NRQZ coordination is required for all new or modified, permanent, fixed, licensed transmitters inside the NRQZ. Coordination under the West Virginia State Code Chapter 37A “Radio Astronomy Zoning Act” (WVRAZ) may also apply, and voluntary coordination with the NRQZ office is greatly appreciated for frequency assignments that are not required to coordinate. For the most up-to-date information about the coordination process, please visit the NRQZ Page managed by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
Description
The National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ) was set aside by the federal government to provide a geographical region to protect sensitive instrumentation from Radio Frequency Interference (RFI).
The 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.