[Elecraft] Off Topic - CME

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

The magnetic field disturbance that accompanies such events can cause
problems with systems that have hundreds of miles of wire strung on poles
(e.g. power transmission and telephone lines), but, AFAIK, it takes a huge
"antenna" like that to threaten terrestrial gear. 

Huge CME's with corresponding magnetic storms have apparently been pretty
destructive, but extremely rare:

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2003/23oct_superstorm/

I feel comfortable with the same protection as I normally use for lightning
- disconnected/grounded antennas. A further protection might be a
double-pole mains switch that disconnects both sides of the mains supply
from the station power supplies. That's also good in lightning-prone areas.

I know some satellites have been disrupted - even damaged - by magnetic
storms. I wondered if the effects of such magnetic disturbances was really
considered in their design or whether the engineers building the early
satellites assumed that there would not be any major sources of energy in
orbit that required protection? Keep in mind that many of our satellites are
in geosynchronous orbit roughly 22,000 miles above mean sea level. I believe
that puts them outside much of the protective natural magnetic field around
the earth that helps deflect such energy toward the magnetic poles where it
produces dramatic aurora.  

Ron AC7AC 

-----Original Message-----

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?

I know in the late 1800's there was a very strong CME and that hit the Earth

which cause aurora down to Cuba and burnt up telegraph lines (I think those
were 
#12 or #10 copper lines too).  That was a very LARGE CME.

Any sage words from the corporate brains on this list?

Lee - K0WA