Pat Flannery wrote in
dakotatelephone:

On 8/13/2010 8:57 AM, Rick Jones wrote:
In sci.space.history wrote:
On Aug 12, 1:05?am, Pat wrote:

This sounds great till the first EMP-generating nuclear detonation
destroys the communications link between the interceptors and their
C&C by disrupting the ionosphere.

At least it wouldn't have fried the computers. The AN/FSQ-7 was
built from vacuum tubes, after all.

Even vacuum tubes have their limits don't they?

I wouldn't worry about the vacuum tubes as I would the big electrical
pulses coming down the electrical cables hooking all the equipment
together as it acted like an antenna.
At least on the Minuteman silos, they were concerned about phone lines
enough that they installed EMP arrestors that relied on neon tubes to
shut things down a lot faster than standard lightning arrestors could.
A friend of mine has one of these surplus EMP arrestor phone panels
installed in his house that he got when they were shutting a silo down
under SALT.

Still use those gas discharge tubes where MOVs aren't hefty enough or
long-lived enough. They can absorb a pretty good jolt, repeatedly.


--Damon