46 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | NOVEMBER 2020
Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time.
If you have a shortwave radio and have "tuned the bands"
for any period of time, you've likely heard WWV, a set
of five high frequency (HF) stations broadcasting
the time on 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mHz. This
unusual station is run by the National Institute
of Standards and Technology to "ensure that
uniform time is maintained throughout the United
States and around the world." WWV is located in Ft.
Collins, Colorado, and each transmitter broadcasts a minute-
by-minute announcement of the correct time (and other
information related to atmospheric weather conditions and the
Global Positioning System) using four atomic (cesium decay) clocks.
According to NIST, "these time signals are used by commercial
and institutional interests where accuracy is essential and
time plays a vital role in daily operations - including shipping,
transport, technology, research, education, military, public safety,
and telecommunications. WWV time signals are of particular
importance in broadcasting, whether it be commercial, public, or
private interests such as amateur radio operators, who often use the
station's transmissions to test their equipment." Listening to WWV
can be about as interesting as watching paint dry; however, for ham
radio operators, the signal plus information on atmospheric
conditions can be good indicators of which frequencies
are open for communication with other hams.
We are a group of licensed amateur radio
and unlicensed Family Radio Service (FRS)
communicators who enjoy our radio hobby and
stand ready to help our community in the event of an
emergency. If you are interested in learning more or joining
our club, contact us via email at jim.K6JWP@gmail.com. ~ Jim
Peterson
Radio Club
WWV Operations Center in Ft. Collins, CO
