[GreenKeys] Frequency deviations in Continental Europe including impact on electric clocks steered by frequency

[Sheldon Daitch]

Long ago, probably winter 1977, I was working in a radio station in eastern North Carolina and because we were an NBC news network station, we needed fair control room clock accuracy to hit the network on time at the top of the hour.

That winter, during a rather deep cold spell, the power line frequency dropped enough that at one point our clocks were about 20 seconds slow.  

I tried to get the staff to simply note the new top-of-the hour "time" rather than adjust the control room clock.  Guess that was too involved and people were resetting the clock as it drifted slower and slower.

Yep, for a week or so, while the power company/grid compensated for the low power line frequency period with a higher than normal power line frequency, each day someone was again resetting the clock.

Had they left the clock alone, it would have gradually corrected itself.

73Sheldon




      From: Ralph Mowery <rmowery28146 at earthlink.net>

   
In the US the frequency is adjusted for the long term also.  If slow for a while, it will speed up when the load is light to make up for the slow heavy load period.




   
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