Comm gear surviving an EMP, any ideas?

So your Faraday Cage will need to be big enough for the repeater, radios, batteries, charge controller, and probably your panels too.

What’s the location of the existing repeater? The ones around me are on water towers and are difficult to get to.
Panels that aren’t connected to anything don't need to be protected.
 
Panels that aren’t connected to anything don't need to be protected.
Have solar panels ever been tested under EMP? I’ve never seen anything one way or the other. They will drain a battery without a charge controller in line so I’d assume, with all the dangers associated with publicly admitting an assumption on the interwebz, that they would be susceptible to a large pulse.
 
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Not well. Look into installing a chemical ground. Properly grounding that metal shipping container is your best defense against an EMP.
What is the advantage of a chemical ground over a ground rod, delta ground, or even a ground ring? Serious question. I’ve never seen a chemical ground.
 
So your Faraday Cage will need to be big enough for the repeater, radios, batteries, charge controller, and probably your panels too.

What’s the location of the existing repeater? The ones around me are on water towers and are difficult to get to.
Correct, A large ammo can would be about the size. Or maybe a medium pelican (1500) size would be a fair comparison for size.

It is on a crank-up and tilt over tower. No water at or near the site. What is a water tower?

IMG_4657.JPG
 
If your into reading, read a book called “One second after “ one of the few running vehicles is a Jeep, and it’s kinda spooky some of the things the author brings to your attention. Like diabetics are the first to die after the insulin spoils. And it just goes on.
 
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What is the advantage of a chemical ground over a ground rod, delta ground, or even a ground ring? Serious question. I’ve never seen a chemical ground.

From the website:
It maintains a low ground resistance, maintenance-free installation that dissipates lightning energy and other dangerous electrical fault currents, even in sandy or rocky soil conditions. The chemical ground electrode is useful for providing an effective earth in poor soil conditions
  • Contains natural electrolytic salts, which permeate into the surrounding soil to condition the soil and increase its conductivity
 
Have solar panels ever been tested under EMP? I’ve never seen anything one way or the other. They will drain a battery without a charge controller in line so I’d assume, with all the dangers associated with publicly admitting an assumption on the interwebz, that they would be susceptible to a large pulse.
Solar panels attached to the grid are likely going to be toast but not necessarily so and off grid systems might still function but panels with no connection to circuitry (new in a box) wont get damaged.
 
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From the website:
It maintains a low ground resistance, maintenance-free installation that dissipates lightning energy and other dangerous electrical fault currents, even in sandy or rocky soil conditions. The chemical ground electrode is useful for providing an effective earth in poor soil conditions
  • Contains natural electrolytic salts, which permeate into the surrounding soil to condition the soil and increase its conductivity
I thought it might be something along those lines but wanted to verify first.

As far as I know the National Electrical Code doesn’t approve the use of chemical grounds, ie rock salt or similar. It dissipates and all those benefits fade away. We’ve been using metal rods for a long time and they work pretty well, even with lightning strikes if the structure has a lightning protection system.

Would you mind shooting me an actual link? I’d like to read up on that product some more.
 
Ahh, the repeater owner rents a spot on top of a “water tower”. Not many of those around the inland empire. We rent spots in mountain tops.
We have repeaters on mountains too. The water towers are great for local access. Some clubs even have them on actual towers. Where there’s a will there’s a way and all that.
 
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If your into reading, read a book called “One second after “ one of the few running vehicles is a Jeep, and it’s kinda spooky some of the things the author brings to your attention. Like diabetics are the first to die after the insulin spoils. And it just goes on.
"Going home" is another. Insulin has to be kept cold I believe. That would suck.
 
I thought it might be something along those lines but wanted to verify first.

As far as I know the National Electrical Code doesn’t approve the use of chemical grounds, ie rock salt or similar. It dissipates and all those benefits fade away. We’ve been using metal rods for a long time and they work pretty well, even with lightning strikes if the structure has a lightning protection system.

Would you mind shooting me an actual link? I’d like to read up on that product some more.
Most chemical grounds need a periodic servicing. Some may say they don't.

Below is just one product. Google chemical grounds.

https://www.sitepro1.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=248
 
That may solve some of my other grounding problems. One of my buildings looses neutral in the summer and I have to soak the area around the rod with water to get the ground working. We are in loom, which dries out quick.
It probably will. The chem grounds we had at our buildings needed some servicing. I think it might have been every 5 years.

We were developing electronic military systems and needed the proper grounding.
 
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While I'm not nearly as organized as I should be yet, I have always used gear that is hardened to EMP. I have an old R390A tube receiver and a Sunair GSB900DX transceiver for HF. For 2 meters and 440, I only use Motorola gear - Astro Spectras for mobile/base, XTS5000s and an Astro Saber in FM and P25 modes. A few old CF-29 Toughbooks (XP and another with Ubuntu) for programming radios or running weak signal HF modes). A good friend of mine (and fellow Motorola nerd) has a keyloader so we can maybe set up some encryption should things get, well, "interesting" in the future...
 
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While I'm not nearly as organized as I should be yet, I have always used gear that is hardened to EMP. I have an old R390A tube receiver and a Sunair GSB900DX transceiver for HF. For 2 meters and 440, I only use Motorola gear - Astro Spectras for mobile/base, XTS5000s and an Astro Saber in FM and P25 modes. A few old CF-29 Toughbooks (XP and another with Ubuntu) for programming radios or running weak signal HF modes). A good friend of mine (and fellow Motorola nerd) has a keyloader so we can maybe set up some encryption should things get, well, "interesting" in the future...
Brings up a interesting situation, are vac tubes EMP resistant? Encryption would be awesome. Repeaters will pass on what is TX'd as long as a carrier is sent along, what is a good solution for maybe 10 people to be encrypted.

Any tricks on evading RDF?
 
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