RHF wrote:
Yeah - There must be some way of 'expanding' the WWVB Broadcast
System without requiring a Major Upgrade / Replacement of the basic
Receivers for the newer service.

I wonder if there really is demand for it. Being outside of the U.S., I
can't say for sure, but I thought that GPS location was required in cell
phones sold there (not here).

If that's the case, it would be likley that cheap GPS clocks could be
made, and they are not affected by the noise commonly produced by many
modern electrical/electronic devices.

For the home and many businesses, a WiFi or ethernet clock synchronized
using NTP (Network Time Protocol) would be preferable as more and more
people have broadband Internet connections which are on all the time.

Another option would be to insert time signals in cell phone control
channels, if they are not already there. Cell phone receivers are
cheap, would not require a service contract as they would never
transmit anything, immune to most RFI, and cell phone service covers
almost all of the U.S. and most other countries.

IMHO it's a case of trying to extend a service that is rarely
used (how many people actually have radio synchronized clocks?)
and can be easily replaced with much newer and better technologies.

I understand that this would require the few people that want
synchronized clocks that have not gone to GPS or NTP already
to buy new ones, but isn't that the way things are done these
days?

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

"Geoffrey S. Mendelson" wrote in message
...
RHF wrote:
Yeah - There must be some way of 'expanding' the WWVB Broadcast
System without requiring a Major Upgrade / Replacement of the basic
Receivers for the newer service.

I wonder if there really is demand for it. Being outside of the U.S., I
can't say for sure, but I thought that GPS location was required in cell
phones sold there (not here).

If that's the case, it would be likley that cheap GPS clocks could be
made, and they are not affected by the noise commonly produced by many
modern electrical/electronic devices.


You do realize that GPS does not work inside most buildings?

I wonder if there really is demand for it. Being outside of the U.S., I
can't say for sure, but I thought that GPS location was required in cell
phones sold there (not here).

I think cell phones are normally located through the cell tower network, not
through GPS. I could be mistaken.

If that's the case, it would be likley that cheap GPS clocks could be
made, and they are not affected by the noise commonly produced by many
modern electrical/electronic devices.


You do realize that GPS does not work inside most buildings?

In fact the main selling point of longwave is that it goes through
everything (even underground), isn't it?

"mc" wrote in message
. ..
I wonder if there really is demand for it. Being outside of the U.S., I
can't say for sure, but I thought that GPS location was required in cell
phones sold there (not here).

I think cell phones are normally located through the cell tower network,
not through GPS. I could be mistaken.

If that's the case, it would be likley that cheap GPS clocks could be
made, and they are not affected by the noise commonly produced by many
modern electrical/electronic devices.


You do realize that GPS does not work inside most buildings?

In fact the main selling point of longwave is that it goes through
everything (even underground), isn't it?


Absolutely. GPS only works in a clear area with good view to most of the
sky (it's even a little less accurate if you're driving through a steep
sided canyon).

Brenda Ann wrote:
You do realize that GPS does not work inside most buildings?

Sure, and do you realize that 60kHz signals don't work in many
buildings, around a lot of modern electronic equipment and so on?

If it produces noise that interferes with an AM radio, it will interfere
with a 60kHz clock. CFL's are especialy bad.

Even if the signal did reach here, which according to the NIST it
won't, nothing could receive it over the noise.

Geoff.

--
Geoffrey S. Mendelson, Jerusalem, Israel N3OWJ/4X1GM
IL Voice: (07)-7424-1667 U.S. Voice: 1-215-821-1838
Visit my 'blog at http://geoffstechno.livejournal.com/

Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:


If it produces noise that interferes with an AM radio, it will interfere
with a 60kHz clock. CFL's are especialy bad.


This has not been my experience. I have CFLs everywhere except in the
fridge and in the oven. They don't make any significant noise. My
neighbors' lamp dimmers and motion detectors produce way more noise than
my RF light bulbs.

I have an "atomic" clock on my bench at work, inside a steel framed
office structure, inside a big tilt-up warehouse, and that clock manages
to set itself about 3 times a week.

GPS receivers cannot run for a year on a single AA battery.

Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
RHF wrote:
Yeah - There must be some way of 'expanding' the WWVB Broadcast
System without requiring a Major Upgrade / Replacement of the basic
Receivers for the newer service.

I wonder if there really is demand for it. Being outside of the U.S., I
can't say for sure, but I thought that GPS location was required in cell
phones sold there (not here).

If that's the case, it would be likley that cheap GPS clocks could be
made, and they are not affected by the noise commonly produced by many
modern electrical/electronic devices.

For the home and many businesses, a WiFi or ethernet clock synchronized
using NTP (Network Time Protocol) would be preferable as more and more
people have broadband Internet connections which are on all the time.

Another option would be to insert time signals in cell phone control
channels, if they are not already there. Cell phone receivers are
cheap, would not require a service contract as they would never
transmit anything, immune to most RFI, and cell phone service covers
almost all of the U.S. and most other countries.

IMHO it's a case of trying to extend a service that is rarely
used (how many people actually have radio synchronized clocks?)
and can be easily replaced with much newer and better technologies.

I understand that this would require the few people that want
synchronized clocks that have not gone to GPS or NTP already
to buy new ones, but isn't that the way things are done these
days?

Geoff.


I have about 6 of them. They run for a couple years on a single AA
battery. No wires.