EMI Risk Assessment Methodology for Farming Communities close to a Radio Quiet Zone

Abstract

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project is an international effort to build the world's largest radio telescope, with a cumulative collecting area of a square Kilometre[1]. The telescope in South Africa will be situated in the Northern Cape, in a remote site near Carnarvon, in close proximity to farming communities. These communities could pose a risk as possible sources of radio frequency interference (RFI) and electromagnetic interference (EMI). Control and mitigation of these is essential in keeping the telescope operating. With some farms occupied by owners and workers, RFI and EMI sources are bound to exist in the farm households. Understanding interference propagation on-site, time occupancy and the power levels of the culprits, together with the knowledge of the mitigation strategies, shielding and separation distance requirements needed for that equipment, will assist in shaping policies, control plans and contribute to the sustainability of onsite radio quietness. This paper explains the reverberation chamber measurement results of some of the typical RFI sources of interest and the analysis of the propagation path losses and separation distance required for these sources with no/minimum shielding.