Atomic Clock Radio Audio?

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haleve

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I'm thinking of getting one of these atomic clocks, I know the frequencies are 2.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz & 20 MHz, do any of the models have a feature where you can listen to the actual broadcast voice audio on these frequencies?
 
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w2xq

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I think most (all?) atomic clocks listen to the 60 kHz transmission, way below the AM and LW broadcast bands. Haven't run across any that broadcast the audio. HTH.
 

zz0468

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I think most (all?) atomic clocks listen to the 60 kHz transmission, way below the AM and LW broadcast bands. Haven't run across any that broadcast the audio. HTH.

There is no audio to be demodulated on the 60 KHz transmissions. The data is encoded by a 17 db reduction in carrier power at a very low baud rate.
 

haleve

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I was thinking more along the lines of the now discontinued Realistic 12 TimeKube that received WWV on 5 MHz, 10 MHz & 15 MHz, you could push one of three buttons & listen to the electronic voice announce the time, I was figuring that technology advanced to where you would have the digital readout of the time with the option of still listening to the voice announce the time.
 

majoco

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You'll probably find the TimeKube decoded the 60kHz data from WWB. The transmissions from WWV and H would be too unreliable to decode without some pretty agile receiver control.
 

mmckenna

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Why not just get yourself an inexpensive short wave radio and tune it in yourself? Between the couple of frequencies they use it's almost always possible to receive the transmissions with a simple antenna.
 

kruser

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I have an old Heathkit atomic clock that did receive the 5, 10 and 15 MHz broadcasts for setting its time. That was a neat kit back in its day.
I had troubles with mine over the years. The two calibration pots would get dirty and it would no longer lock on to the data pulse. I replaced them with 10 turn pots and the thing still works fantastic to this day.
This clock also allows you to monitor the audio.

It was a model GC-1000-H but I've never found another even on eBay.
I did not get the RS-232 interface option with mine. I've always wanted that option so I check eBay every so often but I've never found that part or an entire clock.
I wish old Heathkit was still around. They had some neat stuff!
 

fxdscon

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zz0468

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...I was figuring that technology advanced to where you would have the digital readout of the time with the option of still listening to the voice announce the time.

It exists, but I've never seen that capability in a consumer grade product. Lab quality WWV receivers with digital displays sometimes show up on eBay, but they're usually priced high enough that a casual hobbyist wouldn't buy one.
 

AC9BX

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The commonly available modern radio controlled "atomic clock" monitors long wave time signal stations. US models monitor WWVB at 60kHz. They transmit only data, carrier power modulated as mentioned with a reduction of 17dB at a rate of 1 symbol per second. Each second the carrier power is reduced for a given duration. The duration represents a binary 1, 0, or a marker. "Talking clocks" have voice synthesis that recites the time. There are others around the world using other frequencies. Some clocks can monitor multiple stations.
There are radios that use the WWV/WWVH time signals in shortwave. They are more rare. These stations also transmit a time code at 1 symbol per second using varying duration pulses of low frequency audio in addition to the voice announcements and tones. If you listen closely you can hear a "hum" following each "click". The hum duration varies, this is the time code.

NIST Radio Station WWVB
 
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