National Radio Quiet Zone

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National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ)
Map of the NRQZ

Map of the NRQZ

location Virginia  / West Virginia United StatesUnited StatesUnited States 
Area / extent 34,000 km² / 261 km
Geographical location 38 ° 23 ′  N , 79 ° 30 ′  W Coordinates: 38 ° 23 ′  N , 79 ° 30 ′  W
National Radio Quiet Zone (USA)
National Radio Quiet Zone
Setup date 1958
Framework plan Federal Communications Commission
administration Green Bank Observatory on behalf of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)
particularities Protection zone for radio equipment ( radio astronomy , signals intelligence )
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The National Radio Quiet Zone  ( NRQZ ) is a protection zone for radio equipment in the USA.

It is located in the states of Virginia , West Virginia and a small part of Maryland and covers around 34,000 km 2 , which is roughly the size of North Rhine-Westphalia . The boundaries of the National Radio Quiet Zone are formed by the longitudes 80 ° 30 'W and 78 ° 30' W and the latitudes 37 ° 30 'N and 39 ° 15' N.

The zone was established in 1958 by the Federal Communications Commission . It houses the Green Bank Observatory of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank and the Sugar Grove Station of the US Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) in Sugar Grove, West Virginia , now part of the National Security Agency  (NSA) , ECHELON network, since April 2013).

The operation of broadcast transmission systems is severely restricted in the National Radio Quiet Zone . This improves the radio reception of the telescopes through a reduced interference level. In the immediate vicinity of the Green Bank Observatory, namely at a distance of 20 miles , there is therefore no mobile phone reception, and the NRAO is actively looking for sources of interference such as poorly shielded electrical systems, poorly operated WLAN networks, microwave ovens and the like. and take care of their rectification. The FCC , but not the NRAO, may impose fines for violations . Petrol engines are prohibited in the direct vicinity of the systems due to their spark plugs .

For some time now, the zone has been used as a place of residence by people who describe themselves as electrosensitive .

literature

  • Wes Sizemore and Jeff Acree: The National Radio Quiet Zone . In: BM Lewis and DT Emerson (Eds.): Spectrum Management for Radio Astronomy: Proceedings of the IUCAF summer school held at Green Bank, West Virginia, June 9-14, 2002. National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, Virginia 2004, pp 217-224. ISBN 0-9700411-0-1

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 47 CFR § 97.3 (a) (33)
  2. ↑ FCC Document No. 11745 ( Memento of the original from August 28, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , 1958 (PDF, 622 kB; English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gb.nrao.edu
  3. ↑ "disestablish Navy Information Systems Command, Sugar Grove, WV" . April 23, 2013. Archived from the original on May 2, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 6, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / cryptome.org
  4. ↑ Dead-spot as big as NRW: America's mobile phone-free paradise , Spiegel Online , February 14, 2014.
  5. ^ Wi-fi refugees shelter in West Virginia mountains , BBC, September 13, 2011