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TheQuietZone:WheremobilephonesarebannedByEmileHolbaandSaraJaneHallGreenBank,WestVirginia

19May2015 Magazine

AnyonedrivingwestfromWashingtonDCtowardstheAlleghenyMountainswillarrivebeforelonginavastareawithoutmobilephonesignals.ThisistheNationalRadioQuietZone13,000squaremiles(34,000sqkm)ofradiosilence.Whatisitforandhowlongwill

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itsurvive?

AswedriveintotheAlleghenyMountainsthecarradiofadestostatic.Iglanceatmymobilephonebutthesignalhasdisappeared.

AheadofusadazzlingwhitesaucerloomsabovethewoodedterrainofWestVirginia,gettingbiggerandbiggerwitheverymile.It'stheplanet'slargestlandbasedmovableobjecttheRobertCByrdGreenBankTelescope(GBT)2.3acresinsurfacearea,andtallerthantheStatueofLiberty.

Butitneedselectricalpeaceandquiettodoitsjob.

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Thedish's2,200individualpanelsreflectradiowavesintothereceiverhorns

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AllsignalscapturedbytheGBTarefedintothereceiverroomreceiversarecryogenicallycooledandkeptbetween269Cand258Ctominimiseinternalinterference

TheQuietZone,establishedin1958,protectsitfrominterferenceandalsotheNationalSecurityAgency'smainlisteningpostatSugarGrovenearby.

TheGBTishighlysensitiveandcandetectradiowavesemittedmillisecondsafterthebirthoftheuniverse.Butwhenasignalhastravelledsofar,fromsolongago,itcaneasilybedrownedout.

"Thetelescopehasthesensitivityequivalenttoabillionthofabillionthofamillionthofawatttheenergygivenoffbyasinglesnowflakehittingtheground,"saysbusinessmanagerMikeHolstine."Anythingmanmadewouldoverwhelmthatsignal."

HencetheQuietZone,whoseresidentsliveaverydifferentkindoflifefrommostotherAmericans.

Notonlyaretherenomobilephones,therearenobabymonitors,microwaveovensorwirelessdoorbells.

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MikeHolstine

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ChuckNidaywithhispatrolvehicleonHorsebackRidge

"Anykindofelectricalappliancecancauseinterference,"saysChuckNiday,whopatrolsPocahontasCounty,hometo8,000peopleattheheartofthezone.He'sconstantlyonthelookoutforrogueradiofrequencyinterference(RFI).

"OneIcanthinkofthatcouldcausealotofproblemisavacuumcleanerthetypeofmotortheyusegeneratesalotofsparks,"hesays.

Anyonecaughthooveringwithafaultymachinewillbepolitelyaskedtodesist.

"Wehavenoenforcementpowers,that'sdonebythefederalagencyknownastheFederalCommunicationsCommission.Allwecandoisaskthemtoturnofftheoffendingdeviceand99%ofthetimetheydo,"hesays.

Inonecase,observatorystaffboughtafarmeranewheaterforhisdogpoundwhenittranspiredtheoldonewasleakingunwelcomeradiowaves.

NopetrolenginesareallowedwithinamileoftheGBTbecausetheyusesparkplugs.Andnoelectronicscanbeusedatanearbyairstrip."Wejusthaveawindsockandatetrahedronsothattheyknowwhichwaythewindisblowing,"saysHolstine.

Thereareafewexceptionstotherulethoughemergencyservicesareallowedtouseoneparticularfrequencyforexample.AndstaffattheGBThaveamicrowavewheretheycanheatuptheirlunchbutit'shousedinaspecialcagetostopradiowavesleakingout.

Andwhenhe'snotoutonpatrol,NidayandhiswifepresentajazzprogrammeonAllegheny

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MountainRadio.Hemanagedtoshieldtheantennafromthetelescopeacomplexoperationthatwouldn'tbepossibleformobilephonesignals.

ChuckNiday

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Bluegrasstracksdominatetheplaylist

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TheGBTcontrolroomhasamicrowavewhichsitsinsideaspeciallydesignedFaradaycagethewholeofthisroomislinedwithcopperaswell

WhiletherestoftheUSisconstantlypluggedincheckingemailsandpostingupdatesonsocialmediathelackofmobiletechnologyintheQuietZoneleadstoadifferentmindset.

"Wedohavebroadbandinternetatourhomes,"saysGBTsitedirectorKarenO'Neill."WecanaccesstheinternetthesameasanyonethedifferenceisthatwhenIleavemydesktheinternetdoesn'tfollowme.

"WhenIwatchasoccergame,everyparentonthatfieldiswatchingthekidsplayingsoccer,nobodyislookingattheircellphone,nooneisworryingaboutthat."

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AndwhileI'mhere,Inolongerfeeltheconstantcompulsiontocheckmymobileit'snotlikebeinginaremotespotwithafrustratinglysloworexpensiveconnection,it'sacompletelydifferentwayoflife.

InthisquietpocketofNorthAmericathereisastrongsenseofcommunitywhereconversationsaren'tinterruptedbyphonecalls,statusupdatesornotifications.

"Youreallydon'tseethatstrugglewiththeparentsherewheretheytalktotheirkidsandsay,'You'vegottoputthephonesaway,'andthekidsgo,'DoIhaveto?'andthey'resneakingthemunderthetableanddoingeverythingtheycantotexttheirfriends,"saysO'Neill.

WhatbecomesoftheQuietZoneinthe21stCenturydependstosomeextent,onthefutureoftheGBT.Thesitecosts$14.5m(9.2m)ayeartorunandtheNationalScienceFoundationwhichfinancesithaswarneditmayreduceitscontributionsignificantlyby2017.

SowhilethestaffatGreenBankhuntforsignalsfromthebirthoftheuniverse,theyarealsosearchingforfunding.

"TheywanttousethatmoneytobuildnewtelescopesinChile,"saysHolstine.

"We'retryingtofindalternativeprojectsthatwillbringinmoneyandrightnowthemostpromisingistrackingsatellites."

It'snotjustthe200staffemployedtomaintainandoperatetheGBTwhosesurvivaldependsonthetelescopetherearesheetmetalworkers,cleaners,caterersandguesthouseswherevisitingscientistsstay.

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Kevin,onceachampionpowerlifterinAfrica,sellsfuel,fishingtackleandweddingcakes

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BobbyownsTrent'sconveniencestores

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Ebbyhasworkedinthisshopformorethanhalfacentury

Therearetensionswithinthezonethoughfindingapublicphoneboxthatworkshereisn'teasyandyoungpeopleinparticularareanxioustogettheirhandsonsmartphoneswithfastmobileinternetconnectionstotherestoftheworld.

Thefixedlineaccesstheycurrentlyhaveisveryslowwithnohighspeedbroadbanditfeelslikeyou'resteppingback15years.Andphonecompaniesaren'twillingtoinvestinlayingbettercablesforsuchasmallcommunity.

Butthestatusquosuitsotherswellthereisasmallbutsignificantpopulationof"electrosensitiverefugees"whohavemovedintothearea.

"Wecan'tbewherecrowdsofpeoplearewehavetostayawayfrompeoplebecausemostpeoplearecarryingcellphonesandthatharmsus,"saysDianeSchouwhocallsherselfa"technologicalleper".

SheusedtoliveonafarminIowabutafteramobilephonemastwasbuiltnearby,shebecameill."IhadgottenhairlossIthoughtIwasgettingolder.IhadarashIthoughtthatwassomethingIate.MyvisionchangedIthoughtmaybeit'sgettingolder...MyskingotwrinkledOKgettingolder.Igotaheadacheandthat'swhenIwenttothedoctorbecauseIrarelyhaveheadaches."

Shestartedexperimentingandsaysthatwhenevershewenthometheheadachesreturned."It'slikesomebodyhitmeontheheadwithasledgehammer."

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ShesaysthatsinceshecametoGreenBankherhealthhasimprovedconsiderablyandsheknows57otherpeoplewhohavefoundrelieftherefromsimilarsymptoms.

Localphysician'sassistantRachelTaylorhasseenariseinthenumberofpeoplewithsimilarstoriesinrecentyears.Shesaysshehasn'tseenany"solidconcretestudiesthathaveprovenit,"butisconvinced"theyhavesomethinggoingon".

WhateverhappenstotheGBT,there'sstillSugarGrovetheNationalSecurityAgencylisteningposttothenorth.ReportshavesuggestedsomeofthefacilitiestheremayclosethisyearbutHolstineexpectsmuchofthebasetoremainoperational.

IftheGBTisdecommissioned,SugarGrovewillhavetotakeoverpatrollingthearea,butitwillnotneedtobesostrictaboutstrayradiowavesaroundGreenBank.

Somethinkit'spossiblethatcouldopenthewayforunofficialwirelessdevicestosneakinandchangethe"quiet"wayoflife.

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GPSisallowedintheQuietZoneitusessatellitesandtheNRQZdoesnothaveauthorityoverspacebasedtransmissions

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ViewfromtheGBT:thesmallertelescopeisoperatedbythesameteamandthemountainsactasabarriertooutsidesignals

ImagesbyphotographerEmileHolbatoseemoreimagesfromthisseriesclickhere.

WelcometotheQuietZonewithEmileHolbaisbroadcastonBBCRadio4fromMonday18MaytoFriday22Mayat12:00BST.

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