Pistol ammunition and Cell phones

Hi, Is it possible for primers in pistol ammunition (9mm, .45 ACP) to detonate due to radio waves or electromagnetic interference emitted by cell phones?

# # Hi, # Is it possible for primers in pistol ammunition (9mm, .45 ACP) to detonate # due to radio waves or electromagnetic interference emitted by cell phones? # #

While most anything may hapen, it is unlikely that a radio wave will set off a primer. It would have to be very close to the antenna for that to hapen on a very powerful transmitter. You would be having very bad effects on your body before the primer would be affected. The normal 50 or 100 watt transmitters on the cars or the 1 watt cell phone is no where near powerful enough even it the round is a couple of inches from the antenna.

I have been a ham radio operator for many years and have thousands of primers and loaded rounds in the house. I never worry about the transmitters and the primers.

One 'problem' has been traced to where people have had loaded rounds in their pockets and a spare battery for the radio in the same pocket. The brass case gets across the battery and the heat that results cooks off the

Per your question:

Hi, Is it possible for primers in pistol ammunition (9mm, .45 ACP) to detonate due to radio waves or electromagnetic interference emitted by cell phones?

Radio waves or cell phones will not detonate ordinary firearms ammunition. I cannot speak for special military ammo or explosives but I doubt it. The military would certainly design their explosives so this would not be possible.

Terrorists often construct bombs which can be remotely detonated with a cell phone. But this is another matter entirely.

Regards,

>Hi, >Is it possible for primers in pistol ammunition (9mm, .45 ACP) to >detonate >due to radio waves or electromagnetic interference emitted by cell >phones?

>Thanks.

No. Cell phones emit radio waves of very low power. Contrary to what a few people believe, cell phones can't fry your brain cells either.

If low power radio waves could detonate the primers in pistol ammo, the armed forces would not allow their RTO's to have any ammunition while operating a radio transmitter. Also the law enforcement agencies would not allow their officers to have any ammunition while operating a radio transmitter.

Radio waves can induce a current in a firing wire which is sufficient to detonate an electrically fired blasting cap. That is why we must turn off our two-way radios while in a blasting area. To be on the safe side I think it might be a good idea to turn off our cell phones too, even though I have never heard of an incident in which radio wave emissions from a cell phone have caused an electrical blasting cap to detonate. Of course a cell phone may be easily rigged to act as a remote control receiver to activate an external electrical switch or some other kind of triggering mechanism for detonating an explosion, but that is another story altogether. This ingenious use of a cell phone is often used by terrorists and by persons who have been given the job of neutralizing terrorists. A detonation in this case would only very rarely be 'accidental'.

Sam Heywood

|Hi, |Is it possible for primers in pistol ammunition (9mm, .45 ACP) to detonate |due to radio waves or electromagnetic interference emitted by cell phones? |Thanks. Speaking as a knowledgeable individual as to radio waves and so forth. . . . No way in hell. Cell phones run in the milliwatt to watt range, far too weak to heat up a primer. Best regards