If a nuclear war destroyed almost all of the big cities in the US, would a person be able to get or send out a message through a radio or a walkie talkie? Or would radio towers have to be rebuilt? If radios didn’t work, how hard would it be to get AM or FM frequencies up again?
Researching for a novel. Thanks!
During an atomic blast, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is generated. This EMP destroys electronic circuitry in items such as radios, televisions and computers. It also destroys electric wiring and transmission lines.
Your home will not have normal electricity to operate communication devices. Even though some communication satellites in space will still be functioning, cell phones won’t work because the receiving stations will be out of commission .
If your battery operated radio or walkie-talkie is shielded, say with aluminum foil, it will be just fine and work properly immediately after the pulse. The trouble is, no commercial radio stations will be transmitting. Some governments may have shielded transmitters for emergencies.
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February 13th, 2010 at 4:55 am
During an atomic blast, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is generated. This EMP destroys electronic circuitry in items such as radios, televisions and computers. It also destroys electric wiring and transmission lines.
Your home will not have normal electricity to operate communication devices. Even though some communication satellites in space will still be functioning, cell phones won’t work because the receiving stations will be out of commission .
If your battery operated radio or walkie-talkie is shielded, say with aluminum foil, it will be just fine and work properly immediately after the pulse. The trouble is, no commercial radio stations will be transmitting. Some governments may have shielded transmitters for emergencies.
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References :
Lots of info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse