The EMP problem is very well studied, and very classified. You
won't find much detailed information. The US has spent
billions of dollars studying it. The amount of money spent should
act as an indicator of the danger of the effect.

EMP is far worse than lightning! This is because the risetime of EMP
is in the sub pico second region. Even a dead short circuit looks
like an inductor at these frequencies.

Now, on the bright side, all of the IC manufacturers have been
hardening their ICs for electro static and EMP effects for at least
the last 20 years. They know the score, and don't want their stuff
fizzling with EMP. EMP hardened pads cost them nothing to include.

As to tube gear surviving EMP, every commercial tube rig made
in the '60s and 70s had some solidstate in it. The HW101 had a solid
state LTO, the HW100 was tube, with a varactor to shift the vFO for
usb/lsb. Same with the SB100/101. SB102 had a ss LTO. Diodes were
used here and there to aid in T/R switching....

If spamsink is really interested in having a rig that will survive EMP
he should look at some of the US military solid state gear. It is all
hardened. Or, on a cheaper note, put an ICOM in a copper can.

-Chuck, WA3UQV

ckh wrote:
On Sun, 7 Sep 3903 14:51:24, wrote:


I think I mentioned elsewhere in these discussions that the main
reason I'm looking for an all-tube SSB/CW transceiver is for when (not
"if", unfortunately) terrorists manage to smuggle a nuclear weapon
into this country and set it off.

(Hell, no, I'm not paranoid, which one of my enemies told you that?)
:-(