NTP Time Server - MSF Signal Issues

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What is the maximum cable length of the MSF radio antenna ?

It's not often that reception problems are reported, particularly with the IP66 Professional MPS unit.

Geographic location tends to be less of an issue than local environment. We have units as far north as Aberdeen, as far south as the Channel Islands and also in Ireland.

A few things worth trying:

The MSF time signal is transmitted from Rugby in the East Midlands, UK.

The MSF radio antenna is a unidirectional antenna which ideally needs to be mounted horizontally, perpendicular to the source of the radio transmission. For the IP66 unit, hold the antenna in an upright position with the cable exiting the bottom of the antenna, point the face of the antenna in the general direction of Rugby.

The NTP Time Server antenna needs to be mounted above ground away from any sources of electrical interference. Metal structures can act as a Faraday cage blocking signal penetration. Therefore, the antenna must be located externally of any metal structures.

Removing the lid of the antenna reveals a LED. When powered, the LED will light green. When the antenna has a lock on the time signal, it will flash red / green. The antenna should be re-located or rotated until a regular 1 second pulse is obtained on the LED. If the LED flickers irregularly or does not flash, the antenna must be repositioned.

Failing this, to test operation, it could be worth trying the unit in a completely different location on a completely different PC. Ultimately, however, synchronisation does depend on the radio signal being present. Failing this, a GPS solution may be worth considering. The upside to GPS is that a signal lock can be guaranteed, the down-side is that ideally the antenna needs a good view of the sky.

Support - GPS Timing

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MSF Atomic Clock information
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TimeTools Atomic Clock Synchronisation Devices

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