[NLRS] Link -- New phase-modulation WWVB signal

[Dr. Gerald N. Johnson]

A loop stick, e.g. a ferrite rod with a coil, is somewhat directive with 
a couple deep notches, so it is possible to orient it to notch out Ft. 
Collins or a single local noise source.

Its quite possible for the last three CFL you installed to switch at 20 
or 30 kHz and are making so much noise as to obscure the WWVB signal. 
Some might switch at 60 kHz because the higher the switch frequency the 
smaller the transformers, and the slightly greater the switching 
transistor losses, but today's transistors can switch MHz at pretty low 
cost. CFL from China may have never been tested by FCC or UL and nearly 
all those packages admit making RFI but offer no solution other than to 
not use the product or to move the receiver.

73, Jerry, K0CQ

On 3/13/2013 2:25 PM, tosca005 at umn.edu wrote:
>
>
> Gordon:
>
> How many different time zones does your clock support? It is possible
> that if you pick a time zone of GMT instead of LONdon that it will be
> smart enough to not use the DST correction. Also, on my three
> radio-controlled clocks, there is a setting on the menus for DST to ON,
> OFF, or AUTO. I have always used AUTO and it has always changed
> automatically on the correct day, even when the DST rules changed
> because it was following the DST signal from Colorado instead of a date
> rule. Since my watch has missed all time corrections (at 2, 4, amd 6 AM)
> since 03/08/13, including the DST correction, I had to set the DST to ON
> for now to have the watch show me the correct time. And it is already a
> couple of seconds off from the WWV time without the benefit of 6 days of
> time corrections.
>
> All:
>
> Probably either a reduced signal strength or poorer propagation rather
> than a change in modulation methodology is to blame for all of our
> formerly working radio controlled clocks no longer working properly. One
> other point to mention is that I had an older "atomic watch" that
> stopped making radio syncs after I shook my left hand too vigorously
> (probably shaking a can of shaving cream) and the ferrite antenna inside
> the watch broke one of its leads, leaving the watch antenna-less. Had no
> success in soldering it back in place, so the watch became e-waste. It
> is conceivable that I did it again, but I haven't opened up the current
> watch to look.
>
>