[time-nuts] How accurate are cheap radio controlled clocks?

Ron Smith ronald.p.smith at btinternet.com
Sat Jun 25 19:46:59 UTC 2011


I have two r-c clocks in the house and they both keep accurate time. One 
clock is made by KLIK, the other by STAIGER - both from ARGOS.

The second-hand moves at the very moment I hear the pip, or as exactly as 
the eye can tell. But I do not use Radio 4. Instead I check my times using 
the pip sequence from RWM's time service broadcasts on either 4.996 or 9.996 
MHz (good signal strengths in UK).

There is a danger with broadcasters these days that their studio source goes 
through digital buffering and will be subject to delays. The time difference 
between identical broadcasts via analogue circuits and digital circuits is 
in the order of two seconds.
BBC time pip accuracy can be checked by listening to them at the same time 
as listening to RWM.

Ron
G3SVW




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dr. David Kirkby" <david.kirkby at onetel.net>
To: "Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement" 
<time-nuts at febo.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 25, 2011 8:19 PM
Subject: [time-nuts] How accurate are cheap radio controlled clocks?


> I've got one of the cheap radio-controlled clocks? I was listing to radio 
> 4 the other day and herd the time signal. The radio controlled clock was 
> about 3 seconds off. I was a bit surprised it was so far off. I'm just 
> wondering how accurate these things are.
>
>
> -- 
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