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What Will You Do if WWVB Goes Silent?

posted by Fnord666 on Monday August 27 2018, @09:59AM   Printer-friendly
from the two-bells-and-all's-not-well dept.

MrPlow writes:

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow4408

Buried on page 25 of the 2019 budget proposal for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), under the heading "Fundamental Measurement, Quantum Science, and Measurement Dissemination", there's a short entry that has caused plenty of debate and even a fair deal of anger among those in the amateur radio scene:

NIST will discontinue the dissemination of the U.S. time and frequency via the NIST radio stations in Hawaii and Ft. Collins, CO. These radio stations transmit signals that are used to synchronize consumer electronic products like wall clocks, clock radios, and wristwatches, and may be used in other applications like appliances, cameras, and irrigation controllers.

The NIST stations in Hawaii and Colorado are the home of WWV, WWVH, and WWVB. The oldest of these stations, WWV, has been broadcasting in some form or another since 1920; making it the longest continually operating radio station in the United States. Yet in order to save approximately $6.3 million, these time and frequency standard stations are potentially on the chopping block.

Source: https://hackaday.com/2018/08/20/what-will-you-do-if-wwvb-goes-silent/

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by doke on Monday August 27 2018, @02:20PM (3 children)

    by doke (6955) on Monday August 27 2018, @02:20PM (#726906)

    GPS doesn't work indoors. The GPS radio signal isn't strong enough to go through roofs. The WWVB signal is at a lower frequency, which goes through walls much better. Where I live, in Delaware, on the east coast, the signal is pretty weak, but you can still get it in a second floor room.

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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by LVDOVICVS on Monday August 27 2018, @03:28PM (1 child)

    by LVDOVICVS (6131) on Monday August 27 2018, @03:28PM (#726944)

    I live in Michigan and you can get the signal in a basement. I do on a daily basis. The only time I don't get it is when it's stormy but it's available probably 95% time regardless.

    Now if the guy above can explain how I can get GPS time, then produce a signal that will keep my several clocks synced that'd be great. And it's important to make sure to stay legal with the FCC since the time signals at their proper frequencies aren't available for broadcast to amateurs that would help, too.

    • (Score: 4, Interesting) by fyngyrz on Monday August 27 2018, @09:15PM

      by fyngyrz (6567) on Monday August 27 2018, @09:15PM (#727134) Journal

      I can get GPS time, then produce a signal that will keep my several clocks synced that'd be great.

      Wouldn't take much at all to accomplish that; in fact, many GPS receivers are equipped with a precision 10 MHz reference output that can be (and often is) used to stabilize an SDR or other hardware. It would be the work of just a few hours to talk to a smart GPS receiver (these already exist) and synthesize the WWV(B) format, which is hardly complex, then tack it on a frequency-stabilized transmission at low power, which would allow your local devices to synch up. You could even add a nice synthesized voice of your choice. :)

  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 27 2018, @06:49PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 27 2018, @06:49PM (#727064)
    Usually I don't get the 60 kHz signal here in Silicon Valley, and my clocks cannot sync. It's very unstable. WWVB is dead for me already. Modern GPS receivers are very sensitive, they often work indoors. People worry about IoT time (ntp,) but it has to be active only once per day, if not once per week, for a few seconds - the clocks have their own crystals.