Site

The DSA-2000 requires a 19 × 15 km flat plain with low levels of 0.7 – 2 GHz terrestrial radio frequency interference (RFI). Candidate sites for the DSA-2000 have been explored within a 50,000 km² area in central Nevada (left) containing a number of valleys defined by a series of parallel north-south mountain ranges, including the Shoshone Mountains, Toiyabe Range, Toquima Range, and Monitor Range. These valleys are high elevation sites (~2,000m; important for tropospheric conditions) with low population density and have near-complete shielding from (ground-based) external RFI. While consideration of other nearby valleys is ongoing, including RFI surveys, Hot Creek Valley (inset) is recognized as the most likely future site for the array.

Background images: Google

Site Selection

From Initial surveys led by Dr. Mark Hodges (left), radio-frequency interference (RFI) power integrated across the DSA-2000 band is on average 30x lower at the Hot Creek Valley site (center) than at OVRO (right).

More sensitive RFI surveys are underway, funded by NSF's Spectrum Innovation Initiative.