Using a microwave oven against an EMP as a shield

Homesteading & Country Living Forum

Help Support Homesteading & Country Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
H

Holly1

Awesome Friend
Neighbor
Joined
Apr 17, 2022
Messages
117
Location
UK
Yup as expected a whole lotta waffle about it. Do you have a leccy gizmo you want to protect from EMP? Will it fit in your microwave? If it is a massive thing like a genny (build a Faraday cage - it is very simple and need not cost mega fund) if it is small then just use your microwave and shut it in there ... DON'T TURN IT ON!
Want to check if your microwave oven is keeping waves out? Do you have a portable (cell or mobile phone)? Do you have a landline or a pal who can help? Stick the device in the oven and shut the door (do not operate the oven part!) and then simply call your number. If it does not ring or light up then your seal is good and MAY protect against EMP (there are a lot of variables okay the big one is proximity) and your detectors will hopefully work. There is ZERO point in shielding ANYTHING (phones, lappies computers that need a network as there will NOT be a network in many areas post EMP ) but Co meters, Dosimeters, digital thermometers and small but vital things may be saved.

No mater what I wish you logical thinking.
 
Holly1 said:
Yup as expected a whole lotta waffle about it. Do you have a leccy gizmo you want to protect from EMP? Will it fit in your microwave? If it is a massive thing like a genny (build a Faraday cage - it is very simple and need not cost mega fund) if it is small then just use your microwave and shut it in there ... DON'T TURN IT ON!
Want to check if your microwave oven is keeping waves out? Do you have a portable (cell or mobile phone)? Do you have a landline or a pal who can help? Stick the device in the oven and shut the door (do not operate the oven part!) and then simply call your number. If it does not ring or light up then your seal is good and MAY protect against EMP (there are a lot of variables okay the big one is proximity) and your detectors will hopefully work. There is ZERO point in shielding ANYTHING (phones, lappies computers that need a network as there will NOT be a network in many areas post EMP ) but Co meters, Dosimeters, digital thermometers and small but vital things may be saved.

No mater what I wish you logical thinking.
Click to expand...

I have seen conflicting reports on whether a microwave is an effective faraday cage against EMP. The idea might have come from its use against a solar flare but, apparently EMP waves are different.

15 Things You Think You Know About Faraday Cages But You Don’t.

One I saw a while back actually went into the details of why it wouldn't work. Have to go see if I can find it.
 
bigpaul said:
never could see the point in shielding any electronic equipment when post collapse the system it relies on to work dosent.
Click to expand...

You really don't see the point of having a handheld computer, video camera, audio recorder, data storage device? It doesn't rely on a network for those things. That's just a cell phone. There's walkie talkies. Ham radios. Detection and analytical equipment, infrared/night vision, etc...
 
Proud Prepper said:
You really don't see the point of having a handheld computer, video camera, audio recorder, data storage device? It doesn't rely on a network for those things.
Click to expand...
no I dont, I've got no use for those things post societal collapse.
I can see the point of growing my own food and being self reliant.
but then I always was different!
 
Last edited:
bigpaul said:
no I dont, I've got no use for those things post societal collapse.
I can see the point of growing my own food and being self reliant.
but then I always was different!
Click to expand...

You also live in a fairly temperate climate where rain is abundant and it doesn't get all that cold or hot.

I'm not so concerned with microchip technology either but, I would appreciate having a working well pump, a way to stay warm that isn't a lit up beacon for miles around and a way to cook that won't let people in the vicinity know that we are cooking something delicious so, come and get it. A means of transportation that would minimize exposure time would also be nice. (Electric ATV's run almost silent).

There is a saying "God made men. Col. Colt made them equal". Those who have at least some working technology after an EMP or CME, will have an edge on survival over those who do not. Technology, such as the ability to communicate over distances (without having to send smoke signals), the ability to travel quickly from one spot to another, say to patrol a property line, field or recon a potential threat, and then report back, will have a survival advantage.

Don't NEED it but, WSHTF, I'll take any advantage I can get.
 
Last edited:
Can just talk - or write - for myself.
Some handy electronics i already own and i keep it because it could be helpful in other situations like an SHTF - just normal outdoor things.
And....
It dosn't cost me so much to store it EMP save. If i don't need it after the apocalypsis then i still can trow it away.
 
I've never bothered with communication devices because I wouldnt have anyone to communicate with post SHTF and anyway if I had any of that stuff it would just be tossed in a drawer until TSHTF.
as for patrolling that will be done on foot, much quieter and I dont have to go that far anyway, any kind of vehicle will be noticed post SHTF when everything is quiet and still, this is a low population agricultural area and strangers get noticed QUICK.
my post SHTF life will not be dependent on technology, it will be simple and basic, and more natural than the lifestyle we live now.
all technology will eventually fail without a manufacturing base and a supply chain and probably at the worst possible moment.
 
Last edited:
Since microwaves are about 5 inches in length, the microwave will stop anything in that range and longer.

Most likely, they are built to block shorter lengths just for safety margin.

The glass door is the weak link. Usually made from metalized-glass or fitted with a metal screen, they block the least. If you blocked the glass and ran a wire from that to the power supply ground, you would have a sealed cage.
 
My recent observation. I have a relatively new microwave. I stored some left overs in it and went back in 30 minutes and ants were everywhere. If ants can get in so can other stuff.
 
I use an microwave for an EMP / CME protector , though none of us has ever went through either so I can not say how protective it will be . However for extra protection , I have my stuff inside EMP bags and then placed in the microwave . Then again I don't know how well those EMP bags work either . About the only thing in the microwave though that I am much concerned about , would be my old Civil Defense Radiation detector . It is just like the one shown on the movie " blast from the past " . Really though , my radiation detector is so old school , that I have my doubts an EMP or CME would effect it anyway . All the other electronic gismos I am prepared to live without for the decades ahead .
 
poltiregist said:
I use an microwave for an EMP / CME protector , though none of us has ever went through either so I can not say how protective it will be . However for extra protection , I have my stuff inside EMP bags and then placed in the microwave . Then again I don't know how well those EMP bags work either . About the only thing in the microwave though that I am much concerned about , would be my old Civil Defense Radiation detector . It is just like the one shown on the movie " blast from the past " . Really though , my radiation detector is so old school , that I have my doubts an EMP or CME would effect it anyway . All the other electronic gismos I am prepared to live without for the decades ahead .
Click to expand...

For best protection triple bag them. 2 bags showed great protection, but not 100% like 3 bags.
 
I just happen to have 4 microwaves, one can be a trial. I have a hacked cell number and a Scamazon salvage microwave.

I can call the number, and if it rings it will cause the CFR to fire at it.
 
If your phone is turned on and inside a Faraday cage, the battery will be depleted very quickly.

It will boost its transmission strength to max in an attempt to contact a tower.

Besides, what's the point of putting it in a Faraday cage with the power on? It won't receive or transmit anything anyway. Might as well be off.
 
Direction of signal plays a role, too. And just because a bug can squeeze between two pieces of metal doesn't mean a signal can.

A typical microwave is 5 inches in length. It will not fit through a space that a cockroach can slip into.

The wavelength of AC as used in the home can't get through a chain link fence. The chain link fence looks like a brickwall to that wavelength.
 
If I turn on my spectrum analyzer in the bedroom and go turn on the microwave in the kitchen, It will show a wide band of energy around 2.4GHz leaking out. They leak RF, a lot of it, even on the frequency it was designed for. But it is enough to keep the majority of it in the oven, so its safe for us and wifi routers.

If an EMP was mostly 2.4GHz, the oven may attenuate the EMP enough for your gadgets to survive. But EMPs max out around 500MHz and contain a lot of power on lower frequencies the oven was not designed for. I wouldn't trust it.

Metal tape isn't a great idea ether. I used to think so and often suggested it, but I've used enough of it shielding RF projects (amplifiers, active probes, etc) to know the glue backing is surprisingly good at keeping the foil out of contact with what you stick it to. When considering the frequency content of the EMP (under 500MHz), the capacitive seal the glue makes is not enough to appear as a short circuit to the lower frequency components of the EMP.

Then there is the thickness issue. You have to block two fields, the electric field and the magnetic field. Aluminum foil will block the electric field if it is sealed up tight, but it takes physical thickness to block a magnetic field. Non-ferrous metals can block fast-moving magnetic fields with opposing eddy currents (skin effect), but thats not good for the lower frequency stuff. unless (my opinion here) it is at least a couple mm thick.

Where you live will strongly influence your susceptibility to an EMP attack as well, so there is a lot to consider when deciding how much shielding is enough. What will protect my equipment being this far north is different from what someone in Texas will need to do to protect their stuff from the same event..
 
Whether the microwave will help with an EMP or CME , we may be able to lay to rest soon , as the coronal Mass ejections are picking up in frequency and strength . Right now the sun has put its milder erupting side facing earth but that will soon change in a few days . Considering what the sun was spitting out last week " multiple x classes ejections " , on its next volatile side turning to face earth , we may see some interesting days as the phone addicts and game addicts discover their fix is gone . Good prepper fun may lay ahead
 
Last edited:
Holly1 said:
Yup as expected a whole lotta waffle about it. Do you have a leccy gizmo you want to protect from EMP? Will it fit in your microwave? If it is a massive thing like a genny (build a Faraday cage - it is very simple and need not cost mega fund) if it is small then just use your microwave and shut it in there ... DON'T TURN IT ON!
Want to check if your microwave oven is keeping waves out? Do you have a portable (cell or mobile phone)? Do you have a landline or a pal who can help? Stick the device in the oven and shut the door (do not operate the oven part!) and then simply call your number. If it does not ring or light up then your seal is good and MAY protect against EMP (there are a lot of variables okay the big one is proximity) and your detectors will hopefully work. There is ZERO point in shielding ANYTHING (phones, lappies computers that need a network as there will NOT be a network in many areas post EMP ) but Co meters, Dosimeters, digital thermometers and small but vital things may be saved.

No mater what I wish you logical thinking.
Click to expand...
Don't rely on microwave ovens for protection against EMP.
 
AmmoCan88 said:
Don't rely on microwave ovens for protection against EMP.
Click to expand...

Why not?

The glass door is the only weak link. Often they are metal screens with holes in the range of 3mm. That's protection for frequencies lower than 100GHz.

You can add a sheet of metal over the door to block that if need be. Just make sure it's grounded to the same place the oven is.
 
No the glass ain't the only weak point.the top most likely has a vent,that equals weak point.the same applys to back. Side and bottom sides as well.the door it self opens up.the door frame/jam another weak point.
 
GaryLa said:
Why not?

The glass door is the only weak link. Often they are metal screens with holes in the range of 3mm. That's protection for frequencies lower than 100GHz.

You can add a sheet of metal over the door to block that if need be. Just make sure it's grounded to the same place the oven is.
Click to expand...

Don't use kitchen appliances for faraday cages. Use faraday cages for faraday cages. Either buy one or make one. If you're willing to spend the money a microwave oven costs, then spend the money on a faraday cage/box/bag instead.

To make a good faraday cage that can block electromagnetic radiation from EMP's and CME's you need serious shielding. Microwaves aren't built for EMP's or CME's in mind. This is sufficient reason for not relying on a microwave oven.

You also need to ground the faraday cage. I can ask you, how are you going to make sure your microwave oven is grounded well enough?
Make or order a box made of copper or aluminum. Place wood, plastic or other non-conducive material inside along the surfaces (so the electronics aren't damaged by a surge). Make sure it's grounded properly. Also protect it from moist, water, mould etc. (for the electronics you're trying to protect). Use plenty of faraday tape around the lid.

I've seen videos where people make their own faraday cage using a cabinet padded with foil, and then some faraday tape. Most likely won't work!

Against the extreme radiation of EMP's/CME's, you need extreme shielding. Optimally, you need METERS of LEAD or SILVER to protect against an CME, and there would still be no guarantee it would be enough.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top