Atomic Clocks

[slotl]

While preparing for our 65 day Grand Asia/Australia cruise which started in Seattle and ended in San Diego visiting Japan, China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, and the Hawaiian Islands, I thought it would be prudent to purchase an atomic clock to "automatically" keep track of time zone changes as we crossed the Pacific and through out our cruise.

 

WRONG!!

 

Every evening the ship would "set the clock back (or ahead) to make the time change more "liveable" for the passengers. Unfortunately, the "ship's clock" does not necessarily match the correct time zone under which the atomic clock automatically adjusts. Consequently, our clock (and alarm) were not correct. We needed to set the atomic clock manually which defeated the entire purpose of purchasing an atomic clock.

 

Just a lesson learned.

[LHT28]

They do not adjust for time zones automatically. You must set it manually

You have to set the time zone you are in. eg: EST, PST

 

They adjust for UTC only and you need to be in range of the transmitter usually within 3000km of the transmitter.

 

The transmitters are land based not via satellite...

[slotl]

They do not adjust for time zones automatically. You must set it manually

You have to set the time zone you are in. eg: EST, PST

 

They adjust for UTC only and you need to be in range of the transmitter usually within 3000km of the transmitter.

 

The transmitters are land based not via satellite...

 

LHT28,

I repectfully disagree. In the clock I purchesed, when you hit the "sync" button, the clock searches for the satellite and displays the "correct" time.

 

If you want to set a "home" time zone (to display the time at home in addition to your current location time zone), then you set the "home time zone" to EST, PST, etc. The clock also lists city names in addition to time zones, so you can choose a city as "home" rather than just a time zone.

[Keith1010]

Sounds like a nice idea. We had a computer in our room so I would go to a web site that I had bookmarked but I think that is good what you did and since we always bring a small clock with us I'll keep that in mind.

 

Keith

[LHT28]

LHT28,

I repectfully disagree. In the clock I purchesed, when you hit the "sync" button, the clock searches for the satellite and displays the "correct" time.

 

I have not seen ones that sync with a satellite

We have 4 atomic time pieces & all sync to a land transmitter.

[slotl]

Sounds like a nice idea. We had a computer in our room so I would go to a web site that I had bookmarked but I think that is good what you did and since we always bring a small clock with us I'll keep that in mind.

 

Keith

 

Keith,

I purchased a "global map atomic radio controlled world time travel alarm clock".

 

In the instruction manual it lists "synchronization" as WWVB, DSF, MSF, depending on location. (I don't know what that means). Certain places such as Athens Greece, Romania, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Finland, Turkey, etc list "no synchronization".

 

It was purchased from Hammach Schlemicar (sp.)

 

Yes, we did use our computer, but we would have needed to "boot up" each time. We limited our computer usage (because the ship charges so much per minute - remember we were on for 65 days) to uploading and downloading emails which we had reviewed and responsed to offline.

 

Another thing we noticed, was the time displayed on our cell phone. The time shown is from the network you are connected to (which may not be in the same country you are in). So, you cannot rely on the time listed on your cellphone either.

[LHT28]

Is this like it?

http://www.marketworks.com/storefrontprofiles/DeluxeSFItemDetail.aspx?sid=1&sfid=84713&c=112054&i=210643866

[slotl]

Is this like it?

http://www.marketworks.com/storefrontprofiles/DeluxeSFItemDetail.aspx?sid=1&sfid=84713&c=112054&i=210643866

 

No,

It is like

 

http://www.executivegiftshoppe.com/00192.html

[LHT28]

No,

It is like

 

http://www.executivegiftshoppe.com/00192.html

 

Ok

I think you will find that it gets the signal from the land transmitters

So that may be why it did not sync up when at sea

 

from the product description

Radio control picks up transmission in the United States, Western Europe, Japan and United Kingdom

These are the location of the transmitters

Fukushima, Japan

Kyushu, Japan

Frankfurt, Germany

Rugby, U.K.

Colorado USA

 

Our travel clock use the same system

[The Other Tom]

No,

It is like

 

http://www.executivegiftshoppe.com/00192.html

 

That particular clock in the link requires you to set the city you are in. That's the same thing as setting the time zone. Is that the one you bought ?

[LHT28]

In the instruction manual it lists "synchronization" as WWVB, DSF, MSF, depending on location. (I don't know what that means). .

 

Here is the explanation

The signals that are broadcast are all transmitted at roughly the same frequency but are known as different things form country to country. In the UK the signals are transmitted by the National Physical Laboratory in Cumbria and are referred to as the MSF signal. In the USA, NIST (National Institute for Standards and Time) broadcast their WWVB timing signal from Fort Collins, Colorado while the Germans have a similar system (DSF) transmitted near to Frankfurt.

 

http://www.time-synchronisation.co.uk/time-synchronisation/network-time-servers-and-the-national-physics-laboratories/

[slotl]

Thank you all for your information about atomic clocks.

 

From what I gather from this discussion, the "sync" button only snycs to the time zone you set it at and not the actual time zone you are in?

 

What about "at sea" where there are no transmitters? Where does the clock get it's signal from (because it works perfectly at sea)?

[ab0si]

Thank you all for your information about atomic clocks.

 

From what I gather from this discussion, the "sync" button only snycs to the time zone you set it at and not the actual time zone you are in?

 

What about "at sea" where there are no transmitters? Where does the clock get it's signal from (because it works perfectly at sea)?

 

There is time synch service in Hawaii and Japan. Oz, I think, has one, too. These operate in various ways, but I am assuming the clock gets its signal via short wave. Depending upon propagation, these can travel anywhere from slightly more than line of sight to around the world. (I've made contract with the South Pole research station using one watt).

 

there is no reason why a clock could not be made which synchs with the GPS system. this would give it both the time and location (and by making use of stored information this could provide the "correct" local time). Out of curiosity I checked and could not find anything available for a reasonable price.

[Bill S]

I have used a similar travel clock made by Seiko. It uses radio signals from the same stations described above. It works pretty well on land, whether here or in Europe.

On cruises, regardless of location, more often than not, it does not "synch" either due to being out of range of the land stations or due to being surrounded by the steel curtain that the ship's hull/superstructure presents. I have often left it out on our verandahs for "synching", again most times to no avail. Also, my hand-held GPS will not "lock-on" from inside any ship cabin we have been in--too much steel, IMO. It will get a good signal from the verandah most of the time.

I take the clock with me anyway, because it also has a thermometer built into it, which does work well. :)

to ab0si--greetings from Bill S aka W4HMV.

[ab0si]

Hey, Bill.

 

You are supposed to take the clock to the top deck, drink a beer, and wait for it to synch. If it doesn't work, have more beers until either it does synch or you don't care anymore. :)

 

73

 

Paul

[LHT28]

 

to ab0si--greetings from Bill S aka W4HMV.

 

AHHH more HAMS:D

 

DH is VE3fgu

[Bill S]

Paul: thanks for the tip: synchin' and drinkin' ! :D I'll take my GPS up there too!

LHT28: my condolences ;). Give your DH a big HELLO! So far, I have refrained from taking any radios on our cruises, having adopted the motto: Happy wife; happy life! :) GPS' and atomic clocks are about the limit.

[cruiserbryce]

seems like it would have been a good idea...although i know on the 7 day trips we have been on the times sometimes change, sometimes they dont depending on the ship and captain...cant imagine the potential confusion going through that many time zones...I would just get a wake up call;)

[LHT28]

LHT28: my condolences ;). Give your DH a big HELLO! So far, I have refrained from taking any radios on our cruises, having adopted the motto: Happy wife; happy life! :) GPS' and atomic clocks are about the limit.

Will do Bill

He does take a small SW radio with him lately :)

At least he leaves the hand held at home now!!

 

73

 

Lyn

[trooper 1]

They do not adjust for time zones automatically. You must set it manually

You have to set the time zone you are in. eg: EST, PST

They adjust for UTC only and you need to be in range of the transmitter usually within 3000km of the transmitter.

The transmitters are land based not via satellite...

 

OK. We live in Spokane, Washington and for several years I have never got the darn thing to "self set" here or anyplace east of here on Interstate 90 including through North Idaho and across Montana. Maybe the Rocky mountains, and the other tall ranges in between are too high?

[LHT28]

Maybe the Rocky mountains, and the other tall ranges in between are too high?

That is a possibility

We live in Canada and sometimes it does not get the signal.

we will put his watch in the window at night to see if it will pick it up ...works sometimes ;)

[5waldos]

For what it is worth, my atomic watch (and several others on board) got very weird on several nights of our cruise along the Baja. Not only did they not synch properly but they seemed to synch with something else entirely- like maybe Martian time. One night I checked my watch at about 1am (in retrospect) and it was reading sometime after 5. It had reset itself to something closer to ship time by 6am. At first I thought I was just too tired to be making sense of it but several other people at our dinner table had had the same thing happen.

 

Is there a Baja Triangle that we went through do you think?

[rubytue]

OK. We live in Spokane, Washington and for several years I have never got the darn thing to "self set" here or anyplace east of here on Interstate 90 including through North Idaho and across Montana. Maybe the Rocky mountains, and the other tall ranges in between are too high?

This may be obvious, but have you tried leaving it to synch overnight? The signal is much stronger overnight (and perhaps an RF engineer can come in and explain why, I think it has to do with less interference from the sun's energy)

[LHT28]

This may be obvious, but have you tried leaving it to synch overnight? The signal is much stronger overnight (and perhaps an RF engineer can come in and explain why, I think it has to do with less interference from the sun's energy)

 

It may be your time piece is set to look for the sync signal at night (ours is around 1 am) but also the radio wave signals are stronger at night