It’s a good bet that by now you have seen those amazing clocks that set themselves automatically, even adjusting for the time changes in the spring and fall.
Although they are sometimes mistakenly referred to as ”atomic clocks”, they are actually controlled via a 60 khz radio signal which is broadcast by NIST Radio Station WWVB near Fort Collins, Colorado.
WWVB retrieves the official Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) from a true atomic clock, then it transmits an encoded radio signal containing that official timestamp to most of North America where it is received by tiny 60 khz radios embedded in countless radio controlled clocks located in homes and businesses across the continent. Although every radio controlled clock receives the same timestamp, they display the correct local time based upon the time zone setting selected by the owner.
The beauty of these amazing clocks is their virtually perfect accuracy. Although their timing crystals might allow them to gain or lose a fraction of a second over a period of time, the next synchronization signal from WWVB always arrives in plenty of time to ensure that the displayed time is accurate down to the nearest second. As long as one of these clocks is working properly and located in a place where it can easily receive the radio signal, you can rest assured that the time it displays is always accurate.
Of course another great advantage of radio controlled clocks is the fact that you never have to set them. All you have to do is set a switch to reflect your local time zone and then wait for it to receive its first complete radio signal sequence from WWVB. From that moment on, you’ll never have to set the clock even once.
Cheria and I have one of these wonderful clocks hanging on our office wall, and we absolutely love it. Now all we need are a couple of those trendy radio controlled wristwatches that are beginning to “spring up” everywhere!
Truly amazing!!