[R-390] More on WWVB and Automatic Clocks

[Bill Hawkins]

Well, it might take more than patience.

WWVB is at 60 KHz. Ever tried listening to anything down
there? Even with a big antenna, it's a challenge. The HP
receiver for WWVB used a loop antenna with a 60 KHz sharp
mechanical filter. Now people use computers to extract
signal from all the noise. If your clock didn't cost $5000
then it probably doesn't have good noise rejection.

I bought the large "radio controlled" clock from RS in
Ocean City MD. It was the last one, so I got the demo still
running. The antenna symbol had 2 waves, which meant it
could hear something but not enough to sync. Back at my son's
house, it locked in at 9 PM with no trouble. The box said it
only tried to lock a few times a day, and 9 PM was one of them.

But the clock didn't show seconds, so no telling how well it
synced to WWVB.

Season's greetings,
Bill Hawkins