National Research Council Time Signal
Encyclopedia
The National Research Council
Time Signal
is Canada
's longest running but shortest radio
programme. Heard every day since November 5, 1939 (three years and three days after the CBC's establishment), shortly before 13:00 Eastern Time across the CBC Radio One
network, it lasts between 15 and 45 seconds, ending exactly at 13:00. During standard time, the signal is at 13:00 Eastern Standard Time and during Daylight Saving Time
, the signal is at 13:00 Eastern Daylight Saving Time.
The signal is also heard on some stations of the Première Chaîne radio network at 12:00 ET daily.
The signal consists of a series of 300 ms "pips" of an 800 Hz sine wave
tone, each one starting at the top of each UTC
second, up to ten seconds before the hour, followed by silence, and then a one second-long 800 Hz tone to mark the top of the hour. The CBC time signal is typically delayed by about 300 ms with respect to the CHU time signal, because each CBC radio station receives the actual time signal from Ottawa
by satellite.
The spoken header, as announced by a local on-air talent at each station, is typically of the style,
In different time zones, the local time and time zone is used instead. This header is usually spoken over the initial pips. As of May 2011, the length of the silence has been reduced to six seconds.
At the top of many other hours, and at the discretion of each station, a one-second tone is sounded, but the hour itself is not necessarily announced.
The English message, voiced by former CBC Radio
announcer Harry Mannis, is in the following format, repeated every ten seconds:
The French service uses the voice of Radio-Canada news anchor Simon Durivage
, with the following message format:
This is followed by a single 800 Hz beep. The word "exactly" (in French, "précises") replaces "and x seconds"/"et y seconds" at the top of the minute. Additionally, there is an 800 Hz "tick" every second in the background.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, a modified version of the NRC Telephone Talking Clock was transmitted over television channel CPAC while the House of Commons was not sitting. The announcements alternated between English and French, and cycled through all six of Canada's time zone
s, as well as UTC
.
NRC also provides shortwave
radio clock
time signal broadcasts, on specific frequencies (CHU
on 3330 kHz, 7850 kHz and 14670 kHz) as well as on the English (CBC Radio
) and French (Radio-Canada) radio networks of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
once per day; the former at 13:00 (1:00pm) and the latter at 12:00 (noon
) Eastern Time.
. Computers, routers, and other devices with NTP clients (including Windows 2000 and later versions of Windows) can use these servers to ensure that they have the correct time.
The NTP stratum-2 servers are located at these addresses:
National Research Council of Canada
The National Research Council is an agency of the Government of Canada which conducts scientific research and development.- History :...
Time Signal
Radio clock
A radio clock or radio-controlled clock is a clock that is synchronized by a time code bit stream transmitted by a radio transmitter connected to a time standard such as an atomic clock...
is Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's longest running but shortest radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
programme. Heard every day since November 5, 1939 (three years and three days after the CBC's establishment), shortly before 13:00 Eastern Time across the CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
network, it lasts between 15 and 45 seconds, ending exactly at 13:00. During standard time, the signal is at 13:00 Eastern Standard Time and during Daylight Saving Time
Daylight saving time
Daylight saving time —also summer time in several countries including in British English and European official terminology —is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less...
, the signal is at 13:00 Eastern Daylight Saving Time.
The signal is also heard on some stations of the Première Chaîne radio network at 12:00 ET daily.
The signal consists of a series of 300 ms "pips" of an 800 Hz sine wave
Sine wave
The sine wave or sinusoid is a mathematical function that describes a smooth repetitive oscillation. It occurs often in pure mathematics, as well as physics, signal processing, electrical engineering and many other fields...
tone, each one starting at the top of each UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
second, up to ten seconds before the hour, followed by silence, and then a one second-long 800 Hz tone to mark the top of the hour. The CBC time signal is typically delayed by about 300 ms with respect to the CHU time signal, because each CBC radio station receives the actual time signal from Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
by satellite.
The spoken header, as announced by a local on-air talent at each station, is typically of the style,
In different time zones, the local time and time zone is used instead. This header is usually spoken over the initial pips. As of May 2011, the length of the silence has been reduced to six seconds.
At the top of many other hours, and at the discretion of each station, a one-second tone is sounded, but the hour itself is not necessarily announced.
NRC Telephone Talking Clock
NRC runs two telephone numbers that announce the time of day. Voice announcements of Eastern Time are made every 10 seconds, followed by a tone indicating the exact time. This service is available to the general public by dialing +1 (613) 745-1576 for English service and +1 (613) 745-9426 for French service. Long-distance charges apply for those calling from outside the Ottawa/Gatineau area.The English message, voiced by former CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
announcer Harry Mannis, is in the following format, repeated every ten seconds:
The French service uses the voice of Radio-Canada news anchor Simon Durivage
Simon Durivage
Simon Durivage is a Canadian French-language television news anchor for RDI en direct. He was recruited by Radio-Canada in 1969 and has since hosted several newscasts and public affairs programs: Consommateurs avertis, Enjeux, Le Point, Montréal-Express, Montréal ce soir and Rédacteur en...
, with the following message format:
This is followed by a single 800 Hz beep. The word "exactly" (in French, "précises") replaces "and x seconds"/"et y seconds" at the top of the minute. Additionally, there is an 800 Hz "tick" every second in the background.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, a modified version of the NRC Telephone Talking Clock was transmitted over television channel CPAC while the House of Commons was not sitting. The announcements alternated between English and French, and cycled through all six of Canada's time zone
Time zone
A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
s, as well as UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
.
NRC also provides shortwave
Shortwave
Shortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
radio clock
Radio clock
A radio clock or radio-controlled clock is a clock that is synchronized by a time code bit stream transmitted by a radio transmitter connected to a time standard such as an atomic clock...
time signal broadcasts, on specific frequencies (CHU
CHU (radio station)
CHU is the call sign of a shortwave time signal radio station operated by the Institute for National Measurement Standards of the National Research Council of Canada.- History :...
on 3330 kHz, 7850 kHz and 14670 kHz) as well as on the English (CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
) and French (Radio-Canada) radio networks of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
once per day; the former at 13:00 (1:00pm) and the latter at 12:00 (noon
Noon
Noon is usually defined as 12 o'clock in the daytime. The word noon is also used informally to mean midday regarding the location of the sun not the middle of a persons day. Although this is a time around the middle of the day when people in many countries take a lunch break...
) Eastern Time.
NRC NTP Service
The NRC offers time synchronization over the Internet using Network Time ProtocolNetwork Time Protocol
The Network Time Protocol is a protocol and software implementation for synchronizing the clocks of computer systems over packet-switched, variable-latency data networks. Originally designed by David L...
. Computers, routers, and other devices with NTP clients (including Windows 2000 and later versions of Windows) can use these servers to ensure that they have the correct time.
The NTP stratum-2 servers are located at these addresses:
- time.nrc.ca
- time.chu.nrc.ca