NavList:

I noticed the same listening to the BBC world service. I was also listening to Radio 4 upstairs. The 9 o'clock news started on radio 4 - about the right time, Then I went downstairs and got the start of the nine o'clock news "live" on the web. I can't remember if I actually heard the pips. I thought it strange but just put it down to the web! Maybe I should have been more inquisitive. I have a 500K ADSL connection so its nothing to do with your connection speed. (I think).
I have never noticed problems with pips on the normal short wave radio. They have always agreed with other sources.

Aubrey.

At 14:21 19-01-04, you wrote:

Greetings all,

 

Yesterday I was listening to the BBC through the web.  A little bit before 3 p.m. EST I synced my computer clock with the U.S. Naval Observatory through the internet.  I also set a watch I have to GMT.  The BBC at the top of each hour has a series of tones that count down to the hour and the announcer comes on and says The time is now ____ GMT and then launches into the news.  However, when listening yesterday I noticed that the BBC was a full 2 minutes late with announcing the hour. 

 

Right now I am at work and we have a partial T-1 line which is quite a bit faster then the 56K connection I have at home.  I am going to repeat the test here at my office and see what happens.

 

My questions are: Has anyone else noticed this?  Is it possible for the USNO and the BBC to be off?  Doesn t the BBC sync with the Royal Observatory at Greenwich? 

 

I know that the BBC broadcasts on shortwave around the world, do ships every use the BBC to check their chronometers?  Wouldn t this throw the ships off, or do ships not rely on the BBC for time corrections?

 

Thanks,

Andrew