David,

Be aware that if listening via digital radio (or worse, digital TV) there
is a delay in the transmission chain of up to several seconds (DTV).  I
expect you know that already!  Use the FM signal for best results.

Here, I have a couple of analogue display and a couple of digital display
"radio clocks".  The digital are both about a quarter of a second slow,
and the two analogue display clocks are spot-on, as near a damn it.

I'm located in Edinburgh and using the Anthorn 60KHz souce:
http://www.npl.co.uk/science-technology/time-frequency/time/products-and-services/msf-radio-time-signal

BTW: the "pips" went missing recently:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13610203

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
David

SatSignal software - quality software written to your requirements
Web:  http://www.satsignal.eu
Email:  david-taylor@blueyonder.co.uk

On 06/26/11 07:25 AM, David J Taylor wrote:

I was using 198.00 kHz longwave here in the UK. Unless there's some digital
processing going on before the signal is AM modulated, this can't explain the
problem.

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From: "Dr. David Kirkby" <david.kirkby@.....>
[]

David,

I'm listening to the Radio 3 FM transmission in Central Scotland.  The
07:00 pips appear to be spot on when compared to my GPS-locked PC, using
my simple analog clock program:

http://www.satsignal.eu/software/disk.html#TinyBen

It sounds as if your radio clock is off, so as others have suggested, try
positioning it for a clear, interference-free good strength signal and
retest.

Cheers,
David

SatSignal software - quality software written to your requirements
Web:  http://www.satsignal.eu
Email:  david-taylor@blueyonder.co.uk

I have a cheapie digital "atomic" clock I bought at Walmart several years
ago, and I forget the brand, but it works spot on with my PC's clock. That
is as long as you make sure to place it where the signal is strong enough
for it to update itself. However, it does not update all the time, and
reads the WWVB signal at around 4 in the afternoon and at several times to
sync itself. I think they set it at that time because of signal strength on
the east coast being it strongest about then.

Best,

Will

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 6/26/2011 at 5:37 PM David J Taylor wrote:

https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts

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David,

I think Radio 4 on 198 kHz is straight through analogue - no digital
buffering with its inherent delays. Yesterday afternoon (1200 UTC I think),
I listened to the BBC pips from Droitwich at the same time as the pips from
RWM on 9,996 kHz, and I watched the second-hand of my Steiger
radio-controlled clock. All three were in exact synchronism - no error
between them, as closely as the ear and the eye could tell.

Are there different ways these radio-controlled clocks are synched to time
signals? I have never seen any perceivable error between my clocks and
analogue broadcast "pips" from MSF, RWM or WWV, so I don't think the synch
scheme is a corrective one. I will try keeping one of my clocks in a Faraday
screen for a while to see how far it drifts in terms of time.

I know of the other two 198 kHz transmitters at Westerglen and Burghead, but
don't know whether they have the same accuracy as Droitwich's frequency
standard. Do they carry the same phase modulation as Droitwich for
teleswitching?

Ron, G3SVW
Manchester

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dr. David Kirkby" david.kirkby@onetel.net
To: "Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement"
time-nuts@febo.com
Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2011 3:22 PM
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] How accurate are cheap radio controlled clocks?