[Elecraft] CME off reflector...not technical expert

Phil LaMarche plamarc1 at verizon.net
Wed Apr 27 12:17:09 EDT 2011


EMP ....Take the time to read a very good novel .. One Second After.  Great
reading.

Philip LaMarche
 
LaMarche Enterprises, Inc
Phil at LaMarcheEnterprises.com
www.LaMarcheEnterprises.com 
 
727-944-3226
727-937-8834 Fax
727-510-5038 Cell 
 
www.w9dvm.com
 
K3 #1605
 
CCA 98-00827
CRA 1701
W9DVM
 

-----Original Message-----
From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of John Ragle
Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 12:10 PM
To: Lee Buller; elecraft
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] CME off reflector...not technical expert

Lee...

     There is a vague similarity between a CME and what the weapons people
call an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) weapon. The major difference is that we
are somewhat protected from solar events by our atmosphere, although in the
case of the one you refer to in the late 1800s, enough got through to create
havoc.

     The worst aspect of an EMP or a very strong CME is that the particles
involved directly damage the semiconductors in electronics...about the only
thing you can do as protection from a really strong event is to put heavy
shielding around the gear. Think lead sheet or tinfoil hats, etc. An EMP
weapon will produce sudden, very intense electric fields (lots of photons)
which will induce current flow in conductors, roasting them. A CME is
usually composed of particles (e.g. protons) not photons, so in this case,
think ion-implantation technology used for doping semiconductors, except the
"dopant" is from the sun, not from a machine. In addition to the protons
that come from the sun's envelope, there will be secondary junk from our
atmosphere...the same things that produce the reds and greens (oxygen and
nitrogen) in an aurora.

     If a CME comes along with an electromagnetic disturbance, the latter
will arrive at the speed of light, i.e. rather promptly, while the particles
(the MASS in CME) will come along later. In recent events, it has been 24-48
hours for that stuff to get here.

John Ragle -- W1ZI
=====

On 4/27/2011 11:44 AM, Lee Buller wrote:
> I know there are a lot of very smart people on this reflector and 
> centuries of expertise and knowledge.  So, that is why I have come 
> here to this "august" body of technical experts....
>
> CME or Coronal Mass Ejection.  I know that these can happen very 
> easily and now that the sun has become more active, I wonder what one 
> can do to protect their electronics from harm during one of these 
> events.  I know the VHF guys would like to see these things ... but I 
> have read that these things can cause havoc to electronics.
>
> So...how does one protect their K3/K2 etc from such and event?

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