[time-nuts] Timing Distribution in Mountainous Terrain

Thomas A. Frank ka2cdk at cox.net
Sat Sep 11 19:09:24 UTC 2010


> Sites communicate via landline telco. If there are sufficient mutually
> visible networked sites to form a solution on an aircraft visible to
> stations not in the timing network that would work, and is one of the
> options we are studying.


May it be assumed that the sites are on the regular electric grid?

If so, being within 300 miles of each other suggests that they are  
most likely all on the SAME section of the grid, in which case the  
phase time of arrival of the electric power waveform should be  
constant between them (the zero crossing may not be perfectly  
aligned, but it should always be the same differential).

Whether you can measure it to within 30 ns I'm not sure...

Simpler thought - is the telco fiber?  Could they drop a second  
dedicated one to link the sites?

The notion that GPS will suddenly 'go away', without any other issues  
being present, is rather silly.  That same solar flare that takes out  
GPS for all your sites is going to most likely render your other gear  
inoperative as well...

Tom Frank, KA2CDK




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