Choice of location and suppression of anthropogenic noise

Because the useful SR signal is extremely weak, the choice of location is one of the most important decisions when building an observatory. The goal is to minimize anthropogenic (cultural) noise, that is, interference from the power grid, electrical equipment and transport Tatsis 2024.

For this reason stations are placed far from civilization — typically in deserts, polar regions and other sparsely populated places, where the electromagnetic background is low and stable Tatsis 2024. Distance from the power grid significantly reduces the level of interference at 50/60 Hz and its harmonics (see #38), which improves the signal-to-noise ratio across all modes.

A suitable location complements hardware and software methods of interference suppression: even the best filters and algorithms cannot fully replace an environment with a low background. The combination of a remote location, quality antennas, a low-noise front-end and robust data processing is therefore the standard of modern SR observatories.