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Green Banks Telescope
Lens: 18-135mm Camera: K-30 
Posted By: reh321, 07-11-2018, 05:26 PM

My wife and I spent our vacation time last summer in the hills of West Virginia .... trying to remember how we handled various things without cell coverage. We were in a large "dead zone" because of this, a really big radio telescope; federal and state regulations control all kinds of things to keep radio emissions down in this area. We took their tour out to see GBT; I wish I had brought my old Super Program with me, because only film cameras were allowed beyond the observation platform, and I would have loved a photo of how we were dwarfed by this thing. The photo below, taken at the observation platform, gives an idea of its size if you look at the barn in the left side of the photo.

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07-29-2018, 02:14 PM   #2
jnd
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That's quite interesting, never heard of place where you are allowed with film only cameras. Maybe the super program has too much electronics inside too? Would be nice trip with something like KX or even older.
07-29-2018, 02:23 PM   #3
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That’s strange indeed. Near the Westerbork radio telescope only phones and cars are not allowed. Cameras are ok. The picture is nice, as is that really big machine.
07-29-2018, 04:48 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by jnd Quote
That's quite interesting, never heard of place where you are allowed with film only cameras. Maybe the super program has too much electronics inside too? Would be nice trip with something like KX or even older.
Yeah, I wondered about that, but these are smart guys who really know what they're talking about. I agree that something like a K-1000 seems ideal .... maybe they assume nobody has a film camera with them. Since I didn't have my Super Program with me, we'll never know if it would have created problems - but I would have so loved to take a photo right there.

07-29-2018, 06:21 PM - 1 Like   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by HoutHans Quote
That’s strange indeed. Near the Westerbork radio telescope only phones and cars are not allowed. Cameras are ok. The picture is nice, as is that really big machine.
And a really sensitive machine. They have a panel truck with antennas that drives around looking for random causes of interference. Occasionally, for example, they have to tell someone that they can't use a microwave oven as-is, but the observatory will build a Faraday Cage in place which will make it OK. Federal and State law give them all kinds of power.
07-30-2018, 10:29 PM   #6
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I know about the sensitivity of these things, but I just hadn't heard of such strict rules. So there are people out there with Faraday cages around their microwaves. That's sweet.
07-31-2018, 01:18 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by HoutHans Quote
I know about the sensitivity of these things, but I just hadn't heard of such strict rules. So there are people out there with Faraday cages around their microwaves. That's sweet.
Oh yes, they have the federal government protecting them from regular radio transmissions and the state government giving them all kinds of authority. You almost travel back to the 1950s when you visit the area.

Thus, we had very little cell phone access while we were there - only small patches that apparently didn't propagate back to the telescope; my wife said "Now how did we do things before cell phones?" when were trying to find something. Their state-provided authority means they have to work with others, but they have the upper hand; the story about the microwave oven was told to us by one of the workers at a logging-railroad-turned-tourist-railroad some distance away who was surprised that they had noticed her purchase - but their instruments had detected its use and there they were.

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