My impression is the RF and subcode data lock should still work; it's just the NIST timecode data bits that are no longer valid (GOES itself is still 100% operational - all they did was stop sending the NIST timecode and sat pos info).
Yes, the receivers make a very nice clock display, and the IRIG, 1 PPS, or other outputs are useful. Given the clean board layout, it should be quite simple for someone to turn it into a stand-alone clock; either by simulating the manchester code that goes to the uC, or by piggy-backing on the existing display drivers. There's hundreds of nice, used GOES receivers out there so there might be a market for someone with time on their hands to develop such a retrofit gizmo. One could, for example, make a black box that takes a GPS NMEA and 1 PPS output and converts it to something a 468-DC can lock on to; either through the antenna input or directly onto one of the test points on the board. /tvb ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Feher" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "'Tom Van Baak'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "'Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement'" <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2005 12:33 Subject: RE: [time-nuts] DC-468 Tom - I think you may be right since I remember the last time you asked a question about this and I believe I was the only one that replied. Right now it is not convenient for me to look inside as the 468 is on top of a tall entertainment center in my office with some other junk on top of it. The antenna is facing one of the windows. It may be easier for me to look at the IF coming back down the coax to see if there is RF lock or not. I have a BNC T on the rear of the 468 so it is easy to connect it to the SA and see the downlink IF depending on which bird it is locked to. BTW, as I mentioned to you some years ago the manual does have an error in one of the IF frequencies. I do not remember if it is the east or the west. I guess it is of little consequence now. I really like the large displays on the 468 and would like a similar clock to replace it. Any ideas? - 40 years ago I would have just built one, now it seems like too much trouble. - Mike Mike B. Feher, N4FS 89 Arnold Blvd. Howell, NJ, 07731 732-886-5960 -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tom Van Baak Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2005 10:59 AM To: Discussion of precise time and frequency measurement Subject: Re: [time-nuts] DC-468 > Does any one still have a DC-468 that is keeping time and locked on? Mine > quit ages ago. It is a lot more than 50 ms off. - Thanks - Mike Mike, Maybe you and I are the only ones with GOES receivers still powered on? After 30 years the GOES time service officially went off the air on January 1. But it has been on and off a few times since then (and with reduced accuracy). My last signal lock was in April or May, I think. I stopped logging at that point and all my receivers have been blinking for a month. Even if you don't get time lock, do you still get RF lock and/or data lock on your 468-DC (the two LED's inside)? For good reading see :The GOES Time Code Service, 1974-2004: A Retrospective" http://nvl.nist.gov/pub/nistpubs/jres/110/2/j110-2lom.pdf /tvb http://www.LeapSecond.com _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list [email protected] https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts
