PSN-L Email List Message

Subject: Problem with WWV time messages on SDR
From: RLLaney@.......
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 1999 11:02:13 EST


Hello all:

I am experiencing a problem of not getting WWV time messages using SDR.  I 
discussed this with Larry and he was puzzled also.  Anyway, I thought I would 
throw it out to the mailing list to see if anyone else has had this problem 
and if anyone has a solution.

I have installed a 75 MHz Packard Bell computer, which is Y2K compliant, to 
replace a 386 16 MHz computer that I had been using to record 2 sensors using 
SDR.  The old computer's clock will revert to 1980 come this Friday night.  
SDR works on the Packard Bell as far as showing the traces of the sensors and 
the time, but I get no time message from WWV on the monitor.  The following 
message appeared at the bottom of the screen:  "12/23/99 14:15:05 New 
TIME.DAT file Info: AddFlag:0  DropFlag:1  Count:131507  12/23/99 15:38:42 
Not locked," which is normal.

In summary, here is what I have done:

1)  Copied all SDR files from the 386 to the Packard Bell.  I figured this 
would make life simpler by keeping the configurations the same on the two 
machines because everything was working fine on the 386.

2)  I use a digital short-wave radio for the WWV signal and I have let SDR 
run for several days so it should have had ample time to imput a signal to 
the A/D board.  I did notice that there seemed to be a little more RFI hash 
from the Packard Bell computer than the 386, but when the WWV signal was 
strong it overrode the RFI.

3)  Debug is on.

4)  I checked the continuity of the coax from the radio to the connector on 
the A/D board (the ground side also).

5)  The computer boots directly to DOS.

6)  The Packard Bell has no Power Management option.

7)  WWV is grounded through pin 9 on the connector.  I notice that pin 37 is 
recommended, but I have used the 386 for more than 2 years with pin 9 as the 
WWV ground and it worked well.  Because it's the same A/D board I would guess 
this would not present a problem.

8)  Nothing was in the sdr.log indicating that the system was trying to lock 
onto WWV.

9)  I put the A/D board back into the old computer and the WWV messages came 
though and the system locked, so the board is OK.

Larry said that the only thing he could think of was that the new system 
can't keep up with the 1 ms interrupt.  

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Bob Laney
Herndon, VA

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Larry Cochrane <cochrane@..............>