The Quietest Place in America
There’s an area in West Virginia that regulates the use of cell phones, wireless internet, and other devices that use electromagnetic waves, and it’s considered the quietest place in the United States. The reason why the town of Green Bank has a National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ) put into place by the federal government is because it is home to an observatory.
The Green Bank Observatory (GBO), formerly known as the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), was built in 1957 and features eight telescopes, including the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope—the largest fully steerable radio telescope on Earth. This gigantic telescope is 300 feet in diameter and weighs nearly 17 million pounds.
The Federal Communications Commission created the NRQZ in 1958 to block potentially detrimental interference at the NRAO, as well as at the U.S. Naval facilities in nearby Sugar Grove. This zone covers 13,000 square miles in Virginia and West Virginia.
PSU Students Prep Oregon’s First Satellite for Space Flight
After months and months of research, testing and development, the Portland State Aerospace Society (PSAS) is preparing to hand off Oregon’s first satellite destined for the stars.
Later this month, the interdisciplinary student group will deliver the satellite known as OreSat0 to Seattle’s Spaceflight Inc. who will integrate OreSat0 into its Sherpa(R) Orbital Transfer Vehicle. The propulsive vehicle will carry and deploy many small satellites to orbit after hitching a ride to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, scheduled to launch no earlier than January 2022.
OreSat0 is the first in a series of three satellites designed by the Portland State Aerospace Society and is just about the size of a tissue box. The satellite includes solar panels, batteries, a color camera and an amateur radio system.
Ham radios to the rescue in rain-hit Thrissur district
Ham radio enthusiasts have set up their unique work stations to ensure a steady stream of communication in case nature’s fury wreaked havoc on conventional systems of contact
Even as the incessant rain and resultant flooding disrupted lives across the central regions of the State, ham radio enthusiasts have quietly swung into action in Thrissur district, setting up their unique work stations to ensure a steady stream of communication in case nature’s fury wreaked havoc on conventional systems of contact.
The district administration has sought the service of ham radio operators to coordinate disaster relief operations in case the communication system gets cut off due to any rain-related incident.
David Edenfield says
I wonder exactly to what lengths they regularly practice, such as, are they strict on something like a tire pressure sensor?