Is WWV going away?

bertus

Joined Apr 5, 2008
22,270
Hello,

In the old days we could use the BBC at 200 kHz for calibrating, until they moved it to 198 kHz:
Initially the national programme was transmitted on 187.5 kHz longwave but this was later changed, with the opening in 1934 of a new high-power longwave transmitter site at Droitwich, to 200 kHz, which was to remain the BBC's longwave frequency until 1978, when it was moved slightly to 198 kHz.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_National_Programme

Bertus
 

Thread Starter

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
10Mhz is a magic number IMO. Wonder who would get it if NIST went quiet?
 
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SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,031
The NIST web site stays, the WWV broadcast goes this year. I used it for tuning/calibrating my old HW-101 ham rig long ago. I can remember when you booted the computer up you had to tell it the date and time to properly stamp files. Even after the advent of clock/calendar cards they were very poor timekeepers. The HP Vectras we had at work were terrible timekeepers. After dial-up modems you could call NIST 1-800 at either DC or Colorado (whichever gave the least lag for where you were sited) and sorta autoset the time, but there were still distance/lag issues as to preciseness. WWV is going the way of Vacuum Tubes and is considered an anachronism like me now.
 

atferrari

Joined Jan 6, 2004
4,764
I failed to build a receiver for 5, 10 and 15 MHz. A sad thing but one worry less.:(

Is it true that we really need them? Nostalgia is not reason enough.

Used that signal for MANY years, more than a decade, when on board, to keep track of the daily variation of our chronometers. Thomas Mercer was the brand of most (if not all) of them.
 

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,031
Yep naval astral navigation depended on it before GPS. There are a lot of bluewater sailors still using chronometers and sextants for navigating. They don't require battery charging.
 

Bernard

Joined Aug 7, 2008
5,784
That will be a switch- correct my Radio Controlled Clock with a line operated clock. In the 1950s used WWV- 10 MHZ- 400 HZ to correct tuning fork controlled oscillographs.
 

atferrari

Joined Jan 6, 2004
4,764
Yep naval astral navigation depended on it before GPS. There are a lot of bluewater sailors still using chronometers and sextants for navigating. They don't require battery charging.
The Thomas Mercer chronometer requires rewinding 7.5 half turns, every day. In our vessels, it was 2nd Mate's responsibility jointly with checking/recording the daily variation against WWV or equivalent.

Our local station - call signal LOL - was out of service the last time I checked, some 5 years ago.
 

KL7AJ

Joined Nov 4, 2008
2,229
The Thomas Mercer chronometer requires rewinding 7.5 half turns, every day. In our vessels, it was 2nd Mate's responsibility jointly with checking/recording the daily variation against WWV or equivalent.

Our local station - call signal LOL - was out of service the last time I checked, some 5 years ago.
Looks like they got a stay of execution....for a while
 
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