RADIO CONTROLLED CLOCKS | WATCHES

The ‘national time’, or the time that is kept in Washington, DC that many clocks are run off of, is an atomic clock. It keeps precise time and even accounts for leap years. By definition, it is a clock that uses some form of atomic resonance as a frequency standard to keep perfect time. These clocks can be very large in size given their precise workings, but the technology of them is very advanced. Smaller clocks are being developed constantly, and you can find the perfect clock for your needs at American Time & Signal.

Significance

Given that an atomic clock is very accurate, it can play a large role in anything that demands an accurate keeping of time. Many scientific experiments rely on accurate time. Not only that, but many Radio Controlled Clocks are used throughout the country and the radio station, WWVB, that gives out the correct time checks its correct time against the time from the clock that keeps the nation’s time in Washington, DC. If this radio frequency sent out the wrong time, then the entire country would be getting wrong information.

Types

The type of clock that keeps our nation’s time from Washington, DC is a cesium clock. It’s very large and can be cumbersome to work with given its size. But it’s very accurate. It is also very expensive. You can also get a rubidium atomic clock. It is a lot more cost friendly and much smaller so that it is more usable. These clocks are perfect for the short term, but lack accuracy as they get older so it’s not a great choice for long term usage. Another clock that is great for short term use is the Hydrogen atomic clock. These clocks are mostly made in Russia and are easy to use. Because many clocks are not good for long term use, they have started to develop hybrid clocks that use more than one type of atomic clock. For example, a common hybrid is a rubidium and GPS atomic clock. The rubidium makes the clock very accurate in the short term, and the GPS functioning makes it more accurate in the long term.

Marcus Sam says that, Wired clock systems, replacement clocks and repairs continue to be the core business, ATS expanded the product offering to include the SiteSync IQ Wireless Clock System which uses a time synchronization signal from GPS satellites, CDMA cell phone tower signals or an Ethernet connection.”