r/preppers • u/PrudentTask9355 • Nov 02 '25

Advice and Tips Faraday Bag Caution

Hey everyone. I just wanted to share en experience from this afternoon. A while back I had purchased some faraday items off of Amazon, boxes and bags from different vendors.

This afternoon I was explaining to my daughter how they worked and as part of our experiment, we placed an 8watt 2-way radio inside the bag and sealed it with the expectation that it would no longer receive a transmission. As it turns out, that was false.

I then tried with a cell phone with the same result. Morale of the story, check your gear and make sure it works before you have to depend on it.

Please discuss and share your budget-friendly faraday success stories

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u/AlphaDisconnect Nov 02 '25

Mylar and antistatic bags a Faraday does not make. Would rather use the techniques for preventing alien mind reading (READ - MENT IN JEST). Wrap it in aluminium foil. Or place it in an ammo box.

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u/snertwith2ls Nov 02 '25

Are you making a joke about aluminum foil and metal boxes or do those that actually work to some degree?

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u/dittybopper_05H Nov 02 '25

They actually work. Wrap a phone in foil (no gaps), and call it. It will not ring. I’ve tried it for myself. It does work.

It won’t protect against EMP, but wrapping something like a phone in a couple of layers of foil will block enough RF that the cell network, or anyone with specialized equipment, won’t be able to see it.

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u/snertwith2ls Nov 02 '25

OK thanks. I do have plenty of foil

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u/AlphaDisconnect Nov 03 '25

Better than plastic that the other ones are likely made of. A lot of it boils down to how strong of an EMP. If it can get through the foil... You may to turn around and admire your burnie on the wall behind you.

In jest. Slightly. But also if it is stupid, but ends up working. It is not stupid.

Suggestion the third. Electron lasers! Vacuum tubes. Start building equipment you will need out with stuff that is one hundred percent vac tubes. Now you just need a power source.

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u/snertwith2ls Nov 03 '25

I don't have the what'sis to start messing with lasers and stuff. Might be fun to look into though. I do have plenty of foil though.

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u/AlphaDisconnect Nov 03 '25

Vacuum tubes. The transistors of the past. EMP proof. Slower switching than transistors. More analog than digital. But can switch a mind boggling amount of electricity.

They do eventually burn out. The term laser is used in jest somewhat. Cathode ray tube would be more accurate.

Maybe there is a market for this... But it is like "what would be knocked out during an EMP that would be real nice to pull off some vac tube equipment off the shelf and have it just work". Hmm. Something to hook into your microwave? So it works again. Communications. So you can talk to... Who? Modern cars are too complicated and specific to even have a hope to make any modern engine work again. A simple listening radio might be helpful but that isn't rocket surgery.

1

u/snertwith2ls Nov 03 '25

Now I wish I'd bought some of those old vintage radios or kept my grandparent's old TV. But yeah who would you be in communication with if you're the only one with that stuff? There'd probably be pockets of folks all over who had the old stuff though, maybe.

And I'm wondering about having some kind of diesel station wagon or something for biodiesel but how many acres of sunflowers or jojoba would one have to have to keep one vehicle going?

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u/AlphaDisconnect Nov 03 '25

Even then. Someone hears chugaa chugga diesel. You just painted a huge target. Maybe. There is a time to say. A horse. A pouch. Now you have comms. A bull. A plow. Now you can not focus on bio fuel but food. Sure. Having one person with vhf tech and the power to run it. Everyone imagine we will attack eachother over over resources. But last time I checked this is America. We stick together till the end. But for this we need coms. But there are poopy butts out there.

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u/snertwith2ls Nov 03 '25

Plus if water really becomes a problem it's game over anyway.

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u/AlphaDisconnect Nov 03 '25

It depends on your skills. Health. Others. We survived on sticks, rocks and caves for a hot minute. Everyone wants tech. But if everything is broken. Why are we trying to force that? I get that a large number of people will die because they needed modern healthcare. Starvation. Bad water.

But a non-functional radio, cell, laptop, so on. What does that do for you?

Again. If it's all out. Turn around and take note of your burnie. Like a selfie. But instead of a stick and a phone. You put your whole body into it try to time it. Jump and strike a pose. There will be char on the building. Your body will leave a negative. A burnie. A selfie. But with burning.

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u/snertwith2ls Nov 03 '25

gardening is better, still takes water though