Radio frequency ban at SKA may see aircraft rerouted
A POSSIBLE ban of certain radio frequencies in the Karoo as a result of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project could see aircraft flying the Johannesburg-Cape Town route being redirected via Port Elizabeth, the Atlantic Ocean or over Upington.The SKA, an international science project located in SA and Australia, will be the world’s most powerful radio telescope once completed. After completion of the design phase of the telescope last year, scientists mapped out the size and shape of the land required to protect the site from radio frequency interference.About 131,500ha of land surrounding the telescope’s 176-dish core, which lies 80km from Carnarvon, needs to be free from radio frequency interference. As a result, radio frequencies in the spectrum 100MHz to 25.5Ghz could be banned from a large portion of the Karoo. The ban would also have a negative effect on mandatory search, rescue and alerting services in the area. SA’s aviation authorities are opposed to a possible ban on the...
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