Anybody else know what an EMP is?

[arceeguy]

Originally Posted by motorbikemike45

We use EMPs all the time. When a spark jumps the gap in a spark plug, a magneto induces voltage in the pickup, an electric motor turns, or a generator produces voltage are examples of EMP........

While these are all uses of electro-magnetism, I don't consider them uses of pulse magnetism - except the ignition coil, where the high voltage is derived from a sudden change in a magnetic field. And in a smaller scale, this electromagnetic noise can wreck havoc on electronics. An example would be the glitching of a digital speedometer on a motorized bike due to the ignition.

Marty - yes, EMP's whether man made or natural are very real, and have been known to knock out power grids and disrupt communications, and destroy satellites. What we don't know is how we will be affected come 2012 when the "perfect magnetic storm" will be in full force. I hope the power companies are stocking up on spare parts!

[machiasmort]

Of course they ain't stocking up AG. The Government has allowed them to become monopolies, why should they?

What concerns me is that the last several years, they've had great trouble predicting the solar occurances. Things are getting unpredictable!

A few years back, I seen the N.lights, so strong, it made me nausous. They were swirling so bad it was incredible. Full blown display, right here in NY!

[safe]

I've discussed this idea of EMP before and how it relates to ebikes too.

If (when) there is an EMP caused by war or nature all our computer and other high tech stuff will be destroyed. The only way to protect the electrical parts is to place them in a "Faraday Cage" which will keep the electromagetic energy dissipating in the cage.

If Russia decided to attack America (say after 2012 sometime) with nukes (like Nostradamus suggests... the whole "Two Brothers" reference) I suspect the LAST thing people are going to be worrying about is ebikes or cellphones. (though communications could be of value) Most cities will be leveled and those that are downwind MUST stay underground (the basement) for two weeks before coming out. After two weeks the radiation is low enough to be okay.

The survivors will be people who are not downwind and also in rural locations.

[arceeguy]

Looks like I'm toast. (literally)

[Tinker1980]

I asked a family member who works at a power company about EMP. It's not a problem for transformers, they are big enough to handle any electromagnetic pulse. They handle thousands of volts with no problem. Control systems for substations, wiring and switches, are all "tempest hardened", meaning that they are shielded from EMP. (either with a solid metal box or a faraday cage.)

So... looks like your computer will be the problem. Anybody have any spare metal mesh?

-Mark

[WhizBangAndy]

If you are worried about no power go to Utterpower.com for some off the grid soloutions for post EMP AND Gasoline..I have been a fan for years and there are some sharp minds at work behind this site. Enjoy!

[arceeguy]

From nasa.gov

"14. I have heard that the Earth’s magnetic field will flip in 2012 just when the strongest level of solar storms in history is predicted to take place. Will this kill us or destroy our civilization?
Near solar maximum (which happens every 11 years approximately), there are many more solar flares and coronal mass ejections than near solar minimum. Flares and mass ejections are no danger for humans or other life on Earth. They could endanger astronauts in deep space or on the Moon, and this is something that NASA must learn to deal with, but it is not a problem for you or me. Large outbursts can interrupt radio transmission, cause bright displays of the aurora (Northern and Southern Lights), and damage the electronics of some satellites in space. Today many satellites are designed to deal with this possibility, for example by switching off some of their more delicate circuits and going into a “safe” mode for a few hours. In extreme cases solar activity can also disrupt electrical transmissions on the ground, possibly leading to electrical blackouts, but this is rare.

The last solar maximum occurred in 2001, so the next one was predicted for around 2012, 11 years later. However, the most recent solar minimum was unusual, with a period of a couple of years with almost no sunspots or other indications of solar activity, so scientists now guess that the next maximum will be delayed, perhaps to 2013. However, the details of the solar cycle remain basically unpredictable.

You are correct that the Earth’s magnetic field protects us by creating a large region in space, called the Earth’s magnetosphere, within which most of the material ejected from the Sun is captured or deflected, but there is no reason to expect a reversal of magnetic polarity any time soon. These magnetic reversals happen only once in 400,000 years on average.

15. I am confused about a report on the Fox News website that in 2012 a “Powerful Solar Storm Could Shut Down U.S. for Months”. They referred to a report from the National Academy of Sciences that was commissioned and paid for by NASA. If nothing is going to happen as a result of the event in 2012, why would NASA allow such nonsense to be reported?
NASA is pleased with the National Research Council report on heliophysics. As you note, this report includes a worst-case analysis of what could happen today if there were a repetition of the biggest solar storm ever recorded (in 1859). The problem is the way such information can be used out of context. There is no reason to expect such a large solar storm in the near future, certainly not in 2012 specifically. Your reference to “the event in 2012” illustrates this problem. There is no prediction of an “event in 2012”. We don’t even know if the next solar maximum will take place in that year. The whole 2012 disaster scenario is a hoax, fueled by ads for the Hollywood science-fiction disaster film “2012”. I can only hope that most people are able to distinguish Hollywood film plots from reality."

http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/ask-an-...ns-and-answers


So it looks like the good folks at NASA aren't really concerned.

That page also says that there is no planet alignment in 2012, or any other time in the next several decades. So to all the news reporters out there - WTF?


So it looks like my diesel generator will just be for ice storms and other "normal" disasters.

[Tinker1980]

Originally Posted by arceeguy

From nasa.gov

"14. I have heard that the Earth’s magnetic field will flip in 2012 just when the strongest level of solar storms in history is predicted to take place. Will this kill us or destroy our civilization?
Near solar maximum (which happens every 11 years approximately), there are many more solar flares and coronal mass ejections than near solar minimum. Flares and mass ejections are no danger for humans or other life on Earth. They could endanger astronauts in deep space or on the Moon, and this is something that NASA must learn to deal with, but it is not a problem for you or me. Large outbursts can interrupt radio transmission, cause bright displays of the aurora (Northern and Southern Lights), and damage the electronics of some satellites in space. Today many satellites are designed to deal with this possibility, for example by switching off some of their more delicate circuits and going into a “safe” mode for a few hours. In extreme cases solar activity can also disrupt electrical transmissions on the ground, possibly leading to electrical blackouts, but this is rare.

The last solar maximum occurred in 2001, so the next one was predicted for around 2012, 11 years later. However, the most recent solar minimum was unusual, with a period of a couple of years with almost no sunspots or other indications of solar activity, so scientists now guess that the next maximum will be delayed, perhaps to 2013. However, the details of the solar cycle remain basically unpredictable.

You are correct that the Earth’s magnetic field protects us by creating a large region in space, called the Earth’s magnetosphere, within which most of the material ejected from the Sun is captured or deflected, but there is no reason to expect a reversal of magnetic polarity any time soon. These magnetic reversals happen only once in 400,000 years on average.

15. I am confused about a report on the Fox News website that in 2012 a “Powerful Solar Storm Could Shut Down U.S. for Months”. They referred to a report from the National Academy of Sciences that was commissioned and paid for by NASA. If nothing is going to happen as a result of the event in 2012, why would NASA allow such nonsense to be reported?
NASA is pleased with the National Research Council report on heliophysics. As you note, this report includes a worst-case analysis of what could happen today if there were a repetition of the biggest solar storm ever recorded (in 1859). The problem is the way such information can be used out of context. There is no reason to expect such a large solar storm in the near future, certainly not in 2012 specifically. Your reference to “the event in 2012” illustrates this problem. There is no prediction of an “event in 2012”. We don’t even know if the next solar maximum will take place in that year. The whole 2012 disaster scenario is a hoax, fueled by ads for the Hollywood science-fiction disaster film “2012”. I can only hope that most people are able to distinguish Hollywood film plots from reality."

http://astrobiology.nasa.gov/ask-an-...ns-and-answers


So it looks like the good folks at NASA aren't really concerned.

That page also says that there is no planet alignment in 2012, or any other time in the next several decades. So to all the news reporters out there - WTF?


So it looks like my diesel generator will just be for ice storms and other "normal" disasters.

Arceeguy - thanks for a breath of fresh air from the common sense region. Once again, the world is not ending. I suppose that's too boring for some.

[machiasmort]

Thanks for the info AG! Congrads on the election results out there!

[eastwoodo4]

Originally Posted by Tinker1980

Once again, the world is not ending. I suppose that's too boring for some.

it might not be ending,but its ending as we know it.