WWV Shortwave Time Broadcasts May Be Slashed In 2019 (qrz.com)

New submitter SteveSgt writes: A forum thread on QRZ.com indicates that the shortwave time broadcasts by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) from stations WWV (Colorado) and WWVH (Hawaii) may be slashed in budget year 2019. [One of the proposed reductions includes "$6.3 million supporting fundamental measurement dissemination, including the shutdown of NIST radio stations in Colorado and Hawaii."] While the WWV broadcasts may seem like an anachronism to some Slashdotters, they remain a crucial component in many unexpected services, from over-the-air broadcasters and traffic signals, to medical devices, wall clocks, and wrist watches. The signals serve as standard beacons for radio propagation, and as a frequency reference for alignment of a broad range of communications equipment. It's easy to imagine that not even the NIST knows every service and device that could be impacted by this decision.

Comments

WTF?

[asackett]

This, coincident with a $717B Defense Authorization?

We need to have a very serious conversation with the god who blessed America. Fucker's high on something.

Re: WTF?

[youngone]

I assume it's partly an overreaction to the awful treatment of troops returning from Vietnam.

I assume it's because the US military learned a lesson from Vietnam, which was that they needed to control the narrative.
That is why reporters were "embedded" during the Gulf Wars, and also why the US military pays the NFL so much money every year for those very strange "salute to service" games which look an awful lot like Nuremberg rallies to those of us who live outside the US.

It's called propaganda and the US has the most effective propaganda machine the world has ever known.

Re: WTF?

[msauve]

"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."

Eisenhower

Re: Economy?

[jetole]

GPS tend to be more expensive but I'd really like to see a $50 wall clock that's always accurate to milliseconds and, on the other hand, I can place that clock in areas that can't receive a GPS signal. Sure fewer people are wearing watches but it seems to be the norm on all emergency services and military personnel as well as some of us who just enjoy to easily tell the time from a durable device that doesn't need to charge every night. Sure GPS may be better in many situations but there are a lot of valid use cases where WWV still is the best solution, in my opinion.

Make no mistake

[PopeRatzo]

"$6.3 million supporting fundamental measurement dissemination, including the shutdown of NIST radio stations in Colorado and Hawaii."]

The NIST is under the Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, who is a cryptkeeper who only stays alive through daily applications of graft and corruption. Here's an article about just how corrupt this ancient swamp thing really is.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/d...

The $6,3 million saved will pay for a lot of KFC Gravy Bowls on Air Force One. Plus, Colorado and Hawaii voted for Hillary, so fuck them libs, amirite? Trump is just that kind of petty degenerate..

WWV[H][B[

[Anonymous Coward]

NIST is taking a gigantic budget hit. WWV/etc is just one victim. We are headed back to the scientific dark ages...

From what I've read, there was no mention of WWV-B, the VLF broadcast that such gadgets as people's clocks depend on. Is that on the chopping block too? (probably. grr)

Most of those "self setting clocks" use WWVB...

[Ellis D. Tripp]

on 60 kHz. The WWV/WWVH services being cut are on HF (2.5-25 MHz).

The loss of those frequencies will obsolete the older HF clocks, like the Heathkit GC-1000 "Most Accurate Clock" I have in my ham shack. As well as removing the other functions they provided besides time, such as precision frequency reference (zero beat a signal generator or receiver VFO against WWV's carrier, and you know it is exactly on frequency), and the various frequencies throughout the HF band provide useful propagation checks, as well.

Oh well, the $6M they save can pay off a lot of porn stars, or cover the security detail for a couple rounds of golf in Bedminster...