EMP and satellite communications

Went over past EMP topics and this really hasn't been touched.

A high altitude device causes a continent wide disruption from EMP. Whether this happens or not is open to conjecture. This is the sit X project. Basic knowledge provides something will happen to ground based communications and power supplies. A person can protect somethings from this.

My question pertains to satellites. Would a geostationary satellite several thousands miles from the event be disrupted to a non-working state? I'd think that the protection from solar wind and solar event would provide a certain amount of protection. What are your thoughts about sustained satellite communication after an EMP event affecting land based communications.

I suppose that would be open to conjecture as well. My personal belief is that the fear of EMP destruction causes us to exagerate it's power. Still, I try to keep as much of my electronics as I can in metal boxes within metal boxes. Some things are just too potentially devastating to be wrong about.

As to the satellites,,,I'll gladly give up my gps capabilities if it costs big brother the ability to use satellite surveillance against me.

Not nearly enough is known about emp. People tend to relate it to electrical properties and in my opinion that is wrong. It's about magnetic field (inductance), not electrical properties. Shielding is the key. Not grounding. How do you change a magnet by grounding it? It's still a magnet with the same force. As I understand it, magnetic properties are as relavant in space as they are in the atmosphere.

reply to post by SemperParatus


Interesting post. Do you have any simple methods for a simple guy (like myself!) to protect certain devices from a potential EMP strike? I saw that you mentioned putting things inside a metal box inside another metal box. Does something have to be enclosed like that to be protected from an EMP? Granted, I understand that the military and government have electronics that are designed to withstand an EMP themselves. But for us common folk, is there anything reasonable that we can do aside from putting all of our important electronic equipment in metal boxes inside another metal box?

Originally posted by Rasputin13
reply to post by SemperParatus

 

Do you have any simple methods for a simple guy (like myself!) to protect certain devices from a potential EMP strike?

Building a simple Faraday Cage would protect just about any household item from an EMP placed within the cage.

Here are some sample home built Faraday Cages : External Link

Here are some other sample Cages : External Link

They built a 8' tall one on Mythbusters not to long ago with copper mesh and 2x4s.