General explosive and EOD questions

[Patrick Murray]

Let me start off by admitting I know next to nothing about actual explosives
except I know enough not to try stuff - call me fickle, but I 'd rather keep
my fingers. I have read some basic "explosives 101" type stuff but would
much appreciate more advice. Some stuff I am looking for is not published
for obvious reasons.

I am writing a fictional story that starts off with a planned IED in a
subway station that does not go off. My plan is to have the device being
cell phone detotnated but something with the wiring becomes off so it does
no detonate when the send button is pressed. My plan is to have an EOD
specialist with police or the nearest military base approach the device and
open the duffel bag it is hidden in more to see what type of device it is
(so then to figure how to disable it.) I want the bomber to pull off a big
time blunder in accidently using his own phone with all his contacts in it
as the one he put as the trigger. This contact loaded phone brings leads to
a bigger and more complex plan to it is important it is saved for the good
guys to find the list intact. For this reason, I don't want to have the EOD
guys to detonate the device safely.

Question 1) Exactly how does a cell phone detonator work? Electronic or
electroc voltage in the phone trigger the device when the phone goes off is
my only reasoning.

Q2) I have the bad guy having trouble with the zipper when he is closing the
duffel that he dislodges the wire connecting the trigger phone to the
explosive matieral so when he calls it, all it does is ring and not the boom
he wants. Is this plausible?

Q3) With the bomber in custody, the cops calls the EOD boys and one EOD
specialist slowly approaches the device to try see what type of device it
before deciding how to diarm it or transport it to detotante safely, I have
the EOD person sees part of the device (the zipper is not totally closed)
and slowly opens the bag to see more of it and he sees the wire from the
phone to the explosie agent is dislodged and therefore, safe. Is that
plausible?

I haven't decided exactly what compments to make the device out off, but I
am toyting with having partly made of Semtex, stolen from a former Eastern
Bloc military base

Thank you very much in advance.

Patrick Murray

[a***@gmail.com]

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[You]

Post by a***@gmail.com
Interesting story, but you have a few little problems with it.
EOD is not a careless, 'we make mistakes sometimes' kind of
profession. Mistakes cost lives, so something as simple as a mistake
with a partially opened zipper - not likely. As EOD, it seems more
likely that an endoscope would be used before anything else if a
purchase can be made. RTEs (remote trigger explosives) using cell
phones commonly use the connection to the speaker / LCD thru some
simple circuitry to an electric match / other triggering device. They
are simple, very versatile, and incredibly dangerous in terms of their
potential as a weapon. With being more revealing about the actual
construction, I have to say that the plot you have revealed so far is
unlikely, to the point that I wouldn't read it. Try to make the
problems more circumstantial, and not personal. This may help. An idea
would be to have the device ditched in a trash can where someone later
dumped a soda or other liquid. This could cause the disabling of the
bomb without detonation as it can render some explosives (if not
sealed) harmless, as well as saturate an electric match and disable
the triggering of an explosive. The liquid would have to hit -just
right- though. Circumstantial stuff.
Take into consideration that anyone with the time and know how to make
a RTE wouldn't make the mistake of using their own phone. Or even
buying said phone with their own credit card. Your plot needs to
express the intelligence of the characters or your story will flop.
Good luck!
~Adam

Hmmmm, Why would someone use a homemade "Electric Match" for an
IED that, for one, uses "Stolen Semtex" from Eastern Europe, when
one can procure (Steal) a commercial Blasting Cap, and slip on Booster,
just about anywhere in the world? Any Terrorist worth being called
a "Terrorist" just isn't going to have this imagined procurement
problem. Especially if they have a Nation State sponcering, or funding
there operations. These homemade "Electic Matches" are a figment
of the Cool Bombz Crowds imagination, as they can only be used to set of
non-detonatable (deflagration type) Energetic Materials. Any REAL EOD
types know this, and after looking over such a device as proposed
above, would conclude that the maker was an Idiot without a clue.

[a***@gmail.com]

Post by You

Post by a***@gmail.com
Interesting story, but you have a few little problems with it.
EOD is not a careless, 'we make mistakes sometimes' kind of
profession. Mistakes cost lives, so something as simple as a mistake
with a partially opened zipper - not likely. As EOD, it seems more
likely that an endoscope would be used before anything else if a
purchase can be made. RTEs (remote trigger explosives) using cell
phones commonly use the connection to the speaker / LCD thru some
simple circuitry to an electric match / other triggering device. They
are simple, very versatile, and incredibly dangerous in terms of their
potential as a weapon. With being more revealing about the actual
construction, I have to say that the plot you have revealed so far is
unlikely, to the point that I wouldn't read it. Try to make the
problems more circumstantial, and not personal. This may help. An idea
would be to have the device ditched in a trash can where someone later
dumped a soda or other liquid. This could cause the disabling of the
bomb without detonation as it can render some explosives (if not
sealed) harmless, as well as saturate an electric match and disable
the triggering of an explosive. The liquid would have to hit -just
right- though. Circumstantial stuff.
Take into consideration that anyone with the time and know how to make
a RTE wouldn't make the mistake of using their own phone. Or even
buying said phone with their own credit card. Your plot needs to
express the intelligence of the characters or your story will flop.
Good luck!
~Adam

Hmmmm, Why would someone use a homemade "Electric Match" for an
IED that, for one, uses "Stolen Semtex" from Eastern Europe, when
one can procure (Steal) a commercial Blasting Cap, and slip on Booster,
just about anywhere in the world? Any Terrorist worth being called
a "Terrorist" just isn't going to have this imagined procurement
problem. Especially if they have a Nation State sponcering, or funding
there operations. These homemade "Electic Matches" are a figment
of the Cool Bombz Crowds imagination, as they can only be used to set of
non-detonatable (deflagration type) Energetic Materials. Any REAL EOD
types know this, and after looking over such a device as proposed
above, would conclude that the maker was an Idiot without a clu

Precisely - that seems to be what the author had in mind

[t***@earthlink.net]

On Thu, 03 May 2007 16:31:23 GMT, "Patrick Murray"

Post by Patrick Murray
Let me start off by admitting I know next to nothing about actual explosives
except I know enough not to try stuff - call me fickle, but I 'd rather keep
my fingers. I have read some basic "explosives 101" type stuff but would
much appreciate more advice. Some stuff I am looking for is not published
for obvious reasons.
I am writing a fictional story that starts off with a planned IED in a
subway station that does not go off. My plan is to have the device being
cell phone detotnated but something with the wiring becomes off so it does
no detonate when the send button is pressed. My plan is to have an EOD
specialist with police or the nearest military base approach the device and
open the duffel bag it is hidden in more to see what type of device it is
(so then to figure how to disable it.) I want the bomber to pull off a big
time blunder in accidently using his own phone with all his contacts in it
as the one he put as the trigger. This contact loaded phone brings leads to
a bigger and more complex plan to it is important it is saved for the good
guys to find the list intact. For this reason, I don't want to have the EOD
guys to detonate the device safely.
Question 1) Exactly how does a cell phone detonator work? Electronic or
electroc voltage in the phone trigger the device when the phone goes off is
my only reasoning.
Q2) I have the bad guy having trouble with the zipper when he is closing the
duffel that he dislodges the wire connecting the trigger phone to the
explosive matieral so when he calls it, all it does is ring and not the boom
he wants. Is this plausible?
Q3) With the bomber in custody, the cops calls the EOD boys and one EOD
specialist slowly approaches the device to try see what type of device it
before deciding how to diarm it or transport it to detotante safely, I have
the EOD person sees part of the device (the zipper is not totally closed)
and slowly opens the bag to see more of it and he sees the wire from the
phone to the explosie agent is dislodged and therefore, safe. Is that
plausible?
I haven't decided exactly what compments to make the device out off, but I
am toyting with having partly made of Semtex, stolen from a former Eastern
Bloc military base
Thank you very much in advance.
Patrick Murray

Patrick ! I would not pursue this any further, you have probably
alerted the FBI and other government agencies about your question.
And since your literary talents do not show any ability to even spell
then I would consider that you are asking questions that would lead
to investigations.