Overall, a well-engineered product, though the original instruction sheet left much to be desired. One can order replacement 433 MHz remote temperature transmitters (US$10.00 as of this date). There is a web site for the distributor of SkyScan Atomic Clocks now. Thanks to information provided by KV3X I got it going again today. The problem was that the instructions that came with the clock when I bought it at Costco a few years ago had no contact information for the distributor or manufacturer, and they didn't include troubleshooting information. By removing the batteries from both the clock and the temperature sensor, then inserting the batteries in the sensor and then the clock, it started working again. I have a similar SkyScan Model 87310 clock, without moon phases, for which the outdoor remote temperature sensor seemed to have failed. This "autosetting" can startle the unwary! After the batteries are inserted and the synching with WWVB is complete, the two hands of the clock rapidly spin themselves (clockwise!) around the dial and stop when the correct time has been reached. Watching the large analog dial outdoor SkyScan clock doing its initial time setting can be a bit unnerving. I have found no way to prevent this low-temperature measurement failure. The clock will resynch and the temperature reading will reappear. To re-establish the function, remove the batteries from the clock, warm the clock to a temperature above 55 F, and replace the batteries. It will not reactivate by itself when the temperature rises above 55 F. The second trick (mentioned previously in these reviews) is that the clock's internal temperature measurement function (but not the LCD display itself) will quit if the local temperature drops below about 55 F (13 C). (See for time-dependant WWVB coverage maps.) The best time of day for achieving synch at any location is local midnight the worst time is local noon. Little of the signal will be diffracted into the room (analogous to AM radio broadcast signals fading out inside tunnels). A window with a width of 1 meter (3.28 ft.) is 0.02% of the wavelength and thus the window makes a poor diffraction slot for the WWVB signal (assuming radio-opaque building walls). The reason why the clocks may not reliably synch when they are located within the interior of a room and not near a clear view window has to do with the 5,000 meter wavelength of the WWVB signal. At my location in San Diego, CA, I have the two desktop clocks located in a north-facing window, and re-synching of the clocks with WWVB occurs reliably but not necessarily quickly. Collins, CO, it is necessary to locate the clock where it has a clear and unobstructed view toward the transmitter (such as in a window). The first is that for their use at locations distant from the WWVB 60 kHz transmitter in Ft. There are two tricks that need to be understood about the SkyScan (and other) desktops. Daylight Saving Time transitions have always occurred reliably. I also have a third desktop LCD clock made by another manufacturer, used elsewhere in the house.Īll the SkyScan clocks have operated reliably and without problems, some for a number of years. The two SkyScan desktops display, respectively, local and UTC time in the shack. Two of them are desktop units with LCD displays, the third (and newest) is a large analog dial clock used outdoors. I own three SkyScan WWVB-controlled clocks, the newest of which I've had in service for more than one year.
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