I have written to the BBC asking them to include running seconds on the clock at the bottom of the BBC News Channel screen.
Don't know if they will take any notice but I thought it might be helpful when setting our watches.
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I have written to the BBC asking them to include running seconds on the clock at the bottom of the BBC News Channel screen.
Don't know if they will take any notice but I thought it might be helpful when setting our watches.
time.is
You might be disappointed to discover that TV time is not accurate. In Slovenia at least, the teletext clock is around 8 seconds behind and the TV news clock is not even locked to it most of the time. The lag used to be less before the switch to DBV-T, but I find that analogue radio is still can't be beat.
And they'd need to make allowances for the slight differences between Sky, Virgin, streaming online and council TV.
Ooft. This is all too complicated. So the time on ceefax and teletext 30 years ago was more reliable?!
Mariners used to set watches on the pips after listening to the shipping forecast but now it's all gone digital, the accuracy of the pips has gone.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich_Time_Signal
Which reminds me of the excellent book called Longtitude by Dava Sobel. It demonstrates the relationship between time, the celest and navigation around the world. The clue to solving the problem was the need to build an accurate clock. Very interesting reading. There is a documentary too.
I'm currently reading this.Quote:
Originally Posted by broxie
Yeah this would never be possible due to the lag in various transmission methods.
The best accuracy that you will get from the BBC is from the pips on Radio 4 longwave.
time.is is usually a little bit off, but mostly less than a second.
I've just compared a freshly synced radio controlled clock with the GPS Clock phone app. The GPS clock is about half a second behind. time.is is very slightly ahead of the radio clock.
Oh my.
I'm off to look for a DCF77 powered watch ;-0
I would have thought that even if the News Channel clock is not showing absolutely correct time, it would be stable. So in other words if it showed running seconds, then over say 24 hours one could judge the accuracy of one's watches against it.
If it’s not accurate they shouldn’t show it.
^^^ "Fake news."
Yep broadcast media is not quite "live" any more in the digital age. My Amazon Dot BBC 5 Live radio stream is about 40 seconds behind MW. DAB radio about 30 seconds behind. Freeview, different again though I can't quite remember the particular margin of difference.
The pips have become pointless except to analogue radio listeners. But atomic radio-synchronised clocks are cheap and spot on. So (usually) are computers that use NTP.
I use the time bit on the Watchville app.
How accurate is that then? It says atomic time synced..
Even Hawaii wasn't near where they thought it was when GPS was invented and the Americans turned the wobble off.
While the German DCF77 does tend to cover most of the UK, you'd probably be better off buying a MSF one, which receives its signal from Anthorn in Cumbria.Quote:
Originally Posted by broxie
I'm pretty sure my G-Shock keeps time with the atomic clock signal.
None of my other watches do that, so I usually set them to the same time as the G-Shock.
I’ve an atomic G Shock and an atomic alarm clock; they’re two seconds apart.
Not that it matters as I don’t live my life to the second (or minute for that matter)!
This.Quote:
Originally Posted by 200mwaterresistant
I live around the corner from a pub that shows the World Cup.
On Saturday, England scored and I got up, walked through my kitchen and out into the garden (OK, it's not a long way, but not just a step or two) and started to move my lawnmower to put it back in the shed. Only then the did pub erupt into cheering.
I can only presume the Sky broadcast there was 5-10 seconds behind the already slightly delayed Virgin service I watched on!
Unless of course everyone in the pub was so addled with drink or basic stupidity that it took that long to register the goal! :winkskull:
M
Clock, if added in studio, will not be accurate, because of there are numerous points where signal is delayed. If TV signal is broadcasted via satellite, then there is 2-3 second delay just because of it is bouncing off satellite that is 36000 km above equator. Almost all IP TV operators are buffering TV signal and this might add several seconds and up to half a minute. Transmission equipment like transcoders also introduces some delay and so forth.
Brilliant book.Quote:
Originally Posted by broxie
These days, a mechanical watch is viewed by many as an unnecessary anachronism, and accuracy is sometimes dismissed because “who was ever 10 seconds late for a meeting?”, but in prior times an accurate timepiece was all that stopped lost ships from wrecking themselves aground, or trains accidentally on the same track smashing into one-another.
For my own part, when I need a reference time-check, Time.is or my 9F Quartz Grand Seiko are sufficient.
App this app that, website etc. etc.
This might be old school, but what's wrong with simply ringing the speaking clock? Accurate simple and free
I believe that it isn’t free any more!Quote:
Originally Posted by nunya
Or 45p per minute.....Quote:
Originally Posted by nunya
WOW! you're with the wrong phone provider, free on my networkQuote:
Originally Posted by stefmcd
Is it still sponsored?
I must admit, I've not called the speaking clock since 1978! :biggrin:
M
Watchville for me as well, I am thinking of getting a gshock as well, my son has one and the time on his is the same as watchville.
Scottie
Why...? Do you really worry that your watch might be 5-10 seconds out from the atomic clock?
Some really do, I'm happy enough if it's within the minuteQuote:
Originally Posted by Pelicans
Tried it, nope. Just tells you the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by snowman
IIRC it used to be "The time sponsored by Accurist will be....."
Is that a digital network?Quote:
Originally Posted by nunya
Has anyone compared the speaking clock - landline and mobile - with MSF, DCF clocks, the BBC LW time signal, time.is etc, please?
This has piqued my interest. Could you elaborate please?Quote:
Originally Posted by broxie