Thread: Faraday Cage
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Old October 29th 05, 02:40 PM
Dale Parfitt
 
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Default Faraday Cage


"Matthew&Wendy" wrote in message
...
I like to use my computer to translate CW and record shortwave. However,
the computer throws out a lot of RFI. If I build a Faraday cage around it,
will this help? Does the cage need to be grounded?

Matthew Plante
KC2KEI
Scars are the proof that man can survive his own stupidity.
The biggest problem with Faraday cages is getting lines in and out- this is
how the signals are radiated- how will you deal with this?


Dale W4OP

Also see W7EL's response to a similar query:
A Faraday cage is an electrostatic shield, not a shield for
electromagnetic fields(*). There would be no advantage to shielding your
equipment from external electrostatic fields.

Shielding your station from electromagnetic fields probably won't solve
any perceived problems, either, and is a much more difficult job. As
others have pointed out, it's often much more difficult to prevent
energy from getting through the shield via power and other conductors
and through seams and door fittings than it is to make the shield
itself. If you don't pay proper attention to the sneak paths where
energy can get in, you're wasting your time making the shield in the
first place.

(*) I found "Faraday cage" in the index of only one of a half dozen
electromagnetics texts. It's not in Terman's _Radio Engineering_ or the
rather old IEEE dictionary I have, either.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL