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Posted: 5/8/2024 4:58:25 PM EDT
My mother, God Bless her.
My mother, thinking that she was going to wrap her home generator like a Christmas gift bought several (4 or 5 at least) 12 foot x 8 foot sections of faraday cloth.  She was hoping to protect the generator from EMP.
I guess she thinks we're actually going to be nuked or something.  

I really wish she had asked me before she spent the money.  $1000+ worth of wire mesh cloth about the thickness of aluminum foil.

I'm wondering if I could bury it around my vertical and use it for a ground plane?  Doubtful it would hold up.

I am thinking that maybe I could wallpaper my radio room with it.  Eliminate most of the RFI in my house.  Of course my cell phone and wifi wouldn't work in there either.  

Anything else I could do with it?  Company she bought it from doesn't seem to want to accept return.
Link Posted: 5/8/2024 5:37:12 PM EDT
[#1]
Can be used as an alternative for ground radials for portable operations.  Like using screen or hardware cloth, but easier to handle & transport.  Probably POTA/SOTA folks that would jump at a discounted price ...
Link Posted: 5/8/2024 6:28:21 PM EDT
[#2]
RFI reduction is definitely a legitimate use.

Don't think wallpaper, though, think about lining the insides of equipment enclosures.

You can always cut it up and make credit card wallet inserts and cell phone bags as well. Lots of them!
Link Posted: 5/8/2024 7:19:39 PM EDT
[#3]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
RFI reduction is definitely a legitimate use.

Don't think wallpaper, though, think about lining the insides of equipment enclosures.

You can always cut it up and make credit card wallet inserts and cell phone bags as well. Lots of them!
View Quote


RFI shielding is what I was thinking as well. You could also make your own Faraday cage(s) out of it for storing smaller things that aren't like a big honking generator.

In my case, I'd wrap the radio that I use for the apartment with it since my antenna runs thru the apartment a little way before it goes out the window to the outside.

You could always line a hat/helmet with it and/or a manpack liner so that if you wanted to still run 100W HF in your backpack, you wouldn't turn your brain into tapioca.

With that much cloth, you could make a bunch of Faraday bags and hand them out to all your "prepper" friends.
Link Posted: 5/8/2024 9:03:21 PM EDT
[#4]
If you want your mom’s $ back, cut it into smaller sections and sell for more on eBay or Amazon.  Or better yet have her sew little cell phone or laptop sized bags and sell them for $$ or best of all get designer purses and backpacks and sew it in there as a lining and sell for $$$.  Or buy cases for night vision goggles and sew the lining into them and sell on EE for $$$$$


I keep a faraday bag in my vehicles and bob backpacks that’s big enough to put my phone in.  Never really use it but you never know when you might want to go somewhere without being tracked.  

I’m not the least bit concerned about EMP but it’s shocking how many on fb are.
Link Posted: 5/9/2024 3:18:41 AM EDT
[#5]
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Quoted:
Can be used as an alternative for ground radials for portable operations.  Like using screen or hardware cloth, but easier to handle & transport.  Probably POTA/SOTA folks that would jump at a discounted price ...
View Quote


I get better results with wire radials than the faraday cloth for POTA. YMMV
Link Posted: 5/9/2024 4:52:21 AM EDT
[#6]
Find a ham that does microwave moon bounce. They can use that for a portable parabolic dish for 23cm and up EME. I am currently on the hint for an old C/ku band mesh dish so there is some use for stuff like that.
Link Posted: 5/9/2024 6:06:58 AM EDT
[#7]
I bought a few feet of 10mm width to build one of these:  The Fara-J Antenna

Haven't been home yet to actual sit down to build it yet, but it looks interesting and the material was cheap enough.
Link Posted: 5/9/2024 11:54:00 AM EDT
[#8]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Find a ham that does microwave moon bounce. They can use that for a portable parabolic dish for 23cm and up EME. I am currently on the hint for an old C/ku band mesh dish so there is some use for stuff like that.
View Quote

Use it for personal protection, like a security blanket.  

In the case where a guy with a kilowatt 6m death ray aims that thing in your direction.  (I have been admiring this in the projects thread.)

Link Posted: 5/9/2024 1:14:50 PM EDT
[#9]
Some people seem to like sitting a 1/4 wave vertical on the cloth for portable.

I am not that enthusiastic about trying because I generally hike into where I setup, where these folks demonstrating thr use like to setup next to their vehicle at a parking lot.
Link Posted: 5/10/2024 8:58:20 AM EDT
[#10]
Have your mom break out the sewing machine and make some "tin foil do rags" like bikers wear. Sell them for 15 bucks a crack, and your mom can get her money back.
Link Posted: 5/10/2024 9:03:35 AM EDT
[#11]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Some people seem to like sitting a 1/4 wave vertical on the cloth for portable.

I am not that enthusiastic about trying because I generally hike into where I setup, where these folks demonstrating thr use like to setup next to their vehicle at a parking lot.
View Quote

I have a piece for the same reason, but I haven't gotten around to putting grommets in the corners and one in the center. I don't think it works any better than tossing out wires, and really doesn't save a lot of space over 22-24awg wire radials.
Link Posted: 5/16/2024 8:45:56 AM EDT
[#12]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:

I have a piece for the same reason, but I haven't gotten around to putting grommets in the corners and one in the center. I don't think it works any better than tossing out wires, and really doesn't save a lot of space over 22-24awg wire radials.
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View All Quotes
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Some people seem to like sitting a 1/4 wave vertical on the cloth for portable.

I am not that enthusiastic about trying because I generally hike into where I setup, where these folks demonstrating thr use like to setup next to their vehicle at a parking lot.

I have a piece for the same reason, but I haven't gotten around to putting grommets in the corners and one in the center. I don't think it works any better than tossing out wires, and really doesn't save a lot of space over 22-24awg wire radials.


Maybe.

But I bet the faraday cloth doesn't get all tangled and take hours to untangle
Link Posted: 5/16/2024 9:42:22 AM EDT
[#13]
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Quoted:
 Never really use it but you never know when you might want to go somewhere without being tracked.  
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Every time I decide to rob a bank I tape my cell phone under the third pew in St. Mary's.
Link Posted: 5/16/2024 11:44:13 AM EDT
[#14]
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Quoted:


Every time I decide to rob a bank I tape my cell phone under the third pew in St. Mary's.
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That's the smart way, although posting it on an internets...
Link Posted: 5/16/2024 1:35:44 PM EDT
[#15]
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Quoted:


That's the smart way, although posting it on an internets...
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That's why I said St. Mary's. I really hide it in St. Ann's.

Pretty tricky, huh?
Link Posted: 5/17/2024 12:04:13 AM EDT
[#16]
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Quoted:


Maybe.

But I bet the faraday cloth doesn't get all tangled and take hours to untangle
View Quote

I use the silicone wire that has no memory, and no tangles. It's almost magical. I figure 8 wrap it on my pinkie and thunb. Secure it with velcro one wrap. I use alligator clips and clip them to the one wrap. When deploying, I take off the one wrap and just toss them out in the direction I want them. They separate easily and I don't have any tangling problems.
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