[OT] Radio controlled clocks

[dmc]

Apologies - a tad off topic but I know several people on here have experiences of radio controlled clocks.

We have in our kitchen a radion controlled analogue clock - it has been working fine for a couple of years. Last time the bat went flat it just stopped.

Last week I noticed that it was 4 hours slow (or was it 8 hours fast? ;-)).

*Exactly* 4 hours. I replaced the battery and it reset to the oclock position as it should and then sat there waiting to update to the correct time. After about 5 mins it started it whizzing around and I though it was sorted...except again, it set itself to be exactly 4 hours slow. I left for work and forgot about it. having been away for a few days we've returned to find that it has reset itself again and it now correct.

Anyone else seen this? I assume that the radio signal has been up and running for the last few days? I've not got a clock anymore that has a signal indicator. The clock just has a sealed unit so there is no timezone switch or anything that might have moved.

Cheers,

Darren

[Newshound]

My bet would be that the hour hand has slipped on it's drive sleeve (possibly that the gears have jumped some teeth?). The former is probably easily fixable, the latter may mean the gears are worn.

[Peter Andrews]

The symptons you describe exactly match the problem that I had with a new clock (Argos about £8), it turned out the MSF signal had been off for maintenance work. The clock actually only tries to synch every few hours so if it fails it advances exactly four hours and then waits for some time before trying again. Service details and other advice is available from the National Physical Lab web page at

[dmc]

Ok, thanks for the suggestions. Over night the clock again managed to set itself to the correct time and then forgot again this afternoon (again, exactly 4 hours slow).

Changed the battery again to a brand new one (the other was laying in the bottom of the drawer and it is just possible that it isn't new I guess) and all is well. If I put the old battery back in it again sets itself to exactly

4 hours slow.

I'll give it a few days with the new battery but it looks a lot healthier. Seems like a very odd failure mode! It's not the setting function either - when a battery is put in this winds forward to either 12, 4 or 8 oclock before sitting waiting for the signal. This takes a few minutes before it whizzes around to the correct time (or in the case of the old duracell the correct time - 4 hours!

Cheers,

Darren