Not directly relevant to me, but I thought someone on ETS might find it useful.

Here is the full report.

I regard this as soothing nonsense. These reassurances are like a cowboy singing to the herd to keep them quiet so they don't stampede in the face of real danger.

EMP is vastly different from ordinary interference in both duration and magnitude of energy imparted. Consumer products already suffer plenty interference from each other. (For example- I hear cellphone digital racket transmitted on police frequencies as the police dispatcher's system is affected by her cellphone.) And much of the good behavior we think we see is due to regulations which minimize noise output from the various devices- not so much reducing susceptibility to noise.

The EMP problem is that so much US civilization depends upon semi-conductor electronics that a single EMP strike could cause real havoc. If we were using vacuum tubes then we'd have less issues :-)

Why do you suppose the Iranians keep practicing erecting and shooting missiles from the decks of ships and sending the missile high into the atmosphere rather than on an aimed re-entry trajectory. (unclassified sources not necessarily reliable or easily found)

I've put a few vital pieces of my electronics into EMP-resistant cans (metal cookie tins with paint cleaned from the lid joints) for storage.

Would you rather be prepared? Or well-soothed?

This guy I know has a pacemaker and he puts a sheet of thin foil between this blanket and bed cover. He's protected when he sleeps.

Woa man, I did NOT mean to cause anybody to spontaneously detonate. It's just that EMP is a real threat and soothing words are used for many nefarious purposes.

Fact is, I pretty much agree with you that there's nearly nothing an individual can do to prepare for EMP that doesn't already apply to other kinds of preparedness.

But if you can prevent any hostile outfit from launching an EMP strike you'd be my hero.

Hi Rodion,

Folks always seem to look on the negative side of an EMP attack rather than the positives.

If I ever resemble that remark I grant you permission to shoot me and take my stuff.
(unless the wife took the stuff in the divorce that had to happen so that I'd meet your singleness criteria....)


EMP preparedness on an individual level is difficult to impossible for your personal power and electronics. It reduces to basic survival preparedness (wood stoves, candles and card games).


HOWEVER - with millions upon millions of $$ spent on such public infrastructure as digital 800 MHz trunked radio systems for police, fire and dogcatchers you'd hope that some EMP resistance would be part of the design. But that's probably not the case. So at the flash, all services will cease communication.

THAT's just one example of the negative consequence of folks listening to the soothing words. Yes, it would cost more. But it would (maybe?) work when needed. The soothing words justify not spending the money now at potentially disastrous cost later.

(BTW- I'm an Electrical Engineer and have worked in defense business around EMP-protected equipment. I'm not "expert" but I have some basis in education and training for my concern.)

I'd suggest as an add-on my own philosophy, which is...

"Spending your whole life thinking about all the ways you could die is not living, it's sustained misery. I will spend each and every day like it's my last, living here, now and for today, because that's all we've got for sure - right here, right now."

Just out of curiosity anyone with knowledge about this stuff, would my 1930 model A Ford start and run after an emp? It's not shielded by any means but it's also hand crank start with old fashioned points ignition and doesn't *need* the battery to operate.

If it has no semiconductors (transistors or integrated circuits) -and it surely doesn't if the ignition system is as-original - it'll run just fine.

If however the original generator (with associated mechanical voltage regulator) has been replaced with an alternator (with diode-semi-conductor- rectifier and voltage regulator), eventually the battery will run down because it won't be receiving a charge from the now-damaged alternator.

If the ignition system is a points-and-battery as you suggest, when the battery is dead, so is the car. I have heard that some of the early cars had magnetos (which also contain points) so if you have magneto ignition then you don't need the battery at all.

Expect the first policeman who sees it running to commandeer it :-)

BTW- there is some uncertainty about how susceptible cars really are because their structure is somewhat of a shield. Whether it's adequate to protect all the important electronics inside is not clear.

I'm hoping my all steel house will shield me somewhat. Lord knows it interferes with reception enough.