Contents
What is a WWV receiver?
What Is WWV? WWV is the call sign of a US government radio station run by the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Fort Collins, Colorado. WWV transmits frequency reference standards and time code information.
How does the atomic clock signal work?
An atomic clock has an atomic oscillator inside (such as a cesium or rubidium oscillator). A radio controlled clock has a radio inside, which receives a signal that comes from a place where an atomic clock is located. Even that frequency is nearly 10 times higher than the WWVB signal.
How does a radio controlled clock work?
How does the watch/clock work? Radio controlled watches and clocks receive a time signal from a radio transmitter tuned to a caesium or ‘Atomic Clock’. The transmitter signal is picked up by the watch or clock and sets the time and date automatically.
Is WWV still broadcasting?
In the ’70s, the WWV audio signal was made available by telephone at (303) 499-7111, and this service has continued to the present day.”
What are the WWV frequencies?
WWV operates in the high frequency (HF) portion of the radio spectrum. The station radiates 10 000 W on 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 15 MHz; and 2500 W on 2.5 MHz and 20 MHz. Each frequency is broadcast from a separate transmitter.
Do atomic clocks need batteries?
Do the clocks run on batteries and if so how long do they last? Most of the clocks run on AA or AAA batteries. The batteries in the digital clocks usually last about a year.
Where is WWVB located?
Fort Collins, Colorado
NIST radio station WWVB is located on the same site as NIST HF radio station WWV near Fort Collins, Colorado. The WWVB broadcasts are used by millions of people throughout North America to synchronize consumer electronic products like wall clocks, clock radios and wristwatches.
How to locate the WWVB receiver on a computer?
Locate the clock at least 1 or 2 meters away from any computer monitors, which can cause interference (some monitors have a scan frequency at or near the WWVB carrier frequency of 60 kHz). “Dare to be naïve.”
What is the frequency of the radio station WWVB?
WWVB continuously broadcasts digital time codes on a 60 kHz carrier that may serve as a stable frequency reference traceable to the national standard at NIST.
What is the effective radiated power of WWVB?
As a result, each transmitter has to produce a forward power of about 51 kW to produce an effective radiated power of 70 kW. The frequency uncertainty of the WWVB signal as transmitted is less than 1 part in 10 12.
What is the efficiency of the WWVB transmitter?
The north antenna system at WWVB has an efficiency of about 56.3%, and the south antenna has an efficiency of about 54%. However, the combined efficiency of the two antennas is about 68.8%. As a result, each transmitter has to produce a forward power of about 51 kW to produce an effective radiated power of 70 kW.