FUTURE OF WWV AND WWVH TIME SIGNALS
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is
conducting a survey of WWV and WWVH listeners to find out how they
use the standard time and frequency broadcast services.
September 30th is the deadline for completing the survey,
which is available on the Web at http://www.timesurvey.nist.gov/
-- and that deadline is fast approaching.
John P. Lowe, leader of NIST's Time and Frequency Services Group,
insists that a shutdown of WWV is not imminent. But he confirmed to
Sky & Telescope reader Bob Konior that the data collected could
ultimately be used to determine whether WWV and WWVH remain on the
air -- especially given the popularity of NIST's other outlets. (For
example, its Web-based time server gets in excess of 3 million hits a
day.) The last WWV-WWVH user survey was conducted in 1985.
"Those amateurs who use this radio time service to time events will be
left to their own devices if this service is removed from the air,"
comments Konior.
We urge amateur and professional astronomers who rely on highly
accurate shortwave time signals to participate in the survey so
their views will be known.
Roger W. Sinnott
Sky & Telescope
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