Posted: 5/26/2005 6:04:39 PM EDT
I read the thread about CB radios; a lot of good info. I got me thinking, however. What if the unthinkable happens - one of these ragheads waltzes across the border into Texas with a nuke and meets 72 virgins? Would CB radios still work? Ham radios? I would think that the EMP would pop anything with a transistor. Does anyone still make tube radios?
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doubt there are tube radios, but lots of tube amplifiers. 2 issues 1 has the pulse fried parts of your radio? If the pulse is strong enough to get through the metal case of your radio, if you were foresighted enough to add an extra shield, then you have other problems and your radio isn't going to matter much. (This assumes you have developed a comm plan for after the incident and the folks you want to talk to have also prepared adequately.) 2. If it is a ground burst, you are going to have a bunch of crap in the atmosphere which will interfere with propagation, and again your problems will be with all the radiation in your vicinity. Only a high air burst will produce a clean pulse, a ground burst of any kind is extremely dirty. |
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"electronic equipment that is turned off is less likely to be damaged. " www.physics.northwestern.edu/classes/2001Fall/Phyx135-2/19/emp.htm I think the proper phrase is "NOT likely"  But they use "less likely" Probably because of the wide variety of systems they are including(everything......everywhere) A CB radio from the 70's would "probably" survive if unplugged and antenna removed. (same with a car)Not modern electronics, which have battery power even when "off" |
I have an entire workcenter full of electronic components and the schematics for several dozen simple but highly effective radios, from morse-only to voice and digital communications. If you want to be prepared for when the largest possible shit hits the most energetic fan, learn how to bulid things from as scratch as possible. Shelters from sticks, water stills from trash, kill pits and snares, survival horticulture, and radios from salvaged or surplus electronics. Learning less high-tech long range signaling (semaphore, trail signs, morse with reflected light, etc.) would also be a good idea. A good book for most of this would be the Boy Scout Fieldbook; a good book for electronics and radio would be the ARRL Handbook. Jim |
