[opendtv] Re: Continuing with WWVB
- From: "Manfredi, Albert E" <albert.e.manfredi@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 8 May 2013 21:18:53 +0000
Craig Birkmaier wrote:
> Yes, I know that AM radios are cheap, and that the whole
> thing would be a very simple chip to build.
That's the whole point, Craig. These so-called "atomic clocks" are very
affordable, because they are super simple. An engineer always looks for the
simplest way to get a great system, not the most convoluted way to get
something that ends up being less good and way more expensive.
WWVB is even more accurate than WWV, simply because it uses a ground wave. Not
some who-knows-how-many-times-it's-bounced HF signal. So, without a lot of
middlemen in there to add cost and subtract value, e.g. a cellco, you can get
super accurate time on a very affordable appliance, and reliable to boot (if
done right, like this upgrade might be).
If some professional application needs the most accuracy, they can even
compensate for the distance from Fort Collins.
To me, that's pretty exciting. I'm looking forward to the new toys that might
use the BPSK signal, and given the added robustness, I would hope these new
clocks would become more pervasive than they have been.
As to owning a cell phone, I do, but I certainly don't slavishly keep it on all
the time. I'm not dependent or addicted to it in the slightest way.
Bert
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