The Quiet Zone

[♠SARKID♠]

VERY interesting video about a 13,000 square mile area covering part of West Virgina and Virginia.  Its an area where radio communications and interference are absolutely not allowed and illegal.  Everything from cell phones, wireless speakers, and microwave ovens are prohibited.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWqfVq5Wn0I

Does anybody live here or near hear?  How is life without those sorts of things?  How does it affect CAP communications, if at all?  What about some average Joe driving through cross country who leaves his cell on?

[Eclipse]

Not all radio transmissions are prohibited, but station owners must typically coordinate their operations (e.g. Allegheny Mountain Radio) with representatives of the NRAO. Most radio transmitters within the area are licensed, and exceptions are usually determined on a case-by-case basis, with preference given to public safety concerns.

The National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ) was established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in Docket No. 11745 (November 19, 1958) and by the Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC) in Document 3867/2 (March 26, 1958) to minimize possible harmful interference to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Green Bank, WV and the radio receiving facilities for the United States Navy in Sugar Grove, WV. The NRQZ is bounded by NAD-83 meridians of longitude at 78d 29m 59.0s W and 80d 29m 59.2s W and latitudes of 37d 30m 0.4s N and 39d 15m 0.4s N, and encloses a land area of approximately 13,000 square miles near the state border between Virginia and West Virginia.

[Al Sayre]

I'm curious how they enforce it with all of those roads running through.  You can't stop every cary and check for cell phones...

[LittleIronPilot]

Never heard of such a thing...and imagine it has got to be [darn] near IMPOSSIBLE to enforce.

[jimmydeanno]

I'm curious how they enforce it with all of those roads running through.  You can't stop every cary and check for cell phones...

I don't think they were thinking about cell phones in 1958...

[mikeylikey]

Wow......glad I don't live there.  Oh ya......they can take my wireless speakers away from me after they kill me.  But I guarantee I will take down alot of them before they get me!

[_]

You can limit the impact of cell phones by limiting the number of cell phone towers.  Also if I remember correctly from my astronomy class in high school, there is an inner area closer to the telescopes that has higher restrictions.  The larger zone may have more relaxed standards.  Looking at the map there are several larger towns and several airports within the box. 

As a side note, I want that guy's truck.

[♠SARKID♠]

As a side note, I want that guy's truck.

Heck yeah, that thing is awesome.  I don't just want his truck though, I want his job.  Kind of a fantasy/dream job of mine: getting paid to DF signals.

[_]

I wonder if WV wing has ever tried to recruit him?