I left without the bricks I asked for and refrained from reminding him where I grew up and went to school since he lived just behind me across the block.

[k9zu]

Quote[/b] (KW4MW @ Dec. 09 2005,19:06)]AG3YQuote[/b] ]Why do you suppose that the Russians bought up all the tube-type gear they could get their hands on a few years ago ? #It's been more than a few years but I recall reading that via a defector the US got their hands on the latest Russian MiG (17?) and were really interested in the onboard avionics computer. #

To their amazement they discovered that the computer was built using subminiature electron tubes. #At first they laughed at the Russians lack of technical advancement. #

Then it occured to them just why the Russians used electron tubes. #They quit laughing. #
...mig 25, actually.