EMP shielding for smart phones?

Hello, I have a general question for the folks here in the survival forum!

In a SHTF scenario, I realize that cellphones would essentially be useless. However, I have hundreds of books stored on mine, along with a very diverse catalog of music. I consider this to be a "cultural treasure" that I would want to preserve.

I have recently watched the first episode for this new NBC show, "Revolution" -- and while I think its acting/screenwriting/execution is horrible, I have to wonder.



Assuming there was an EMP of some sort that rendered cell towers and electrical grids useless, how can I make sure that my smart phone remains unscathed so that I may enjoy the books, music, photos and other off-line content?

I plan on using a combination of hand crank, solar and a Biolite stove to keep the lithium battery charged. In case you haven't seen the Biolite stove:



Here is a video of it in real-time action. As long as you can find dry sticks, you can always have a small amount of power.



I think that by purchasing extra stoves (for parts), extra batteries, and some sort of EMP "hardening" case for the smartphone, one would be OK for at least 10 years.

Additionally, I would probably put the stoves in an EMP shielded bag (is that possible?) because they also have electronic parts.

Does anyone know of any smart phone cases that shield against EMP? Is there a way to modify a standard smart phone case to allow it to be protected?

Many thanks!

Keeping it in a Faraday cage at all times might help but that could be problematic if you ever want to use it.
Of course, with electrical grids down you're going to have to figure out how to charge it.


wups. You have charging covered.

A Faraday cage would protect the phone but don't expect to have any service after the EMP. Unless the towers, lines, and servers are all caged and protected it will all be fried.

To protect your phone just to use downloaded content simply take a military ammo box, insulate it with rubber such as from a semi truck mudflap on all 6 interior sides so there's no chance of exposed metal, and you have a Faraday cage.

Thank you!

I wonder if it would be possible to modify an otter box of some kind to act as a "faraday cage"?

If you see my videos on the Biolite stove, and throw a solar charger and hand crank charger into the mix -- I think I'd be OK for battery power. Batteries run out, however, so stocking up on many would be a good idea.

A portable faraday cage perhaps would be a better solution? Some kind of bag to store my extra batteries, stove, solar/crank charger?

Originally posted by Nucleardiver
A Faraday cage would protect the phone but don't expect to have any service after the EMP. Unless the towers, lines, and servers are all caged and protected it will all be fried.

To protect your phone just to use downloaded content simply take a military ammo box, insulate it with rubber such as from a semi truck mudflap on all 6 interior sides so there's no chance of exposed metal, and you have a Faraday cage.

I think this might be the best option. Keep the Biolite stoves, extra lithium batteries, solar charger and crank charger inside.

Ammo boxes are heavy. There must be a lighter, more mobile alternative?

reply to post by Phage


Phage, please see the Biolite videos. REI and other outlets currently carry solar and crank charging solutions. The charging aspect would not be a problem if they were somehow packed into a lightweight faraday solution.

I would only be using the smart phone for off-line content. I realize the phone won't make calls. It's a repository of cultural knowledge.

It would appear that metal insulated via a non-conductive material would be the best option. Perhaps those throw away "static bags" that come with computer RAM and video cards could be used? I believe they are metal coated mylar...

Bury it it 3 feet in the ground,

I actually have an old ipad filled with survival info, along with some gear (first aid kit, ammo, etc) and solar charger buried in the back yard.

Instead of recycling an old phone just bury it.

3 ft of soil is all it takes to protect from emp.

Just buy the small all metal trash can and metal cover at home depot
Make sure nothing inside the can touches the metal sides. ie glue some rubber matting on the inside walls or whatever you keep inside the can is inside a box or plastic anti-static bag. Also keep the can off the ground so it can ground out to earth. Wood blocks or plastic blocks or shelf would work.

Anything inside the can will be protected.
Infrastructure however will be toast

reply to post by MystikMushroom

Yes, I saw that you had considered recharging. Neat setup there.

I was talking about day to day use of the phone. Since an EMP attack could happen at any time, unless you kept your phone in a Faraday cage at all times the chances are it would be damaged. Perhaps an iPod or the like with all your cultural treasures stored on it would be a better option for archiving.

I'm not sure an anti-static bag would be effective.

reply to post by Phage


Thanks Phage! I've been a member on here for a long time, and I always love it when you visit a thread!

I'm starting to think that there really isn't any realistic solution for my daily phone in my pocket.

It might be better to back everything up to some micro SD cards periodically, and keep them shielded (saran wrap and tin foil should work for that purpose, correct?).

If the above makes logical sense, the problem then lies in where to store the extra batteries and charging solutions safely without adding additional weight/bulk.

If SHTF, the last place I want to be is in an urban area. Traffic will suck, and I'll have to "hoof-it".

Portable, lightweight faraday cages people. I think collectively we're smart enough to think up one!

Phage is correct with the faraday cage, though I'd suggest looking for a cheaper device to store in it. Flash drives are super cheap for many gigs these days. My guess for the best, cheapest setup would be do find a plan for a faraday cage online, construct it yourself, and get the cheapest, decent device that can do all the media needs you want, that accepts cheap memory expansion. Pick the model with the lowest ram for best deal, and just keep some memory sticks, in whatever format is best, beside it inside the cage.

reply to post by MystikMushroom

It might be better to back everything up to some micro SD cards periodically, and keep them shielded (saran wrap and tin foil should work for that purpose, correct?).

I have my doubts about foil. A wrinkle or crease can allow electromagnetic "leakage". A true Faraday cage is not as trivial matter as some would have you believe. Its construction depends upon the frequencies which it is subject to.

I don't know if flash memory is susceptible to EMP but your absolute best bet would be storage on optical disks (with a reader kept appropriately stashed).

reply to post by Phage


Phage, I'd also like to pre-empt your skepticism/pessimism.

"What happens when the lithium ion batteries die for good?"

Yes, lithium ion batteries only last so long before they refuse to take a decent charge. These stoves use a similar battery to that of an ipod touch/iphone. I've abused the hell (over charging, depleting) my old FIRST generation ipod touch's battery. It still works to this day for an hour or two. That is plenty to drive the stove's fan and turn the heat into electrical energy for the USB charge.

Solar panels on a good day can provide quite a bit of a charge if the phone/kindle/tablet is not active.

I plan on having more than one stove. I also hope (if I buy one to test) that the battery compartment is accessible, and I can order more batteries to carry with me.

I'm expecting my combination of charging solutions and additional spare batteries to last about 10-15 years if used sparingly.

The key is in how to keep them safe from an EMP/CME, and make the entire thing packable on my back?

reply to post by Phage


That's not a bad idea. I admit my idea has a 10, possibly 20 year lifespan. I'm hoping that by then I'll be dead, have kids and educate them myself, or the world will have recovered.

FYI:

Optical disks last about 100 years. This is why governments still archive on microfiche/microfilm. All you need is a magnifying glass and the sun to see the record. I kind of know about these things

I seem to recall reading on a simular thread many moons ago on ATS about using a household microwave, earthed to the ground which is probaly a more pragmatic solution to safeguard against an EMP strike,

They seem to be every where these days (microwave ovens) also handy to cram your laptop and memory sticks as well, I seem to remember if you go to militery fairs there are alot of EMP protected signal equipment for sale at very cheap prices. TUAM (Tuning unit anntena matching) Basicly insulated aluminium boxes, Waterproof too, Hope this helps.

reply to post by MystikMushroom


put it in a microwave oven... p.s. dont turn it on.

learn to play guitar and write books? lol

I've got an old microwave oven. I heard that it will keep things like a tablet or cell safe as long as I cut the cord.

reply to post by MystikMushroom


put 'em inside 2 or 3 of these

Faraday-bags

I agree with Phage about not trusting aluminum foil, but I would imagine lead foil sheets should work sufficiently well.

I salvaged some lead sheeting from portable x-ray units I used to use. And it was very handy for a cold fusion experiment I attempted a few years ago. The experiment failed miserably though