NIST TIME AND FREQUENCY BULLETIN 

NlSTlR 5082-1 0 

NO. 503 OCTOBER 1999 

1. GENERAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION ............................................ 2 

2. TIME SCALE INFORMATION ..................................................... 2 

3. UTI CORRECTIONS AND LEAP SECOND ADJUSTMENTS ................................ 2 

4. PHASE DEVIATIONS FOR WWVB AND LORAN-C ....................................... 4 

5. BROADCAST OUTAGES OVER FIVE MINUTES AND WWVB 

PHASEPERTURBATIONS ....................................................... 5 

6. NOTES ON NET TIME SCALES AND PRIMARY STANDARDS .............................. 5 

7. BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................... 5 

8. SPECIALANNOUNCEMENTS .................................................... 7 

This bulletin is published monthly. Address correspondence to: 

Gwen E. Bennett, Editor 

Time and Frequency Division 

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

325 Broadway 

Boulder, CO 80303-3328 

(303) 497-3295 

NOTE TO SUBSCRIBERS: Please include your address label (or a copy) 

with any correspondence regarding this bulletin. 

~ ~~ ~ 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, William M. Daley, Secretary 

TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION, Gary R. Bachula, Acting Under Secretary for Technology 

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, Karen Brown, Deputy Director 

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1. GENERAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION 

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS USED IN THIS BULLETIN 

BlPM - Bureau International des Poids et Mesures 

SEP 1999 

CClR 

cs 

GOES 

GPS 

IERS 

LORAN 

MC 

MJD 

NVLAP 

NIST 

NOAA 

SI 

TA 

TAI 

USNO 

UTC 

VLF 

MJD UT1 -UTC(NIST) UTC(USN0,MC)-UTC(NIST) 

(+5 ms) ( k 20 ns) 

- International Radio Consultative Committee 

- Cesium standard 

- Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 

- Global Positioning System 

- International Earth Rotation Service 

- Long Range Navigation 

- Master Clock 

- Modified Julian Date 

- National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program 

- National Institute of Standards & Technology 

- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ns - nanosecond 

- International System of Units I.ls - microsecond 

- Atomic Time ms - millisecond 

- International Atomic Time S - second 

- United States Naval Observatory min - minute 

- Coordinated Universal Time 

- very low frequency 

2. TIME SCALE INFORMATION 

The values listed below are based on data from the IERS, the USNO, and NIST. The UTC(USN0,MC) - UTC(NIST) 

values are averaged measurements from up to 10 GPS satellites (see bibliography on page 5). UTC-UTC(NIST1 data are 

on page 3. 

The master clock pulses used by the WWV, WWVH, WWVB, and GOES time code transmissions are referenced to the 

UTC(NIST1 time scale. Occasionally, 1 s is added to the UTC time scale. This second is called a leap second. Its purpose 

is to keep the UTC time scale within k0.9 s of the UT1 astronomical time scale, which changes slightly due to variations 

in the rotation of the Earth. 

Positive leap seconds, beginning at 23 h 59 min 60 s UTC and ending at 0 h 0 min 0 s UTC, were inserted in the UTC 

timescale on 30 June 1972, 1981-1 983, 1985, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1997, and on 31 December 1972-1 979, 1987, 

1989, 1990,1995, and 1998. There have been 22 leap seconds in total. 

NOTE: There will NOT be a leap second on December 31, 1999. 

The use of leap seconds ensures that UT1 - UTC will always be held within kO.9 s. The current value of UT1 - UTC 

is called the DUTl correction. DUTl corrections are broadcast by WWV, WWVH, WWVB, and GOES and are printed below. 

These corrections may be added to received UTC time signals in order to obtain UT1. 

+0.6s beginning 0000 UTC 04 March 1999 

+0.5s beginning 0000 UTC 27 May 1999 

+ 0.4s beginning 0000 UTC 14 October 1 999 

DUTl = UT1 - UTC = 

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The deviation of UTC(N1ST) from UTC has been less than +/- 100 ns since July 6, 1994. The table below shows values of UTC - 

oo00 Hours Coordinated Universal Time 

DATE MJD UTC-UTC(NIST) ns 

Sep23, 1998 

Oct 3, 1998 

Oct 13, 1998 

Oct 23, 1998 

Nov 2, 1998 

Nov 12, 1998 

Nov22, 1998 

Dec2, 1998 

Dec 12, 1998 

Dec 22, 1998 

Jan 1, 1999 

Jan 11, 1999 

Jan 21, 1999 

Jan31, 1999 

Feb 10, 1999 

Feb 20, 1999 

Mar 2, 1999 

Mar 12, 1999 

Mar 22, 1999 

Apr 1, 1999 

Apr 11, 1999 

Apr21, 1999 

May 1, 1999 

May 11, 1999 

May21, 1999 

May 31, 1999 

Jun 10, 1999 

Jun 20, 1999 

Jun 30, 1999 

Jul 10, 1999 

Jul20, 1999 

Jul 30, 1999 

Aug 9, 1999 

Aug 19, 1999 

51079 

51089 

51099 

51109 

51119 

51129 

51 139 

51149 

51 159 

51169 

51 179 

51189 

51199 

51209 

51219 

51229 

51239 

5 1249 

51259 

51269 

51279 

51289 

51299 

51309 

51319 

55329 

51339 

51349 

51359 

51369 

5 1379 

51389 

5 1399 

51409 

-4 

-7 

-5 

-3 

-3 

-1 

0 

4 

3 

10 

10 

19 

22 

25 

25 

26 

24 

21 

15 

10 

2 

-9 

- 18 

- 18 

- 18 

- 16 

- 16 

- 14 

- 12 

-6 

-3 

-1 

-2 

4 

Aug 29, 1999 51419 12 

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4. PHASE DEVIATIONS FOR WWVB AND LORAN-C 

WWVB - The values shown for WWVB are the time difference between the time markers of the UTC(NIST) time 

scale and the first positive-going zero voltage crossover measured at the transmitting antenna. The 

uncertainty of the individual measurements is &0.5 ,us. The values listed are for 1300 UTC. 

The values shown for Loran-C represent the daily accumulated phase shift (in ns). The phase shift is 

measured by comparing the output of a Loran receiver to the UTC(NIST) time scale for a period of 24 h. 

If data were not recorded on a particular day, the symbol (-1 is printed. 

The master stations monitored are Dana, IN (8970) and Fallon, NV (9940). The monitoring is done from 

the NlST laboratories in Boulder, CO. 

Note: The values shown for Loran-C are in nanoseconds. 

LORAN-C - 

UTCfNIST)-WWVB (60 kHz1 UTC(NIST) - LORAN PHASE (nsl 

ANTENNA PHASE LORAN-C (DANA) LORAN-C (FALLON) 

DATE MJD IPS) (8970) (9940) 

9/01 199 51422 5.66 -138 + 63 

9/02/99 51423 5.65 + 342 -85 

9/03/99 51424 5.65 - 28 - 62 

9/04/99 51425 5.66 +331 +252 

qincin9 6lA7fi 6 fifi +17R - 

9/06/99 51427 5.67 + 488 - 89 

9/07/99 51428 5.69 - 306 -173 

9/08/99 51429 5.69 + 205 -109 

9/09/99 51430 5.70 +19 -43 

qL1DlQq 6lA71 ci 7n +l? 

911 1199 51432 5.71 - 342 -357 

911 2/99 51433 5.71 +150 + 274 

911 3/99 51434 5.72 - 333 - 209 

911 4/99 51435 5.70 + 88 -59 

- 

911 6/94 6lAlG 6 7n -_ - 

911 6/99 5 1437 5.68 + 85 + 235 

911 7/99 5 1438 5.68 (-1 -194 

911 8/99 51439 5.67 (-1 +184 

911 9/99 5 1 440 5.67 (-1 + 427 

QI~~IQQ 6lAAl ci fi9 1-1 -ARfi 

912 1199 51442 5.69 -552 - 274 

9/22/99 5 1443 5.69 - 272 + 67 

9/23/99 5 1 444 5.68 + 99 + 171 

9/24/99 5 1445 5.69 + 382 + 30 

9/7ci/94 6lAAfi ci fia - 71 

9/26/99 5 1447 5.69 -186 + 500 

9/27/99 51448 5.69 -321 - 236 

9/28/99 51449 5.68 +171 + 462 

9/29/99 51450 5.68 - 22 -14 

9130199 51451 5.71 +120 + 65 

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5. BROADCAST OUTAGES OVER 5 MINUTES AND WWVB PHASE PERTURBATIONS 

Station 

WWVB 

WWV 

WWVH 

OUTAGES 

SEP 

1999 

918 

911 2 

911 6 

911 9 

912 1 

9/26 

9/27 

- 

MJD Began 

UTC 

0700 

0140 

0240 

0450 

0750 

0540 

1030 

0550 

0320 

0830 

Ended 

UTC 

0730 

0210 

0300 

051 0 

0850 

0610 

1105 

0630 

0410 

0900 

Freq. 

60 kHz 

1 PERT1 

SEP 

1999 

911 6 

- tBATlOk 

MJD 

- 

51437 

WWVB 

Began 

UTC 

- 

0850 

D kHz 

End 

UTC 

- 

1330 

6. NOTES ON NIST TIME SCALE AND PRIMARY STANDARDS 

Primary frequency standards developed and maintained by NIST are used to provide accuracy (rate) input to the BIPM. NBS-6, 

which served as the U.S. primary standard from 1975 through 1992, has been replaced by NIST-7, an optically pumped cesiumbeam standard. The uncertainty of the new standard is currently 1 part in I O14. 

The AT1 scale is run in real time using data from an ensemble of cesium standards and hydrogen masers. It is a free-running 

scale whose frequency is maintained as constant as possible by choosing the optimum weight for each clock that contributes to 

the computation. 

UTC(N1ST) is generated as an offset from our real-time scale AT1 . It is steered in frequency towards UTC using data published 

by the BIPM in its Circular T. Changes in the steering frequency will be made only at 0000 UTC on the first day of any month, and 

the change in frequency in any month is limited to nslday. The frequency of UTC(NIST) is kept as stable as possible at other 

times. 

UTC is generated at the BIPM using a post-processed time-scale algorithm and is not available in real-time. The parameters that 

we use to generate UTC(N1ST) in real-time are therefore based on an extrapolation of UTC from the most recent data available. 

7. BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Allan, D.W.; Hellwig, H.; and Glaze, D.J., "An accuracy algorithm for an atomic time scale,'' Metrologia, Vol.11, No.3, 

pp.133-138 (September 1975). 

Allan, D.W. and Weiss, M.A., "Accurate time and frequency transfer during common view of a GPS satellite," Proc. 34th 

Annual Symposium on Frequency Control, p.334 (1980). 

Allan, D.W. and Barnes, J.A., "Optimal time and frequency using GPS signals," Proc. 36th Annual Symposium on 

Frequency Control, p.378 (1982). 

Drullinger, R.E.; Glaze, D.J.; Lowe, J.P.; and Shirley, J.H., "The NIST optically pumped cesium frequency standard," IEEE 

Trans. Instrum. Meas., IM-40, 162-164 (1991). 

Glaze, D.J.; Hellwig, H.; Allan, D.W.; and Jarvis, S., "NBS-4 and NBSB: The NIST primary frequency standards," 

Metrologia, Vo1.13, pp.17-28 (1977). 

Wineland, D.J.; Allan, D.W.; Glaze, D.J.; Hellwig, H.; and Jarvis, S., "Results on limitations in primary cesium standard 

operation," IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas., IM-25, pp.453-458 (December 1976). 

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Table 7.1 is a list of the parameters that are used to define UTC(N1ST) with respect to our real-time scale AT1. To find the 

value of UTC(N1ST) - AT1 at any time T (expressed as a Modified Julian Day, including a fraction if needed), the appropriate 

equation to use is the one for which the desired T is greater than or equal to the entry in the To column and less than the 

entry in the last column. The values of xls, x, and y for that month are then used in the equation below to find the desired 

value. The parameters x and y represent the offset in time and in frequency, respectively, between UTC(N1ST) and AT1 ; 

the parameter xls is the number of leap seconds applied to both UTC(N1ST) and UTC as specified by the IERS. Leap seconds 

are not applied to AT1. 

Table 7.1 

UTC(N1ST) - AT1 = xlS + x + y*(T - To) 

Nov 99 -32 - 197896.5 -40.5* 51483 51513 

*Provisional rate 

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8. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS 

TRACEABLE FREQUENCY CALIBRATIONS 

(Now NVLAP Certified) 

Anyone needing traceable frequency calibrations can get them by subscribing to the NIST Frequency 

Measurement and Analysis Service. This service is offered on a lease basis by NlST to provide an easy and 

inexpensive means to obtain traceability of a laboratory main oscillator and, in addition, to calibrate other devices 

in the lab. This service has been designed for ease of operation and as a practical lab calibration tool. 

All the equipment and software needed are provided by NIST. Users must provide their own oscillator(s) 

and an ordinary telephone line so that NlST can access the system by modem. A total of four oscillators can be 

calibrated at the same time. Radio signals from either Loran-C or GPS satellite are used. Results for either are at 

about the same accuracy. 

The calibration data are displayed in color and a graph is plotted daily for each oscillator connected. Data 

are also stored on disk. The user can call up any of the data and view them onscreen or in the form of plots. Many 

months of data can be plotted. 

The system plots are easy to read and understand. The system manual is written for easy understanding 

and the NET staff is available by telephone to assist. The modem connection allows NET to access the data and 

to prepare a monthly traceability report which is mailed to the user. 

Frequency sources of any accuracy can be calibrated. The FMAS is particularly useful at the highest levels 

of performance. This is because each user of the system contributes information and calibration data for the others. 

If an uncertainty arises, it is possible for NIST to call by modem to another user nearby. In this way problems in 

data interpretation can be resolved. 

NVLAP certification requirements for frequency measurement are met by following the NIST-FMAS 

operating manual. This service does not eliminate the NVLAP audits but, when installed and operated per the NIST 

guidelines, audit requirements are easily met. 

NlST retains title to the equipment and supplies any needed system spares. Equipment that fails is replaced 

by overnight shipment. Training for use of the system is available if requested by the user. 

The NlST Frequency Measurement and Analysis Service provides a complete solution to nearly all 

frequency measurement and calibration problems. For a free information package, please contact Michael Lombardi 

at (303) 497-321 2, E-mail at lombardi@boulder.nist.gov, or write to: Michael Lombardi, NIST, Division 847, 325 

Broadway, Boulder, CO 80303. 

IMPORTANT NOTICE! 

The Time and Frequency Bulletin is now online at 

www. boulder.& .gov/timefreq/pubdbulletin/index.htm 

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