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EMP-- Say goodbye to life as we know it

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by abq sfr, Jul 9, 2008.

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  1. abq sfr

    abq sfr New Member

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    After reading the article below I was pondering whether a Prius is more vulnerable to Electromagnetic Pulse than all the other cars with computers, any opinions? What a frightening thought. Iran shoots off one crude nuclear warhead in space 300 miles above the US... every electronic device we have would be fried... All aircraft in flight would crash, all communications would cease, cars and anything containing electronics would be junk. With all the electronics in our Prii, they would be as valuable as Suburbans are now. But think how valuable a 65 Mustang would be!! In the end, I guess it doesn't matter because all infrastructure would be destroyed, including fuel distribution. All from one nuclear detonation 300 miles above the US, where it would be impossible to really know who did it.

    "More than four years after a stunning report about America’s vulnerability to a nuclear electromagnetic pulse attack was released to Congress, the House Armed Services Committee will hear testimony from the scientist who issued the warning and who believes Iran is pursuing such an option. The chairman of the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse Attack will update the committee Thursday morning. He warned in 2005 that Iran was covertly developing nuclear weapons and already testing ballistic missiles specifically designed to destroy America’s technical infrastructure. Iran has conducted successful tests to determine if its Shahab-3 ballistic missiles, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, can be detonated by a remote-control device while still in high-altitude flight, he said in his report. He said then there was no other plausible explanation for such tests than preparation for the deployment of electromagnetic pulse weapons – even one of which could knock out America’s critical electrical and technological infrastructure, effectively sending the continental U.S. back to the 19th century with a recovery time of months or years. Detonated at a height of 60 to 500 kilometers (37 to 310 miles) above the continental U.S., one nuclear warhead could cripple the country – knocking out electrical power and circuit boards and rendering the U.S. domestic communications impotent."

    Congress examines EMP threat--
    Congress examines EMP threat
     
    #1 abq sfr, Jul 9, 2008
  2. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    I remember my Uncle describing this EMP threat to me as a teenager, which was before most cars had computers. It's incredible how much we rely on electronics, and truly frightening to imagine suddenly being without them. So, the bike is tuned and ready to go, and the tent along with a bit of cash are stashed away. Around my place, we could survive on barbecued squirrels for ages. Did you know dandelions are edible? ;)
     
    #2 hyo silver, Jul 9, 2008
  3. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

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    I have a vintage gas stove so I'll have hot food. That is....if I still have natural gas.

    There's always the BBQ grill.
     
    #3 Godiva, Jul 9, 2008
  4. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    We might still have water and gas, but many distribution systems are computer based. So, even if the reservoir is full, it's not much help if none of the pumps work. And if the power goes out, everything in the freezer will rot within days. No cars, no electricity, everyone's bank account will be inaccessible...
     
    #4 hyo silver, Jul 9, 2008
  5. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Okay, time to start working on the hardened Prius, now that I have my Tempest version operational. :D

    Tom
     
    #5 qbee42, Jul 9, 2008
  6. Flying White Dutchman

    Flying White Dutchman Senior Member

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    stuff can me EMP EMP shielded
    not sure what amount you need to protect from a EMP blast!
     
    #6 Flying White Dutchman, Jul 9, 2008
  7. abq sfr

    abq sfr New Member

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    Hopefully you have lots of squirrels like Hyo... Lets see, around my house there's a couple cottontail rabbits, a roadrunner, a couple birds, and the fish in my pond. That ought to last a few days. do not know what I'd do after that! I'd need to bike down to the Rio Grande for water. But all my bikes have flat tires, I don't have a hand pump, and there won't be electricity for air pumps.
     
    #7 abq sfr, Jul 9, 2008
  8. Scummer

    Scummer Eh?

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    That's why my garage is made out of lead :D
     
    #8 Scummer, Jul 9, 2008
  9. JamesWyatt

    JamesWyatt Señior Member

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    Just keep an old diesel pickup or some mountain bikes in the garage. Probably cheaper than trying to EMP shield a high-tech gadget like the Prius. Plus, you have no way of knowing if the shielding works until it's too late. I've read that the electronics have to be "on" to be fried, but I don't know if it's true.

    And certainly we have learned from disaster movies that the last thing you would want to do is drive around in a vehicle while all the other ones where no good. Better mount a machine gun on top or have a 4x4 and wire/bolt cutters for the back country... every last patch of earth where I live is fenced off.

    FWIW, an EMP strike in the atmosphere above an enemy country has been long known to be the expected first salvo in a nuclear or large-scale conventional war.
     
    #9 JamesWyatt, Jul 9, 2008
  10. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Iran does not have nuclear weapons. Does anyone really think they will be permitted to develop nuclear weapons, until such time as they are a secular democracy?

    Determining the origin of an object in low Earth orbit or sub-orbit is trivial, because the US and others continually watch for rocket launches. Anyone sending a bomb by rocket will quickly be utterly destroyed.

    If, may the gods forbid, a nuclear bomb is ever detonated in the US it most likely will have been delivered by truck, ship, boat, or airplane, not through space.
     
    #10 richard schumacher, Jul 9, 2008
  11. Wa1hog

    Wa1hog Old Blind Hippie

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    If an blast occured that would knock out a Prius I wouldnt worry. You wont be around to feel sorry.

    I 1 megaton blast that is detonated 1 km above ground would dump around 9000 amps onto a typical metal 30 meter telephone transmission tower. It would be over in less than 50 nano seconds

    A car is a LOT smaller than a 30 meter tower. Plus it has a metal shell. Where the damage comes from is from the current that is coupled onto the cars wiring harness. With a typical harness less than 10 meters in length not much current will be picked up.

    Back in the 60's the USA got a hold of a Soviet MIG 15 and couldnt understand why the MIG was using vacuum tubes instead of solid state electronics. What they discovered was that the MIG would still be flying whereas a F16 would drop out of the sky if a bomb was detonated.

    Tempest is like finding a black cat at midnight....
     
    #11 Wa1hog, Jul 9, 2008
  12. abq sfr

    abq sfr New Member

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    Read the link in the 1st post. A $100k scud launched from a freighter in the Pacific could carry the warhead. And the big worry is terrorists with no defined homeland to retaliate against. The article says Bin Laden and friends own 80 freighters. Think out of the box. If there is a way for them to get a nuke, they'll get a nuke. And if they do get a nuke and use it, we'll retaliate with the success we've had so far....
     
    #12 abq sfr, Jul 9, 2008
  13. Yak18

    Yak18 Junior Member

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    We won't be worrying about driving if that happens...we will be worried about keeping our skin from falling off.
     
    #13 Yak18, Jul 9, 2008
  14. sleonardelli

    sleonardelli Junior Member

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    #14 sleonardelli, Jul 9, 2008
  15. Stev0

    Stev0 Honorary Hong Kong Cavalier

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    It doesn't matter, because the Y2K bug will destroy civilization as we know it long before then.
     
    #15 Stev0, Jul 9, 2008
  16. abq sfr

    abq sfr New Member

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    Don't confuse an electromagnetic bomb with other types of nukes like neutron or thermonuclear.

    From Wikipedia at Electromagnetic bomb - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    "These weapons are not directly responsible for the loss of lives, but can disable some of the electronic systems on which industrialized nations are highly dependent."
     
    #16 abq sfr, Jul 9, 2008
  17. Yak18

    Yak18 Junior Member

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    I know the difference...but if an EM bomb goes off, we will all perish rather quickly. No food, no water, no anything. Driving around town will not be an option...kissing our behinds good-by is what we'll be doing.
     
    #17 Yak18, Jul 9, 2008
  18. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

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    So.....I can protect my brain by wearing a tin foil beanie? Awesome.
     
    #18 Godiva, Jul 9, 2008
  19. sleonardelli

    sleonardelli Junior Member

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    Wasn't the tin foil beanie on a recent episode of CSI? Maybe I just watch too much tv?
     
    #19 sleonardelli, Jul 9, 2008
  20. abq sfr

    abq sfr New Member

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    Yes, this has been one of the coolest sites on the internet for a long long time.... Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie
     
    #20 abq sfr, Jul 9, 2008
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