Have you ever owned a crazy back-asswards clock?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I currently have a crazy back-asswards clock. RCA Model RP3701 AM/FM.

The crazy thing has AM PM back-asswards. The red dot has always been labeled PM on every clock I’ve owned for 40 years. No dot lit up means AM.

This crazy clock has the red dot labeled AM. :confused: No dot is PM

Anyone ever encountered a mislabeled clock before?

I originally had two RCA Model RP3701 AM/FM. The other one started eating the backup battery every couple months. Finally figured out the internal power supply was bad. It was using the backup battery all the time. Had to throw that clock out. The other RCA clock is still running ok.

2

I have a General Electric clock like that. The dot (it’s green) is labeled AM. It’s the only one like that I had ever noticed.

You could always set your clock 12 hours ahead, and put a little sticker over the AM label that says PM. :stuck_out_tongue: Hmmmm… Now that I think of it, maybe that’s what I’ll do too. . . .

3

The LEDs on my clock were behind a translucent plastic cover that explained what the various dots meant. I lost the cover probably 12 years ago. I’ve always wondered which side of noon the dot was supposed to represent (I forgot probably 11 years and 364 days ago). I just calculate in my head, and I don’t bother trying to set it to one or the other. (I basically just think “it’s eleven dot, so I need to set the alarm for eight not-dot” or vice-versa, depending on whether it was AM or PM the last time the power went out.)

Or I could just get a new clock.

4

I have a 17 year old GE clock radio. The red dot is labeled AM. I don’t recall what it was on previous digital clocks.

5

I have this clock, does that count?

It never fails to amaze me when people can’t tell time on it.

6

I modified an old clock to run backwards like that once, it had the side effect of making the alarm buzz start softly and get louder gradually. Didn’t last very long though.
Nowadays I use one of these to tell time and confuse guests.

7

One day I’ll learn not to click a think geek link. There goes another $24.

8

This is what I thought the OP was referring to originally.

9

I originally thought that th thread was about any clock that just runs poorly or oddly. I’m glad I re-read the OP.

10

Could NOT figure out why the alarm clock in my resort hotel room would not work, and it was a problem since no hotel wake-up call was provided. Realization dawned the morning I left that the it was the AM/PM light problem. Gah!

11

I have had the same clock radio since 1989. I haven’t used the radio part in many years. I definitely haven’t used the alarm in several years either. I use my cell phone for that. My clock has a red light for am/pm but I don’t remember which it indicates. When I reset it for day light savings or a power outage, it’s randomly right or twelve hours off.

12

Just looked at our alarm clock the little red dot is PM.

It also has a switch that turns the lighted display from 12 hour to military time [24 hour] which we used when we bought it 20ish years ago. It has been set on military time its entire little electronic life.

13

I have a wall clock like that–it’s in the shape of a pocket watch, with a fob that says, “Bar is open” on one side, and “Bar is closed” on the other. My dad gave it to me for my 21st birthday. It was a great conversation piece for many years.

14

Back in the 80s I had a clock like the OP’s with the dot for AM. Bought a second similar one when I got married & now we needed 2 alarm clocks for two get-up times. It had a dot for PM.

That lasted about 5 minutes. I put a little chip of black Dymo label tape over the words “pm” engraved on the faceplate, set the time offset by 12 hours and all was well.

One of those clocks died around 1995 and the other soldiered on until last year. For $10 or $15 each, that was pretty good value.

And yes, 24-hour display is the way to go. I’m glad to see some clocks in the US now sold with that option. Globalization has done at least some good in our backward & provincial little country.

15

I did that once too. Are you me? Oh, wait, apparently you are…

It was in college, and one of my housemates told me someone asked him what time it was, he looked up at a normal clock, and couldn’t tell what time it was. :slight_smile:

For the OP, I’ve never paid attention to the dot, other than to make sure it’s consistent with when my alarm is set. Do you often not know the time within +/- six hours?

16

I should have mentioned that I got an oral warning once at work for missing half a days work. Alarm didn’t go off and I slept till 10AM.

I set the alarm for 7pm instead of 7Am. The dot on that indicator is what makes the alarm right or wrong. This was not too long after buying the clock and I wasn’t used to the backward labeling on AM/PM.

I thought of this last night when Falling back for the time change.

17

My dad had an alarm clock like that. I insisted he use it correctly, as I was an anally retentive child, but he preferred just using the dot for PM anyways.

18

I’d pay real money to have one of those again. But this time around I’d rather have it battery operated, not plug in.

I had a roommate who would just not get it.