The United States National Science Foundation-National Security Agency-commissioned engineering study concludes it is possible to improve emergency communications within the National Radio Quiet Zone at the Green Bank Observatory and the Sugar Grove Research Station without impacting the mission of these sites. A variety of technical options are presented and explored.
Pendleton County Emergency Management announced the findings of a major new engineering study examining how the NRQZ affects public safety radio and communications systems in Pendleton and Pocahontas counties. The study, prepared by CTA Consultants LLC and Roberson & Associates, LLC, as part of the NSF-NSA NRQZ Modernization Effort, confirms what local first responders have long experienced: gaps in radio coverage that put residents, visitors, and emergency personnel at risk. But it also delivers welcome news. There are technical solutions that can result in greatly improved coverage, protecting both public safety and the federal missions the quiet zone was created to serve.
The NRQZ was established to shield two federally significant facilities from radio frequency interference: the Green Bank Observatory, operated under the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, in neighboring Pocahontas County, and the Sugar Grove Research Station, operated by the NSA in Pendleton County. The zone spans roughly 13,000 square miles across Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland, and touches 37 counties and seven Virginia cities.
Key findings were that coverage falls short, but the fix doesn’t have to cost the quiet zone.
The study’s needs analysis found that Pendleton County’s existing public safety radio infrastructure delivers only about 47 percent mobile and 49 percent portable radio coverage countywide, far below the 95 percent coverage standard expected of a modern public safety system. Large sections of the county, particularly in rugged and low-lying terrain, currently have little to no reliable radio service, forcing first responders to operate without confidence that they can call for help or coordinate a response when it matters most. The study also found that some of the challenges faced are not unique to the NRQZ, but are similar to other counties with rugged terrain and low population densities.
Critically, the study’s impact analysis found that these shortfalls are not the result of incompatibility between public safety needs and federal protection requirements. They identified that strategically located towers and adding a VHF capability and dual-band radios can get to a 95 percent coverage without impacting the federal missions. Additionally, the study identified some modest potential gains with updated modelling and propagation tools, although these alone are not sufficient to meet the 95 percent coverage goal.
The study concludes that adding strategically located towers in Pendleton and Pocahontas counties and adding a VHF capability and dual-band UHF/VHF radios can achieve the goals of emergency communications without exceeding the interference limits that protect the Green Bank Observatory in Pocahontas County or the Sugar Grove Research Station in Pendleton County. Better coverage and continued federal protection are not competing goals, but complementary ones. Investments are recommended and the study notes that they would have longevity.
Based on its analysis, the study recommends that Pendleton County continue its ongoing implementation of a VHF radio system for initial notification of personnel and for back-up communications to the West Virginia SIRN System. State and county officials have requested that federal officials relax their current restrictions imposed on several WV SIRN System towers in counties throughout the NRQZ.
The study also identifies that a holistic approach to identifying tower locations can result in improved coverage with fewer towers and overall lower costs, translating directly into lower construction and long-term maintenance costs for the county.
Federal support is needed for all quiet zone counties.
The study is direct about what stands between these findings and real-world results: federal recognition and funding. Both Pendleton and Pocahontas counties are low-population, large geographic areas, with extreme terrain variances, facing declining populations and tax bases. This makes it difficult for either county to fund a public safety-grade radio system that requires additional NRQZ standards without outside help. Both support large numbers of visitors and tourists, which increase their public safety demands.
Regarding funding, Rick Gillespie, Pendleton County Emergency Services coordinator, said, “We are optimistic after having met with federal officials at the end of August. The study reflects the fact that there is genuine interest in finding solutions to these issues.
“Our primary concern is with timing. We need this to move along on an accelerated timeline, since the study and its release took over two years. Each day we wait to address these radio system coverage gaps, we are exposed to potentially fatal consequences. I am confident that we are moving toward permanent solutions.
“Any modernization of the NRQZ’s protection criteria, and any new federal funding streams created to offset the added costs of these federally mandated restrictions inside the Quiet Zone, could benefit every jurisdiction operating under the same restrictions. The conversion of their modelling software is a low-cost partial solution to the problem.”
“For years, our first responders have done their jobs knowing there are places in this county and region where the radio simply doesn’t work. This study proves what we’ve been saying all along — that we can close those gaps without putting the Green Bank Observatory or the Sugar Grove Research Station at risk. Now we need to act as a team on these findings, not just for Pendleton County, but for every county living under these same restrictions,” Gillespie said.
The study results found that Wi-Fi-capable radios, paired with Starlink roving systems, can provide some supplemental radio system coverage. However, the testing demonstrated that Starlink does not provide the level of consistent and reliable connectivity required for use as a primary public safety communications system. The voice tests via radios linked with Starlink revealed signal interruptions due to terrain and tree canopy obstructions, with an average 65 percent failure rate in both counties. It does enhance the delivery of EMS patient data beyond the small areas of cellular wireless phone systems coverage.
Pendleton County Emergency Management appreciates the cooperation of the U.S. National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency, CTA Consultants LLC, Roberson & Associates, LLC, the Green Bank Observatory, the Sugar Grove Research Station, and Pocahontas County officials throughout this study.
