(OT?) 60kHz MSF Radio time signal

[Malcolm Stewart]

For quite a few years I've had reliable time around my home based on domestic clocks using the Rugby 60kHz MSF transmitter. Last April the MSF transmitter was moved to Cumbria, and since then I've noticed glitches in the delivery of accurate time. e.g. This morning my lounge clock was precisely1 hour ahead of correct time, and a few weeks ago only the seconds figure was running correctly. A relative in the Huntingdon area has also reported problems. (And we're not living in electrically screened buildings - just normal bricks and mortar houses)

Just wondering how others are getting on? (Direct me if there's a better newsgroup for this ...)

[tony sayer]

In article , Malcolm Stewart scribeth thus

As an NPL time user there have been quite a few complaints from people in built up areas of the south, whereas people north of the border report better reception..

Which is hardly surprising!..

[<me9]

No problems here (N Yorks).

[<me9]

four times the distance as is Anthorn/Rugby. I can't imagine it is 16 times as powerful, and it works faultlessly. Were Rugby clocks dumbed down as the signal was stronger?

[geoff]

In message , Malcolm Stewart writes

Yeah - I've had a number of occasions when the clock in the living room displays a completely wrong time, or suddenly goes through its acquisition sequence.

There was a thread about this several months ago in UKRM

[geoff]

In message , [e-mail] writes

Yup, I have one which is tuned to the german signal - no problems

[Steve Firth]

IN one of my jobs we used to use the Rugby clock, TBH it was almost completely bloody useless and we changed to a much better way of checking the time (NTP) since when there have been no problems.

[EricP]

Oh whoopy-do. That explains that then. :(((

Cheers.

I suppose they could have put it in the Hebrides or somewhere even more convenient.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I just use NTP instead. Easier.

[RobertL]

Mine uses the German transmission and once in a while it reads incorrecrtly by exactly an hour.

Robert

[tony sayer]

Which I suppose it would be CET -v- GMT and BST and all that!...

[Chris Hodges]

My watch doesn't have any trouble picking up MSF in Bristol - supposedly it's fussy about which way up you put it but it doesn't seem to mind if I put it the "wrong" way up. Radio controlled clocks in work are often wrong through - slow seems to make sense (battery on the way out, can't catch up) but as often as not they're up to a couple of minutes fast, so I assume aren't getting a decent signal, but they can set themselves when you put in a new battery.

[djc]

I have two radio clocks. The digital one seems to be better since the change despite being in London it doesn't loose the signal (though I have just noticed it has lost the signal today for the first time in many months. On the other hand the analogue clock always seems to reset itself around 01:10 each night. Cheap enough from TLC that as the Chinese manufacturer doesn't seem to understand the difference between centigrade and Fahrenheit scaling very well, I supposed the erratic time signal synchronisation was another misfeature. <

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