Atomic Time & Date
How It Works
La Crosse Technology's Atomic Clocks set the time and date automatically. The secret is inside. Atomic clocks automatically synchronize to a radio signal called WWVB that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) broadcasts continuously from Fort Collins, Colorado. This signal transmits the official time from the Atomic Clock in Boulder, Colorado.
Check out the following links for more information on the Atomic Clock and how it works:
www.nist.gov
www.smithsonianmag.com
New UltrAtomic® Technology
La Crosse Technology is introducing a line of radio-controlled clocks based on its innovative UltrAtomic® technology, designed to receive the phase-modulated enhanced WWVB broadcast signal that NIST has recently introduced. This line of products is the first and only one in the market to be based on this enhanced broadcast, offering unparalleled reception. UltrAtomic clocks operate even in the harshest conditions, where the signal-to-noise ratio interferes with radio-controlled clock reception using the legacy AM signal broadcast.
UltrAtomic® technology digitally processes the received signal via an integrated circuit within the clock. It leverages the advanced modulation scheme and new data encoding. The reception reliability of the technology has been validated in the most challenging locations and scenarios, and has been demonstrated successfully throughout all of North America.
UltrAtomic® clocks allow you to select any time zone with a custom setting. Now you can enjoy UltrAtomic® accuracy, while view time zone around the world.
The new WWVB broadcast provided by the NIST includes a notification for the daylight savings time transitions well ahead of when they are to occur. The UltrAtomic® clock reads this information and, at the appropriate instance, automatically advances the hands one hour in the spring and eleven hours in the fall (to move back one hour), even if the signal is not received on the day of the transition.