[time-nuts] TimeNuts Assistance Request

[Didier Juges]

Chris,

What is the 440Hz used for, other than tune instruments?

Didier 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: time-nuts-bounces at febo.com 
> [mailto:time-nuts-bounces at febo.com] On Behalf Of Baragwanath, 
> Chris (TSG)
> Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 4:43 AM
> To: time-nuts at febo.com
> Subject: [time-nuts] TimeNuts Assistance Request
> 
> Hi all Time Nuts,
> 
> I am a 'side line' member of the mailing list, ex Broadcast 
> engineer whose principle fascination is accurate pendulum 
> clocks and as one who has been lucky enough to have been in 
> the presence of the ultimate "Clock" here in South Africa, 
> the SAST (South African Standard Time) cluster.
> 
> We do not have a "free to air" telephonic Time and Freq 
> service in SA as the NIST does and our principle RF source 
> (ZUO_ has long been discontinued for economic reasons (Other 
> than the distant low power coastal stations the transmit a 
> few mins a day for shipping purposes).
> The former Govt Labs and Standards Authorities are now 
> privatised to lessen the burden on the fiscus and supposed to 
> be self supporting, so charge and arm and a leg for access to 
> their facilities, that our tax money paid for in the first place)
> 
> At present, radio propagation conditions are so poor that and 
> of the NIST and other stations are unusable as a tone 
> reference or 1 pulse per second reference, and so have to 
> call the NIST land line number, which is an expensive call 
> from South Africa.
> 
> As a voluntary / community service, we are trying to 
> establish a freely accessible tone and pulse service and are 
> looking for a donation of any unwanted equipment that will 
> help us get a more stable 440hz and 1 PPS reference running. 
> (The current oscillator is a good old uncompensated crystal 
> British Ferrograph Test Set from broadcast days interrupted 
> by another uncompensated xtal osc which interrupts the tone 
> to prove the PPS output).
> 
> Any donation of unwanted equipment, especially of more stable 
> equipment or the ultimate, a GPS Rx board with 1 PPS output 
> would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> If anyone is prepared to help, I would be most grateful and 
> would cover the shipping costs to SA.
> 
> The mains in SA is 220v 50hz, but do have access to a 120v 
> 60hz sinewave inverter unit to safely power US spec equipment.
> 
> Many thanks in advance,
> 
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> 
> Chris D Bagwanath
> "Its About Time"
> 
> chris at baragwanath.co.za
> Tel +27 83 700 5057
> Fax: +27 11 792 166
> 
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> 
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