Institute for Telecommunication Sciences / About ITS / Resources / Table Mountain / Facilities

Facilities

The Table Mountain Field Site, located north of Boulder, Colorado, is designated as an area where the magnitude of strong, external signals is restricted by State Law and Federal Regulation. All radio emissions on or near the field site are coordinated through the Regional Frequency Coordination Office in order to minimize interference to sensitive research projects.

The site is approximately 4 km (2.5 miles) in a north-south direction by 2.4 km (1.5 miles) east-west, and has an area of approximately 680 hectares (1,700 acres). As an elevated, flat-topped butte with uniform 2% slope, Table Mountain is uniquely suited to its uses for radio experiments. It is flat with no perimeter obstructions, and the underlying ground is relatively homogeneous. Only temporary radio transmissions are conducted at the site. Site power distribution is by means of buried line to avoid interference.

Facilities available at the Table Mountain site include:

  • Spectrum Research Laboratory: This is a facility for research into radio spectrum usage and occupancy. The Table Mountain Radio Quiet Zone restrictions ensure that no signal incident on the mesa overpowers any other so the entire radio spectrum is available for study at this location.
  • Open Field Radio Test Site: This facilitates studying outdoor radiation patterns from bare antennas or antennas mounted on various structures such as buildings and vehicles.
  • Mobile Test Vehicles: There are a number of vehicles available at the mesa varying from 4-wheel drive trucks to full featured mobile laboratories.
  • Large Turntable: This is a 10.4 meter (34 foot) diameter rotatable steel table mounted flush with the ground. Laboratory space located directly underneath the table provides a location for test instrumentation as well as the control equipment and motors needed to rotate the turntable.
  • Two 18.3-Meter (60 foot) Parabolic Antennas: These parabolic dish antennas are steerable in both azimuth and elevation and have been used at frequencies ranging from 400 MHz to 6 GHz.

Anyone wishing to make use of the Table Mountain facilities should contact the Table Mountain Site Manager.