Leap Second caution
Jim S (jsebolt@genie.idt.net)
Sat, 2 Jan 1999 18:39:13 -0500 (EST)
A word of caution from personal experience for those of you using the new
"atomic" clocks to obtain accurate time for your satellite listening
and/or viewing pleasure.
These clocks receive radio transmissions from WWVB to initially set and
periodically update themselves, applying an error correction to adjust or
fine-tune the internal time-base.
The addition of a "leap-second" on January first confuses the clock into
adjusting for the apparent one-second error by making an unwanted
adjustment of the time-base rate. If left alone, this should
automatically re-adjust itself back to a correct value over an extended
period of time. In the interim, clock accuracy suffers. If in doubt,
the clock should have a "reset" button hidden away somewhere which will
force the processor to return to default and start over.
I was impatient and forced a reset so I cannot guess as to how long an
automatic resync would take. I can say that the effects of the
leap-second adjustment were quickly apparent when compared to another
clock with only manual adjustment.
Happy New Year! ;)