[R-390] EMP

[Shoppa, Tim]

KG4RZM writes:
> Maybe we should build rebar faraday cages to store all of our R390A's...;)

The real gotcha in terms of EMP, is any sort of connection between long wires - be they power, anteanna, speaker, control, etc. - and the equipment.

Induced field in EMP is often measured in hundreds to tens of thousands volts per foot. The metal cabinet of any radio will be enough to shunt this field around vacuum tube electronics (I'm not guaranteeing anything about modern solid state stuff), but any wire hooked up to the electric grid or an antenna will have millions of volts across it and even our hollow-state 390A's won't deal with that well.

So the key is, a radio with no power, antenna, speaker, etc. cabling hooked up to it. A backup power source with similar containedness will be necessary after the EMP pulse too. I think that well designed solid state stuff following the simple "no cables" rule will have a good chance. But tube stuff in a metal cabinet will certainly survive.

Tim N3QE