Spectrum management is a regulatory process whereby spectrum is apportioned into bands that are allocated to various radio services and applications, subject to rules intended to shield them from mutual interference. The Spectrum Management Department coordinates all areas of electromagnetic spectrum work carried out at the NRAO across all sites. The main areas of activity for the Spectrum Management Department are:
- Zone Regulatory Services (ZRS), which coordinates the regular monitoring and concurrence duties of the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ) and the Puerto Rico Coordination Zone (PRCZ), and the oversight of the New Mexico Radio Coordination Zone (NMRCZ)
- Spectrum Monitoring and Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) Mitigation
- Spectrum Policy (National and International)
- Spectrum Development Projects, which includes projects with outside funding related to spectrum work.
All sites carry out regular spectrum monitoring and mitigation to ensure that protected radio bands are not impinged upon and also to maintain awareness about common sources of RFI. Spectrum allocations and spectrum rules are formulated at national and international levels. The NRAO contributes to national and international spectrum management discussions in order to protect and improve observing conditions for all astronomers, and has done so since its inception. In recent years, the spectrum has become increasingly crowded at ever higher frequencies, and the NRAO is working to track threats and build internal and cooperative capabilities to protect and use spectrum in flexible ways.
Learn more about the NSF Green Bank Observatory’s On Site Policies, the Interference Protection Group, RFI Monitoring and Mitigation, and the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ).