After a while the clock should recieve ths signal automatically and set itself to UK time, if this does not happen immediately try leaving the clock overnight as radio interferance is generally less during the early morning. The hands of the clock will spin and stop exactly on a given point (usually 4:00) this indicates that the clock is zeroed and ready to receive the signal. Place the clock vertically, away from any possible source of interferance such as computers, TV's and microwaves, idealy the clock should be placed in the postition it will be in on the wall. When setting up your clock for the first time or after changing a battery please ensure that a new battery is inserted with the terminals in the correct direction as shown on the case. Although most watches only recieve a signal from one of the bases some multi-frequency watches and clocks are being introduced to the market. A further transmitter (WWVB) in Fort Collins, Colorado, serves all of the continental USA and Japans J-Ga-AS service provides further coverage. Both transmitters cover a radius of approx 1500km from the base station, this can be affected to some extent by terrain and prevailing atmospheric conditions. There are two transmitters that cover Europe, one (MSF-60) located in Anthorn, Cumbria and one (DCF-77) located in Mainflingen, Germany. Where are the transmitters and how powerful are they? In order to 'tell' the watch that you are in the UK simply select to 'offset' the time by one hour, the watch will then be set to only display the time for Britain. The best way to describe this is that signal the watch receives is only a time referance to tell the watch when the hours, minutes, seconds etc. All of the watches we sell are suitable for use in the UK and mainland Europe. If my watch receives the German signal will it only tell the German time? However, the vast majority of time signal users will not experience any disruption during the testing and switchover.” We regularly notify those we know who may be affected by our testing and we’ll be happy to add any other users to our email list if they get in touch. Managing director, Steve McQuillan, says “While most users check their time against the signal periodically, a small number of people and organisations use the signal constantly in their work. Anyone wishing to test their equipment against the new signal should sign up for signal testing schedules at NPL. These are opportunities for users to ensure their equipment can receive the new signal before the old one at Rugby is switched off. During these periods the signal at Anthorn will be switched on for short periods of time.
The switch will follow a three-month test period between January and April 2007. The National Physical Laboratory is home to the nation’s atomic time and one of only five laboratories worldwide using the latest caesium fountain to contribute to the world time standard Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).The signal’s transmission is tied to NPL’s atomic clocks at Teddington in South West London. It helps synchronise servers for businesses and enables Packet-Switching, the protocol used to send and receive information across the internet. The signal is also used in homes and offices around the country. These include 999 communications, rail networks, cash machines and mobile phone networks.
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The time signal is accurate to within one thousandth of a second and supports a range of professional services. The signal, often referred to as ‘The time from Rugby’, will be known as ‘The Time from NPL’ from April 2007. The time signal used to set Britain’s radio controlled clocks with extreme accuracy is on the move from Rugby, where it has been transmitted since 1927, to a new home in Anthorn in Cumbria.
The UK’s time signal is on the move after 80 years in Rugby. Will the switch from Rugby to Anthorn, Cumbria affect me? Domestic clocks/watches are generally refered to as either 'Radio Controlled' in the UK or 'Atomic' in America, they are both the same. The Caesium 133 Clock itself is housed under controlled conditions in a laboratory and a radio signal is transmitted which uses this clock as a referance. The term "Atomic" when applied to domestic clocks and watches purely refers to the source of the time signal. The transmitter signal is picked up by the watch or clock and sets the time and date automatically.ĭoes my watch contain any radioactive material? The atomic clock is the standard measure of time: the electron resonance frequency of the Caesium 133 atom is 9,192,631,770 cycles per second which is measured to give a time accurate to greater than +/- 1 second per million years. Radio controlled watches and clocks receive a time signal from a radio transmitter tuned to a caesium or 'Atomic Clock'.