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Wireless Consulting Services, LLC
a full-service RF Engineering firm
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| Quiet Zone Coordination |
About the NRAO Quiet Zone
The National Radio "Quiet Zone" was created in 1958 in order to protect the radio astronomy
facilities located in Green Bank and Sugar Grove, West Virginia from interference caused by radio transmitters located in
the surrounding area. The NRAO is commonly referred to as "Green Bank" and its Quiet Zone encompasses approximately
13,000 square miles in portions of Virginia and West Virginia.
Any transmitter operating from a fixed location must be coordinated with Green Bank to ensure that there is no
impact upon their facility's operations. The process used is typically a multi-stage process. Wireless Consulting
Services has over six years of experience in working with Green Bank and is available to handle all stages of Quiet Zone Coordination.
Stages of Quiet Zone Coordination
1) Preliminary Request for Limits
Specific site data is sent to Green Bank so that limits can be established. The limits are dependent upon terrain,
radiation centers, frequency, and occupied bandwidth. After evaluation, Green Bank staff responds with the maximum
power that can be broadcast in their direction
2) Site Design
Using the limits specified by Green Bank, we complete an RF design for the site which includes antenna models, radiation
centers, ERP, etc. By careful selection of antennas and azimuths, the coverage of each site is optimized to provide the
best possible service. In many cases, the site's final ERP can be above the Green Bank limits with proper site design
3) Request for Final Coordination
An engineering report is submitted to Green Bank for their review that contains the data to prove that the final
design meets the limits that were established during the Preliminary Request for Limits. After careful review of the
data, Green Bank will send a letter that the sites as designed will not exceed their established limits.
4) Site inspection
After the site has been constructed, Green Bank personnel will typically inspect the site to ensure that it was
constructed and operated as submitted in the RF engineering design.
We look forward to assisting your company with your RF Engineering projects.
References:
NRAO Website
Map of the Quiet Zone
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