[time-nuts] WWVB funding cut (was: Re: NIST FY 2019 Budget Would Eliminate WWV and WWVH)

[Ruslan Nabioullin]

On Mon, Aug 20, 2018 at 5:51 PM, Bob kb8tq <kb8tq at n1k.org> wrote:
>
> Hi
>
> Ok, if it really does include WWVB, that gets a lot of mom and pop voters angry.
>
> Bob


Not that it'll make a diff, but:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/maintain-funding-nist-stations-wwv-wwvh
.  At least there's still CHU.

By the way, it shouldn't be too difficult nor costly to launch a
private HF timing service with a format compatible with that of
WWV/CHU (to avoid having to write decoders)---professional commercial
and military (not amateur radio hobbyist stuff) multi-kW MF/HF
transmitters are scrapped all the time, rather than being repurposed
for productive use, and it need not be 24/7 (e.g., an HF timing
service in Russia operates for part of the day).  I would've done it,
but I'm focused on microwave instead (I own a microwave transmitter
for interstellar METI use---15 kW output at waveguide flange), and am
relocating out of the US (to Ireland).

GPS, both the space and ground segments, has better be bulletproof (or
rather, antisatellite weapon-, NEMP-, space storm-, jamming-,
spoofing-, and telecommand cracking-proof), and/or eLoran better be
developed and deployed.  At least nowadays there exist three
fully-functional constellations of GNSSs of diverse political
ownership, though non-GPS receivers are virtually nonexistent on the
surplus market, and new ones will likely cost a number of k USD.

-Ruslan

-- 
Ruslan Nabioullin
Wittgenstein Laboratories
rnabioullin at gmail.com
(508) 523-8535
50 Louise Dr.
Hollis, NH 03049