1 bit / second is a fair bit below the limit, but I suppose they use that because it needs to be reliably received by low-power wristwatch receivers with simple circuitry, and because the correct time isnt a huge lot of data to send. This page provides information about radio controlled clocks, including how they work, where they work, and what to do when they don't work. BLUE ANGELS. Official websites use .gov and Squink, I like your suggestion too. You can win any argument about the time when you have a radio controlled watch. The reason why I want NTP is that they fall out of sync once in a while, and the maintenance guys this morning had to change 60 of them, some of which are a pain to reach with a ladder. U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, This AI Hunts for Hidden Hoards of Battery Metals, Timber! For example, if you live in a mobile home or a house with steel siding, the clock might not work. If you have a desk top unit, try rotating it 90 degrees. As someone who occasionally uses the WWV stations I would be quite unhappy to find out my neighbor was transmitting at the same frequency and screwing up my measurements. A radio controlled clock located indoors at the same location will receive less signal and may be subjected to more interference. I doubt you would get caught using an uncertified device, but IMHO doing so is it just rude. This means that you should never have to adjust them. Here's an easy do it yourself amplifier for your atomic or radio controlled watches that increases their ability to successfully receive the time signal.If, like me, you live at the edge of the range of the atomic towers or have problems getting a successful sync, this video might help you.I tested it with my G-Shock watches but it works for Citizen, Seiko or any other atomic watch.To help the channel:PayPal donations: https://www.paypal.me/watchgeekBecome a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/watchgeek But newer optical atomic clocks, based on atoms such as ytterbium and strontium, vibrate much faster at higher frequencies andgenerate optical signals. If your clock signal is known, it can be phase-locked to create the bin addresses (an internal counter locked to the clock that repeats '0', '1 . As I live at 1200 km from MSF emitter, I experience some difficulties to get my watch synchronized, especially in winter because of VLF propagation problems during that season. The signal is better at night due to solar interference during the daytime. A Raspberry Pi Zero W is the heart of the transmitter, and [Henner] manages to coax it into generating 77500.003Hz on a GPIO pin close enough to the 77.5kHz carrier that DCF77 uses. The entire set-up rests on a brass plate for mechanical stability. Each GPS satellite contains multiple atomic clocks that contribute very precise time data to the GPS signals. Atomic clocks are synchronised with each other by using GPS and sending each other synchronisation signals. covers this frequency. Odd indeed. Digital Wall Clock or Desk Clock - Jumbo 2.5" Height Time Digital Display - Use as either a wall clock or as a desk clock, it is easy to read, easy to Use and easy . Stratum 0 -These are high-precision timekeeping devices such as atomic (caesium or rubidium) clocks, GPS clocks or other radio clocks. Without intervention, GPS clocks could drift nanoseconds a day, giving errors unacceptable for navigation. a multitude of reasons. If you live in an area that does not observe Daylight Saving Time (Arizona orHawaii), make sure that DST is disabled on your radio controlled clock. Part of the 15 MHz antenna system at WWV. For example, if the radio controlled clock is near a source of interference (like a computer monitor) the noise level will increase, and the clock might not be able to synchronize. Most digital radio controlled clocks have an indicator on the display that tells you if the signal is being received properly. WWVB receivers are embedded in so many consumer appliances from cameras to irrigation controllers, these devices depend upon the very accurate timing the station imparts. This is an appropriate name, because the FM radio and TV broadcasts that we are accustomed to listening to use frequencies thousands of times higher. Classic tube thermometers feature a liquid encapsulated in a glass tube that rises and falls with temperature changes. The atomic clock signal is always sending Universal Coordinated Time (UTC). Otherwise you need to start to worry of emission you electric wall switch sends out when you turn your light on or off. https://www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/time-distribution/radio-station-wwvb/help-wwvb-radio-controlled. So theres nothing to interfere with! My problem was solved then. The atomic clock itself is a masterpiece of precision. Burnout expert, coach, and host of FRIED: The Burnout Podcast Opens a new windowCait Donovan joined us to provide some clarity on what burnout is and isn't, why we miss http://www.ledclocks.com/MasterSlave.html, http://www.grainger.com/product/GENEVA-Quartz-Clock-1TKA2?s_pp=false. An analog radio controlled clock may provide an audio indication (typically a series of tones or beeps to indicate if the signal is there, accessed by pushing a button). Small, compact, easy-to-read and affordable! You want the ends of the rod, or the smaller flat faces of the clock, oriented 90 degrees from the direction toward Boulder. see also: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/magnetic/curloo.html, Please be kind and respectful to help make the comments section excellent. We didn't manufacture them, and we are not familiar with all the models or all of their features. Cant get good AM reception in here, either, but thats another story. So if you have pulses where you know the timing to within a femtosecond (one quadrillionth of a second), how do you convert those photons to electrons while maintaining that level of timing stability? There is a new FREE app to synchronize ANY radio controlled watch. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS The high precision time keeping made possible by atomic clocks has quietly revolutionized global commerce and everyday life. Also, some clocks have a way to disable Daylight Saving Time. These rain gauges feature a self-emptying tipping bucket. Having said that, we can offer a few general tips about what to do if your radio controlled clock isn't displaying the correct time. Theres a small chance he might actually be doing a fellow watch-owning neighbour a favour. Cant you just add more atoms or something? Keep in mind that these ratings only apply if your RCC is located in the same region of the country as the signal strength meter. And this is nice cos its automatic and clever! Paul wrote a comment on project log RASM is now fully supporting Voja4 CPU. A possible solution, is to use a slew-rate-limited amplifier on this signal, in combination with AC coupling. Good morning!I know BitLocker is a topic that has had quite a few posts (I searched and read through many of them), but I wanted to start my own and explain my issue and see what some others think.I am in the early stages of enabling BItLocker for our org Those of you who remember teasing me a few years back know that I am big into Chromebooks for remote work from home. in any case of RF interference, you have to be careful with unintended or spurious emissions. For those that wish to experiment with a Radio Shack atomic clock - be careful. clock receiver. It doesnt matter which of the two possible directions the clock faces. NTP is probably going to be more reliable than the watchs own quartz crystal, over any sort of time period. This is probably due to a local source of interference. (Each task can be done at any time. Many include a variety of accents such as stones, mirrors, glass and bamboo. Optical atomic clocks will likely redefine the international standard for measuring a second in time. What a beautiful solution it is. After cooling, two vertical lasers toss the ball of cesium atoms into an upward arc (the "fountain") and then all laser beams are shut off. If nothing else works, take the clock outdoors at night and power it down (remove the batteries or unplug it), then power it up again to force it to look for the WWVB signal. I've been using cheap CM108 type USB sound. This process is automatic. The shielding provided by a metal building might prevent the clock from working. The HSDS signal is modulated as a subcarrier ranging from 5% to 20% injection, but typically at 10% on a commercial FM radio stations carriers in the frequency range of 87.5 to 108kHz.. Their highly precise method has an error of just one part in a quintillion (a onefollowed by 18 zeros). Dr. Cockroach has updated details to Magnetic Core Memory The Dr Cockroach Way. On 3/15/2014 6:07 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote: >> anneal it first. This is actually even better then some cheap VCOs output. The cesium ball moves upwards for about a meter in a . Best Overall: La Crosse Technology 404-1235UA-PL UltrAtomic 14 inch Stainless. This is probably due to the low amount of radio "background" noise found in a sparsely populated area. If you have a question or comment about one of my blog posts, or a question about any of the material in my study guides, or just a question about ham radio in general, you can email me at, the NIST time standard stations going off the air, National Institute of Standards and Technology, One Component Radio Clock Time Transmitter, NIST Updates Popular Guide to Radio-Controlled Clocks, https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/maintain-funding-nist-stations-wwv-wwvh, AE5X: A CW-centric blog from Kingswood, Texas, Dashtoons The Hammin' Comedy by Jeff K1NSS, More tips on how to have the best Hamvention ever. I have the same problem with yours except that mine is an Acctim Stratus MSF Radio Control LCD wall clock 7457SL. Now, researchers in the United States have figured out how to convert high-performance signals fromoptical clocks into a microwave signal that can more easily find practical usein modern electronic systems. At the TV station, we are using the Torpey system for our precision time keeping. A bit strange to have a neighbor in San Francisco with a heating control that uses a German radio to set the time. Some manufacturers explain how to align the hands on their instruction sheet. [Henner Zeller] lives in a place where there is no reception of the DCF77 signal that his European wristwatch expects to receive. A radio controlled clock sold in North America is permanently set to receive and process an atomic clock synchronization signal broadcast from WWVB in Boulder, Colorado. Reading, On Sat, 15 Mar 2014 15:07:14 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <. Den torsdag den 13. marts 2014 15.51.15 UTC+1 skrev Frnak McKenney: > After some years I've discovered that, if I place my clocks near the, http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.org.user-groups.linux.blu.hardware/589, http://doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/showthread.php?11305-60-khz-Transmitter, https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.radio.broadcasting/x8WnIcRO__o, http://www.analog-innovations.com/SED/WWVB-Schematic+Data.pdf, http://ka7oei.blogspot.com/2013/03/getting-atomic-wwvb-clocks-to-work.html, http://www.maxmcarter.com/rubidium/2012_mod/, http://www.c-max-time.com/tech/antenna.php, http://tf.nist.gov/tf-cgi/wwvbmonitor_e.cgi, http://www.nist.gov/pml/div688/grp40/vb-coverage.cfm, http://www.solarvoltpower.net/resources/KD-WVC-260W%20Owners%20Manual.pdf, http://www.nist.gov/pml/div688/grp40/wwvb.cfm, http://www.febo.com/time-freq/wwvb/sig-strength/wwvb-spectracom.html, http://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Clock-Movement-Shaft-Length/dp/B007KA54RW/, http://www.c-max-time.com/downloads/getFile.php?id=533, http://www.c-max-time.com/products/showProduct.php?id=1, http://www.c-max-time.com/downloads/search.php?search=CME8000, http://www.amug.org/~jthomas/wwvbmod.html, http://www.c-max-time.com/tech/software6005.php, http://ka7oei.blogspot.com/2013/03/yes-nist-did-break-bunch-of-radio.html, http://www.geocities.jp/bitalemon3000/english.html, http://ka7oei.blogspot.com/2013/02/did-nist-break-bunch-of-radio.html, http://www.febo.com/pipermail/time-nuts/2013-March/075111.html, https://sites.google.com/site/skyscan86715sync/home, http://www.answers.com/topic/dr-fred-mbogo-computer-jargon, http://hackaday.com/2014/02/24/el-wire-nixie-tube-is-in-your-reach/, http://www.nist.gov/pml/div688/grp40/upload/NIST-Enhanced-WWVB-Broadcast-Format-2012-12-07-3.pdf, http://www.asus.com/Sound_Cards_and_DigitaltoAnalog_Converters/Xonar_Essence_STX/#specifications, http://www.radiomuseum.hu/radiomuseum/rajzok/drmvevo.pdf, http://www.xtendwave.com/atomictimekeeping.html, http://www.xtendwave.com/xtendwavefirstshipment.html, http://www.xtendwave.com/WhitePaper_Everset_Technology_Receivers_%202013.pdf, http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/Xtendwave-Selects-EnSilica-s-eSi-3200-Processor-for-the-Receiver-IC-Implementing-NIST-s-Next-Generation-WWVB-Atomic-Timekeeping-Signal-616104, https://www.google.com/patents/US20130121397, https://www.google.com/patents/US20120082008, https://www.google.com/patents/WO2013074789A3, https://www.google.com/search?tbm=pts&q=xtendwave, http://genesisradio.com.au/VK2DX/time_signals.html, http://www.instructables.com/id/WWVB-radio-time-signal-generator-for-ATTINY45-or-A/?ALLSTEPS. I have not heard of anything that does what you are asking. Stratum 1 - These are computers . Each pulse represents a data bit. Even today, WWV and WWVH's standard time broadcasts and frequencies are a great help for engineers calibrating equipment. Anemometers measure wind speed. Harmonics can be generated by poor design, excessive power. 4 - Excellent - Nearly all properly functioning RCCs should be able to synchronize under these conditions. The map below shows the location of the WWVB time code monitoring sites. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. For example, we've heard from a few users who purchased clocks in Hawaii but can't select the Hawaiian Time Zone. The output time accuracy is in the parts per trillion. The diode is surrounded by a gold-coated border in which electrical leads are embedded. If you think your clock is defective, ask the manufacturer or dealer about obtaining a replacement. Press the "RESET" button on the back of the clock to When purchasing a clock, make sure that it can handle your time zone. Thanks N9IWP Synchronizingmodern electronic systems such asthe Internetand GPS navigation is currently done usingmicrowave atomic clocks that measure time based on the frequency ofnatural vibrations of cesium atoms. The main method of coupling will be directly inductive between the transmitter and receiver coil. Some models provide outdoor temperature. Some use GPS signals ~1200-1500 MHz, and others sync with WWV which transmits on HF frequencies. However, simply having a large signal doesn't mean that the receiver will work. In spite of all that, being in the Boston area (quite a distance from Boulder, CO), conditions have to be just right to synchronize. However, interestingly, Part 15.205 Restricted bands of operation. makes no mention at all about operation at 60 kHz. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. however 77 khz is in maritime mobile and radio location and fixed bands so you could cause problems with ship based sat or cell phone or radios and navigation beacons. The radiation resistance of a coil like that at 77 kHz is probably milli-ohms or less. If you are not timid, open the case, find the antenna, and extend it with a length of small wire. December 28, 2016 by Dan Maloney 14 Comments. Curtis was not involved in the research. Depending on model, these clocks offer features such as indoor/outdoor temperature, moon phase or forecast icons. Atomic clocks keep time far more accurately than any clock based on Earth's rotation - so accurate in fact, that if we fully based our . An official website of the United States government. . Atomic Clock Reception Problems Are NOT a Problem with Radio Wave Apps Greg Anderson - The Good Timekeeper 24.5K subscribers Subscribe 551 23K views 2 years ago In this video I go In Depth with. Casio has a line of wristwatches that utilizes something called Multiband 6. The master clock for GPS is provided by the United States Naval Observatory (USNO). Also, clock has a built-in high-quality indoor temperature sensor so that you can read the temperature both indoor and outdoor. Wi-Fi weather stations communicate via a wireless network. Sorry, but if you do not understand difference of transitting signal over 28Mhz and 60kHz you should not discuss this topic. If your clock is off by one or more hours, it probably has to do with a time zone setting. The first maser was built by Charles H. Townes, James P. Gordon, and Herbert J. Zeiger at Columbia University in 1953. A reference clock/time source that defines and transmits the true time. A quick search tells me some fish finders use 77KHz audio as ultrasound sonar, which gives a good idea of how low a frequency it is. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Promaster Skyhawk A-T. Atomic Timekeeping. Your daily dose of tech news, in brief. The black rectangle (center) is a high-speed semiconductor photodiode that converts laser pulses to superstable microwave frequencies. $695.00 $521.25. Okay, I bought one of those wall clocks thats supposed to re-set the time to the atomic signal every so often, but Im using it in my office (in a one story steel and brick building) and cant get reception. Place the clock along a wall or near a window that faces Fort Collins, Colorado. A not-for-profit organization, IEEE is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. weathershack.com has a Shopper Approved rating of 4.8/5 based on 61728 ratings and reviews. Your clock hasn't received the signal recently, so it didn't know about the time change. The clock might not have been properly aligned at the factory, or it might have been jostled during shipment, causing the hands to move. it isnt like you can fowl up everyones clocks as that frequency is probably reserved just for the watch and if the government is going to turn off the signal it is to save money by no longer supporting obsolete technology? If other people depend on the signal, please just set your watch by hand. They are emptied manually. Most WWVB radio controlled clocks work great, as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of units that have been sold throughout the United States. But 15.5 also says (c) The operator of a radio frequency device shall be required to cease operating the device upon notification by a Commission representative that the device is causing harmful interference. Top 10 Best Atomic Clocks in 2023. Optical atomic clocks will likely redefine the international standard for measuring a second in time. They can cause interference, and some have a scan frequency at or near the WWVB carrier frequency of 60 kHz. You want the side of the rod, or the larger flat faces of the clock, oriented toward and away from Boulder. Compare. If you are having problems, check first to see if the atomic clock synchronization signal is being received. As far as I can tell they are operating under the guise of as long as no one notices I can transmit at any frequency I want, Id say that given the antenna length and signal power (as I see no RF amp) the range cant be more than a few feet.. so it would probably fall in the range of acceptable RF, I would think. Your watch might not pick it up in the next room, but the outdoor ferrite rod antenna of the alarm system from the bank across the street might. Slightly OT why do you want to update an atomic clock from a network source? You will be redirected once the validation is complete. The city and state where the signal strength meter is located. The US provides two of the inputs; NIST and USNO. A second GPIO performs the required attenuation, and a few loops of wire are sufficient for an antenna which only needs to work over a few inches. PERIOD. The current readability of the signal. It does that by using a number of stages of. During the transition from standard time to daylight saving time (DST) they "spring forward" one hour, and when DST is finished they "fall back" one hour. 15.107 and 109 give limits on how loud you can be, but only at frequencies above 150 kHz. nvm, the instructions don't even mention anything. The telephone time-of-day service also is used to synchronize clocks and watches, and for the. The paper has more info including data structure info but the short answer for how the seiko watch worked is The HSDS data rate is 19,000 bits per second in a bandwidth of 19kHz, centered at 66.5kHz. A maser ( / mezr /, an acronym for microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) is a device that produces coherent electromagnetic waves through amplification by stimulated emission. The signal wont propagate as theres negligible associated electric-field. load.nikon has updated the project titled Garden Mill. There is most likely an on/off toggle for DST. Locate atomic wall clocks at least 4-8 feet away from computer monitors. Fluctuations in the signal strength, even if the signal is strong, might make it impossible for a RCC to successfully decode the time. Not everyone in the US or the world switches to DST for various reasons. The latter often becomes ineffective in bad weather. If it doesn't, see the tips above for improving your reception. This is probably due to a reception problem. Since the range is probably only a couple of feet hes presumably only going to turn it on when the watch is on the stand. Todays ground-based VLBI telescopes use receiver devicesspread across the globe to detect microwave and millimeter-wave signals and combine them into high-resolution images of cosmic objects such as black holes. 1. When placed near a light source, these unique chimes sparkle and glimmer, much like a suncatcher. No signal quality Acceptable signal quality Weak signal quality Excellent signal quality SETTING UP THE MAIN UNIT: 2. If your clock has one horizontal dimension much bigger than the other (say, if its wider than it is deep), then the rod probably runs along that bigger direction. (Comment Policy). LOL, Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, http://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/stations/radioclocks.htm, http://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/stations/wwvb.htm. Webmaster | Contact Us | Our Other Offices, Created February 11, 2010, Updated March 1, 2023, (subject: Please%20send%20me%20a%20copy%20of%20SP960-14), Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), WWVB 2022 Antenna Configuration and Power Outages, WWVB 2021 Antenna Configuration and Power Outages, WWVB 2020 Antenna Configuration and Power Outages, WWVB 2019 Antenna Configuration and Power Outages, WWVB 2018 Antenna Configuration and Power Outages, WWVB 2017 Antenna Configuration and Power Outages, WWVB Radio Controlled Clocks: Recommended Practices for Manufacturers and Consumers, (NIST Special Publication 960-14, August 2009). This change significantly improves signal reception and overall performance of new products that are designed to utilize this new protocol. It depends on the country. Are these units legal? (get it red-hot with a propane torch), >>>> Square/rectangular, yes? Welcome to another SpiceQuest! Replace the battery door. Reference ID IP Address Date and Time c60d5547306f8d68297f512540ed9a24 40.77.167.245 04/18/2023 04:44 PM UTC Protected by StackPath The piece that has lagged a bit is the high-fidelity conversion of optical pulses to microwave signals with the optical-to-electrical convertor, Quinlan says. The Radio Controlled Clock (RCC) is a shortwave signal originating near Fort Collins, Colorado, and travels thousands of miles by bouncing off the ionosphere. But does it actually work for MSF? It does not change for daylight saving time. I'm guessing that the bar is picking up a significant portion of the wwvb . Timing. I doubt there is a detector exists on this planet that will detect level of signal sent buy PI gpio on this distance. It very easy to use, but the challenge is getting a strong enough signal from your iPhone/iPad (I haven't checked if there is an Android app). A similar VLBI telescope located in space could boost the imaging resolution while avoiding the Earths atmospheric distortions that interfere with astronomers observations. Curtis was not involved in the research. Some analog clocks have an audio indication (a usa-button you can push that indicates through a series of tones or beeps if the signal is there). They don't have to be completed on a certain holiday.) The signal is very weak, so bring this wire-loop close to your radio watch/clock. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) broadcasts atomic clock time signals from Fort Collins, Colorado on various frequencies . flag Report Even if YOU cant get a signal in your area, doesnt mean that anybody else cant. Unless someone bas a great time source, you might as well let the clock or watch run by itself. If the radio controlled clock is a desk top unit, try rotating it 90 degrees. Right now the atmosphere distorts the signal enough sothat [it] is alimitation rather than the time-stamping from a stable clock, butif you get away from atmospheric distortions, youcould do much better and then you can utilizea much more stable clock.. The date and time (UTC) when the information in this row of the table was last updated. Projection clocks cleverly display the time and/or the temperature on a ceiling or wall. The traditional amplifier techniques provide a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as they do not single out the signal at a specific frequency. Donate $7.30 and get two of these cool stickers. A lock-in amplifier (LIA) is the most suitable choice of a circuit for recovering signals heavily obscured by noise. Have a look at this NIST article for a good popular level description of how it's done in practice. In the following image, which was the first experiment, it is wrapped around the antenna, but it is not strictly needed: anything within a few centimeters should work. >>My analog clock has a WWVB-sync'ed movement like this one: > looking at with a scope. Legacy clocks and watches will still continue to function as they have because the amplitude modulation remains the same, but they will not benefit from the increased performance of the new phase modulation protocol, Lowe said. EPIRB beacons are 406MHz. This might be just as well, given that we recently wrote about the possibility of WWVB being switched off. Other than moving the clock out of the office, is there anything I can try? To find out more about WWVB radio controlled clocks, please download this 64-page PDF booklet:WWVB Radio Controlled Clocks: Recommended Practices for Manufacturers and Consumers (NIST Special Publication 960-14, August 2009)You may also receive a printed copy by kathryn.stephenson [at] nist.gov (subject: Please%20send%20me%20a%20copy%20of%20SP960-14) (sending your mailing address) or by calling (303) 497-4343. Once your radio controlled clock has synchronized, it won't decode the signal from WWVB again for a while. ambientweather.comis using a security service for protection against online attacks. The Modern WWW, Or: Where Do We Want To Go From Here? The moniker "Atomic" is a bit misleading, as the atomic clock itself is actually located in a building some distance from the watch. Copyright 2002-2023 WeatherShack.com. Turn it off if your area does not observe DST. If youre subject to the US FCC, youre welcome (nay, *required*) to study 47CFR part 15, which details in glorious detail exactly what you may do with specific frequencies. In order for a RCC to synchronize, it has to be able to successfully read and decode time code bits for at least a full minute, and many products require at least two complete time codes to be read before they display the received time. The red areas on the coverage maps below show where a WWVB radio controlled clock should be able to synchronize. Unlike perishable gifts such as flowers, wind chimes make an elegant gift that will lift spirits for years to come. A tiny 60kHz antenna (like in the watch or an AM radio) re-radiates the magnetic component of electro-magnetic radio waves, unlike other, longer FM or TV antennae that pick up the electrical component. The transmitting frequency is coming from a computer so it can be extremely stable. I tried close to the watch and at 1 feet distance but I never succeeded to sync the watch. Those vibrations occur at microwave frequencies thatcan easily be used in electronic systems. Make sure it isn't disabled if your area observes DST. These bits are generated at WWVB by raising and lowering the power of the signal. JJY Japan 40 KHz 50 KW 1500 Km. Remove the battery door from the back of the clock and insert 2 AA batterys. I beleive the clock synchronizes with a low VHF signal (below 540 kHz) and requires 1 continuous minute of perfect reception. Add colorful unique flare to any space. http://www.boulder.nist.gov/timefreq/stations/radioclocks.htm, more on WWVB: When checking an analog clock, make sure you are looking straight at the clock face, and not viewing it from an angle. The WWVB signal is continuously decoded at each of these sites to determine the current signal conditions for radio controlled clocks (RCCs). Here's an easy do it yourself amplifier for your atomic or radio controlled watches that increases their ability to successfully receive the time signal. You want the side of the rod, or the larger flat faces of the clock, oriented toward and away from Boulder.