What are Radio Clocks?
Mankind has been creating devices to tell time for ages. Technology has only furthered the advance of clock-making. Radio clocks have come about with the rise of radio frequencies as a precise timepiece. They use radio frequencies to adjust time settings to keep accurate time.
History
Radio clocks were first invented in the United States in the 1990s. The first signals that were broadcast came from a radio station in Colorado. Most current radio clocks can keep time within the second, and they are often paired with thermometers or weather updates in one unit.
How They Work
Radio clocks have a receiver, just like a radio, that receives frequencies in radio waves from a signal station. The signal has information about the time that is read by the receiver. The receiver then updates the time. Many radio clocks also have a backup system for keeping time if the radio clock cannot receive the radio waves for some reason.
Benefits of Radio Clocks
Radio clocks are able to keep more accurate time than other forms of clocks. They are more accurate than the weights and pendulums used in wall and grandfather clocks, the quartz-crystal movement of many modern clocks or the Atmos clock that uses variations in atmospheric pressure to control the movement.
Drawbacks of Radio Clocks
While radio clocks can keep accurate time, they are also prone to disturbances in the atmosphere that disrupt the radio frequencies. They are also notorious for inaccuracies during daylight savings time.
Types of Radio Clocks
- GPS. Many radio clocks now use the Global Positioning System to keep more accurate time. The signals from the satellite are not as prone to disturbances in the atmosphere as those from ground stations.
- Atomic clocks. Atomic clocks use a portion of the radio wavelengths, visible wavelengths and ultraviolet wavelengths to keep time. They are considered the most accurate form of time keeping to date.