Thoughts on Atomic Clock

[Philpug]

Came for BOA discussion, leaving disappointed.

 

[cantunamunch]

Came for BOA discussion, leaving disappointed.

No worries, @Tom K. can come fiddle with the knob.

 

[raytseng]

It sounds like the wireless radio in your clock died.

You can buy actual atomic clocks, but prices generally in the 4 figures. Maybe Stockli will put some on their skis.

They already have lasers in them

 

[cantunamunch]

They already have laser-self-calibrating seal skins in them

 

[raytseng]

Another idea with forest fires is to get an iqair unit that will measure the interior aqi along with the typical weather stations things.
They are internet enabled to get the outside area (town ave) aqi as well as well as your own sensors.

However that's a different primary purpose than just the time.

 

[wooglin]

I recall having a watch that would lose about 5 minutes a week. I'd just arrive progressively earlier, and reset it periodically by calling the local time and weather number.

 

[cantunamunch]

I recall having a watch that would lose about 5 minutes a week. I'd just arrive progressively earlier, and reset it periodically by calling the local time and weather number.

Wot, no radio newscast time tone?

 

[raytseng]

I know, but it's just disingenuous marketing. Some company (probably foreign) trying to pawn off a technological wonder, when the real technological infrastructure they use and rely on is funded by US taxpayers.

Atomic clocks are fascinating. My son recently gave me a comprehensive overview, demonstrating his vast YouTube knowledge. Apparently they only have a few seconds of drift over universe creating timescales.

Eh, this naming is entirey an American thing. This is a throw back to the space race era where Astro turf and astronaut ice cream and nuclear powerplants was a thing.

 

[tomahawkins]

Eh, this naming is entirey an American thing. This is a throw back to the space race era where Astro turf and astronaut ice cream and nuclear powerplants was a thing.

You just made me miss Tang.

 

[coskigirl]

Well, this has been helpful. How the heck do you guys find a way to go down a rabbit hole the depth of an abyss?

Seriously! Who would have thought a simple question would go where this one went?

 

[skiki]

If there was a photo or link in the first post, I couldn't see it. But I am gathering that the question is not so much about the clock as it is about the weather station part, and recommendations for a new weather station, ideally one that also has an accurate clock. I will refrain from adding a photo of the worlds most accurate clock at JILA, which to me just looks like a big jumble of wires and lasers.

 

[graham418]

An atomic clock for only $40? No. It’s just a quartz clock that listens and syncs with NIST or GPS.

Surely you didnt it was powered by cesium or something like that

 

[tball]

Fun rabbit hole for me, as for almost a decade I worked at NOAA in Boulder (next door to the atomic clock at NIST) and developed software for weather instruments, some that needed very accurate time. We often had a WWVB receiver I'd interface with as part of the instrument package.

Here's a story from 2018 when the budget for WWVB was going to be cut but eventually wasn't.

The good news is that most of the US still has a good WWVB signal.

Help with WWVB Radio Controlled Clocks

To find out more about W

www.nist.gov

Hopefully, the signal will be around for a while since some 50 million devices are out there using it.

Why WWV and WWVH Still Matter - Radio World

Even today, WWV and WWVH’s standard time broadcasts and frequencies are a great help for engineers calibrating equipment.

www.radioworld.com

Long term, I'd still go with an Internet time based clock. That's probably not going away very soon.

 

[Seldomski]

Seriously! Who would have thought a simple question would go where this one went?

You must be new here.

 

[Tricia]

Carry on...

 

[skiki]

Surely you didnt it was powered by cesium or something like that

Apparently strontium is now the element of choice.

 

[Tricia]

If there was a photo or link in the first post, I couldn't see it. But I am gathering that the question is not so much about the clock as it is about the weather station part, and recommendations for a new weather station, ideally one that also has an accurate clock. I will refrain from adding a photo of the worlds most accurate clock at JILA, which to me just looks like a big jumble of wires and lasers.

Here you go.

 

[Tricia]

Another idea with forest fires is to get an iqair unit that will measure the interior aqi along with the typical weather stations things.
They are internet enabled to get the outside area (town ave) aqi as well as well as your own sensors.

However that's a different primary purpose than just the time.

Do you have a source for a clock with AQI? I did a search and don't see availability.
I do have AQI on my NOAA App.

 

[raytseng]

Do you have a source for a clock with AQI? I did a search and don't see availability.
I do have AQI on my NOAA App.

This is the one I'm thinking of.

IQAir | First in Air Quality

Explore air quality in your city and around the world. Air quality data, collaboration tools, and technology solutions – powered by IQAir.

www.iqair.com

It is on the more expensive side but some of that is due to a relatively attractive screen. Many devices save costs by forcing you to use your smartphone as the monitor. So you're paying a bit just for the decor.
With crowd sharing, you don't need to buy your own outdoor sensor, you can configure it to use public iqair "outdoor" sensor or a city and it will use the internet shared info.

It is newish modern technology though, so don't expect it to last a decade like a clock, or to be as useful when the power or internet goes off.

 

[Tricia]

That does not appear to be a clock but just an AQI monitor. That is something I can do on my NOAA app